[ironhead7544]

Ordered some 22 cal bore slugs. Measured the bore and it is .224. Checked the barrel with the bullet test and it looked OK. Used the 55 gr Silver Bear HP. Later measured the bullet at .220. This ammo shoots OK with a keyhole every 10 rounds or so. The other ammo, Wolf 60 and 70 gr loads drop to the case in the bullet test. The 70 grain shoots tight groups with half the shots while the other half keyholes. The 60 gr FMJ and HP always keyhole. Havent measured the Wolf bullet diameter yet. The Silver Bear ammo fits very tight in the chamber and will pull a bullet out if a live round is ejected. The Wolf is a tight sliding fit but the Silver bear is hard to push into the chamber. Looks like the neck is too small. Most AKs have about 10 thousandths neck clearance, some have more. Im going to try to get the neck and throat reamed out for .224 bullets. Then try handloading with one of the 68 to 80 grain match bullets. The twist is 7.7 (measured) so they should work. I bought some Hornady 75 gr A-Max bullets and made up a dummy. Looks like it will work with the right neck and throat. Might be very accurate with match grade bullets. Barnes has a 70 gr all copper HP that might work for hunting.

 

[Leed709]

Haven,t measured the bore yet. Picked up a cia tantal about 3 months ago. SN#YO15xx with a 1/9 barrel. Bullet test with 60gr. wolfe showed about 3/16 in. Finally got to range last week. Could only fire at 50 meters due the troops zeroing their M16. No evidence of keyholeing. Group was about the size of a softball. I think this was due ot old eyes and not rifle which performed excellent. Maybe I got lucky and got a good one. :amen:

 

[ironhead7544]

Sounds like yours is OK. The only bad ones have a Serial number starting with TTL.

 

[1985saab]

Sounds like yours is OK. The only bad ones have a Serial number starting with TTL.

I almost bought used Tantal with serial number starting at TTL, seller was selling it cheap and I was skeptical.

 

[hey_hi_its_me_vlad]

who cares :grin: :grin: lancaster backs up their product, so get ahold of them and they'll swap the barrel.... if the rifle is a good deal, get it.

 

[ironhead7544]

who cares :grin: :grin: lancaster backs up their product, so get ahold of them and they'll swap the barrel.... if the rifle is a good deal, get it.

Did Lancaster make all of Centurys Tantals? How do you know they will replace the barrel? Id like to get mine done if possible.

 

[Hootbro]

who cares :grin: :grin: lancaster backs up their product, so get ahold of them and they'll swap the barrel.... if the rifle is a good deal, get it.

Did Lancaster make all of Centurys Tantals? How do you know they will replace the barrel? Id like to get mine done if possible.

Lancaster did not make the Century Tantals. Century built those in house.

Century has been pretty good of late for backing up their products. If you get a dud Tantal from them, they will make it right.

 

[mp517prct]

I bought one over the weekend (S/N starts with a "Y") anyone ever seen one with a CAI import mark on the barrel?

 

[computergeekgunfreak]

Sounds like yours is OK. The only bad ones have a Serial number starting with TTL.

I have a Tantal with TTL serial number. Shoots Russian and Bulgarian surplus without any keyholing. Has been a reliable and accurate rifle.

 

[mrkermit]

I have a century tantal and it fires great. My buddy was so impressed with it he went out and bought one from a local gunshop. I've never bitten too hard into the internet talk but this thing keyholes like there is no tomorrow. We shot about half a magazine using Russian milsurp and got nothing but keyholes. We shot more and more and it keyholed more and more.

Well, the bad news hits him when I tell him that it needs to go back. The worse news hits him when Century apparently will not take anything back but the "TTL" series guns (his is not.) Now, I guess he's kind of stuck with the gun since he doesn't want to invest into a new one and the price to do the work in replacing the barrel isn't exactly cheap. He's tried a different variety of ammo (as all I shoot is milsurp) and all to the same effect. In any case, I told him to just see if he could get a newer rifle as I'm guessing whoever he bought it from had bought it when they first came out and do a switch but it's looking pretty grim at the moment.

 

[TxCop]

Sounds like yours is OK. The only bad ones have a Serial number starting with TTL.

So do all the TTL serial numbers have bad barrels or did some of them come through with good ones? I recently bought a tantal and just checked it and it's a TTL. I'm hoping to get to check it on paper next week and see if it's keyholing.

 

[computergeekgunfreak]

Sounds like yours is OK. The only bad ones have a Serial number starting with TTL.

So do all the TTL serial numbers have bad barrels or did some of them come through with good ones? I recently bought a tantal and just checked it and it's a TTL. I'm hoping to get to check it on paper next week and see if it's keyholing.

Based on my last two trips to the range, my TTL Tantal has not keyholed once. I shot Bulgarian and Russian surplus ammo. I shot at 50 yards and 100 yards. All holes were nice, round, and clean looking. Let's hope yours is similar to mine.

 

[gnag]

I just bought used Century Tantal.TTL#026##.Failed the bullet test.No keyholing at 100 yards.I shot this morning about 300 rounds .I`m verry happy.The price was ok. I paid $550 for the rifle with 2070 rds( of russian surplus),3 polish steel mags,1 bulgarian and 50 cal ammo can.Ammo + mags would cost around $330. So rifle cost me around $220.

 

[Hootbro]

I just bought used Century Tantal.TTL#026##.Failed the bullet test.No keyholing at 100 yards.I shot this morning about 300 rounds .I`m verry happy.The price was ok. I paid $550 for the rifle with 2070 rds( of russian surplus),3 polish steel mags,1 bulgarian and 50 cal ammo can.Ammo + mags would cost around $330. So rifle cost me around $220.

Glad to see it worked out for you with the surplus.

 

[sniper48]

I just picked up a serial TTL on the cheap. Seller says no problems and has put about 300 rds through it. He says it likes the 62gr Wolf. We shall see. :neutral:

 

[sniper48]

Re: Measuring Bore of Century Tantal that Keyholes\range rep

I just picked up a serial TTL on the cheap. Seller says no problems and has put about 300 rds through it. He says it likes the 62gr Wolf. We shall see. :neutral:

Finally got a chance to shoot this rifle. WE ARE GTG! No keyholing, shoots low, likes polish mags only and no malfunctions whatsoever. Chalk this gun up to a good job by Century.

 

[04ZREX]

I have a CAI Tantal in the TTL SN range and Century won't do anything for me. It keyholes every 10th round on 53 gr Russian, keyholes all the time on 60 gr Russian, and keyholes all the time on 70 gr Russian. I called Century about the problem. All I got was a bunch of BS about it's the ammo and I should read their information on their website about the 5.45x39 ammo. I escalated the call to a manager and now they won't even return my calls. Lesson learned, I won't buy anything from Century again. I've heard through another forum that Green Mountain Barrels is looking into making some 5.45x39 barrels with the correct twist rate, and correct rifling land/groove diameters. If so, I'll have to see about buying one to fix my gun.

 

[Andyman]

I have a CAI Tantal in the TTL SN range and Century won't do anything for me. It keyholes every 10th round on 53 gr Russian, keyholes all the time on 60 gr Russian, and keyholes all the time on 70 gr Russian. I called Century about the problem. All I got was a bunch of BS about it's the ammo and I should read their information on their website about the 5.45x39 ammo. I escalated the call to a manager and now they won't even return my calls. Lesson learned, I won't buy anything from Century again. I've heard through another forum that Green Mountain Barrels is looking into making some 5.45x39 barrels with the correct twist rate, and correct rifling land/groove diameters. If so, I'll have to see about buying one to fix my gun.

yeah, they stopped fixing their screw-ups a few months ago to save money (I assume) and now blame the keyholing on design. That is why I won't ever buy anything century made again. Surplus imports-yes, builds-no.

 

[Tantal]

...and now blame the keyholing on design.

Design of what, their barrels, hehe?

 

[bgoodman762]

century dosn't build annything they sub out the work
and the barrles are made by Green Mountain
I'm not bitch'n i have 2 of them a verry early and a late made one
no keyholes