I just got back, from the range, with my new CETME. I'm sooo pissed. Now this might be an easy problem to fix, but I don't have the experience, with this type of rifle, to know what the problem is. The problem is, I have 4-20 rnd mags and all 4 have to be forced to snap into place, loaded or unloaded. I did manage to get one magazine-full fired through this. It did fine, once I got the magazine in place. Has anyone had this problem? How do I fix it? Your help will be greatly appreciated.
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CETME problems.......Help!
- Thread starter CSAY
- Start date
hksigwalther
New member
It sounds as though the dimensions for production of the receiver and/or the magazine are at the end of the tolerance range(s) and you have a tight fitting mag as a result. (If you bought the 4 mags at the same time, it's likely they are dimensionally the same and so would fit in the same manner between the 4.) I'm inserting and releasing the mags in my CETME right now and the fit is actually on the loose side.
I don't think it is too big of a deal that a little filing couldn't fix. If you look at the left side of the CETME mag there are three holes in the stamped collar and two protrusion near the bottom. The protrusions butt up against the mag well when the mag is inserted. The hole on the lower right is the mag catch hole. There should be an 'L' shaped embossment just above the mag catch hole. This embossment helps center the mag in the mag well and pushed the mag catch out of the way when the mag is inserted. Once the mag catch clears this embossment, it will snap into the lower right hole and hold the mag in place.
If you have to really cram the mag in, it sounds like either the mag catch hole is a bit low/small or the mag well protrusion stops are a bit high. There are two fixes. You can file the top ledge of the protrusions (where they come into contact with the mag well) down a little (all 4 protrusions around the mag) and allow the mag to go up into the mag well a little higher and allow the mag catch to snap in or you can file the bottom part of the embossment (top part of mag catch hole) to raise the edge of the hole a little higher.
Since all of the rounds of a full mag functioned without any problems, the height of the mag, when it is in the receiver, sounds like it is okay. If this is the case, I would file down the lower portion of the embossment (i.e., make the mag catch hole bigger) instead of screwing with the protrusions as filing those down a little would make the mag sit up a little higher in the receiver which could affect functioning.
This, of course, is all my opinion.
I don't think it is too big of a deal that a little filing couldn't fix. If you look at the left side of the CETME mag there are three holes in the stamped collar and two protrusion near the bottom. The protrusions butt up against the mag well when the mag is inserted. The hole on the lower right is the mag catch hole. There should be an 'L' shaped embossment just above the mag catch hole. This embossment helps center the mag in the mag well and pushed the mag catch out of the way when the mag is inserted. Once the mag catch clears this embossment, it will snap into the lower right hole and hold the mag in place.
If you have to really cram the mag in, it sounds like either the mag catch hole is a bit low/small or the mag well protrusion stops are a bit high. There are two fixes. You can file the top ledge of the protrusions (where they come into contact with the mag well) down a little (all 4 protrusions around the mag) and allow the mag to go up into the mag well a little higher and allow the mag catch to snap in or you can file the bottom part of the embossment (top part of mag catch hole) to raise the edge of the hole a little higher.
Since all of the rounds of a full mag functioned without any problems, the height of the mag, when it is in the receiver, sounds like it is okay. If this is the case, I would file down the lower portion of the embossment (i.e., make the mag catch hole bigger) instead of screwing with the protrusions as filing those down a little would make the mag sit up a little higher in the receiver which could affect functioning.
This, of course, is all my opinion.
I think I have figured out what my problem is. As I'm rocking the magazine into place, the back of it, next to the trigger guard, is hitting the receiver before it is snapped into place. Does this sound like a common fitting problem? Should I file the back of the magazine where it hits the receiver too early? If you guys can help, I would appreciate it.
Destructo6
New member
Whose receiver was the CETME built upon? Hesse receivers are notorious for unreasonably tight magazine wells.