I purchased a Century Arms C308 battle rifle from a member here and am in process of having it shipped.

I’m not a big AR or AK guy and heard a lot of good things about them, so I decided to get one.

I’ve fired the C308’s H&K G3 cousin while in the US Army in Germany doing ranges with our Bundeswehr partnership unit and recall enjoying it a lot and being pretty accurate with it.

Is there anything to watch out for with these? Any sort of ammo that’s better than other brands?

Please give me any feedback you may have, thanks!

Mine goes bang every time. Welds on the top rail were a bit rough, but it’s straight. I have a Burris on top that works fine with it. No, it’s not a DMR, but it has been reliable so far. One thing about the charging handle is it really likes to fling forward. A little paracord loop on mine helps get a good grip.

I didn’t care for the finish on mine, so I detail stripped and Duracoated in black. I was certainly not the first owner by that time either.

Over the last 15-20 years that Century has been providing this style of rifle, I've always heard they are a gamble; but you can send them back if there is a functional issue and they will replace it ... there was an issue with at least one of the builders taking shortcuts like grinding the bolt head to get proper headspace. While I have heard of issues like the bolt head and crooked sights, I've never heard of a catastrophic failure.

I don't have a Century C308 but I've got the C93P which is basically the same risle in 223, P signifies Pistol so it has a 10" barrel.
I'm pretty sure the "finish" on mine was just flat black spray paint, maybe even high temp paint like you get at the hardware store to touch up your backyard grill, it wasn't put on very well either as it had both thin spots and runs after the top layer came off, it just looked "well worn" and I didnt worry about it as its a $600 shooter, not a show piece. I did replace the charge handle with one from an HK21, which is longer and easier to operate, the handguard with a correct HK53 and 53 collapsible stock, a QD adapter for my suppressor. Its pictured with the trigger pack it was shipped with, the registered sear is in the newer plastic grip frame.



Thats the bad and the ugly ... the good is that the welds are on mine are on par with genuine HK, maybe better(I've had a couple HK's with very unattractive welds; I attribute the better welds to modern manufacturing processes ... lastly, my HK 4x scope will clamp firmly on to the receiver which is an indication the receiver is "in spec" as many early non-licensed clones, the HK claw style scope mount either wouldn't lock on or fit too loose to be useful.

The sights are straight, and it shoots well. Initially I bought it as a host for my registered HK sear and wasn't planning to SBR it but after a couple outings decided to do the paperwork so I could shoot it as a rifle without the sear. After a few thousand rounds, mostly in full-auto it still runs well and accurate for what it is.

quote:

Originally posted by kimberkid:
Over the last 15-20 years that Century has been providing this style of rifle, I've always heard they are a gamble

It's my understanding that the early ones were crap but the ones built since 2015 have been solid and reliable with zero of the issues that plagued the early ones.

Thats good to hear, its about when I got my C93P ... now days, once a company or product gets a bad rep it seems to hang on forever thanks to the internet keeping it alive.

quote:

Originally posted by SigJacket:
Mine goes bang every time. Welds on the top rail were a bit rough, but it’s straight. I have a Burris on top that works fine with it. No, it’s not a DMR, but it has been reliable so far. One thing about the charging handle is it really likes to fling forward. A little paracord loop on mine helps get a good grip.

I didn’t care for the finish on mine, so I detail stripped and Duracoated in black. I was certainly not the first owner by that time either.

Is yours ridiculously hard to charge??

I’m a big guy and something doesn’t seem right here, I’m having to put the muzzle down and pull with all my might to budge the cocking handle and be able to pull it back into the notch.

I understand these blowback rifles are stiff but this is crazy. I don’t recall that with the HK G3 in Germany either. What gives?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by SigJacket:
Mine goes bang every time. Welds on the top rail were a bit rough, but it’s straight. I have a Burris on top that works fine with it. No, it’s not a DMR, but it has been reliable so far. One thing about the charging handle is it really likes to fling forward. A little paracord loop on mine helps get a good grip.

I didn’t care for the finish on mine, so I detail stripped and Duracoated in black. I was certainly not the first owner by that time either.

Is yours ridiculously hard to charge??

I’m a big guy and something doesn’t seem right here, I’m having to put the muzzle down and pull with all my might to budge the cocking handle and be able to pull it back into the notch.

I understand these blowback rifles are stiff but this is crazy. I don’t recall that with the HK G3 in Germany either. What gives?

No it's not ... I've heard if they didn't get the timing right they are ...

When you pull the change handle out it should unlock the bolt, it should kind of "pop" the bolt back a bit when you pull the handle out from the folded position ... if it doesn't then it would be hard to unlock to charge it.

Another thing you can do is get an HK21 charge handle, they are a bit longer, but last I checked they were about $45.

The only reason I have one on mine is because I'd bought it for an HK91/51 (308) pistol and I ended up selling it before I put it on ... I thought the 308 pistol would be fun with my registered sear, but it was a beast ... and really not much fun except to watch the dragon's breath a night. Since I didn't shoot at night ...

quote:

Originally posted by kimberkid:

Another thing you can do is get an HK21 charge handle, they are a bit longer

Thank you, I am going to try that. I have been cocking and dry firing this thing a whole bunch, and it seems like it is loosening up a bit, going to also try a full field strip and thorough cleaning and lubing.

There are a few different types ... the one's I've bought were from RTG Parts
HK21E STYLE COCKING HANDLE FOR-G3-91-PTR-93-33 etc

It was designed by Parabellum Combat Systems (PCS), I don't remember the company owners name but he has been into HK's for something like 30 years ... also, he built my sear ready HK-52 clone from a modified PTR91 receiver, they do amazing work ... not cheap, but amazing!