WASR 10 /63 AK47 review

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  • ajm91730

    Member
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    At the risk of beating a dead horse, I am going to do a review of my WASR 10/63. This ubiquitous weapon is a semi-automatic AK47 / AKM clone for those who don't already know. They were originally made in Romania and imported by Century Arms Int.

    First impressions:

    - This is a utilitarian rifle. All the things that make the AK famous are present here (other than full-auto fire). The finish is good enough but no, it doesn't compete with a 2 grand over/under. But you just have to love the simplicity of it. Take off the top cover (which requires no tools) and you will see large hunks of metal flinging around inside. If it were any simpler, it would be a rock that you threw at your target.

    - Which brings me to my next point - This thing field strips easier than the cheer captain after a fifth of Smirnoff. It requires no tools. It requires no training. Just take it apart, make sure it isn't full of gravel, and re-assemble. Maybe some oil wouldn't hurt.

    - Ammo and Mags - people realllly like to over-think these two aspects. For ammo, I mostly use Brown Bear FMJ. Because it is cheap and it GBET (Goes Bang Every Time). I have also used HP, SP, etc. As long as there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the ammo, it should work in an AK.

    For mags, I have a couple of Bulgarian 30s and unknown (probably Korean) 30s and 40s. All bought at a show in VA, seriously cheap. I would recommend spending the extra $3-5 or so on the Bulgarians. Although I have plenty of rounds through them all and they all work, the Bulgarians are of generally higher quality, match the rifle's finish better, and might last longer. No experience with drums.

    _________________________________________


    Let's dive into a couple infamous WASR issues and my experiences with them:

    -The Infamous Mag wobble - Move a WASR side to side and the mag will shake like a Polaroid picture. Or so the story goes. Mine had the opposite "issue". Mags were hard to fit at first, which is easy to fix. Just insert and remove them a few times, and boom, the well is loosened up just enough to ensure a tight fit. Mags now rock ever so slightly from side to side, with no ill effects.

    - Loose pistol grip. Solved with flatblade screwdriver. Time: practically nothing.

    - Canted front sight - this is another famous one. My front sight was aligned slightly to the left, from the factory. Shoots to point of aim at least as well as I do.

    _______

    Final thoughts:

    - Again, people seem to over-think these rifles. They have excellent firepower, pretty good accuracy, GBET, are cheap as snowballs in January, and man, they're just cool.

    - There are a lot out there - find a good one. I bought mine from the MDS classifieds. It was exactly as advertised (disassembly revealed factory test-firing only), and had the bayonet lug, wood furniture, and all that jazz. (It looks like an AK)


    Good day and good shooting,
    AJM
     

    Scott7891

    Love those Combloc guns
    Sep 4, 2007
    1,894
    Back in MD sadly
    I bought my first WASR a few weeks ago, my first low-end AK purchase since I am used to buying more high-end models.

    It is an underfolder. I bought mine in person at $500, a deal in these times even to online sales. I wanted to buy mine in person to inspect it because you can still get the occasional lemon. Sights on mine are all straight and everything works with it. Shot well with it even with the unstable, uncomfortable stock extended.

    Mag wobble is a part of the design. Too many people are used to AR's and think those same things should go over to the AK platform. Shoot the AR like an AR, the AK like an AK and you will not have any problems.
     
    Jul 19, 2012
    30
    PA
    Dunham's puts these on sale for 399.99 every once in a while but every time I go in to check them out they are already gone...one day I may actually get a chance to pick one up
     

    rob-cubed

    In need of moderation
    Sep 24, 2009
    5,387
    Holding the line in Baltimore
    Welcome to the forum and tell us a little about yourself!

    I still have my 10/63. While its finish is rough, it is as reliable and almost as accurate as I am. Romys have varied widely in quality over the years depending on which batch of parts were available and the care given in fitting and riveting for export. If you get a good one, keep it.
     

    Jack Gordon

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Aug 27, 2011
    689
    Places Unknown
    1307745679299.jpg
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Fixing a canted front sight isn't even that difficult, so I'm led to understand... just knock out a pin, smack the sight the right way a couple times, put the pin back, done.
     

    StantonCree

    Watch your beer
    Jan 23, 2011
    23,932
    I have a WASR UF and it's a fun shooter, never any real malfunctions but it's for sure not as quality as my MAK
     

    cobra

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 26, 2009
    2,058
    White Marsh
    Same experience with my Wasp under folder.
    Sights straight and has shot any ammo tryed.
    A fun gun to shoot and looks cool:)
     

    Fox123

    Ultimate Member
    May 21, 2012
    3,926
    Rosedale, MD
    Fixing a canted front sight isn't even that difficult, so I'm led to understand... just knock out a pin, smack the sight the right way a couple times, put the pin back, done.

    I thought you had to drill to fit oversized pins once you have rotated the sight to the correct position.
     

    aquaman

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 21, 2008
    7,499
    Belcamp, MD
    When I trade into a WASR or find a deal on one I pretty much go into in thinking Im going to have to fix:
    A. rear sight block cant
    B. front sight cant
    C. mag wobble
    D. all of the above and a refinish

    Fixing B pisses me off the most, those pins can be a total PITA to get out. I have looked through many piles of WASR's, owned about 4 or 5 of them and I have only found 1 that was totally perfect. I picked it up back in march for 350 shipped (used) and I foolishly sold it because I wanted something else and I didnt feel like cutting the weld on the muzzle nut to free it from the front sight block. Despite all the problems if you go into it with the proper mindset you can really turn a WASR into a nice rifle, for all the crap people talk about them they will miss them when the day comes Cugir stops making them. They just stopped making the AES10B and the PSL awhile ago, i think the pressure is on them from the EU to get out of the arms business if what I have read is true.
    A quality CL CHF barrel in a 400-500 rifle is alot of bang for the buck.....but there are still plenty of folks who don't get it and buy into the crap IO markets as an 'upgrade' over the 'crappy eastern European AKs':sad20:
     

    Scott7891

    Love those Combloc guns
    Sep 4, 2007
    1,894
    Back in MD sadly
    A quality CL CHF barrel in a 400-500 rifle is alot of bang for the buck.....but there are still plenty of folks who don't get it and buy into the crap IO markets as an 'upgrade' over the 'crappy eastern European AKs':sad20:

    +1, QFT. Its the American arrogance of "its just an AK" so therefore any parts can be used and it will magically work :rolleyes:.

    I've heard of AR elitest I guess there are AK elitest now....:lol2:

    There have been for a while including myself. There are tiers for the AK as there are for the AR. It is all about the quality of parts and attention to the build. I would even rank a WASR built on a Romanian military parts kit at a much higher tier than all U.S. mass builds which I would rank as second and third tier AK builds.
     

    fivepointstar

    Thank you MD-Goodbye
    Apr 28, 2008
    30,714
    3rd Rock from the Sun
    There have been for a while including myself. There are tiers for the AK as there are for the AR. It is all about the quality of parts and attention to the build. I would even rank a WASR built on a Romanian military parts kit at a much higher tier than all U.S. mass builds which I would rank as second and third tier AK builds.

    I know...I agree there are tiers of AK's but AK enthusiests aren't the same as AR Elitest.

    I handled my first IO when I saw one last month and it just looked horrible. THe furniture didn't fit right and it rattled when you shook it. I can't believe what they are asking for it

    I still haven't seen the Century 39, the M10 or the Yugo PAP to make a judgement.
     

    Scott7891

    Love those Combloc guns
    Sep 4, 2007
    1,894
    Back in MD sadly
    I handled my first IO when I saw one last month and it just looked horrible. THe furniture didn't fit right and it rattled when you shook it. I can't believe what they are asking for it

    I still haven't seen the Century 39, the M10 or the Yugo PAP to make a judgement.

    Yes I.O. is junk. There is a video online, I haven't seen it yet, where I.O. does a factory tour and touts how superior their rifles are to former Combloc arsenal builds. That alone makes me mad and laugh at the same time at the B.S. sputtered.

    The Centurion 39 will be like the Century Polish milled builds but more "Americanized." Not 100% American like they claim but pretty close. A lot of good reviews but again inferior U.S. barrel plus no bayonet lug and overall tackiness make it a no-go for me. The rifle looks like it belongs in Call of Duty which I think is trying to appeal to that demographic.

    The M10 looks like the WASR and Draco had a baby. Good quality, same as WASR, but sight radius is too short IMO with the AK radius as short as it already is. Would need an afternarket peep-sight mod like a Krebs and a DPMS detachable bayo lug to make it interesting to me.

    The PAP will be the best quality out of these three but is in AW-compliant form. Conversion is extremely difficult using proprietary parts plus the trunnion and bolt are modified for single stack mags only. Plus dust cover is a waste of space since no optic will hold zero on it.
     

    aquaman

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 21, 2008
    7,499
    Belcamp, MD
    Yes I.O. is junk. There is a video online, I haven't seen it yet, where I.O. does a factory tour and touts how superior their rifles are to former Combloc arsenal builds. That alone makes me mad and laugh at the same time at the B.S. sputtered.

    The Centurion 39 will be like the Century Polish milled builds but more "Americanized." Not 100% American like they claim but pretty close. A lot of good reviews but again inferior U.S. barrel plus no bayonet lug and overall tackiness make it a no-go for me. The rifle looks like it belongs in Call of Duty which I think is trying to appeal to that demographic.

    The M10 looks like the WASR and Draco had a baby. Good quality, same as WASR, but sight radius is too short IMO with the AK radius as short as it already is. Would need an afternarket peep-sight mod like a Krebs and a DPMS detachable bayo lug to make it interesting to me.

    The PAP will be the best quality out of these three but is in AW-compliant form. Conversion is extremely difficult using proprietary parts plus the trunnion and bolt are modified for single stack mags only. Plus dust cover is a waste of space since no optic will hold zero on it.

    :lol:

    I remember someone on I think the files or ar15 talking about that IO video. I watched it and the woman working on the rifles looked like a meth addict. Someone else commented she looked like a witch :lol2:


    the PAP double stack is nice once you swap bolts. Century modified the trunnion to the standard dimensions of the double stack.
     

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