Hi guys, I wanted to buy an AKM clone at a reasonable price before President Dillhole closes the window officially or not and the WASR to me is the cheapest and best option for the money PROVIDED one takes the time to be educated on how to spot a good one:
1. Go to a dealer and pick the best of a batch of them for reasons I will get into one by one.
2. You have to understand recent Romanian history with regard to Ceacesqu (sorry to butcher his name Romanians) and the history of Cugir and Saadu Arsenals. In short, the craftsman at the Cugir arsenal were better and more skilled than those at Saadu. Look for 'Cugir' stamped on the right side of the receiver and on the other side, look for a triangle stamping with an up arrow inside of it. This means that the receiver passed quality control and that the receiver stampings in the parts kit passed QC. A 1960's parts kit is best. That will be stamped on the receiver as well. Also check for matching serial numbers on the stampings.
3. I don't give a r@tz @$$ about the wood. To me, AK's aren't pretty. They are about function, so I don't care enough to bother, but that's a personal preference. Refinish if u care to.
4. About mag wobble... You won't have this cosmetic (won't affect operation even if u get one with it from what I've read. Mine is tight like a glove. No wobble at all. However, look for the following to prevent that: either two metal guides welded to the interior of the mag well (mine has this) or in the 1975 parts kit, dimples on the sides of the receiver that many AKMs have.
5. Although by all reports, Century has done a much better job with their QC since 2009-2010. Mine is put together very well and only has 1 issue: very slight front site post canting that I didn't visually catch looking down the barrel (Century's fault, not Romania's) because it is VERY slight. It throws me off 1" to the right at 50 yards and groups very consistently. I can correct my aim now, but will fix it. Remember to check for this. My friend's Century built Yugo has a worse issue than mine in this regard. No biggie to me.

I love my Romy and at $450, it's a great deal. My buddy paid over 6 bills for his fancy Yugo that shoots no better than mine and my receiver is parkerized/flawless (I will post pics if u like) and it has not jammed up yet after several hundred rounds. I also own a Valmet M76, which is heavier and more accurate (has awesome iron sites), but I actually like shooting my Romy more and like the 1 shot drop factor. It's even got a chrome lined barrel so I could be horrible to it and shoot corrosive ammo (not doing this). The Yugo doesn't. For the money, I got a great deal.