BuzzNectar 35 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 This past year I went through alot of guns(buying/selling/trading)and after all that I kept going back to the AK pattern.Well Im in the market for a .223 and typically I would just buy a Saiga in .223 and do it up,however other than pistols all my long guns are AK type (not a bad thing) and Im kinda wanting a little something else to put in the mix.For some reason the c93 keeps catching my eye and I do love the HK look/style.Problem is that its a century build and I HATE century(see I won't even cap their name cause they don't deserve it)but something keeps telling me-what if I got one built on a day that the "sun did shine on a dog's ass".Does anybody have any feedback on some that are a recent batch or oppinions as of lately.For the price and being mostly built with genuine HK parts it would be nice if it worked out.....I don't know guys what do you think.Go with the "It might work out just fine" thought in my head,or the "WTF are you thinking.Your making me sick" thought in my gut.Any recent expierences would be great.Thanks,Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jpanzer 1,265 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 No experience with Century, but like you, based on what I've read i personally can't justify ever buying one. Sad, because I like the C93 also and their Golani-Galil clone too. Nothing would piss me off more than paying good money and getting a shit gun... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reverendfranz 160 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 There are more good guns from century than there are bad ones. Their problem is quality control, not total ability. I would think the biggest weakness would be mag fit, sight cant and roller size. handle the rifle before you buy and be picky. I'm no longer an HK fan though and would recommend the saiga. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 I've used the HK and I'm not crazy about them. Not much for them in the way of aftermarket. Do you can't modify it very easily. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nlacy 692 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 Before I got my saiga 223 I seriously considered the C93. But instead I got the saiga with a mag adapter to take AR mags. I got too many mags as it is and really didn't want to invest in a bunch more of a different type. Had no problems with my Century wasr, but I did get to look it over first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fallschirmjager667 729 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 i have a century FAL and vz58 that are both good, just try to inspect one before you buy it, i think some of them got the bolt faces ground down, so look for that Quote Link to post Share on other sites
termite 463 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Take you a set of feeler gauges and check the bolt gap before you buy it. There has been some problems with some of the guns, but over on the HK site, almost every one of them was fixed with either new rollers and/or locking piece. The really bad ones where sent off to a guy on the site for fixin. To check the bolt gap, make sure the gun is unloaded, cock it, then pull the trigger, flip it upside down and feller gauge the gap between the bolt head and carrier, if I remember right, the gap should be about .020. For the price of these guns, you could fix it pretty cheap and/or upgrade it with new original HK parts. I also heard that some of their barrels didn't have the fluted chamber, so you may also want to check that, and as was said earlier, beware of the ground bolt head. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TapeWorm3 104 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 You will not hate yourself. The platform is great I have both the C93 and G3. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
6500rpm 670 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) The best advice I can give you is spend some time on HKPro forum reading the clone section if you seriously want one. Ask youself, do I just want a beater to shoot or a nice HK. If you want a nice HK, can you work on guns or are you going to have to pay someone? If you can, look for one that was built on a SW receiver-most likely a early build with the s/n stamped on the top of the receiver just in front of the rear site. The base kits they used, atleast on early builds were generally nice matching numbers-the internals on mine looked new. Any 922r part you replace should be done with a U.S. made part as you're never going to find out from century what U.S. parts were used for the build other than the receiver and barrel. Mine shoots as good as my AR, but I never let century touch it (but if you buy new they will fix it in some manor). Mine might as well been a kit build, but the important fixes were correcting the bolt gap to .017" w/ "0" rollers and re-pinning the barrel with a over sized pin, welding the rail to trunion area properly, adding a paddle mag release (the right way), and for $50 had the trigger reworked. That would have been good enough to make it shoot as well as my AR. By choice I replaced the furnature, cocking handle, lower, and refinished it in MolyResin. Any factory mag other than a 40 will cost you a small fortune, the plastic 30rd MKE's are nice but take some minor fitting. The gun is heavy and the controls are a bit wacked-a paddle mag release is a great upgrade. On the good side, once it's made right it's as good as any HK clone on the market (possibly even a factory gun). I find the roller lock design has a unique feel to it that I like a lot and is very accurate. I wouldn't buy it over a AR, possibly a .223 Saiga, but to get it really right you're looking at $750-$1000. Edited February 10, 2012 by 6500rpm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BuzzNectar 35 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hey guys,thanks for the info.I appreciate the responses and welcome any more insight you give.Sounds like I need to do some reading/searching at HKpro and maybe get some more ideas and know how of the HK system.The only HK's I have owned were an Fp6 12ga. shotgun,USP Tactical .45,and a "WHY IN THE HELL DID I SELL THIS BACK IN THE DAY" model 91.I feel confident if I need to do some work on it I probably could.Just looking for a good shooter that works well and can be trusted and shoot multiple brands of .223/5.56 ammo.I really like the looks and style of the gun and would probably keep it stock.The biggest problem I face if I get one is that to get the cheapest price(too many price hiker gun shows as of lately) I will have to order it from a wholesale company and not get to do a hands on inspection.This is the main reason for holding back and why I asked if anyone had any expierences with the current batches.I know to do this would be a huge roll of the dice but if I were to have to pay the "in stock hands on" prices and taxes then I may as well do something like a Sig 556????? On a side note I did get an interesting offer today from a guy that helps out at the local gun shop......Norinco Polytech M1A/M-14 a little rough condition for $600.00 Hmmmmm? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony1 5 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Unless you dont want an AR, Colt 6920s are around 950 l'd get either another AK in 223 or an AR. The reason l mentioned the Colt 6920 is because for the price you cant really go wrong. l'd stay away from a century build unless it can be inspected and has available after market parts in the event something breaks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BuzzNectar 35 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 During the reading and looking around I have found that a lot of people say the Vector builds are of great quality and ready to go.Anyone have any experience or insight on these as well?They do cost twice as much but also come with a 5 year warranty.I absolutely have no desire to have an AR.Had a few and always sell them.The Sig for the money and being a piston gun would be my choice before an AR. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jpanzer 1,265 Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Rock River Arms just introduced the LAR 47 they are coming out with at the 2012 Shotshow. Takes AK mags and supposedly handles steel cased ammo as well. http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2012/02/01/rock-river-lar-47/ Not a AR fan, but this one has me re-thinking that entire equation... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BuzzNectar 35 Posted February 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 Rock River Arms just introduced the LAR 47 they are coming out with at the 2012 Shotshow. Takes AK mags and supposedly handles steel cased ammo as well. http://www.gunsholst...k-river-lar-47/ Not a AR fan, but this one has me re-thinking that entire equation... That looks to be a good option for bridging the gap between AR vs. AK.However it looks to be mainly for the 7.62x39 area and I have the 7.62x39 covered with my RPK-47.I just think I need a good .223/5.56 gun but at the same time want to add a little flavor to the collection.As of now I'm leaning to either a Vector build HK93 or Sig 556 patrol or swat.Think I may go with the gut and skip the century but at the same time my other picks are twice as much.......I suck at making decisions on things I want Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead7544 35 Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 I decided to get a .223/5.56x45 also. Was considering converting a Saiga. Stopped into one of my favorite gun shops and he had a WASR-3 on the rack. Looked fine. Said he would send it back if had any problems, until it was right. Been dealing with him for about ten years so decided to take a chance. Came with 2 Weiger mags. Has a chrome lined 1 in 7 twist barrel. Put together over there, not by century. At the range, worked perfectly and is very accurate. Front sight is off to the right a little bit but I can fix that. Looked around for mags and found 5 Weigers and 2 Romys used for a good price. Tapco 10 round 5.45x39 mags also works in this rifle. Also added a Romy sidefolder. For the money, I am quite happy with this rifle. Concerning the c93, you might get a good one, might not. Ask the dealer if he will return it if you have problems. If I really wanted that type, I would get an original. JMHO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted February 11, 2012 Report Share Posted February 11, 2012 i went shooting last weekend and i must share my experience. i was shooting my sgl and a buddy was shooting his wasr, and his neighbor that lives up the mountain came down with his civilian 416. i must say that this guy spares no expense when buying things, but to be honest, it shot great. it was about as ergonomic as one could imagin, and the accuracy was awsome. ive never been a fan of HK. they tend to fuck over the civilian market. i put 2 mags through it and let him do the same with my sgl. but when he left, i told my buddy that it really wasnt any better than a sig ar. in all reality, i was stoked that i got to finally shoot one, but really wasnt impressed with the end result for a 2500 dollar AR. to me, after shooting that, i think that the sig 516 is a much better option in the AR platform, and you get chrome lined internals to boot. ok now that im done ranting about that, on to the op. if you buy online, then dont buy a century. they are not all junk, but they are the type that needs to be handled in person before you purchase. i used to have a wasr that shot great with no problems, but it had cosmetic issues that i wasnt fond of. finish was poor, canted sights, but was an easy fix. century has came a long way from a few years back. im just not sure if their price is worth it, as there are other options out there for not much more money. i ended up trading it towards an sgl. best decision i made firearm wise in a long time. but if you need or want one, i bet it goes bang everytime. to me, its not the reliability aspect that they suck on, its the overall fit and finish of the weapon that lacks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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