Century Arms Black Widow Cetme Sporter .308 Review

Overall Rating

Low Recoil
Reliable Functionality
Impressive firepower
BadAss Appearance
Low Cost furniture allows lots of paint/color/pattern changes
Collapsable Stock fun to play with
Good Accuracy
Fluted Chamber allows it to use poor ammo

Not Pretty Weld marks
Fluted Chamber damages brass for reloading

The Century Arms Black Widow Cetme Sporter .308 is a blast to shoot and has - BY FAR - the LOWEST recoil of any .308 I ever fired as attested to by many I have invited to shoot it. My wife says it is about the loudest also, but I think a .223 is a lot harsher.

My CETME was previously owned and I bought it on the internet for $330 shipped a few years ago. It came with 5 mags, an additional set of furniture, a claw scope mount and a red dot scope. It has never failed to fire and functions very well. I did get concerned about the bolt gap from reading all the internet chatter about it and found mine was very close to nonexistant. I believed the "experts, bought new rollers and a new locking piece and it is fully within specification. Still fires great!

Accuracy? I am shooting with the iron sights at 100 yards mostly and hitting most everything I aim at that is 6" or better. From a rest, I get about three inches and i am not that good at benching. Mine did not have a muzzle break / flash supressor when I got it, but from the old CETME website, I got a threading tool and an original flash supressor and put it on. This, of course, was after the initial ban expired.

Fit and finish is good, not great, but then again, this old war horse suits me fine. As far as Century quality goes, I trusted it enough to buy a Yugo M50 AK47 built from them and, out of 5 that I have owned, it is the best looking, best shooting, strongest action and overall favorite of them all.

Fit and finish caused the review to lose one point. Besides that - I say - get you one while they are still available!!