I recently purchased a Century Arms C308 from Colonial Shooting Academy in Richmond, VA (I don't live in Richmond, for the record) the other day. I went for a new one on the shelf with wood furniture.
I've shot many semi-autos. I appreciate lower recoil guns like the AR-15 series, and the pure soviet robustness of an AK-M, or how could I forget the surprisingly modern looking FN FAL? They all had their benefits and drawbacks and I chose, as my first personal semi-auto, a C308. Why? For a variety of reasons:
1. Century has really improved the tooling compared to the earlier CETMEs they made
2. In the unlikely event I need to ever use my gun against someone, a 7.62 x 51 round is gonna be a good multipurpose round. Not that 5.56 is a slouch, but it's just not what I'm going for. Nothing against those who use 'em!
3. It's got good ergonomics, parts are cheap and plentiful, the mags are easy to come by, and mine came with wood furniture so it matches my mausers, mosins, arisaka and my old .22lr plinkers.
What it came with:
A manual, and 1 mag. Pretty barebones. How much did I pay? $730. Not bad for me! They had a used FAL on the rack for $1600!
I got to take it for a test drive right after buying it. I went into their indoor range and shot up 40 rounds through it. Yes, it gets a bit dirty inside.
How was the accuracy? At 75ft, without sighting it in, using any bracing, no sling etc, I could reliably hit a man-sized target with 38 out of my 40 rounds easy. Once I sight it in, get used to the sights, and get something for the top rail, I think I'll have a decent battle rifle on my hands.
Do I have any complaints? A few minor ones:
Very load muzzle blast due to the chevron muzzle brake, but it's quite easy on the recoil compared to some others. About the same as a heavy barrel, metric FAL with the gas system adjusted properly, I'd say. But that was 2-3 years ago when I shot it, so no telling if my memory is serving me right.
The cocking handle is pretty stiff, even after froglubing the entire action. I suspect this will go away with use.
Can't reload brass for it. But that's something I already knew. I think if someone was sitting forward and to the right of me it'd absolutely wreck them with a hot brass from the speed they come flying out.
Do I have any plans?
I'm thinking of a few accessories. I may also get a suppressor for it (I've owned an NFA machine gun before, so I'm familiar with the process, though I got mine through a trust) just for S&G.
Overall, really nice gun and I can recommend it to someone who knows what they want in a rifle, knows how to check the bolt gap when buying, and knows what to expect from one.
I do need to find a good sling/bag, so if you've any recommendations, drop it below! I'll answer questions if I can as well.
I've shot many semi-autos. I appreciate lower recoil guns like the AR-15 series, and the pure soviet robustness of an AK-M, or how could I forget the surprisingly modern looking FN FAL? They all had their benefits and drawbacks and I chose, as my first personal semi-auto, a C308. Why? For a variety of reasons:
1. Century has really improved the tooling compared to the earlier CETMEs they made
2. In the unlikely event I need to ever use my gun against someone, a 7.62 x 51 round is gonna be a good multipurpose round. Not that 5.56 is a slouch, but it's just not what I'm going for. Nothing against those who use 'em!
3. It's got good ergonomics, parts are cheap and plentiful, the mags are easy to come by, and mine came with wood furniture so it matches my mausers, mosins, arisaka and my old .22lr plinkers.
What it came with:
A manual, and 1 mag. Pretty barebones. How much did I pay? $730. Not bad for me! They had a used FAL on the rack for $1600!
I got to take it for a test drive right after buying it. I went into their indoor range and shot up 40 rounds through it. Yes, it gets a bit dirty inside.
How was the accuracy? At 75ft, without sighting it in, using any bracing, no sling etc, I could reliably hit a man-sized target with 38 out of my 40 rounds easy. Once I sight it in, get used to the sights, and get something for the top rail, I think I'll have a decent battle rifle on my hands.
Do I have any complaints? A few minor ones:
Very load muzzle blast due to the chevron muzzle brake, but it's quite easy on the recoil compared to some others. About the same as a heavy barrel, metric FAL with the gas system adjusted properly, I'd say. But that was 2-3 years ago when I shot it, so no telling if my memory is serving me right.
The cocking handle is pretty stiff, even after froglubing the entire action. I suspect this will go away with use.
Can't reload brass for it. But that's something I already knew. I think if someone was sitting forward and to the right of me it'd absolutely wreck them with a hot brass from the speed they come flying out.
Do I have any plans?
I'm thinking of a few accessories. I may also get a suppressor for it (I've owned an NFA machine gun before, so I'm familiar with the process, though I got mine through a trust) just for S&G.
Overall, really nice gun and I can recommend it to someone who knows what they want in a rifle, knows how to check the bolt gap when buying, and knows what to expect from one.
I do need to find a good sling/bag, so if you've any recommendations, drop it below! I'll answer questions if I can as well.