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Posted: 12/5/2006 9:47:35 AM EDT
| I am fresh over from the AR side and currently only have a NIB FEG SA85M right now. I have been looking to get a couple AK variants and have noticed the WASR-10 7.62x39. They seem to come in full stock / side folder and wood or plastic stocks. Can you use normal AK mags? Quality? Which variation is more deisred ? (stock or side folder), Wood or Synthetic stocks? Any WASR 10 101 would be great. Or should I be looking at something different? |
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Here we go again! First off, welcome to neighborhood. Not sure of the price range you're willing to spend, but WASRs are at the low end, not considered true AK-47's (Don't beat me up WASR owners, I have one too!  ). The reason they're not considered true AK's is that they don't have the dimples about the magwell as do all stamped received AKs. WASRs were imported from Romania as low capcity, (10 rd only) rifles. Once here, the mag wells were trimmed to accept hi cap magazines. There are still some of the low cap WASRs for sale. Some people have had some really good WASRs and some have gotten junk for a gun (front sight canted, rough metal work, parts not fitting correctly). You can never tell with a WASR. You can use any AK mag. As for variation, I would stay away from the side folder, usually those are Crapco side folders which aren't held in the highest esteem (hense forth the term "Crapco") If you're dead-set on buying one, get one that has wood stocks, you can always get different stuff later, and make sure it has a removable compensator. For an extra 50-150 bucks (depending on what you pay for a WASR) there are some really fine AKs out there. As mentioned earlier, I own one and it does work great, but I have moved on and bought 2 "real" AK's for my collection. Now if you're looking for a used WASR I happen to know of a guy that might be selling his....  You can read more here from: Wikipedia and American Rifleman WASR with no mag dimple  AKM(?) with dimples  |
| I am an FFL dealer so I will get them at cost but as I like AK's a lot I just dont want to spend too much since I would prefer to put my money in AR's, Sigs, Colts etc. I am looking for a good quality AK to fill the void in my modest collection of "bad" rifles. The WASR's that I have been looking at are NIB if that makes a differece? Thanks for the input so far guys! |
If you're looking for good quality then spend the extra money (for you it shouldn't be too big a deal since you can get them a little bit cheaper) for a good quality, true AK-47. In the end you will not be sorry, it'll be money well spent
Absolutely not! They can be good right out of the box, or downright crap right out of the box. |
Yup, that's kind of the deal. Lots of the potential issues are from birth. The nice thing about the WASR is it's cheap, they're plentiful, and most of the issues are fixable with a little effort. They can be great if you can check it out before you buy to weed out obvious defects, but there's a lot better rifles out there. That said I bought one as a project. It's never been other than 100% reliable and puts the lead about where I want it. It's my ugly duckling and I love it
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Then you might want to go a step up from WASR's.
Now you're talkin'! - and don't overlook Yugo's!  |
You're definitely stepping in the right direction with Vector and Arsenal. Great rifles. As far as Fixed vs. Underfolder, you may want to try an underfolder before commiting to one. Many people, myself included, find the underfolder uncomfortable to shoot. That being said, I have a fixed stock Vector (Great Rifle) and I still want an underfolder Check out AtlanticFirearms.com, they have a nice selection of AKs. |
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I bought a fixed wood stock WASR, because I wanted an AK variant rifle to fit into my collection that looked more-or-less authentic (the wood stocks with no forward pistol grip). The WASR fits this description perfectly, and was very inexpensive. If I were to buy another one I would probably go with a Global Trades -- but that purchase would be for a different objective. |
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I would only buy a WASR as a first AK and then only if I could hand select and inspect it for the obvious defects in the FSB, gas block and rear sight base. Since you are a dealer you might want to look at getting a Polish build from a reputable company like Vector or Lancaster Consulting. Or get a .308 SAIGA and put the regular pistol grip and stock on it for a well made Russian example. |
| I managed to get in touch with Vector and I hear good things about their product but how does it rate with the rest of the other manufacturers mentioned? I received pricing on the milled and stamped version and is the milled worth that much extra over the stamped? This AK will most likely be a safe queen but who knows for sure. |
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Not that I know of. They're called Lancaster Consulting though. They're available from Atlantic: www.atlanticfirearms.com/programming/expand.asp?Prodid=275 |
| Arms of America has the same AKs for 30 bucks less, and free shipping for the most part within the US. |
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