AK magazines don't fit in my rifle

[bgrav321]

I have a WASR. The mags sent with them (we have 5 WASRs), being 5 steel and 5 tapco work great. I ordered some 20 round mags from centerfire and they will only fit in the rifles with a great deal of coaxing (i.e. holding the rifle down and banging the mag in). Just as hard to remove. Obviously not suitable for combat.

Is the issue with my rifle, the mags, or both? Is the solution to file out the receiver a bit? And if I do that will it make the mags I already have looser?

 

[Zanad]

this doesnt happen to be an this ak was intended for use with propriety mags? post some pictures with the mags that work and the mags that dont and see what the difference is.

 

[nalioth]

this doesnt happen to be an this ak was intended for use with propriety mags?

The mags sent with them (we have 5 WASRs), being 5 steel and 5 tapco work great.

Tapco doesn't make "proprietary mags".

This is a genuine Century monkey-job. The Century hirelings didn't open the mag well enough for "any" mag to be used, they opened it just enough to get it out of the shop.

bgrav321, if you're worried about "loose" in a rifle, you've bought the wrong type. The Kalashnikov is not a laser-cut tight-tolerance aerospace designed rifle.

Filing to enable more mags to fit isn't going to hurt anything (just don't overdo it).

 

[offthepaper]

Filing to enable more mags to fit isn't going to hurt anything (just don't overdo it).

Correctomundo.
Be patient with this process or you may end up with significant mag wobble. A dremmel tool will be quicker, but thats not always the best course of action. Use a metal file, take a couple of strokes, insert mag. if the fit is still too tight, repeat. But be very patient and you will end up with the desired result. rush through it and you will likely be posting that AK in the classified section. Also try to see exactly where the mag is catching. you may only have to file a little on just one side of the magwell.

 

[tescrex]

From what I understand, the WASR was designed to accept single stack mags. That's the issue.

 

[briansmithwins]

Do you like the rifle otherwise? Is it a keeper except for the mag being too tight?

If so I'd probably open the mag well a little until all your mags work. Use a file (NOT A DREMEL!!!), go slow, and check fit often.

If there are other problems that bug you send it back. You paid for a rifle that works, not a gun kit that requires modification. Make CAI eat the shipping too. If enough people send their shoddy crap back to them they might improve their CQ a little bit.

BSW

 

[nalioth]

From what I understand, the WASR was designed to accept single stack mags. That's the issue.

. . and have you personally ever seen a "virgin" WASR? The model with the proprietary mag well, proprietary 10 round magazines, no US parts, etc?

Century doesn't sell those any more like they used to. Every WASR that leaves their facility is 922r compliant and able to accept military surplus magazines.

The "issue" is that Mutt (or Jeff) cuts the mag well to a standard, and that standard doesn't include the variances in the 240,000,000 AK mags that have been produced.

 

[sansone]

you said the new Tapco mags fit great so just buy more of those. Return the centerfire mags

 

[GunTech]

If most mags fit but a few don't I'd modify the mags, not the rifle. It's a lot cheaper if you mess up a magazine.

I have a 74 and found a couple of the 30-odd magazines I bought are tight. A second on the belt sander and they go right in and work fine.

 

[austexsig]

Interesting that the Tapco mags fit. I recently purchased a M70B1 that was a Century build. Everything is great on the gun, new stock and foregrip, new barrel and receiver, shoots good, but so far the only mags that fit are Yugo mags. I tried Tapco and they didn't fit at all. I did find some other polymer mags that fit after I trimmed them down with a dremel. Had I tried m riit the dremel on the Tapcos I would have been dremeling for hours. I guess Century varies from rifle to rifle. I just haven't filed the mag well yet. I guess it wouldn't hurt it.

 

[briansmithwins]

I guess Century varies from rifle to rifle.

That, Sir, is in the running for understatement of the year.

BSW

 

[kwelz]

Obviously not suitable for combat.

That pretty much sums up the Century WASR rifles.

Whatever monkey was working that day must have gotten lazy with the dremel and not cut enough out of the mag well.

WHile you can modify the mags I think this is the wrong idea. You would be better off having someone qualified look at the gun and fix the mag well, along with all the other problems most WASRs have.

 

[harmon rabb]

File the mags down. I had the same issue with my '47 (not a century build). The mags it came with worked great, but nothing else would fit in there. I filed down the tab at the front of the magazines a bit, and they now work fine.

Screw up modifying a mag, you're out $10. Screw up modifying the rifle... yeah. Might be more expensive

 

[briansmithwins]

My take on it works like this:

If the rifle isn't correct I'd rather mod the rifle so it works with any AK mag.

If the mag isn't correct I'd rather mod the mag so it works with any rifle.

Doing it the other way round can screw you. What happens if you've modified all your AK mags and then buy another AK that isn't screwed up? Do you have to buy more mags to get ones that lock properly in the new AK?

BSW

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Mine does the same thing with a couple of my mags (it's a vector, not a century). The locking lug on the rear of the mags doesn't quite reach the catch to lock them in. I think I'm going to try filing those mags first. I don't want to file the gun (yet) because all the other mags fit nice and snug with no wobble at all.

 

[nalioth]

A pox on all of these armchair warriors who insist that "magazines should not wobble in any platform" and a pox on Century for providing ammunition for this argument.

Mag wobble is endemic to the AK design. All military issue AKs have it to some extent. Trying to get your AK to act like an AR is just ridiculous, IMHO.


The only "mag wobble" worth talking about is the type that Century provided early in the WASR importation era - this is was when they hogged the mag wells out so badly that the AK malfunctioned due to the mags flopping around so much.

This type of "mag wobble" hasn't actually been seen in years in new guns.

 

[walker944]

I've seen some wobble so rediculously that you wonder what Century was even thinking. I'd rather have one too tight, then file it out myself; then one of their "over kill" jobs.

 

[benEzra]

I have a WASR. The mags sent with them (we have 5 WASRs), being 5 steel and 5 tapco work great. I ordered some 20 round mags from centerfire and they will only fit in the rifles with a great deal of coaxing (i.e. holding the rifle down and banging the mag in). Just as hard to remove. Obviously not suitable for combat.

Is the issue with my rifle, the mags, or both? Is the solution to file out the receiver a bit? And if I do that will it make the mags I already have looser?

Important question here:

Are the mags hanging up on the sides of the magwell, or is the mag catch failing to lock into place?

Second important question:

Are these 20-round mags Warsaw Pact milsurp, or are they U.S. manufacture?

If these are military surplus magazines in good condition, made for the correct caliber, and they are hanging up on the inside of the magwell, then your magwell might could use some VERY gentle filing with a flat-faced file. Look for high spots (check for the scrapes on the magazine bodies), take only a teeny bit at a time, and try to make sure that the opening remains centered. Remember that it is a whole lot easier to take more metal off than to put it back if you file too much.

If they're going into the receiver but failing to lock into place, you could have a mag catch that's on the longish side or magazines with slightly-out-of-spec tangs; in either case, filing the magwell won't help that situation.

 

[bgrav321]

I would feel perfectly comfortable with a WASR in combat. I realize that century has a bad rap on this forum, and I understand that, but my family has 5 WASRs, and has no issues with any. In fact that are pretty accurate as long as you don't shoot wolf (which brings out the worst in AKs for some reason.) With yugo surplus ammo a WASR is great.

The 30 rd steel mag that came with the rifle and the tapco 30 rd mag fit great.

BenEzra, on 2 of the 3 20 rd mags I got its the forward-most slightly narrower part of the magazine that doesn't fit. On the 3rd, its the catch that's slow to take (although this may be caused by the front being too tight at well). I'm thinking about a little bit of filing, my other magazines have no wobble at all, so it won't hurt anything if I'm careful.

As for the country of origin, I don't see any markings on the magazines. They are for the correct caliber, functioning, etc.

I wanted some 20 rd mags because it is easier to shoot prone with them, and keep a lower profile down in the dirt. Also less weight with an optic.

thanks to all for the help and advice. That's why I keep coming back to this forum. Any other suggestions or helps I'm also glad for!