[Guardian]

One of my older neighbors recently decided to finally get a battle rifle, (now of all times, right?), and he picked up this WASR at a local gunshow for a decent price considering the current climate. It has no threaded barrel and the ears are shaved off of the bayonet lug, so I assumed it was a Clinton ban era rifle. I can't really find any info on these things at all for him and he's not an internet kind of guy. Every WASR I've ever owned had a threaded barrel at the very least. Does anybody know for sure what the hell he just found? And please don't tell me to tell him he has a piece of junk WASR..he's a nice old guy

 

[karlsgunbunker]

Does It have Mag Dimples?
It could be a SAR-1 which is worth more than a WASR.

Mag Dimples are 3/4" - 1" long x 3/8" wide oval depressions on the receiver on each side of the Mag well.

Nothing wrong with a WASR if it's built right I have owned several and they all operated flawlessly.

It should have a Model number on the left side of the receiver.
Example: SAR-1 or GP 10/63 etc.

SAR-1 Mag Dimples

 

[Floyd]

The threat of a ban has suddenly turned a rifle that I wouldn't wish on my enemies into a 1000$ gun. The prices I see for these things are insane. I had a WASR at one point but got rid of it when it started slam firing and having terrible malfunctions with empty casings staying in the action of the gun and getting jammed between the BCG and the front trunnion. Mag wobble was always an issue as well, it was fine with USPalms but terrible with pretty much everything else including Circle 10's. And this from a gun with all matching parts... I think a lot of people are using this price insanity to offload their crap AK's.

Better thing to do right now is find a Vepr and convert it. It's easy, fun, and at the end of the day you have a super high quality Russian made AK that's based on an RPK. They're phenomenally accurate, reliable and robust, with superior fit and finish in every respect to the WASR. And they can generally be had for less than or the same price as a WASR.

 

[Joseph I]

I think if you get model number off the side and plug it into Google or post it hear you will be able to find out a lot more info.

With that said, I own 3 different WASRs and for all the complaining people do about them I wonder if I got luck...3 times!!!!
All three have zero issues when it comes to fit and operation and these were bought over a 8 year period. Plus all mine were bought online, sight unseen. I have bought and sold many AR's over the many years but honestly, the WASR would be the last gun I would sell out of my collection.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

To the OP, either google the model number or send a pic.

And WASRs aren't junk. Good solid receivers, Rommy chrome lined bbl's, no more or less mag wobble than a lot of other AKM's and they work. Particularly if he's lucky enough to have a GP 10-63.

Should outlast the owner unless he burns out the rifling by overheating.
All the best,
Grumpy

 

[Jim Mac]

probably started out as a post ban rifle with the 10 round single stack magazine, no bayo lug, or threaded barrel. Then after the ban, century and everyone else that had these things stacked to the rafters, got out there and opened up the magwell to accept the double stack magazines and left everything else as is. Nothing wrong with these. Ive got 1 under folder, 1 regular stock, 1 low cap without the bayo or threaded barrel. All work great. If you look at the lug on the bottom of the bolt, the lug is actually a little narrower on the wasr's because the stock lug wouldnt clear the single stack magazine. I have a romy parts kit from 1966, a couple of yugos and a egyptian and they all have the wider lug, all the wasrs are narrower, I forgot the exact thickness, but we had a post over on gunco about this. If the mag wobbles too badly, theres a you tube video where a guy uses the knock out tabs off a old PC and jb welds them inside the magwell to make "dimples" to hold the mags steady. jim

 

[rice paddy daddy]

I've got a WASR 10, and for all the trash talk and gun-snobbery heard on the internet, I have never had a problem with mine for the 5 years I have owned it.
I have generic Eastern European 30 round magazines and there has been no problem feeding, firing, or ejecting.

 

[Guardian]

His rifle just says "WASR-10" on the left side of the receiver. No dimples on the receiver either. When he finally got around to bringing it over so we could clean it up and go run some rounds through it, it ran like a champ. We went in together on a barrel threading kit from CNC Warrior and threaded the barrel on it. (as well as my Saiga converted AK) Sounds like it may just be one of those "ban era" single stacks that got the magwell cleaned out to take double stacks. There's no GP markings like on my Romy. I guess, long story short, he loves it and is satisfied with it.

 

[Hcim101]

It's a Clinton post ban WASR-10 for sure, which means it should have those mods. That era had some of the better WASRs impoted and made "parts wise." Check the trunion to see if it has markings, a Arrow and triangle means its mil spec, also matching SNs would be a good thing.

 

[mikky7]

I had a WASR at one point but got rid of it when it started slam firing and having terrible malfunctions with empty casings staying in the action of the gun and getting jammed between the BCG and the front trunnion.

Mag wobble was always an issue as well, it was fine with USPalms but terrible with pretty much everything else including Circle 10's. And this from a gun with all matching parts...

-----------------------
85% Discount Sale Sale Sale...http://www.sydneyleather.com.au/

 

[Nam62]

I have a WASR-10 and it shoots like dream. The only thing that surprised me is how far it throws the empty cases...

 

[grimpiglet]

I just got my first AK47 and its a Romanian wasr-10 it has the chrome barrel and tapco trigger in it. don't know how to get the mod number but my SN starts with the RO and ends with a "-14". going to use it for white tail hunting and boar hunting

 

[barnetmill]

My WASR is accurate once I removed the slant flashhider. at 100 ft shoot into an inch or 3 MOA. There mag wobble but works with chombloc steel mags, most american plastic mags are a tight fit, works ok with Bulgarian plastic. I read a claim that they wear out faster than other makes, but I am not sure about that being true.

 

[Quentin]

Old thread but I've had good luck with my old ban era WASR-10/63. Very reliable and acceptably accurate with cheap ammo. Sights are fairly straight and the magwell is ok. Fortunately it had barrel threads but with a nut spot welded on that hid the barrel threads. I hacksawed the glob of welding and unscrewed the nut then screwed on a flash hider. Never bothered with neutered bayonet lug. Pretty good $300 rifle back in 2007 or so.

 

[Lone Gunman]

One of my older neighbors recently decided to finally get a battle rifle, (now of all times, right?), and he picked up this WASR at a local gunshow for a decent price considering the current climate.

It has no threaded barrel and the ears are shaved off of the bayonet lug, so I assumed it was a Clinton ban era rifle. I can't really find any info on these things at all for him and he's not an internet kind of guy.

Every WASR I've ever owned had a threaded barrel at the very least. Does anybody know for sure what the hell he just found? And please don't tell me to tell him he has a piece of junk WASR..he's a nice old guy.

Well, this is a first! Thirteen years on internet gun forums, and (1) this is the first time I've seen an AK-47, or one of its variants, described as a, 'battle rifle'; and (2) nobody, so far, has bothered to correct the error!

Have I missed something? Are AK-47's and other intermediate-power characteristic carbines, including standard M16/AR15's, now going to be called, 'battle rifles'?

Personally, I think Hcim101's reply is closest to the truth.

 

[Quentin]

I noticed and suspect others did too. Can't correct everything, especially after two years.

 

[Lone Gunman]

Two years! Well, ahh, that makes things even worse!


(Note To Self: Hey Self, Read the dates on some of this stuff!)

 

[barnetmill]

I noticed and suspect others did too. Can't correct everything, especially after two years.

Me too.

 

[Steak n eggs]

It'd probably be better to refer as battle carbines if anything... But To play devils advocate... There is a basis to claim these rifles as battle rifles.

 

[freesw]

Whatever they're called, WASRs today may be the "best buy" in medium cartridge semi-auto carbines. It's a complicated story but Century and Cugir have worked out most of the kinks that plagued the WASRs of years past. The new ones aren't as cool as the 10/63s, with their greasy laminated stocks, scratched up receivers and military surplus parts of unknown provenance, and the clean wood stocks don't have cleaning kits, but canted sights and screwed up magwells are few and far between now. Sure, there's still the odd warped receiver to watch out for, and there are still no dimples to please the purist, but these are Cugir-built, manufactured in a factory where the workers know how to make the AK. The receiver, barrel, bolt, all are Cugir.

Let the new breed of American AK manufacturers do their best. I hope they succeed. More AKs = better selection for less. But right now, the WASR is the AK most likely to do what the semi-auto AK should do, and keep doing it, for the lowest price. In my opinion.

And don't buy a good AK and then screw around with subpar mags. Buy milsurp European mags (some of which originated in China and "became" European in time) and reliability is not likely to be a problem.