Century Sterling, UZI, SIG 556 and 522 report

[mriddick]

I managed to hit the range today. The Sterling did very well, at first there was a couple of FTF's but after that it was very reliable. I found the mag hanging off to the side changing weight as fired somewhat harder to keep on target but still found a 9 inch pie plate fair game at 100yds. The recoil is sort of diagonal VS up and down.

The UZI is an UZI It shoots, it feeds, it fires. I found the recoil more manageable then the Sterling but the sight picture isn't as nice. It's alittle tougher to get shots on a plate at 100yds but much easier to shoot faster at closer ranges.

The 556 did everything I'd hope it would, no issues at all and accuracy seemed better then my AK's (atleast easier to shoot accurately) although not quite up to my AR's. Over all I think I will like this rifle better then either. I was able to destroy a 9 inch pie plate, ending up chopping the support stick in half.

The 522 did pretty well, the CMMG mags worked well if I loaded them to 20rds otherwise I got the bullet tips hanging up on the feed ramp. I was shooting cheap Winchester HP bulk pack so maybe round nose bullets wouldn't of had this issue. I also think polishing the feed ramp might help as there's a pretty sharp corner at the base.

Overall I like the Sterling alot, I'm alittle disappointed it's as long as it is, the UZI is easier to break down due to the removable barrel coming off the front and packs away in a much smaller package. Having to remove the internals on the sterling to remove the barrel makes it much tougher to pack away for field use. The folding stock also requires both hands to operate as well being much more complex in operation. I like that it's lighter and handles better then the UZI though. The mags on the Sterling are easier to load but they also cost 2-3X what the UZI mags cost.

I was using some real cheap reloads the UZI would not function with, the Sterling ate them up with the only problem being a couple blown case heads (ammo related since there was on blown head with the UZI as well) so maybe it's slightly more reliable as well.

[Helen Keller]

the CMMG mags worked well if I loaded them to 20rds otherwise I got the bullet tips hanging up on the feed ramp. I was shooting cheap Winchester HP bulk pack

That explains it all, I've used IIRC close to 8K Federal/CCi 40gr solids in my CMMG kit with less than 50 stoppages.

I was using some real cheap reloads the UZI would not function with, the Sterling ate them up with the only problem being a couple blown case heads (ammo related since there was on blown head with the UZI as well).

ouch.. how do you screw up 9mm loads to get em to do that??
Sounds like ammo ranges sell.

[Richard Simmons]

Sounds like a good time. Thanks for the report. On a similar note, didn't you get a couple of the CAI VZ-58 rifles? Thought I recall you talking about getting a couple? If so how did you like them?

[vit]

Century UZI?
I haven't shot my Vector for ever...

[mriddick]

ouch.. how do you screw up 9mm loads to get em to do that??
Sounds like ammo ranges sell.

They were very old, lead round nose reloads. They were underpowered so bad they short cycled the UZI. I had 3-4 blown case heads in 50 rds, one I thought blew in the sterling, then 2 I was able to confirm, I wasn't sure at this point if it was a Sterling issue or a ammo problem (the first ammo I tried in the sterling today) so I put the last 20 in the UZI and had a blown case in it on the second to the last shot. The UZI also was short cycling so bad I had a couple of doubles too.

Sounds like a good time. Thanks for the report. On a similar note, didn't you get a couple of the CAI VZ-58 rifles? Thought I recall you talking about getting a couple? If so how did you like them?

The VZ's I have all shot fine, I bought two for me and two for my son (who BTW got back from A-stan Thursday). I cleaned them, lubed them really well and shot each on the coldest day I could of went to the range on (back in Feb-March). I've heard of isues with the VZ's so I wanted to get them to the range right away, hopefully my son will have a month off and be able to come up to put them through a good workout himself . I think for the money I got in the CZ's ($375 delivered for 3 and $400 for the last) they are a great deal.

[Schuetzenman]

Nice report Mike. By any chance were the 9 mm cases that blew out FC marked?

[mriddick]

Of the 3 I found 2 were FC marked, one was Win. I think the brand was ulimax or something like that.

[AKTexas]

I have been having some nightmares with Federal cases. Mostly .45 ACP being the worst. Most of the FC marked cases used small primers not the standard large primer.

[FunkyPertwee]

I need an Uzi!

[insider]

Nice Sig's, the 522 is a great little rifle!