CAI/Hesse restoration - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - CAI/Hesse restoration

Posted: 8/2/2015 12:29:49 AM EDT

I'm familiar with Hesse. Normally I would run and run FAST from anything with their name stamped on it. That being said I picked up a G3 clone on a Hesse receiver from a buddy at work for $300. It came with a spare HK marked bcg and a couple spare magazines.
As to be expected the gun is a zoo. Zero bolt gap, dents in the receiver from the rollers, it jams & kicks like a mofo. The good news is tha it has a mint bore and is in overall really nice shape with a nice green duracoat finish. This is my first HK rifle and I expect it to be a labor of love while I restore this thing to shooting condition.
I've been to HKpro.com and I think those guys are laughing at me cuz My rifle says Hesse. That said, I'm gonna be asking the hive at ARFCOM for advice and hoping not to get snubbed like the HK purists are.
Here she is. More detailed pics of the damaged receiver and other issues to follow.

Posted: 8/2/2015 7:00:15 AM EDT

[#1]

Some of those "HK Purists" are pretty knowledgable.If you are deadset on making this rifle work my best advice would be to save what you can from the rifle,find a receiver flat and get somebody from HKPRO like Ghilliebear to build you a new rifle.In the long run your going to be better off selling what you can and buying a PTR.

Posted: 8/2/2015 8:55:25 AM EDT

[#2]

Sell it and buy a PTR. By the time you salvage the parts, and have someone build it up on a new receiver, you're back into PTR territory anyways.

Posted: 8/2/2015 8:56:33 AM EDT

[#3]

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Quoted:
Sell it and buy a PTR. By the time you salvage the parts, and have someone build it up on a new receiver, you're back into PTR territory anyways.

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Very true

Posted: 8/2/2015 10:17:03 AM EDT

[#4]

Would it be economicall for him to just fix the bolt gap with new rollers and use it as.a.shooter or are they really THAT bad?

Posted: 8/2/2015 11:14:08 AM EDT

[#5]

GOH (on HKpro) gave you some very good info/advise.

Posted: 8/2/2015 11:55:01 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

I've been to HKpro.com and I think those guys are laughing at me cuz My rifle says Hesse. That said, I'm gonna be asking the hive at ARFCOM for advice and hoping not to get snubbed like the HK purists are.

View Quote

they are all correct and gave you sound advice. You were not snubbed, those receivers are shit.

1. I would sell it, get a PTR.

2. Or pound out the dents, get a surplus locking piece and new rollers to get the gap and have a range toy. Thats the minimum energy I would put into the project.

3. if you want to go full retard- buy a new receiver and have a HK smith unfuck it.

Posted: 8/2/2015 1:30:43 PM EDT

[#7]

OP, get with myfakename. He's in AZ and just built a cetme(that's how I became aware of his knowledge).
Your rifle is beautiful; sorry it's acting up!
I have a century built Cetme that runs great but I have questions on some of the clearances so I'm trying to get a local smith to check it out.

Posted: 8/2/2015 3:24:35 PM EDT

[#8]

Those guys at HK definitely know their shit. I've been giving myself a crash course on HK's over the last week.
I know myfakename, we work together and got me hooked on FAL's in the past. I shot his CETME and it's a thing of beauty, he did a first class job on that thing.
the deeper I get into this thing the more I think I may have to pull the barrel and reset headspace. The dents came out easy enough but my bolt gap barely registers at .0015 with my smallest gauge.

Posted: 8/2/2015 4:20:57 PM EDT

[#9]

If my 'smith says my cetme is a bust I'll cut it and buy a ptr, and there will go my 300BO.

Posted: 8/2/2015 8:11:44 PM EDT

[#10]

I'm confused. How can anyone that doesn't build or even repair their own rifles "know their shit"?
If the best advise is "send it to an HK smith", do these people actually know anything or are they just regurgitating the same stuff they've been reading since joining? "Buy a PTR" (and we'll accept you) and "send your problems to xxx" are about the only thing I read anymore. Lemmings all.

OP got a great deal on a gun built with mostly HK parts, at the very least an HK parts kit with a barrel. It's worth more in pieces with hesse stamped on the receiver but anyone that knows their shit already knows that. If he's serious about fixing it I'd suggest he try militaryfirearm.com diagnostic help and weaponsguild for build assistance if required. You may get some heavy sighs but they will be followed by useful information

Posted: 8/2/2015 10:02:48 PM EDT

[#11]

I just read the thread on hkpro, GOH gave sound advice.

When you remove the BCG from the rifle and push the boltback against the carrier to extend the rollers, are you able to pull the bolt head out again by hand?

Posted: 8/3/2015 12:12:15 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I've been to HKpro.com and I think those guys are laughing at me cuz My rifle says Hesse. That said, I'm gonna be asking the hive at ARFCOM for advice and hoping not to get snubbed like the HK purists are.

View Quote

No one laughed at you on HKpro unless you could read their minds. I thought they were very helpful and you got some good advice.

Posted: 8/3/2015 12:21:03 AM EDT

[#13]

I fixed a Hesse FAL once.

Posted: 8/3/2015 5:57:51 AM EDT

[#14]

I have looked the rifle over recently and shot it a few years ago. Kicked like a pissed off mule

. The dents can easily be removed, getting the bolt gap and CT gap correct may take more finesse. I hope the rollers do the trick, otherwise the barrel needs to be pressed out and reset. Which means the triple frame comes off too.

Also, the CT looks funky where it meets the receiver. The locking slot is right on the weld seam like it was trimmed down. And the charging handle retaining pin access holes are NOT aligned with each other. The rest of the receiver does not look bad, only other fugly spot is where the trunion was welded around the front perimeter to the receiver.

Posted: 8/3/2015 3:10:38 PM EDT

[#15]

Holescreek,
Negative on being able to pull the bolt forward by hand once it's locked. The locking lever on both BCG's is extremely tight.

Posted: 8/3/2015 3:34:54 PM EDT

[#16]

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I And the charging handle retaining pin access holes are NOT aligned with each other.

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Those pin holes weren't aligned on HK factory guns. You just use some of a smaller diameter to drive out the pin. I suppose they were designed offset to keep the retaining pin from falling out

Posted: 8/3/2015 5:23:18 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:

Those pin holes weren't aligned on HK factory guns. You just use some of a smaller diameter to drive out the pin. I suppose they were designed offset to keep the retaining pin from falling out

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View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I And the charging handle retaining pin access holes are NOT aligned with each other.

Those pin holes weren't aligned on HK factory guns. You just use some of a smaller diameter to drive out the pin. I suppose they were designed offset to keep the retaining pin from falling out

Good to know. I thought it was a bit wonky.

Posted: 8/16/2015 12:03:24 AM EDT

[#18]

Update; after swapping out the rollers, and replacing the heavily worn bolt, carrier, and locking piece along with the recoil spring and buffer the gun is running like a cat on fire. Whether or not it holds up is another issue, but after 200 rounds of DAG surplus and LC 7.62 over the course of this last week I think it's gonna be okay.

Posted: 8/16/2015 8:16:18 AM EDT

[#19]

Got any pics of your old parts?

Posted: 8/23/2015 12:38:15 AM EDT

[#20]

I got my first roller lock rifle (Cetme) years ago paid 450 at show. I was in love! But soon realized it has a canted fs, almost no gap and ct was bent! I installed a rear g3 site to help with cant welded to line up, got gap to .011 i think and got tube straighten. It turned out good. I ended up build few rifles from flats, and the rest is history, Been collecting firearms since. Militaryfirearm.com is a great place to be for info, met a real good friend on that site shout out alpine!. My advise is for 300 bucks you did good. Im sure its not your only weapon so take your time and fix it. Always think safety first. Headspace on 762 is very important! Good luck.

Posted: 8/23/2015 6:12:17 PM EDT

[#21]

As others have said, probably not worth your time/money. I can see spare HK parts running up to the price of a new, functional PTR which likely has a good warranty. IMO the only thing useful about it is to pull spare parts off of it. Not sure how much the furniture sets go for, or what else you can pull out for reliable spares.

Posted: 9/7/2015 12:00:34 PM EDT

[#22]

Total cash outlay for replacement parts to get this thing running properly has been less than $100(rollers, buffer, recoil spring, roller retainer, retainer pin, charging handle spring). The gun came with a NOS BCG and that was the source of most of the high dollar parts. After taking measurements and testing with different rollers I'm pretty sure the old bolt head is toast. All the rollers I've tested in it were extremely loose. The old locking piece actually looks and functions the same as the NOS piece and will make a good spare. The older carrier is actually a Rhinemetall carrier and would probably be okay with a new locking lever and spring.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - CAI/Hesse restoration

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