AK advice

[merlinfire]

A local GS has a couple of WASR-10's on the shelf.

They are in good condition cosmetically and appear to be smooth with no defects I was able to discern from holding and working the action.

The one with wood furniture is $429 and the one with the Tapco collapsible is $449 and comes with 2 mags instead of the 1 for the vanilla.

Which would you go for?

 

[nalioth]

AK mags are $10 each (or less).

Go for the wood.


Crapco didn't get this nickname for nothin'

 

[merlinfire]

Yeah I was kinda leaning towards the wood....

At the risk of changing the subject, i have a quick question. A buddy of mine let me shoot his saiga 12 this past weekend, and under the receiver there was a bolt hold-back button. The wasr's don't have that, but when I pull the bolt rearward, it seems to hang at a certain point after i release, and then when I pull rearward again and release it closes all the way. Is that normal for an AK or peculiar to the Wasr's?

 

[lions]

That is just the bolt carrier contacting the hammer, pretty normal in my experience. Just don't ease the bolt forward and it won't be a problem.

I would also go for the wood.

 

[twkremer]

It is a characteristic specific to wasr's. What it gets hung up on is the hammer. This can be remiedied with some careful filing.

 

[desidog]

Sounds like the bolt is hanging up on the hammer, or the mag follower...generally, on semiautos, you don't want the bolt to hang up on anything. The Saiga BHO is an added "safety feature" since most range officers like to visually ascertain a weapon is cleared.

The BHO feature might be a requirement for current import, but i'm just guessing on that.

 

[nalioth]

It is not particular to the WASR, but is normal for any AK with a new Tapco FCG installed in it.

The condition will go away as you shoot it.

 

[merlinfire]

Ok, so its not a "feature" but it is a common issue. Gotcha. What's the average i could expect out of this, 5" at 100 yds?

 

[lions]

Usually 3 or 4 moa is just about average I think, depending on the shooter.

 

[ScratchnDent]

I've never shot my WASR for groups, but it's what I call Minute of Beer Can at 50 yards, off-hand. Perfectly adequate for its intended use, which is blasting cans and zombies.

 

[WardenWolf]

Go for the wood AK. Tapco's furniture is solid enough, but UGLY as sin and often uncomfortable. If you want polymer furniture, you can buy a K-Var set that will look good. Note that the Romanian wood is actually very good wood. It may be a little rough, but if you sand it and stain it, it looks VERY nice.

 

[Hizzie]

If you shoot the good stuff, and hold up you end, the rifle is capable of 3-4MOA

Go for the wood. Tapco furniture is of lower quality than the OE wood.

 

[merlinfire]

Yeah Hizzie I kind of got that feeling comparing the feel of the two. Besides, wood is the "classic" look of an AK, and I've never owned one before.

 

[essayons21]

It may be a little rough, but if you sand it and stain it, it looks VERY nice.

+1

Before:


After:

 

[benEzra]

when I pull the bolt rearward, it seems to hang at a certain point after i release, and then when I pull rearward again and release it closes all the way. Is that normal for an AK or peculiar to the Wasr's?

Normal for AK's in general (and is not specific to Tapco FCG's since my SAR did that when new). As the bolt and hammer wear smoother over time, you will see less of that.

It's not an issue from a functional standpoint, and doesn't hurt reliability. Don't use it as a bolt-hold-open, though, because a bump to the gun will send the bolt forward.

 

[merlinfire]

Don't use it as a bolt-hold-open, though, because a bump to the gun will send the bolt forward.

Good point. My un-mangled fingers salute you.

 

[merlinfire]

Thanks for the advice. Reserved the AK today, to pick up Monday.

 

[Rugby8]

Thanks for the sand and stain pictures. I think I am going to do the same thing this weekend.

 

[kwelz]

There are a few things you need to check when purchasing a Century gun. The quality varies from passable to "dear god what happened to this thing" even within the same shipment usually.

*Make sure the Front sight is not canted. This is a very common problem.

*Check the Mag well. Seat a mag and see how much movement there is side to side. There should be little to no movement. I have seen some with upwards of 4 - 5 inches at the base of the mag.

*Check the rivets. These receivers are often drilled out of spec and it is easy to tell by checking the rivets.

*Do a full function check!


I have seen some ok Centuries. If you know what you are looking for you can pick one out that will serve as an OK starter gun. But there are a number of really crappy ones also. Dont' be afraid to ask to look at all the ones your dealer has in stock and find one that is in good shape.

 

[mshootnit]

Go for the wood WASR because if you want to convert yourself later to tactical stocks there are better parts available than Tapco. Ace, Vltor are a couple sources but putting that high end stuff on a Wasr doesn't make alot of overall sense, unless the particular WASR demonstrates exceptional accuracy.

 

[merlinfire]

Yeah I did all that but forgot to check for mag wobble. We'll see.

 

[nalioth]

Yeah I did all that but forgot to check for mag wobble. We'll see

Not to worry, it'll have it.

All Kalashnikovs have it, to some degree.

 

[wally]

Crapco didn't get this nickname for nothin'

In general I've been very happy with Tapco stuff, but the Tapco AK side folder is indeed crap. The Tapco M4-like AK stock is OK, but IMHO you are way better off with the ~$15 UTG AK-M4 adapter and the the Tapco M4 stock for the AR or the M4 stock of your choice (which will cost a significant amount more).

I agree with the suggestions to go with the wood (especially the laminated) as with a little TLC they can look quite nice, most of the WASR plastic furniture is the absolute bottom of the barrel (the Tapco AK M4-like stock qualifies).


So far the Tapco Galil mags (~$14) have worked great in my converted Saiga .223. Never tried any of the ones for other guns as the competition is good enough to why bother).

It is not particular to the WASR, but is normal for any AK with a new Tapco FCG installed in it.

My pre-ban Norinco does this too, although the WASR are a little easier to make "hang".

 

[kwelz]

Nalioth, my Arsenal has almost no mag wobble.

AKs are either imported as sporting guns and then converted or parks kits are imported and they are made on US receivers. The imported ones have to be machined out to take standard AK mags. If this is done badly then you will have poorly fitting mags. Same if it is a badly stamped American made

 

[ScratchnDent]

My WASR's mag well was on the opposite end of the spectrum. It was too tight and wouldn't accept about half of the magazines I had. A few strokes with a file solved the problem.