WASR & GP WASR owners: Questions regarding Mag Wobble

[LoadAmmo]

Alright folks, I personally think the GP WASR 10 would be the "Cat's Meow" if the mag wobble didn't exist. The last GP WASR I had didn't have bad mag wobble with steel mags, but you did notice the side to side play while being active with it.

So my questions are:

1) How bad is your mag wobble if any?

2) Does the wobble still exist using Romanian 75rd Drums?

3) Will Bulgarian Waffle mags fit in your WASR? I assume this will make less wobble if any.

4) Does anybody have proven solutions to fix the mag wobble? A solution that can be fixed for a low price by a smith?

Thanks!

 

[dawgtraxx]

mine has very little wobble, the waffle mags work fine...
never tried a drum

 

[Gewehr98]

This may be an easy fix, maybe not...

But why not stamp the original AK mag dimple, or a facsimile thereof, into that WASR receiver somehow, since it's no longer a single-stack AK after the mag well was ground open to accept double-stacks?

I'm thinking some kind of 3-piece mandrel that would fit an arbor press or bench vise, with a steel block female die in the middle so that the receiver wouldn't be crushed while the dimple is being pressed into place from the two outside pieces.

 

[iamkris]

Mine wobbles just slightly with standard steel mags. I had to open up the well for the drum and plastic mags to fit. When I did that, they don't wobble much but the steel mags do quite a bit. That doesn't seem to affect feeding at all, however.

 

[armoredman]

All steel mags, no wobble at all. Haven't tried the waffle mags.

 

[imas]

I have a little mag wobble with my WASR. It is a small amount of amount wobble though it doesn't rattle or anything. Some mags wobble a little and some are tight. Interestingly enough I have a 5rnd steel mag that is tighter than the bulgys.

Every AK is going to have a little wobble with atleast some magazines. Mag tolerances were often very loose and exact dimensions vary by country. I get a little wobble in the MAK90 with some magazines. The 5rnd mag I mentioned before is actually a little bit too tight in the MAK90.

The reason the WASRs sometimes have more wobble than others is because those things were slapped together so fast. They used loose tolerances when enlarging the magwells and it is better to be too big than too small. This is also why so many of the older ones had trigger slap. They cut out a step in the machining process and left that extra bit of metal sticking out that causes the slap.

WASR is a great shooter but there are definately cleaner guns out there if that is what you are concerned about. I was out the door with a stamped MAK90 for $340 which is about the same amount I paid for the WASR after tax.

 

[LoadAmmo]

Mine wobbles just slightly with standard steel mags. I had to open up the well for the drum and plastic mags to fit. When I did that, they don't wobble much but the steel mags do quite a bit. That doesn't seem to affect feeding at all, however.

What's the process consist of for opening up the mag wells?

Thanks for all the replies guys!

 

[imas]

Unless you have access to a vertical mill just use a file or dremel. Go slow. I wouldn't recommend a dremel for that.

It seems unlikely you'll need to open up the mag well if you buy one. I don't think that is a common problem.

The only thing you might want to do is put in a different trigger. I've heard the latest WASR's have better triggers though so maybe not.

 

[jbweld]

The Bulgarian waffle mags cured all the wobbling problems I had. I did have to grind on the mag opening though. The area that needed grinding was around the mag latch. It was very apparent where to grind when trying to fit the mag. Not much metal removal at all.

 

[LoadAmmo]

Thanks for the replies.

So a standard hand file (like the ones they used to use in the movies to break out of prison) if needed to open the mag well?

 

[imas]

Honestly it is very unlikely that you will need to open up the magwell.

 

[silicon wolverine]

I converted a single stack to double stack by grinding out the magwell with a 90 deg die grinder. If youhave access to compressed air they do alot better job than dremels. I dont use poly mags so i just found the widest mag i had and ground it so it fit snug. Ive seen WASRs with small rods welded to the indide the the magwell opening to remove the wobble too.

SW

 

[GLOCKENNBOOMER]

tag...

 

[Storm]

Mine has a good amount of wobble with steel mags. It doesn't bother me all that much. A simple fix is to JB Weld small plates inside the well, a simple job. The wobble hasn't bothered me enough to do it.

On the other hand, Thermold 42 rounders had to be shaved down quite a bit to fit, and they are still very tight.

 

[LoganDub8388]

get tapco 30 round mags for it and the bulk of the polymer mags will fit really nice and tight....but not tight enough to the point where u cant get it out


i dont care what anyone says about tapco they make good stuff, the mags in questions ar elike 14 bucks...i have many and they have never failed and also look alot nicer too

 

[nalioth]

OK, here we go again:

ALL Kalashnikovs are afflicted with 'mag wobble' and "canted parts' to some extent.

Yes, ALL of them. They're not precision machines, like an AR15.

The issue with "mag wobble" started when Century hogged out some WASR mag wells TOO much, and this caused the magazines to swing so wide, the weapon malfunctioned (now when you can make an AK malfunction, you've done something really wrong).

If your Kalashnikov functions "gangsta style" (firing with the magazine at 3 and 9 o'clock), you don't have any "mag wobble" issues.

"Mag wobble" is a very much misunderstood issue, and I try to explain it whenever it comes up.

 

[lipadj46]

"Mag wobble" is a very much misunderstood issue, and I try to explain it whenever it comes up.

Like dimples are there to stop mag slop? I hear that a lot but I thought they were there to stiffen the receiver.

 

[walker944]

The mags also seem to be a problem...

I've got a WASR-10 that's been wallowed out to allow the AK double stack mags. I also have 11 magazines (3 of them are plastic) about half of them wobble, the other half fit snug. One won't fit in the mag well at all. This is a clear case of the mags not being made to the same specs.

 

[Autopistola]

1/2" wobble on my WASR10 with steel mags. It bothered me at first, but I got used to it. If I shim it I think the mags will be slower to reload because of tighter tolerances.

 

[blkbrd666]

No mag wobble with steel mags. I pick through a group looking for one with no defects...clean magwell cut, straight front sight, tight cover, good finish, etc.

 

[nalioth]

"Mag wobble" is a very much misunderstood issue, and I try to explain it whenever it comes up.

Like dimples are there to stop mag slop? I hear that a lot but I thought they were there to stiffen the receiver.

Dimples have absolutely nothing to do with the magazine at all. They are used as you say - for strength.

This is a clear case of the mags not being made to the same specs.

How little you know about mass manufacturing.

Any time you make a lot of widgets, you're gonna have subtle variances in the product, even if they're made to the same blueprint or specification. This is a known fact.

 

[Gunfighter123]

I've owned 3 WASR's and they all had "the wobbles" ----- all three worked fine with any mag I shot them with.

They all worked well with the Chin. drums and had way less wobble when useing the drum mags.

 

[AK103K]

ALL Kalashnikovs are afflicted with 'mag wobble' and "canted parts' to some extent.

Well, sort of.

I agree about the wobble part, the canted part is something else, even amongst SAR's and WASR's.

Every AK I own or have owned has had mag wobble. Its more of a mag issue than a gun issue, but it can also be a combination issue. Some mags wobble in some guns and not in others. Even with mags that seem to wobble excessively, I have yet to have a problem with them functioning properly.

I've never used the drums, as they never appealed to me. Just never saw the point to screwing up a good thing.

On a side note, one thing you rarely see addressed about the AK's, is the dreaded mag suck. It is possible to insert a mag and lock it in, and have the gun be inoperable. Not in the sense that it doesnt function, just that it doesnt function. The mag is not in properly and the rounds are to low for the bolt to strip them. The gun appears to be working, but it just clicks when you pull the trigger.

What happens is, if you dont get the front of the mag seated properly, you can still rock it back and lock it under the catch. The even worse part is, it wont come out without a fight, and usually requires you to hold the rifle by the barrel, place the butt on the ground and kick the mag out. This tends to be more of an issue if you load the rifle using your right hand (assuming a right handed shooter) while holding the rifle with your left.

When I first heard about it, I had never had it happen before. I actually had to try and make it happen, but that required switching hands to load the mags, which I dont normally do. When it did happen, it was a major PITA to get the mag out. I havent had it happen very often, and until I got my WASR, never had it happen while loading with my left hand. I have had it happen with two WASR's, mine and my sons. Its usually when trying to load the gun quickly. It doesnt seem to be a problem with my other AK's, just the WASR's, so I'm assuming the mag wells may have something to do with it.