The fluted chamber does not damage the brass in any way.
Headspace is not an issue.
Bolt gap is, and it is easy to check.
Its also easy to rectify.
Check the G3/CETME boards. The fluted chamber and associated ejection IS an issue. Most spent casings from an unmodified rifle of this type should *not* be reloaded.
These are the fairly typical leftovers from firing a G3 or CETME-type that’s working properly.
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/weird-308-damage-1.jpg
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/weird-308-damage-2.jpg
The fluted chamber and resulting violent extraction of the action results in nice, reliable, positive ejection, but it’s hell on the brass and renders it unsafe to reload.
You can put a port buffer in the thing and that will cut down on the amount of brass that’s totally destroyed, but anything that looks like the two pics above (which most will without a port buffer and even a significant minority will even with a buffer) needs to be tossed instead of reloading.
I’ll grant you the bolt gap thing, but most people would see that as headspace so I simplified. It’s also not quite so simple to rectify - new bolt head? New plus size rollers?
Also, would you care to tell the class what’s involved in changing the barrels on the Century-made CETMEs when you find out that they ground the bolt head to compensate for screwing up when they pressed the barrels into their new receivers (which was often)?
Hint: The bastards welded the barrels to the receivers. Those cheap CETMEs quite often aren’t such a bargain when you have to fix them.
If you want a relatively inexpensive G3/CETME pattern rifle, consider the US-made PTR-91s, which are made on ex-H&K tooling bought from military contract.
