Isn't it fun when you get such consistent opinions?
I won't even try to address Century's .308 offerings, because I don't think that's what you were asking about (based on the price), and more importantly I'm not too confident of my opinion on those guns.
But, if you're talking about a Century Romanian AK-type 7.62x39, which probably means some sort of WASR thing, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. The people I know who own one (me included), and the significant majority of those who post on various firearms forums, have had largely positive reports for several years, and the quality control is reportedly improving and the earlier problems (trigger slap and canted sights) seem to be much less common.
Just in terms of "fun plinking," it's pretty tough to beat the Century AK derivatives, and the mags and ammo are pretty inexpensive. As suggested above, check out aimsurplus.com and a few other online places. I don't think you'd ever regret the purchase.
Having said that (and dang this makes me feel old), I remember what I was like when I was 18, and I'm not sure a WASR is a good first rifle, unless you have some experience and are ready to accept and understand all of the responsibilities that come with gun ownership. A .22 rifle is probably a much better choice for learning the basics, plus they're a lot of fun, and once you've got a few miles under your belt the WASR would be a good choice. This is the kind of advice I probably would have ignored when I was 18, but I'd encourage you to consider it.
I won't even try to address Century's .308 offerings, because I don't think that's what you were asking about (based on the price), and more importantly I'm not too confident of my opinion on those guns.
But, if you're talking about a Century Romanian AK-type 7.62x39, which probably means some sort of WASR thing, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. The people I know who own one (me included), and the significant majority of those who post on various firearms forums, have had largely positive reports for several years, and the quality control is reportedly improving and the earlier problems (trigger slap and canted sights) seem to be much less common.
Just in terms of "fun plinking," it's pretty tough to beat the Century AK derivatives, and the mags and ammo are pretty inexpensive. As suggested above, check out aimsurplus.com and a few other online places. I don't think you'd ever regret the purchase.
Having said that (and dang this makes me feel old), I remember what I was like when I was 18, and I'm not sure a WASR is a good first rifle, unless you have some experience and are ready to accept and understand all of the responsibilities that come with gun ownership. A .22 rifle is probably a much better choice for learning the basics, plus they're a lot of fun, and once you've got a few miles under your belt the WASR would be a good choice. This is the kind of advice I probably would have ignored when I was 18, but I'd encourage you to consider it.
