WASR-10 AK, what to watch out for.

[Evil Monkey]

I just came back from 3 gun shops, looking for low prices.

The AR15's are too much for me right now. One shop had AR180B's but sold out. They used to go for $575 but I think any future AR180B's they acquire will be priced at $650+ because of Armalite's price. (No shop would sell something for lower than the price they bought it for....right?)

Recently, I saw a $300 AK at a local Dunhams. I definitely want it. I've always wanted an AK and $300 beats $650-$1000 .

The problem is, I dont know what to look for in a WASR. Like canted sights, mag wobble, etc. I dont know how to tell if something is wrong.

Can someone tell me how to tell if something on the AK is messed up? I dont want to end up cussing up a hail storm at the range.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

I have a wasr and love the thing. The canted sights dont impair the function and if thats a problem you can look down the barrel and see if they line up. If they look fine they are. The mag wobble usually doesnt cause a problem unless its really bad. You can tell by putting a magazine in and see how much it wobbles. A little wobble and youll be fine. Everyone talks about trigger slap but i have never had a problem with it. Its when the trigger snaps back and hits your finger. if you find that to be a problem, you can get a drop in a tapco trigger if you feel the need, but some wasrs already have it or dont need it. There also was a short break in period on mine before it wanted to cycle properly. After the first 2 20 round boxes ive never had a problem since. Alot of people want to knock it because it doesnt cost as much as many others, but its a good rifle that is very fun to shoot. hope this helps some.

 

[pipboy]

mine has a little wobble that i dont mind
ive now got over 1000 rounds through mine without a jam
whats best about it is that it completely lives up to the ak reputation
cheap, rugged, reliable, crude, and fun as all hell

 

[aquapong]

The big two are canted sights and a gas tube that doesn't line up with the gas block.

 

[MikeH]

Aside from what others have already said, you should watch out for sharp corners. The thing can shred your fingers to pieces if you aren't careful.

 

[sharkhunter2018]

Watch out for that metal pin in the lower handguard. Heats up pretty quick and itll get ya when you least expect it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I got lucky in 1 way and unlucky in another with my WASR-10. The modification to the mag opening was done very well so that the mags are tight. (not too tight though) Unfortunately, I didn't get the Tapco G2 trigger group and I do get some trigger slap form time to time.

The Blue was done very well on my AK too but the wood was plain and not finished very well. I rubbed in a little Cherry Stain and put on several coats of Tung Oil and it looked much better. Here is the finished product:

 

[Evil Monkey]

Just came back from Dunhams. In less than a week, the price jumped from $300 to $350......and it's still on "sale"!

Oh well, there's a great gun shop a little far away from me but they'll order anything. They got century AK's for $320 but I'll ask if they can get a WASR-3 5.56mm if the price is right.

 

[.308 garand]

There is alot of great info about the Romanian AKs at http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/. There is a section on "Identifing Cant". It helped me in purchasing my WASR10 last weekend. Hope this helps.

.308

 

[MD_Willington]

May not be in the newest CDNN catalog, but they did have AR rifles for $699...

 

[MechAg94]

I bought a WASR 2 in 5.45 that bit me on the mag wobble. It wobbles quite a bit and the bolt can't line up with the next round. I am going to try to put in a couple spacers this weekend and see if that tightens it up.

I have heard some say that Century is doing better with the more recent rifles.

 

[icebones]

you also might want to inspect the welds if the rifle has a stamped sheet steel reciever, a buddy of mine bought a wasr-10 several mags into it the reciever literally busted at the seams. if you want a good AK and i mean an AK that is built like a tank and will never quit expect to pay over $500 and if you can buy a AK that has a milled reciever instead of a stamped one, the milled recievers are extremely strong and will give you decades of faithful service.
as far as canted sights, inspect tham before you buy, canted sights is a mark of poor worksmanship and bad quality control, just think, if the sights are off, what else could be made wrong?

you might want to check out the mls99 at http://www.firinglineoklahoma.com/akreceivers.html to see what i am talking about.
the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, of something like that! good luck with your Kalashnikov!

 

[femoralis]

If buying a WASR, I would try a several magazines to see how well they fit in the magazine well. They should go in and out easily. Preferably w/out wobble....

While looking at a WASR 10 in a store some years ago, I accidentally got the mag jammed in the well. Oops. Don't think that mag well was cut out properly.

You may wish to look for a used gun, perhaps a MAK 90 or an older SAR 1. The price would probably be comparable, perhaps for better quality.

 

[Frog48]

WASR's give alot of bang for the buck. They're not necessarily the most "pretty", but I love mine.