Which AK would you choose and why?

Whcih would you choose and why?

  • Henderson Defense "Certified" Wasr-10 $440

    Votes: 37 54.4%

  • Romanian GP Wasr-10/63 $399

    Votes: 31 45.6%
  • Total voters
    68
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C

Curiousity

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Which would you choose and why?


I have been reading other forums and i see praise from many people saying that the new Romanian GP wasr-10/63 from aim surplus are much more better, less problems with mag wobble, not canted sights, better overall finish....

can anyone tell me what do you think about them, the parts used are they quality ones?

WOUld you choose this over Henderson Defense's CERTIFIED WASR-10's?







Romanian GP WASR-10/63 on Aim Surplus
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/NEW_AK_WASR_RIFLE_w__Bayonet_Lug___Muzzle_Break.html



Henderson Defense Certified Wasr-10

http://shop.hendersondefense.biz/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=78
 
Henderson Defense "Certified" Wasr-10 $440
These guys are top notch, i'd rather have the peace of mind of not getting a lemon and i know that these guys would make it right if there was a problem.
Hth!
 
You make an interesting point i would definitely not run into any common Wasr problems if i went that direction.

The thing is i like how they say that the Aim surplus are new manufactured in the cugir factory and with military parts, is their a significant difference between them? I've heard the new WASRs are built much better which also eliminates the common problems with WASRS...

I am stuck...
 
I already made this choice a couple weeks ago, and opted for the one from AIM.

Here's why:

-Most common WASR issues (e.g. canted sight block) are pretty easy to sort out if you're at all mechanically inclined. Trigger slap has been fixed now that they're using the Tapco G2. The only one you really need to worry about is the mag well.
-I kind of like the anticipation of wondering what I'll actually find when the box shows up. Sick, I know...I think it's a byproduct of my milsurp habit.
-Where I live, shipping from AIM is cheaper (~$10 less) and faster (by a couple days). When I tallied everything up, the final price difference was $42, and my FFL already had his license on file with AIM so I figured I'd just take my chances.

The gun that showed up was everything I hoped it would be. No cant, trigger was fine, and both mags fit nicely. It also passed the function test with flying colors.

I should point out that the actual price difference before shipping is about $30 - Henderson offers a couple extra refinishing options for the wood furniture, one of which is enabled by default on their site and adds $20 to the cost. You can remove this and get the base cost at $420, which is very reasonable - but AIM's offering includes a second magazine ($11), so the apples-to-apples comparison comes out to $31.

By all accounts, Henderson is a top notch outfit (as is AIM). I wouldn't have considered them otherwise. If you absolutely don't want to take the chance of getting a gun with a few issues, they're definitely a good way to go.
 
jws527 Thank you so much for replying, this is exactly what i was searching for. You just made my day, that was a very nice write up...

I hope i can get some more opinions in... I am leaning towards the AIM because like JWS i like seeing what i get as in surprise~!...

Thanks.
 
I'd pick the Henderson.

Unlike jws, I hate to be forced to tinker. I want to receive a gun and get to shooting. I have no interest in correcting manufacturing flaws, and it would be well worth $40 to me to have a company with a reputation like Henderson give the gun a once-over before it got to my FFL. $40 (or $42) is peanuts compared to having to either tinker with the gun or send it back.

On an unrelated note, it makes me physically ill to see WASRs going for $400+. That's a $200 gun driven up for no other reason than false economy created by BATFE.
 
The idea that it's fine to be expected to "tinker" with a gun right out of the box is ridiculous. I don't trust the monkeys that are putting those model AK's together any farther than I can throw them. I've been burned in the past on three occasions and will gladly spend $30 to have an outfit go through and check it thoroughly before it reaches me. The fact that we have to have that as an option is even a little messed up. How many other "not done right" firearms manufacturers are there that get away with this?
 
Of those two, flip a coin. I voted for AIM's non-certified version. If you have no mechanical inclination, the Henderson "certified" might be worth it.

However, if you have enough mechanical skills to do basic car maintenance and stuff like that, I would seriously consider getting a Saiga and converting it yourself. The quality is excellent - quality approaching US commercial market standards in terms of fit and finish, and presumably at Russian mil-spec for mechanical function and metallurgy.

Another option are the Bulgarian SSR-85C's imported by TGI and sold by various companies. With plastic stocks they sell as low as $550. They are to some extent parts guns but the ones I've seen had new or like-new parts and were well put together. Cosmetically nicer than any other AK I've seen, though mechanically I think a converted Saiga is still better.
 
They're the same gun.

When you buy one from Henderson, you've got the assurance that the one you are getting "sight unseen" won't have any of the (over)reported WASR issues.

It's your money and your time.
 
The idea that it's fine to be expected to "tinker" with a gun right out of the box is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I used to think that way, then I started tinkering and found it easy and rewarding, and I priced out guns from pretty much guaranteed no-tinker sources and I decided the risk of a little tinkering was worth it. Some of these guns that you might have to tinker with are priced only slightly above parts kits with destroyed receivers. A lot less work to get the guns to be perfect than to buy a new receiver and assemble the parts kit on it, or pay a gunsmith $100's to do that for you.

It all depends what you want though. If you're used to 99% of consumer products where they work out of the box, imported AK's and much other milsurp/sporterized mil-type stuff is not the same.
 
You may want to investigate a Saiga, pretty much the same design, Russian, manufactured by Izhmash.
That is an after market 20 round mag, it came with a 5 rounder, under $500.
 

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I would look for a used Sar-1. There are nice used ones out there for the same price you are looking to spend. The Sar-1 is a real Romanian military issued AK too. I got this one for $410......:D
Sar1a2.gif
 
I'd be OK with either, but as long as the Henderson has the optics rail and G2 trigger, I would probably lean toward it as long as the guarantee was no-hassle. Otherwise, the AIM.
 
benezra said:
I'd be OK with either, but as long as the Henderson has the optics rail and G2 trigger,
Click to expand...
As I said above, they are the very same gun Century ships to any distributor.

HDI just checks it for monkey business before sending it on to you.
 
I am going to call HDI and see if they come with side scope mount and tapco G2 trigger, thanks for all the great responses...
 
You might want to consider a Saiga +1^^^

I bought a converted Saiga, and liked it so much I went looking for another one!
Classic Arms has converted Saigas for $499, cheap. It came and looks great.
I've not fired it yet.
 
Saiga, i have one already.. Looking for my first AK47
Click to expand...

That's kinda like saying "No thanks, I already have a GMC pickup, I really want a Chevy."

If you want the full AK look with those split handguards, that's cool, a Saiga won't get there without dropping an excessive amount of money. But if you want a pistol gripped semi-auto rifle with AK design and reliability, the converted Saiga is that, and has the modern AK100 series design features vs. nearly all other semiauto AK's (except Arsenal's) having the older AKM design.
 
In that price range I would take a nice hard look at an AZRESPONSE SYSTEM AK $600 PLUS 20. SHIPPING WELL worth the money.
 
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