Century Arms C93 (H&K 93) Rifle Review
NOTE: To get up-to-date pricing & to purchase this rifle, please click this link to visit Guns For Sale: Century C-93 Rifle For Sale
Century Arms is a company that has done a great job in preserving some excellent military type rifles and making them available to shooters in the US. How they’ve accomplished this is straightforward: they use a combination of original and American made parts to comply with federal laws regarding importation of foreign arms. Otherwise, we would only be able to buy those rifles imported before these laws went into effect.
If you’ve priced an honest to goodness used H&K 93 you’ll find they are upwards of $3500.00 at least! The Century C-93, which is an H&K 93 for all intents and purposes, can be purchased for less than $600!
I purchased an H&K 93 in 1984 new in the box for $400. Yep, why didn’t I keep it? Hindsight is 20/20 and of course we all know about that when it comes to trading guns.
When Century sent this example of the C-93 I looked it over closely and the only difference in this model and the 1984 H&K 93 is the trigger group. The Century version uses what is called a Navy trigger group. These are plastic over a steel box frame rather than a stamped steel outer body. Other than that it’s an H&K 93 top to bottom.
The parts I inspected were assembled from decommissioned German rifles. All of these surplus parts were in excellent condition with most appearing brand new. The buttstock had very minor blemishes on it otherwise the rifle appeared to be brand new with excellent fit and finish.
The C-93 comes with a bayonet and two 40 round steel H&K magazines. A carry handle is mounted at the center of gravity on all Century C-93’s.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .223/5.56x45mm |
| Capacity | 20/25/30/40 |
| Barrel | 18.89" (450mm) |
| Overall Length | 34.06" |
| Width | 2.28" |
| Height | 8.26" |
The C-93 operates using the delayed roller lock system. I won’t go into a lot of detail but this system has it’s roots in the MG42 of WWII. Following the war the system was used in the Cetme and later refined by H&K. The same action is still used in almost all H&K rifles.
Rather than a rotating bolt the C-93 uses two rollers in the bolt head. When fired the rollers recede into the bolt head to release the action and allow recoil into the bolt head carrier. This action causes the bolt carrier to complete recoil under gas/ spring pressure chambering another round as it moves forward into battery. When the entire assembly goes into battery the rollers move out and lock the action for firing.
It’s a unique and very reliable system. It’s also a very expensive design to build requiring very precise manufacturing. This is one factor that makes these very expensive when buying an original.
As seemingly complex as this system is it will run forever without cleaning. Over the years I’ve owned many original H&K’s and they are as reliable as any military rifle I’ve ever owned. This also applies to the C-93. During this review I fired over 700 rounds of Wolf steel cased ammo without cleaning. I’ve had zero malfunctions of any type. Believe me it’s very dirty in there. I intend to keep going until I hit the 1000 round mark. I have no doubt it will complete the test without any problems.
Construction of the C-93 receiver is a simple process compared to the bolt mechanism. The rifle is made of stamped heavy grade sheet steel. The barrel is hammer forged of course. The buttstock and foregrip are made of a durable plastic type material.
Disassembly is simplicity itself. At the lower front of the buttstock just above the pistol grip is a large pin which the user simply taps partially out. The pin is then removed by hand and placed in one of the two holes conveniently machined into the stock for safekeeping. The user then pulls the buttstock to the rear and off the receiver. The firing mechanism is then removed by pulling down on the pistol grip removing it and setting it aside. One then simply grasps the recoil spring and pull it out along with the attached bolt mechanism. That’s all there is to it. Clean as usual.
The sights on the C-93 are also unusual in comparison to other military rifles. I certainly do like them though. They are easy to adjust and maintain zero even under pretty rough handling. The front sight is a covered post while the rear sight is a diopter type. The turret on the rear sight rotates from a “V” shape to progressively larger peep sizes up to 500 meters.
Some think rotating the turret adjust elevation but this is not the case. To adjust for elevation a special tool is inserted in the top and rotated lowering and raising the turret. Windage elevation is adjusted with a small Phillips head screwdriver. The screw for adjustment is on the right side of the sight. Turning this screw clockwise moves the sight to the right, counter clockwise to the left. This type of sight is very easy to zero.
The thumb safety is one an AR15 shooter would be right at home with since it operates in the same fashion. One difference is the lever is a good deal larger which makes operation with gloves much easier. The magazine release is also positioned in the same place as an AR. Magazines fall free without having to pull them out.
Trigger pull is typical of most military rifles being a bit on the heavy side. Break is fairly clean however. There are gunsmiths that specialize in H&K/C-93 trigger and action work.
With all the optics mounted on rifles these days several companies make several mounts to fit the C-93. A standard picatinny rail mounts in the same location as the claw mount H&K makes but much less expensive.
Range Time
Shooting the C-93 is a real joy. With the delayed roller lock system recoil is very light allowing the shooter to get back on target quickly. Most of my range sessions have been at 100 yards although I have practiced movement drills much closer. I found the C-93 to be quick handling. It really feels lighter than the listed eight pounds.
As rifles of this type go the C-93 is very accurate. In fact more so than any other stock military rifle I’ve shot. The target below was fired from 100 yards with iron sights from a sandbag rest. The group size is three rounds into ½ inch! I was honestly shocked at such a small group using Wolf ammo in a military rifle at that distance.
The next picture down is my second and third group from 100 yards. I aimed slightly higher than the first group and placed two rounds into slightly less than ½ inch. I fired in the same manner for the third group firing two more rounds again the group was under ½ inch. Now I’m no Carlos Hathcock by any stretch of the imagination but on this particular day with no wind these are the groups! This is one accurate rifle.
Conclusion
When I received this rifle I honestly expected it to be pretty standard. My expectations were groups of three or so inches at 100 yards with fit and finish to have some rough spots since some parts are surplus. This wasn’t the case either.
For a rifle that sells for less than $600 most places this is a very good buy! The rifle showed accuracy I hadn’t expected and 100% reliable. I would recommend this rifle to any shooter without reservation.
Box20022,
Try reading up on it at hkpro forum those guys seem quite knowledgeable, I don’t see many options for mags beyond std
Where can I find furnature and accesories that are reasonably priced ? And a 25 or 30 round magazine ? I also noted that the length of the C93 is listed in most literature and the Century Arms owners manual as 36.5” and in this article as 34.06” I measured the weapon and it is actually 38” in length. But I would love green furnature and some 25 /30 round mags. If anyone knows where I can find reasonably priced accesories for the C93 please post. I love this weapon it has sex appeal , it justs looks bad ! And it performs flawlessly.
I have heard all the complaints about Century I think most are just the drunken canaries repeating what they heard and have never owned one. I own three and have never had a major issue with any ! I own a Golani, the CETME , and now the C93 and I fired each right out of the box without cleaning and used the cheapest ammo out there Tulammo and had no problems at all. The CETME in quality although great was the roughest of the three. The only problem I did have was a warped Ghost Ring sight on the Golani I called Century and they sent me a complete Front sight assembly and an extra 35 round magazine very quickly . My take on it is I want a reliable Low priced shooter to shoot the cheapest ammo out there and Century Arms is priced that any average Joe can afford. The Golani was $535, The CETME $499, and the C93 was $483. I love all three and they are tough as nails. Maybe Quality control was an issue years ago but three I own were purchased in the last two years.
i purchased a c93 and checked the bolt gap and found it to be .008 in.
The weapon functions flawlessly. Is this a future problem?
thanks
Andy
i havent bought one of these yet,but will be on my list very soon.As for century arms,i have heard nightmare storys about them;however i cant say i have ever had bad luck with any of thier guns,no canted site sites ,no feeding issues,nothing!!Everything i have ever bought from them has alway functioned flawlessly. i glad for the write up,now i know i am going to own one.
I bought a new C.A.I. MAS49/56 many moons ago when they sold for $250 with all accessories. Accept for the dark bore, the rifle is in great condition. Just recently, I put a couple hundred rounds of wolf 308 through it after replacing the recoil spring (Just do it after hearing so much bad thing about the rifle) without any failure. With the help of the 4X scope and McCann mount, I can group 3” @ 100yrd. Not bad for a sewer pipe with steel jacketed bullets (Hope that the barrel will be cleaned up after 1K rounds).
I got a used C.A.I. CETME with stainless steel receiver at a local gun shop. It was so attractive with the price half of a DSA FN FAL. This rifle was built for optic sight. I put a cheap reproduction STG mount with Nikon 9X scope on it and the whole system is still solid after fired 1K of S&B surplus 308 ($.30 corrosive ammo). No failure was found (using $.90 G3 mag, $4.0 G3 steel mag or CETME mag). I compared my $650 CETME and a $3500 HK91 at another local shop and found my CETME has better finish and more attractive wood furniture. The bolt gap measured about .010 and the spent brass show no high pressure issue. The only thing I hate about the rifle is cleaning. It is hard to reach into the chamber area (Cleaning the AR rifle is a walk in the park). I take the CETME out when I think the range is too quiet. By the way, G3 is a clone of the CETME, not the other way. HK just makes this design famous.
I just bought a VZ-2008 from J&G. I always want to have a copy of this rifle as I am a Viet-Nam War small arm collector (These rifles were sent to North Vietnam during the war for test/evaluation. The communists highly value these “AK Tiep-Khac” or “Czechoslovakia AK” as they called in Vietnam. Again, I saw my $500 copy as closely put together compared to $900 CZ-58 at the local shop where I did the transfer. I don’t have a chance to test the rifle yet but after doing the field strip and dry operation, I am pretty sure it will function without a hick-up. The VZ-58 is a very interesting design. I can say it’s a combine of an AK and a SKS in a compact package and skillfully done. The striker system will improve accuracy but the hand grip is too small and hurts my hand just holding it.
Thanks to the guys who bad mouth C.A.I for more than a decade, the C93 is still available at reasonable price. I will get one of them next month (Thai Force and NAVY SEALS used HK33 in Nam).
Feeding issues often are mag problems like miss shaped feed lips or how far it seats in the well. You can tweak and file/weld on them, or write FTF on It’s bottom and save it for parts on other mags as do. When It’s a military pattern rifle built from parts kits as most century and many others are, they may have tolerance stacking that makes some mags work and others not, and some builds use American mags their batf required parts count up which aren’t known for their usefulness. These are mag issues not rifle problems but the guns and the company often get blamed.
If this rifle is like ar15s where ammo is concerned some newbies to tactical rifles think they are being nice to their new expensive precision instrument by buying commercial 223 like a 40gr winchester and then it won’t cycle. 223 is down loaded compared to 5.56 and until you put a few hundred rds down range don’t expect it to like anything less than 55gr
Good write up, just curious if you are shooting from a vise with remote trigger for those groups. Though 3 shot groups aren’t my thing I generally do 10 because I like to know what happens once she’s warm. Sub-moa first round is great but if it goes to 6+moa hot, I’d rather have one that is a consistent 3-4moa.
I also have 4 century builds with no issues, sure their aks have poor fit and finish (canted sites,ect…) but they all work and I shoot out to 300yds on a 10×11 steel with irons on them all consistently.
The cetme of theirs I have isn’t an exact clone of the 93′s big brother 91, but it is close and I’ve been looking at these for awhile now because my only real complaint on the HK style action is cleaning the chamber and breach is a pain. But function is good, scoping reliably is a challenge, as the zero tends to wander on mine but it gets quite heavy with scope and mount anyway, I find it easier making hits with irons. The price and availability of mags is It’s shortfall for me, 5 mags is a minimum for a rifle and generally like at least 12-20…that would be pricey with this one.
As for those who refuse to use steel cased or surplus ammo…that’s your problem. It’s all I shoot…ak’s..ar’s..sks’s…psl…cetme…mini 30…they all love it!
The only thing that keeps me away from the C93 is the high cost of 40 round mags (which mandates excessive head exposure in the prone position), and even higher cost of 30 round mags. I have a Century CETME (HK91 clone) which shoots sub-MOA groups at 100 yards and with mags at 99 cents from CTD I just can’t justify $39 or $49 dollar C93 mags
Phil,
I have had a C-93 for about 2 years now, I had researched it and was really scared it was a bad rifle. When I took it to the range the first time using PMC 223 it would not cycle. I took it home and cleaned it really good greasing everything. Went back to the range and the PMC still didn’t work. I put some Federal M193 in it and it worked flawlessly. I hear from local owners that you have to use NATO spec ammo in it for it to work right.
great rifle, thinking about buying another one.
Phil I purchased [orderd] aC93 through a local dealer in Phoenix AZ. I took it home inspected.cleaned and oiled it took it out to my back yard range tried 4 difernt brands of ammo and3 bullet wts the rifle would NOT eject or feed 1 single round [ the bolt would recoil just enough to catch the next rnd in the mag but not far enough to hit the ejecter and then try to feed both the empty and loaded rnd into the chamber. I had the dealer return it to century its been over 2weeks now and no word meanwhile my $550 is out there in space somwhere. Im not impresed with centurys product or service
I finally got it to the range (after a month of receiving it) and shot pretty flawlessly. Out of the box, bolt gap was at .013 and after a 150 rounds, its down to .012. not a big drop, but still need to shoot more and see where it takes me. No fail to eject, but I did get a few fail to fire…only because I didn’t slam the charging handle forward like i should of. But, so far it’s a keeper.
Phil, I just took my new C93 to the range and can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. Put 60 American Eagles through it. No problems at all. I do have a question though. All of the ejected casings have a small dent in the middle. Any ideas? Buy the way, this rifle is a “KEEPER”.
I have 2 century rifles and maybe I got lucky. The quality of rebuild is fine on both, everything fits and functions as it should. My Wife and I went to the range yesterday and both worked flawlessly. C93 and a Golani. They shot 2-4″ at 100 yards. We used random ammo, all was brass cased, not a fan of the steel case stuff. No failures at all. We field stripped, cleaned, checked both before we went. If you wish to grab a rifle straight out of the box and expect it to work 100%, good luck you gotta clean it. However, if you wish to buy an interesting rifle for $600.00 or less and have something no one else has at the range, they are great.
Now, be sure to check the bolt gap. To do this, insure the weapon is unloaded. Lock the bolt to the rear and allow it slam shut on an empty chamber. Dry fire and insert a feeler gauge in the mag well between the 2 parts of the bolt assembly. Here bigger truly is better. .020-.010 is optimum, as the gap gets tighter chamber pressure rises. You can compensate by changing out the rollers, it only takes a few minutes. Mine comes in at .011, a little close. All in all, the weapon performs flawlessly. I may add a dot sight, but that’s all I plan to change.
Swordfish,
Sounds like the same experiences I’ve had with CAI rifles!
Just purchased one of these for $569 at a local retailer last week and brought to the range today July 25 2011.
Nice looking gun w/2 mags and a bayonet and a carry handle, but rear sight was loose and despite trying both 40 rd mags loaded with 20 rds. of Wolf polymer 55gr ammo I had 5 that fired (never 2 in a row) 2 FTE, and 7-8 that chambered and the hammer dropped on but did not even dent the primers, before I gave up.
I just emailed Century about repairing or returning it but haven’t heard back yet. I’d take a refund if offered and buy more ammo for the other guns I think.
Also brought a new Mini-14, 3 Glocks (2 unfired), a Draco (AK47 pistol, unfired) and a MKIII Ruger (also new and unfired) that all worked great with zero problems. The Draco had 3 different types of ammo loaded in 1 30 rd mag; copperwashed old corrosive stuff, new Federal brass cased and green steel cased Wolf(?). Just what was laying in a drawer. I was confident it would function regardless and was right.
You just can’t go wrong with Ruger, Glock or any AK type system.
kevink030,
I can give you something to try with the C93. Try disassembling and lubricating the bolt and bolt carrier. After this work the action a dozen times or so and this should take care of this problem. Mine was not lubed well. After I cleaned and lubed it there were no problems. They tend to be a bit dirty when shipped because they aren’t cleaned well after test firing before shipping. Let us know how that works for you.
Hi,
I bought one about 3 weeks ago. about 250 rounds in, NO FTE’s, it feeds Federal M193′s, Remington 55gr .223, Federal TAP & Federal 62gr penetrators without problems. I haven’t tried wolf ammo yet . . . I only treat my SKS to that kind of abuse.
My accuracy was not quite that good, but at 50 yards with sandbag front rest i was getting a good 1.5-2.0″ group. I found heat mirage using the irons pretty significant. My bolt gap runs a consistent .008″, which i think is the low end of the range. it cycled reliably. Only issue i had were to failures to fire when my friend tried it, but he didn’t slap the bolt “HK” style, and the bolt did not lock when he eased it forward manually. Handle it rough.
As a lefty i installed an ambi fire selector, and appreciate the left side charging handle. The cheekweld with the HK stock is great. The stock has no rattle or play like an AR 6-position stock or all the funky forend junk these guns get.
for a rifle that cost $550 shipped to my FFL friend, this is a riot to shoot.
John,
That’s great to hear! I sure liked testing this one. It handles and shoots as well as my old H&K 93. You’re right using the bolt release slap does ensures the round feeds perfectly. Once you have more rounds through it you can go the easy way of chambering a round. The accuracy you experienced is more towards the norm than mine was. I am still very surprised at the groups I’m getting.
Enjoy!
I have to say, I rarely trust reviews these days. Partially because I have never read a review by an author that didn’t love his new gun, then go on to extol it’s virtues. Saying good things keeps the free firearms coming. Also because, even if the reviewer is honest and objective, there is always the possibility that the firearm sent out was cherry-picked or fine-tuned by the manufacturer. Has anyone ever read a review where the reviewer flat out admitted that the weapon was a pile-of-$#17 and he hated it? Me neither. Not that Phil here doesn’t have an enviable rifle. I am always hopeful that Century has stepped it up a notch. I have been eyeballing some of their Galil rifles. If this is the start of a new era in manufacturing for them, then I am all for, but I will wait for the positive range reports to come filtering in.
Century products are garbage, I know firsthand. They shouldn’t even be in business.
Thanks Phil.
charles222,
You bet!
i heard these jam and dont work properly with 5.56 or .223 (one or the other) due to a “bolt gap”. in any case, is it reliable with any ammo or is it finicky? i would like this as a shtf rifle, with a 40 round mag with common ammo? i was thinking an ak47 with tactical rails on it, and a flashlight and what not, something i can run with but still neutralize tangos in an orderly manner, would you trust your life with this gun?
Dylan,
Actually I would trust this one with my life. It’s certainly proved itself. I did shoot TulAmmo as well as 5.56 NATO 62 grain penetrator. It didn’t make any difference it just kept on running.
Phil
Nice review but I have trouble trusting any parts gun from the drunken gun-plumbers at Century.
Raoul,
I’ve heard the same thing Raoul but I’ve never had any problems personally. I had a G1/Fn-Fal and a Romanian AK. No problems. I don’t doubt people have had troubles I just haven’t seen any and now this C93 ticks right along.
Good review! Did he check bolt gap on that sucker? The C93s are infamous for having very little or no bolt gap (a big deal with roller lockers). There is also a growing suspicion in the shooting community that Century sends out guns for review that are, uh, considerably more well put together than those pulled off the rack at the local gun store.
El,
I did check the bolt gap when I got it. It fell into the parameters set by H&K. A little close but it caused no problems not being right in the middle of the accepted measurements. After 28 years as a police officer I’m a pretty suspicious guy and I honestly couldn’t see any thing to indicate it had been “tuned” for the review. I got it within a week of the request. I did need to lube it since it was pretty dry inside.
Those are so tempting but $500-600 is too much to risk on century roulette.
Why build an HK33 clone and not his brother the HK G41 who could take STANAG mag (AR15 mag)
* http://world.guns.ru/assault/de/hk-g41-e.html
in other hands :
Roller delayed blowback start with Polish compagny RANDOM- Panstwowe Wytworine Uzbrojenia (United States Patent US2089671 of Edward Stecke in 1933) =>Mauser MG42 => Mauer STG 45 (or MKb Gerät 06) => French-made AME 49 => Spanish CETEM & the Licence Build CETEM By HK with the G3
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CETME#Modelo_A_and_A1
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AME_49
* http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2089671.html
STG G1 : FN FAL
STG G2 : SIG STG57/SG 510
STG G3 : CETEM modello B (become HK G3)
STG G4 : Armalite AR10
The rifle’s action doesn’t lock.
Nathaniel,
Well at least in my viewpoint it does in a manner of speaking. The rollers lock into place then release when fired. If you’ve ever pushed the two parts of the bolt together and locked them the rollers are impossible to release without pulling the two pieces apart once again. The rollers are the only parts that do lockup.
Shipping a navy trigger group without an ambi selector is almost criminal.
I cannot stress how important it is to get a steel receiver when purchasing a HK-clone.
Burst,
You can buy the original steel trigger group but they are over $200. Have you noticed a problem with the Navy trigger group?
Good to hear someone likes their C93, I’ve never seen a good review about them before. This gives me a little hope for Century.
Before buying one of these, do a search on YouTube. People are having a LOT of problems with this rifle due to poor quality control by Century Arms.
Brad,
There are a lot of both videos both good and bad. Is there a risk? As I said I’ve never experienced an problems whether they were test guns or ones I purchased.
Interesting, But I rather have Century make a SP-1 copy and go retro that way. Never a H&K91-93 fan at all. the action gave too much recoil.
I shot for qualification with the G3 (H&K 91, with full-auto, for the Bundeswehr) way back in 1977. I was so amazed by the G3, I told my platoon sergeant that, if “the balloon went up”, I was going to “knock some German private in the head, take his G3, and leave him my M16A1″. I was told by him to make sure I grabbed two of them…one for me and one for him! The H&K 91 is, indeed, a superb rifle, and, from what I have heard, the H&K 93 is just as good. BTW, I qualified for the Schutzenschnurr im Geld. It is still one of my proudest posessions.
M.G.,
Congrats! They are wonderful rifles that’s for sure. I sure wish I had kept my H&K 93 with a set trigger group!
This must be the first positive review of a Century assembled anything in a long time. Did you purchase the gun or was it a sent-for-review rifle?
Mu,
It was sent for review but as the other comment asked I did check it for any tuning and found nothing to indicate that.
Wow, impressive results for a $600 rifle. I think I’m adding this to my must buy list. Thanks!
Steven,
You bet Steven. I may hang onto this one:-)
Interesting. I’ve heard some bad stuff and horror stories about Century, but it seems like they got your rifle right. I might have to give their guns a second thought.
I need to get one of these with a bullet button so i can use it in the great state of kalifornia
Reverend,
Man I feel for you guys trying to buy anything in that state. I have friends there in law enforcement. Unless it’s a department gun they have to jump through the same hoops as everyone else even if they intend to use it on duty!
Half MOA accuracy with iron sights, no malfunction with 700 rounds of very cheap and dirty ammo for less than 600 dollars?
Too good to be true. Most high-end ARs for 3 times the price would be glad to achieve 1MOA with match ammo and very few of them would cycle reliabily such amount of rounds without cleaning.
Those guns must have been bathed on tiger blood…
Vitor,
I was as shocked as you are. I never ever expected these results by a long shot—so to speak:-) I finished the 1000 rounds case of ammo still no problems. I did finally clean it after the review.
That was a good review, very through and well written. My only question is, does the carry handle interfere with installing an optics mount? It kind of looks like it might? Regardless, that was a great write up and I enjoyed reading it. Good work!
Tyson,
Thanks very much Tyson. I’m always happy to hear I’ve done my job and folks like you get something out of it and enjoy the articles! To answer your question the carry handle will not interfere with optics mounting. It will use the same claw mount as an H&K93. There are several companies that make mounts that are considerably less expensive. If you do a simple Google search there are a good number that will pop up.
Interesting-I always liked the HK-series rifles when I was a kid; the idea that they were all part of a system was cool to my 12-year-old mind.
It’ll be really cool if these are able to take the various aftermarket parts that exist for the HK93.
charles222,
Just about any original H&K93 part will fit this rifle without any problem. Scope mounts, bi-pods etc.
Re: the reliability of the roller lock system: I’ve shot thousand upon thousands of rounds through the “big brother” of this rifle, the G3 (more specifically the Norwegian licence produced AG3), and have never had a failure except a couple of rounds that were duds and a damaged magazine that didn’t feed properly. I wouldn’t have a second thought about trusting that rifle with my life.
On another note; the G3 mauls brass. It has a fluted chamber and in addition most cases are banged up by the extraction process. Might be a disadvantage to reloaders if the C93 does the same thing.
Harald,
With the NATO brass the 93 doesn’t dent them like the big brother does. You can reload these spent cases without any problem.