CAI RAS47
Century Arms International
Russian Army Standard 47
I am writing this review to give others, considering the purchase of an RAS47, as unbiased a review as I can give, so that they can make a better informed decision. Much of the information available on the internet is biased (in one way or another), filled with invective or heaped with holy praise. The volume of usable information is surprisingly scant, given the 40,000+ rifles sold, as well as the large number of CAI C39s (both V1 and V2) which as similar in build. So the purpose of this thread is to tell people about my RAS47 (SN 41xxx). I am asking that comments and questions be limited to my rifle alone. There are plenty of other threads praising and/or lambasting CAI, other RAS47s and the RAS47 in general. For those unfamiliar with any of this, I encourage those readers to seek out those threads. If you have questions regarding my rifle experience in comparison to experiences with your rifle, or other RAS47s, I will consider them, but please keep you post civil, factual, and to the point.
This is my first AK-47. However, I do have 2 Saiga-12s, 2 Saiga-20s and a Vepr .308, so I do have some prior experience with Kalashnikov pattern weapons as well as doing the 922r compliance dance. I have refrained from buying an AK-47 until now, as I am an AR person, and didn't want to mess with 922r again. This new wave of US-Made AKs got me thinking about them, and I decided to take the plunge and experiement. I am still an AR person, as that platform better fits my vision of a self-defense rifle.
I don't abuse my firearms. I don't necessarily baby them either. If one were to examine my firearms usage, I would not be surprised to be described as average.
I invite the moderators to delete any post that does not follow these guidelines.
UNBOXING, FIRST CLEANING AND ACCESSORIZING
My initial impression with this rifle is excellent. Overall fit and finish is all you would want from any but the most expensive firearms. My RAS47 came with rather handsome oak furniture. The trigger feels like it breaks at 5 to 5.5 pounds. Take-up is clean, then there is a little bit of business before a good break. Reset is positive. The overall features of the RAS47 can be found elsewhere.
At this point, I have 3 complaints.
First, is the gap at the front of the dustcover where it meets the rear sight block. There is sufficient material extending under the lip of the rear sight block, but if my dustcover were 0.5mm longer, I would be much happier. Otherwise, the dustcover fits in solidly.
Second, for a cast front sight block, the ears protecting the front sight post seem too thin to adequate for the job. They look like a good knock will snap them off.
Third, the bolt notch in the safety lever is too small to easily engage. Angling the rear edge of this notch back at a 45 degree angle should be plenty.
I detail stripped the rifle for my initial inspection and cleaning. The first thing I noticed was a reddish brown mud, here and there in cracks and crevasses. It is not rust, as it washes clean with a little MPro7 and a detailing brush. On further inspection, I noticed a small gouge in the phosphate finish just forward of the diagonal bolt slot in the bolt carrier. The bolt carrier appears to be making some contact with the front trunion above the barrel.
Following the inspection, I swapping in the following parts.
Magpul MOE Handguard FDE
Magpul MOE Buttstock FDE
Magpul MOE Pistol Grip FDE
Magpul M-Lok Sling point (on the left rear of the handguard)
Magpul MS1 2 point sling
Krebs Rear Peep Sight
Krebs retaining plate
Primary Weapon Systems JTAC-47
When I bought my RAS47, no one had it available with FDE Magpul furniture. FDE is important to me, as I live in a desert that gets REALLY hot. Wood Furniture is fine, but I wanted polymer. However, if you leave black polymer out lying in the sun, it gets almost to hot to hold with bare hands in about 15 minutes. Hence the FDE.
The rear sight slider (CAI OEM part) was difficult to slide on both the CAI rear sight as well as on the Krebs
Century Arms International
Russian Army Standard 47
I am writing this review to give others, considering the purchase of an RAS47, as unbiased a review as I can give, so that they can make a better informed decision. Much of the information available on the internet is biased (in one way or another), filled with invective or heaped with holy praise. The volume of usable information is surprisingly scant, given the 40,000+ rifles sold, as well as the large number of CAI C39s (both V1 and V2) which as similar in build. So the purpose of this thread is to tell people about my RAS47 (SN 41xxx). I am asking that comments and questions be limited to my rifle alone. There are plenty of other threads praising and/or lambasting CAI, other RAS47s and the RAS47 in general. For those unfamiliar with any of this, I encourage those readers to seek out those threads. If you have questions regarding my rifle experience in comparison to experiences with your rifle, or other RAS47s, I will consider them, but please keep you post civil, factual, and to the point.
This is my first AK-47. However, I do have 2 Saiga-12s, 2 Saiga-20s and a Vepr .308, so I do have some prior experience with Kalashnikov pattern weapons as well as doing the 922r compliance dance. I have refrained from buying an AK-47 until now, as I am an AR person, and didn't want to mess with 922r again. This new wave of US-Made AKs got me thinking about them, and I decided to take the plunge and experiement. I am still an AR person, as that platform better fits my vision of a self-defense rifle.
I don't abuse my firearms. I don't necessarily baby them either. If one were to examine my firearms usage, I would not be surprised to be described as average.
I invite the moderators to delete any post that does not follow these guidelines.
UNBOXING, FIRST CLEANING AND ACCESSORIZING
My initial impression with this rifle is excellent. Overall fit and finish is all you would want from any but the most expensive firearms. My RAS47 came with rather handsome oak furniture. The trigger feels like it breaks at 5 to 5.5 pounds. Take-up is clean, then there is a little bit of business before a good break. Reset is positive. The overall features of the RAS47 can be found elsewhere.
At this point, I have 3 complaints.
First, is the gap at the front of the dustcover where it meets the rear sight block. There is sufficient material extending under the lip of the rear sight block, but if my dustcover were 0.5mm longer, I would be much happier. Otherwise, the dustcover fits in solidly.
Second, for a cast front sight block, the ears protecting the front sight post seem too thin to adequate for the job. They look like a good knock will snap them off.
Third, the bolt notch in the safety lever is too small to easily engage. Angling the rear edge of this notch back at a 45 degree angle should be plenty.
I detail stripped the rifle for my initial inspection and cleaning. The first thing I noticed was a reddish brown mud, here and there in cracks and crevasses. It is not rust, as it washes clean with a little MPro7 and a detailing brush. On further inspection, I noticed a small gouge in the phosphate finish just forward of the diagonal bolt slot in the bolt carrier. The bolt carrier appears to be making some contact with the front trunion above the barrel.
Following the inspection, I swapping in the following parts.
Magpul MOE Handguard FDE
Magpul MOE Buttstock FDE
Magpul MOE Pistol Grip FDE
Magpul M-Lok Sling point (on the left rear of the handguard)
Magpul MS1 2 point sling
Krebs Rear Peep Sight
Krebs retaining plate
Primary Weapon Systems JTAC-47
When I bought my RAS47, no one had it available with FDE Magpul furniture. FDE is important to me, as I live in a desert that gets REALLY hot. Wood Furniture is fine, but I wanted polymer. However, if you leave black polymer out lying in the sun, it gets almost to hot to hold with bare hands in about 15 minutes. Hence the FDE.
The rear sight slider (CAI OEM part) was difficult to slide on both the CAI rear sight as well as on the Krebs
