Century Arms WASR-10

[Kramer Krazy]

My wife is interested in a WASR-10 from Century Arms. I was wondering which components in it are US-made. I searched the internet and read some reviews, but couldn't figure out which parts are US-made. Anyone have any opinions of this little rifle, such as required upgrades to make it decent. I've already read of some front sights not being lined up correctly, trigger slap, poor grade furniture, and a few other things. Anyone have any data of interest on this rifle? Thanks.

 

[LeonCarr]

Your wife is interested in a WASR-10...does she have a sister?



The points of interest that you mentioned are the main things to look out for on the WASR-10s. To my knowledge the fire control parts (trigger, hammer, sear, etc) are US, I do not know about the other parts.

Typically these rifles exhibit 100% reliability and typical AK accuracy (3-4 inch three shot groups at 100 yards with wolf ammo).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Mumbles_45]

WASR-10s are imported with magazine wells that only fit the 10 round single stack magazines. THe magazine wells are later enlarged to fit full capacity magazines, however Century doesnt seem to be able to enlarge them properly. I have now experienced 2 WASR-10s that had to have the back corners of their magazine wells filed down.

 

[AlexI]

Keep in mind these really shoddy made/finished, even for AKs, and you can easily get a lemon with them...
I had one that wouldn't do better then 4" at 50yards, and that after I put Mojo sight and decent trigger group on it! Plus, the groups shifted as it heated up. And that was NOT the case of bad shooter - I shot Mosin 91/59 side by side with it, same Mojo sights and barrel just a little longer, and got 1.5" groups.
Traded it in for a Norinco "Paratrooper" SKS recently, took a big loss on all the aftermarket stuff I put into it, but never looked back.

Alex.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I have one. It's a great shooter - utterly reliable. My only complaint was the trigger slap. I put a new fire control group in it from Red Star Arms and it's been fine. The accuracy is typical for an AK.

 

[clange]

I think they're coming with G2 FCGs now, so trigger slap should be a thing of the past. The mag wells are also coming out on the tight side if anything, which is easy to fix with a file. I'd rather have to file it a bit than have loose mags. The stocks are pretty much unfinished, but the finish they used sucked anyway and a lot of people refinished them. IMO an unfinished stock just makes it easier to do so.

You still need to watch out for canted parts, but its rare that one is so far off that the rifle cannot be sighted in. If canted parts would bother you, try to find some in person and get one that isnt canted. If you just want an AK than goes bang every time you pull the trigger, order away.

Edit: US parts are the FCG (hammer, trigger, disconnector), pistol grip, gas piston, and muzzle brake.

 

[Mulliga]

Had one. Quite reliable. Some magazines were a bear to get in, though. I sold it mainly because it was developing some nasty trigger slap and I didn't feel like tweaking the FCG, and because it was pretty inaccurate. When I pick up an AK in the future, I'll spend more money and get something better. As an entry AK, though, it'd be great if they've finally changed the FCG as clange says.

 

[idakfan]

Make sure you buy the GP WASR 10

That has the nice two-stage trigger.

Skip the WASR 10.

 

[Coronach]

To sum up:

1. Trigger slap (possibly no longer an issue)
2. Canted gas block and front sight (possibly no longer an issue)
3. Mag wells not cut to spec
4. Typical Romanian fit and finish.

#4 is purely cosmetic, #3 can be fixed if it is on the tight side, and #1 and #2 are probably things of the past. As always, it is best if you can see the gun before you buy. This will answer any lingering questions, as the biggest common defects of the rifles can be identified on a simple visual inspection.

The trigger slap is a really easy fix, too, if your rifle has it.

Mike

 

[GunnySkox]

Random related question: What is Trigger Slap, and what causes it?

~GnSx
"Ow! I just punched myself in the face!" ~Myself, shooting trap.

 

[clange]

It happens when the trigger is still rearward and the bolt presses the hammer down. The hammer strikes the disconnector, which moves down and strikes the trigger, moving it slightly forward. To fix, simply buy a G2 FCG from tapco or other online vendors, or do this..

http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/slapfix.htm

 

[News Shooter]

For whatever it is worth

I almost decided against buying a WASR-10 because of what I read. I bought one anyway and from my point of view, it is the best $300 firearm investment out there. Don't listen to the urban myths. It cost me $20 to re-finish the stock and it is beautiful. It almost never fails and is fun as hell to shoot.
Don't over-research it...try it...you'll like it bb

 

[blackhawk2000]

I picked one up a couple months ago. Sights were straight, and needed no adjustment. I only put about 200 rounds thru it. I wasn't shooting for accuracy, but I was hitting the target at about 50 yards. Mag fits a little tight. Haven't filed it yet. Finish on the machined parts is a little rough. No trigger slap. Don't know if it can show up after time though. And the wood looks like it's been burnt a little bit in some spots. Don't know what that's all about but I think it gives it some character. Wood is unfinished. I may rub some boiled linseed oil into it, might not. For $299 I'm happy.

 

[timothy75]

I also love mine and have had no problems other than the finish being rough. Its a great value good luck

 

[Kramer Krazy]

Thanks for all the info. I quit keeping up with the "assault" weapons after 1994 (AWB). I've got both a 1993 and a 1994 Norinco MAK-90 that I bought new, and just don't know much about the ones available since then. The dealer has three in stock, so I can easily check all of the troublesome parts/fits before buying it........I can probably even test fire it in their indoor range (one WASR is a rental gun).

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I go against a lot of the established "grain" on the Romanian AKs.

MOST of the problems listed happened most frequently when the Romanian AKs were imported as kits and mated to a Century Receiver. The newer GP WASR-10s don't have canted front sights of gas blocks all that often.

Also, not every WASR will have trigger slap. It's due to Century parts being a little out of spec. They aren't always so. Either way, it's an easy fix.

As for fit and finish, I think the WASR gets a bad rap here.
First of all, it's an AK, you don't buy AKs to get pretty guns.
Second, it's a $300 AK, not a $1000 Krebs American-built AK.
The WASR was finished BETTER than the SARs, MAADIs and other assorted AKs they had when I bought mine.
I rather liked the fact that the furniture was untreated. Made it easier to put a nice finish on it.

I bought a GP-WASR-10 a few months ago and love it.
It didn't like Wolf HP ammo, it would clip the nose and cave in one side of the hollowpoint. It fed and fired fine, but was not accurate at all.
I've been using Wolf FMJ since, and the WASR does 3.5-4" at 100 meters.

In short, I got exactly what I expected from an AK with the WASR.

 

[Javelin Man]

Ak

I just bought one from Dunham's Sporting Goods. I've been very impressed with the feel of the trigger. I was very unimpressed with the action, working slow, bad feeding, etc. It still shot well, but had trouble hand-cycling it.

I switched magazines and magic happened. The thing works like butter. I'm glad I had a couple spare magazines around. It's a little heavier than my Saiga and doesn't look as finished, but shoots great and I'm happy!

 

[Coronach]

The AK action feels uneven, jerky, stiff, choppy, insert your own adjective for sloppy and imprecise here, when hand cycling.

Let it run on its own, and it will do just that- run on its own.

After obsessing about it for a few range trips with my SAR-1 ("maybe it will break in this time"), I finally figured out that, no matter how rough the action feels, this stupid gun just won't jam.

The trigger slap thing is a PITA (well, PITF), though, but it is very easily fixed.

Mike

 

[clange]

The action feels like that because even with the hammer down, the bolt still hits the hammer both ways when hand cycling. On the way back it hits it and moves it downward (when firing this would be when it pushes it down to get caught by the disconnector). When moving forward it again hits the hammer and has to push it down slightly. If you cycle it slowly it can even hang up on the hammer, and stay open.

This isnt a problem, and its actually a byproduct of the reliable design. If the hammer was pressed down and stayed mostly out of the way there would be a chance it eventually may not catch on the disconnector, leading to unwanted FA fire in the original design. It basically has some 'error' in pressing the hammer down farther than it has to, to make sure it will always catch. The side effect is it has to hit the hammer harder on the way back into battery, but this isnt an issue when shooting.

Just rack it all the way back and let it go, it should chamber a round just fine.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

WASR-10s are imported with magazine wells that only fit the 10 round single stack magazines. THe magazine wells are later enlarged to fit full capacity magazines, however Century doesnt seem to be able to enlarge them properly. I have now experienced 2 WASR-10s that had to have the back corners of their magazine wells filed down.

Mine had that too but only needed to be filed because it wouldn't accept the Bulgy waffle mags. It takes all of 2 minutes if you have a Dremel to file the corners down.

Seriously. The rifle costs me $320 NIB with two mags and a sling included. I spent $40 on some Mojos and $25 on an M249 style grip and put 40 minutes of Dremel work polishing the Fire Control Group and removing trigger slap. It now has a decent ~5 pound pull, free of trigger slap, and feeds just about anything I stuff into it as fast as I can pull the trigger regardless of what magazines it is fed from. Plus I seem to be able to hit things with it. No complaints from my end.

 

[Domino]

I picked up a NIB GP WASR-10 about three months ago for $350 and I have really come to like it. Mine was finished in an attractive Black and OD Green Duracoat and looked more like a SLR-95 upon initial inspection. The guy I bought it from did Duracoat finishes on all of his guns which were all very attractive.

I have shot about 750 rounds through mine so far and I only had a few initial jams with Wolf 122g HP. Since then it has not missed a beat with any ammo, not really sure why. I get from 2-4 MOA at the bench and the trigger and recoil are comfortable. All in all, I really like the gun.










BTW, can anyone tell if my gun has a bayonet lug? I would be curious to know as it has no flash hider.

 

[garrett1955]

nice peice. yes it does have the bayo lug. its the first hole that the cleaning rod goes through. the bayo clips on there. is that the wood stock painted green?

 

[Domino]

Thanks Garrett, and yes that is the wood stock painted green.

 

[Kramer Krazy]

The wife is happy, now. We stopped by the range after her doctor's appointment and we picked up a WASR-10 for her. I looked over all the reported trouble-spots, that could be visually noticed. Interestingly, the two 30-rd mags that came with the gun are a little sloppy, but my Chinese-made 30-rounders that I bought in '93 fit really nice and tight. We'll just have to clean the gun a little bit and head to the range, soon, to see how it does. The wife's favorite color is purple......I may have to see about painting the stocks, or staining them, purple for her.

 

[garrett1955]

hey kramer krazy, if your wife likes purple so much buy her the plum colored stock set from k-var.com they have good stuff thats where i got my black stock set from works great.