i'm not aware of a hesse/century partnership but if hesse is in anyway involved with the rifle you're looking at i'd stay away from it. hesse is the all time worse firearms manufacturer and there are numerous horror stories involving hesse firearms but if it's a century build 400 is a good price. i purchased a century L1A1 back in 99 and it ran 100% with decent accuracy. i foolishly sold it but should have held onto it.