PTR 91 GI Classic vs. Century Arms C308 – 1st 40 rounds

rjinga · March 18, 2017, 01:45 PM

My very first rifle was a Century Arms C308 called Black Betty (bam-ba-lam); I’ve owned her for about 1-1/2 years. My newest rifle is a PTR 91 GI Classic. I have had her for three days and she is still un-named. I took the PTR to the range yesterday and here are my initial impressions, compared to the C308, after 40 rounds:

The most noticeable difference so far is the felt recoil. After my very 1st shot with the C308 I remember thinking “OK, this gun isn’t going to ‘fun’ to shoot.” At the end of that range trip, my shoulder was sore, and the next morning I had a butt pad shaped bruise to go with it. I installed a HK 21 butt pad, and that helped, but my shoulder would still get a little sore every time I shot the rifle.

Yesterday, after the very 1st shot with the PTR, (with the HK 21 butt pad installed) I thought “Wow! I barely felt that.” It was just that slight “push” that I’d heard/read other people talk/write about. And, there is no soreness in my shoulder at all.

The hand guard area of the PTR feels heavier than the C308 does. I’m assuming that’s because the PTR has a heavier/thicker barrel, but I don’t know that for sure.

The fit of the PTR seems tighter than that of the C308.

I like the sights on the PTR better than those on the C308 too. The PTR’s rear barrel sight adjusts for windage and elevation; you have to make those adjustments on the front sight of the C308. I’m also able to focus on the PTR’s flat blade front sight better than I could on the C308’s cone-shaped front sight.

My first seven shots went like this: fire a shot, clean out the barrel (per the owner’s manual), fire the next shot and repeat the cleaning, etc. The manual called for 10 shots like that, but I ran out of cleaning pads after seven. I did have a 9x7” target at 25 yds just so I’d have something to aim at other than the berm 100 yds away. I did not take a photo of that target.

Then I set a splatter target at 100 yds and fired the next 17 shots at it, off of a table rest with the open-top 100 yd rear sight. I’d fire three to five shots, try to spot them with my binoculars (and poor eyesight), make mostly elevation adjustments, and then walk out to verify, and place stickers over, the holes.

I tried to cover the bulls-eye with the very top of the front blade, and my first set of shots was low. I think my three misses went under the target backer. Then I adjusted too much and when high. Then I adjusted again and was low, but closer. My last three shots are the circled splatters. I would have kept shooting and adjusting at 100 yds but it was getting close to closing time at the range.

So, I put a Red Dawn target (the bunker) at 50 yds and shot the rest of the magazine, 16 rounds, at it mostly just for fun.

The lower group of eight shots was taken with the top of the front blade covering the upper chest area of the target. The upper group of eight shots was taken with the top of the front blade covering the head area of the target.

And here's a comparison between the C308 and the PTR (with one flyer excluded from each photo).

T. O'Heir · March 18, 2017, 02:11 PM

Hi. I've never known any semi-auto .308 that hurt to shoot. Most aren't a lot of fun to carry around except for the Winchester semi'd M-14 I have with the issue fibreglass stock. Weighs a lot less than the C1A1 I used.
Mind you, Century is well known for assembling rifles out of parts bins with zero QC. Not even checking the headspace to ensure the thing was safe to shoot. Lot of the FAL they cobbled together were a mixture of inch and metric parts.
Anyway, if you didn't get one there's a PTR manual here. The sights shouldn't be terribly difficult to adjust.
http://ptr91.com/brochure/2012-OwnersManual.pdf

Model12Win · March 18, 2017, 02:17 PM

Century Arms and PTR are now working closely together in manufacturing. They make different parts for each other. There is essentially NO difference in quality between the two now. Used to, before the move, PTR was the better product. That hasn't been true for a nunber of years.

HankC1 · March 22, 2017, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Century Arms and PTR are now working closely together in manufacturing. They make different parts for each other. There is essentially NO difference in quality between the two now. Used to, before the move, PTR was the better product. That hasn't been true for a nunber of years.

Maybe. But C308 is built on surplus CETME part kit while PTR is supposed to be G3 clone built on US made new parts. CETME parts will dry up. Also, barrel/receiver assembly and weld quality is a big part of G3/CETME build. Century got the angry monkey reputation from it in the past. Does PTR assemble and weld for Century?

precision_shooter · March 23, 2017, 12:32 PM

What I recall is centurynow uses ptr-made receivers in one of their rifles.
PTR does not use any century-made parts that I am aware of.

March 18, 2017, 01:45 PM	#1
rjinga Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2012 Location: N. E. Georgia Posts: 512	PTR 91 GI Classic vs. Century Arms C308 – 1st 40 rounds My very first rifle was a Century Arms C308 called Black Betty (bam-ba-lam); I’ve owned her for about 1-1/2 years. My newest rifle is a PTR 91 GI Classic. I have had her for three days and she is still un-named. I took the PTR to the range yesterday and here are my initial impressions, compared to the C308, after 40 rounds: The most noticeable difference so far is the felt recoil. After my very 1st shot with the C308 I remember thinking “OK, this gun isn’t going to ‘fun’ to shoot.” At the end of that range trip, my shoulder was sore, and the next morning I had a butt pad shaped bruise to go with it. I installed a HK 21 butt pad, and that helped, but my shoulder would still get a little sore every time I shot the rifle. Yesterday, after the very 1st shot with the PTR, (with the HK 21 butt pad installed) I thought “Wow! I barely felt that.” It was just that slight “push” that I’d heard/read other people talk/write about. And, there is no soreness in my shoulder at all. The hand guard area of the PTR feels heavier than the C308 does. I’m assuming that’s because the PTR has a heavier/thicker barrel, but I don’t know that for sure. The fit of the PTR seems tighter than that of the C308. I like the sights on the PTR better than those on the C308 too. The PTR’s rear barrel sight adjusts for windage and elevation; you have to make those adjustments on the front sight of the C308. I’m also able to focus on the PTR’s flat blade front sight better than I could on the C308’s cone-shaped front sight. My first seven shots went like this: fire a shot, clean out the barrel (per the owner’s manual), fire the next shot and repeat the cleaning, etc. The manual called for 10 shots like that, but I ran out of cleaning pads after seven. I did have a 9x7” target at 25 yds just so I’d have something to aim at other than the berm 100 yds away. I did not take a photo of that target. Then I set a splatter target at 100 yds and fired the next 17 shots at it, off of a table rest with the open-top 100 yd rear sight. I’d fire three to five shots, try to spot them with my binoculars (and poor eyesight), make mostly elevation adjustments, and then walk out to verify, and place stickers over, the holes. I tried to cover the bulls-eye with the very top of the front blade, and my first set of shots was low. I think my three misses went under the target backer. Then I adjusted too much and when high. Then I adjusted again and was low, but closer. My last three shots are the circled splatters. I would have kept shooting and adjusting at 100 yds but it was getting close to closing time at the range. So, I put a Red Dawn target (the bunker) at 50 yds and shot the rest of the magazine, 16 rounds, at it mostly just for fun. The lower group of eight shots was taken with the top of the front blade covering the upper chest area of the target. The upper group of eight shots was taken with the top of the front blade covering the head area of the target. And here's a comparison between the C308 and the PTR (with one flyer excluded from each photo). __________________ "Yo homie. Is that my briefcase?" Sig Sauer P229 SAS GEN 2 E2 9mm; PTR 91, GI model; Chinese Type 56 SKS; Smith & Wesson Shield 9mm Last edited by rjinga; March 18, 2017 at 07:22 PM.

March 18, 2017, 02:11 PM	#2
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Hi. I've never known any semi-auto .308 that hurt to shoot. Most aren't a lot of fun to carry around except for the Winchester semi'd M-14 I have with the issue fibreglass stock. Weighs a lot less than the C1A1 I used. Mind you, Century is well known for assembling rifles out of parts bins with zero QC. Not even checking the headspace to ensure the thing was safe to shoot. Lot of the FAL they cobbled together were a mixture of inch and metric parts. Anyway, if you didn't get one there's a PTR manual here. The sights shouldn't be terribly difficult to adjust. http://ptr91.com/brochure/2012-OwnersManual.pdf __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

March 23, 2017, 12:32 PM	#5
precision_shooter Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 2,475	What I recall is centurynow uses ptr-made receivers in one of their rifles. PTR does not use any century-made parts that I am aware of. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson, 1776

March 18, 2017, 02:17 PM	#3
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	Century Arms and PTR are now working closely together in manufacturing. They make different parts for each other. There is essentially NO difference in quality between the two now. Used to, before the move, PTR was the better product. That hasn't been true for a nunber of years.