Century Arms AK 47

[Jbabbler]

I always laugh when I hear the usual BS on WASRs. When it comes to anything built in the last few years it's over-blown internet myth BS. If you order a WASR and get a really bad one, just send it back and get another. Tres simple, n'cest pa?

I have two identical 10/63s bought months apart and both have slightly canted sights yet zero and shoot perfectly with irons, have zero mag wobble with Tapco mags, a pretty good two-stage trigger, and as long as I keep my mag springs replaced every couple of years (I keep my mags loaded) I never, ever have a malf of any kind. One of them shoot Barnul ammo into 2" or less - as good as any Arsenal I've ever seen or read about. And the other shoots Barnul into 3" at 100, just like every other AK on the planet, even those costing hundreds more.

The internet is something else, ain't it? LOL.

You always laugh? Really? Like out loud and everything or is it more of an internal chuckle?

A local shop had a dozen or so WASR's that they just got in. Every last one of them has horribly crooked/canted front sights and gas tubes. Every last one of them.

 

[AKElroy]

A local shop had a dozen or so WASR's that they just got in. Every last one of them has horribly crooked/canted front sights and gas tubes. Every last one of them.

Yep. Saw a half dozen at Cabelas awhile back & same deal with them. Every last one. It's like they read the forum, get ticked-off at the criticism, and purposely screw them up.

 

[Snakum]

Well we must be special here in NC because I've never seen one that was unserviceable. I don't think I've seen one personally that was more than maybe 5 degrees, which is easily fixed. I'm sure it happens, and it maybe happens more often than other brands. But I've never seen one that looked like it wouldn't zero, and I look at them all the time in the last two years. Both mine are slightly canted and they zero right up, so I didn't adjust them.

It's an AK. If it's too canted take a mallet to it or send it back. Or buy a $799 Arsenal so you won't have to agonize over every detail. It'll be perfect. And it'll still shoot 2 - 4 MOA just like the cheapies. If someone is looking for a perfectly finished 1 MOA rifle they maybe shouldn't be looking at an AK. The AR can't be beat in that department, and decent ones aren't much more than an Arsenal SGL.

 

[Snakum]

You always laugh? Really? Like out loud and everything or is it more of an internal chuckle?

It's more of a quiet 'inside voice' chuckle.

An AK will never meet the fit/finish, ergos, and accuracy of an AR. And a $400 weapon will rarely be as nice as a $800 platform. The WASR is what it is, and agonizing over buying one (not that the OP is doing that, but plenty do) is a sign the purchaser should be looking elsewhere. So it's funny to me when someone is handwringing over a WASR or we have another WASR-bashing session.

(Oops ... another inside voice net chuckle just slipped out. And I cut one, too. )

 

[AKElroy]

So it's funny to me when someone is handwringing over a WASR or we have another WASR-bashing session.

Hey -- I've owned them. Not bashing the WASR, I'm bashing the blind monkey's that contract through CAI that bolt these things together. It takes nearly the same amount of effort to get it right as it does to get it wrong.

 

[Jbabbler]

Seeing is believing and I have to usually experience the issues before I can fully appreciate the implications. I have always been a fan of the SKS platform and still have the one I bought at a gunshow when I was 21 years old (mid-90's). I wanted an accurate AK that I could rely on to last like my SKS. So, in search of a reliable AK that would stand the test of time I have purchased four AKs in the last 6 months. I kept the two that met my criteria. The rest were traded or sold.

• WASR: Horrible luck with it. I bought it online, sight unseen from JG. Everything was crooked and the wood was a splinter-filled mess. I sold it to a guy at the local range and decided to go a different route.
• IO Inc AK47c: I bought a 100% American I.O. Inc AK47c. It had a Mossberg Chrome Lined barrel, US receiver and a Tapco G2 FCG. I loved everything about the gun. It had great furniture that fit me perfectly. The RPK stock and railed lower guard were exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately, the receiver was not up to the task. After a thousand rounds or so the bolt carrier started jumping the receiver rails. I changed the recoil spring but it didn't help. I could take the olt, pull it back and lift at the rear most point of travel and it would lift right out. I went back to the place I bought it and asked if they could send it back. He said something along the lines of "You mean with the rest of them?" as he had apparently gotten all of the ones he sold back. Strike 2.
• One of the store employees said that he had converted a Saiga just to see how hard it was. They had it on a rack and everything looked great. After talking to him for a while I bought it for $450. When I got it home I grabbed a few of the Bulgarian mags in my safe and went out to the woods. Jam-o-matic. Tried another mag.... same thing. Very frustrated at this point I carried it back up to the shop. The guy that converted it said that he had the same problem and that it would only work with Promags. Apparently he had not installed the bullet guide (didn't know that at the time). He refunded my money....
• Last week I stopped in a local shop and looked at an SAR-1. We made a deal on it and I paid for it. Everything looked good on it and I was pleased with the deal. When I went to pick it up the next day they had sold it. Apparently they didn't tag it.... This was a Century gun that did not have crooked anything. Too bad I never got to leave the store with it.
• At this point I had pretty much decided to convert my own Saiga or buy an Arsenal. My last stop was a local pawn/gun dealer and he had a Mak-90 in the rack. I was looking it over and had decided to put a $50 hold on it while I did more research at work. The guy behind the counter said that he had another one in the back if I wanted to see it as well. When he brought it out it looked different than any other AK I had ever seen. It was a Norinco but it had a heavy 20" barrel and was chrome lined. It has an extended thumbhole stock that was both longer in the grip and in overall length than the thumbhole on the Mak-90. I had plenty of room for my hand without crowding and it was no where near as blocky as the Mak-90 grip. It was much heavier than the Mak-90 and felt solid as a rock. The end of the barrel had a cap on it so I'm guessing it's threaded on. The bore was clean and the action was smooth. I didn't have internet access in the area so I decided to take a gamble and snag it. After I paid he came out and handed me a bipod that came with it as well. After getting it home and stripping it down I was so impressed with the build quality and materials that I went back and bought the Mak90 as well. Both have the straight cut receiver and can accept standard AK furniture.

My conclusion is this, unless you have $1000+ to spend, get a Mak90. These guns have a double hooked trigger, vented gas tube, 1.6mm receiver and chrome lined barrels.

 

[Jbabbler]

It's more of a quiet 'inside voice' chuckle.

An AK will never meet the fit/finish, ergos, and accuracy of an AR. And a $400 weapon will rarely be as nice as a $800 platform. The WASR is what it is, and agonizing over buying one (not that the OP is doing that, but plenty do) is a sign the purchaser should be looking elsewhere. So it's funny to me when someone is handwringing over a WASR or we have another WASR-bashing session.

(Oops ... another inside voice net chuckle just slipped out. And I cut one, too. )

Touche'

 

[Jbabbler]

One last tidbit. I will actually be buying a Century Build AK-FPK before the end of the month. I really want one for hunting and accept that I will probably have to do some work to it. Just can't beat 7.62x54r out of an AK though.

 

[nalioth]

IO Inc AK47c: I bought a 100% American I.O. Inc AK47c.

You bought 100% of their bill of goods.

No AK manufactured in the USA is "100% American". Not even Century's "flagship" milled rifle.

One of the store employees said that he had converted a Saiga just to see how hard it was. They had it on a rack and everything looked great. After talking to him for a while I bought it for $450. When I got it home I grabbed a few of the Bulgarian mags in my safe and went out to the woods. Jam-o-matic. Tried another mag.... same thing. Very frustrated at this point I carried it back up to the shop. The guy that converted it said that he had the same problem and that it would only work with Promags. Apparently he had not installed the bullet guide (didn't know that at the time). He refunded my money....

What an idiot (the "store employee"). How hard would it have been to tell you it was converted for use only with "brand X" magazines?

 

[Jbabbler]

You bought 100% of their bill of goods.

No AK manufactured in the USA is "100% American". Not even Century's "flagship" milled rifle.

I'm not sure about the internals but the furniture, barrel, receiver, magazine (plastic garbage), FCG, gas tube, gas block, dust cover and side mount were all made in the USA.

What an idiot (the "store employee"). How hard would it have been to tell you it was converted for use only with "brand X" magazines?

I'm guessing he was trying to unload it. He didn't even balk at my request for a refund so he obviously knew. Unfortunately he'll sell it again.

 

[mudbrik]

The more I read these forums about AK's the more I want to start laughing outloud. Everyone seems to have such a high expectation for these guns. Let's face it. The AK is and always will be a throw around gun. They are built like brick ****-houses but damn reliable if you know how to care for them, but they have and always will lack in precision and workmanship. Smile it's the truth.

 

[nalioth]

You bought 100% of their bill of goods.

No AK manufactured in the USA is "100% American". Not even Century's "flagship" milled rifle.

I'm not sure about the internals but the <snip>, gas tube, gas block, dust cover and side mount were all made in the USA.

Bullfeathers.

They are simply using the law to fool customers (so is Century).

The 922r law states that if you have 10 or less foreign parts in an otherwise unimportable rifle, it is "legally" (but not actually) considered "US made". The law doesn't go into percentages, so the manufacturers/vendors can call any 922r-compliant AK they sell "100% American" and get away with it.

 

[Jbabbler]

Bullfeathers.

They are simply using the law to fool customers (so is Century).

The 922r law states that if you have 10 or less foreign parts in an otherwise unimportable rifle, it is "legally" (but not actually) considered "US made". The law doesn't go into percentages, so the manufacturers/vendors can call any 922r-compliant AK they sell "100% American" and get away with it.

Their current catalog only states that the furniture, receiver and barrel are US made. I know that they come with the G2 trigger and if I remember correctly the muzzle brake was stamped US as well. So I'm guessing everything else is from a parts kit.

 

[Jbabbler]

The more I read these forums about AK's the more I want to start laughing outloud. Everyone seems to have such a high expectation for these guns. Let's face it. The AK is and always will be a throw around gun. They are built like brick ****-houses but damn reliable if you know how to care for them, but they have and always will lack in precision and workmanship. Smile it's the truth.

Where do you see anyone disputing that or saying otherwise? I agree AKs are utilitarian just like a good tractor. However, If I were buying a tractor I would buy the one with straight wheels and true alignment. If a Wasr has sights canted so bad that it cannot be fired with any degree of accuracy or if the gas block is 10deg out and the piston drags why not look for one that doesn't have these problems. Laugh out loud if you want but I'm going to get the most for my money then shoot the hell out of it. I want to know it'll fire when I pull the trigger and that the sights are actually capable of pointing toward my target.

 

[mudbrik]

"Where do you see anyone disputing that or saying otherwise? I agree AKs are utilitarian just like a good tractor. However, If I were buying a tractor I would buy the one with straight wheels and true alignment. If a Wasr has sights canted so bad that it cannot be fired with any degree of accuracy or if the gas block is 10deg out and the piston drags why not look for one that doesn't have these problems. Laugh out loud if you want but I'm going to get the most for my money then shoot the hell out of it. I want to know it'll fire when I pull the trigger and that the sights are actually capable of pointing toward my target."

Just trying to say that anyone who buys an AK "these days" should expect some kind of flaw, whether it's a canted sight, loose mag well, etc etc. But that is what makes the AK fun to own in my eyes. But it still makes me laugh reading everyone discuss these issues that are not disappearing anytime soon. I have owned literally dozens of AK's and have never had one that didn't have something I had to tinker with, and it keeps me busy. But for some of these guys posting that they want to hunt or put a big honking scope on their AK are just plain crazy, that is what I was referring too.

 

[Jbabbler]

"Where do you see anyone disputing that or saying otherwise? I agree AKs are utilitarian just like a good tractor. However, If I were buying a tractor I would buy the one with straight wheels and true alignment. If a Wasr has sights canted so bad that it cannot be fired with any degree of accuracy or if the gas block is 10deg out and the piston drags why not look for one that doesn't have these problems. Laugh out loud if you want but I'm going to get the most for my money then shoot the hell out of it. I want to know it'll fire when I pull the trigger and that the sights are actually capable of pointing toward my target."

Just trying to say that anyone who buys an AK "these days" should expect some kind of flaw, whether it's a canted sight, loose mag well, etc etc. But that is what makes the AK fun to own in my eyes. But it still makes me laugh reading everyone discuss these issues that are not disappearing anytime soon. I have owned literally dozens of AK's and have never had one that didn't have something I had to tinker with, and it keeps me busy. But for some of these guys posting that they want to hunt or put a big honking scope on their AK are just plain crazy, that is what I was referring too.

Gotcha. I think the AK platform is fully capable of great accuracy but slapping a scope on an AK out of the box probably won't deliver that. I shot my NHM91 today and could easily tag 6" steel plates with iron sights at 100 yards. That 20" barrel is nice. I didn't take the Mak90 yet. I learned a long time ago that the only way to really concentrate at the range is for me to leave the rest of the guns at home.

 

[BADUNAME13]

Well we must be special here in NC because I've never seen one that was unserviceable. I don't think I've seen one personally that was more than maybe 5 degrees, which is easily fixed. I'm sure it happens, and it maybe happens more often than other brands. But I've never seen one that looked like it wouldn't zero, and I look at them all the time in the last two years. Both mine are slightly canted and they zero right up, so I didn't adjust them.

It's an AK. If it's too canted take a mallet to it or send it back. Or buy a $799 Arsenal so you won't have to agonize over every detail. It'll be perfect. And it'll still shoot 2 - 4 MOA just like the cheapies. If someone is looking for a perfectly finished 1 MOA rifle they maybe shouldn't be looking at an AK. The AR can't be beat in that department, and decent ones aren't much more than an Arsenal SGL.

You know that post I made about the 2MOA FAL...

That same buddy of mine has one of those "Perfect Arsenal" Ak's.

It's front site is just as crooked as the worst WASR.
ANd he's FAR from the only one.

...Why pay 2x as much for not much more quality?

 

[nalioth]

You know that post I made about the 2MOA FAL...

That same buddy of mine has one of those "Perfect Arsenal" Ak's.

It's front site is just as crooked as the worst WASR.
ANd he's FAR from the only one.

...Why pay 2x as much for "pretty"?

Fixed.

With Arsenal, you're paying "extra" (a lot extra) for cosmetics.

Hate to tell ya, but the good looks don't last. . .

 

[Snakum]

I used to know the name of the companies that were subcontracted by CAI for their builds, but I can't remember the names now (been hit in the head too many times). IIRC some on the list were known for really good work, and one was questionable, while Century was almost always bad. Hence "the Century Monkies" became a well-earned moniker. If a lot of them are being found all fouled up again then CAI must have brought the work back in house now that the gun frenzy has abated some. Usually the issues are easily remedied or they can be sent right back. But that's no excuse for CAI's in-house crew to let some of that stuff leave the shop.

I love WASRs. I throw mine around ... use them for a hammer ... whack people with 'em ... drop 'em in mud ... never clean 'em ... and they always go BANG. For $400 it can't be beat.

 

[plmcrzy]

wow!!! Im going to make a big batch of popcorn!!
sorry , but the relentless debate over AK's is so daunting, pop corn seems the perfect munchies companion for a good show

 

[BADUNAME13]

I have cookies in the oven.

And am about to put a venison roast in the crock pot.

 

[plmcrzy]

Ha Ha, you made day with that response

 

[Jbabbler]

I just bought a food dehydrator. I need to make some venison jerky soon. Might be a great way to break-in my new NHM91.

 

[AKElroy]

I'm at the lease as I type this; just shot in the CAI/ATM Milled Polish1960. @35 yards, 6 clicks was all that it needed for the Aimpoint/Ultimak combo to be on target. The 35 yard zero should give a realiable 150 zero. I was thrilled to see 30 rounds go into a tennis-ball sized group. Americans may have finally made a winner----I am thrilled with it.