Anyone have a Century C39 AK?? American made

Six Feet Under

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Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 19, 2010
446
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Midwest Ohio
Guys,
I keep thinking about getting another AK. I don't know why but I do.. I sold mine a while ago and regret it.. I have been reading up on them. The WASR, N-PAP's and O-PAP's etc.. I seen Century has the C39. All American made, milled reciever- seems like alot of good options for the money. Can anyone comment on having one or shooting one? I was thinking about the C39 in one form or another as far as Tac, sporter or classic model.. Thanks
SFU

A local shop has them but here is a link to one of the rifles.. But I like the wood furniture better.
https://www.impactguns.com/century-arms-centurion-39-sporter-rifle-ak-47-762x39mm-ri1622-n.aspx
 
I love mine...super fun. I bought the tactical version with the quad rails, but it didn't take for me to realize that the plastic composite rails sucked and I hated the stock.

What I ended up doing was replacing the rails with aluminum rails by Midwest Industries, replacing the dust cover with one from Texas Weapon Systems and chopping off the tangs and installing an adapter plate for a milspec buffer tube.

The end result was "AR-izing" the C39. I installed a Vortex Viper 1-4x and this thing really sings now.

One thing I noticed was the bolt carrier doesn't have that same smooooth russion feel over the rails, but it's perfectly fine.

For the price, you can't go wrong. Never had a failure to feed or extract and I shoot the ever-loving shit out of mine.

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I do not own one, but have shot the C39. It Seemed to perform pretty well. Did not have a smooth action, but functioned reliably for me, and the guy at the range with me who owned it. I have heard a couple stories on the web of them having issues with reliability, but who knows. The biggest negative for me on the rifles is the lack of aftermarket support since they are not using some of the standardized AK parts.

With the Zastava N and O PAP's, from my experience handling them they are well made rifles, but again not the smoothest action from the factory. I believe the main difference in the 2 is that the O PAP uses a thicker RPK style reciever where the N PAP uses the standard 1mm reciever. Ofcourse the O PAP will be heavier, and arguably a bit more accurate, but it is an AK not a precision rifle so I personally prefer the lighter rifles with standard recievers.

I have owned a few AK's over the years, and the only one I currently own is a WASR 10/63, and I use the hell out of the rifle and love it. I managed to hand pick mine about 4-5 years ago out of a few at a local store and made sure it didn't have the infamous canted sight or excessive mag wobble you hear about on some of them. I've done several things to the rifle including some internal work making the action smoother. It is 100% reliable and does not lack in performace to some of the higher end Ak's I have put it up against, including an Arsenal I used to have.

If it were me given your choices, I would go with the WASR or the N PAP, and smooth out the action and run the hell out of it.

Here are a couple pics of my WASR, It currently has an aftermarket grip that is not pictured. The rifle has well over 6k rounds through it today and is a fun rifle to take to the range. I can give you a list of everything that has been done to it if you like.



 
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Skip the C39 and get a quality AK. Anything Century touches generally is shitty. It's the exception, not the rule to get a CAI that is built correctly and functions.

The exception is guns like the M92 PAP, since Century does not touch it as the mag is already setup from the factory. All other imports have to be fucked with to make AK mags work and some other things for US complaince.

If you want an AK, Get an Arsenal, N PAP (tend to be much better than WASR/other century shit), Older M85, Norinco or anything that does not come From CIA, Interarms, M&M.

You can snag an old Norinco or Hungarian for less than $1000, and they are some of the finest AK's ever made. They will also hold their value much better as they haven't been imported since '89. Quality steel and contructed on the same machinery of the old red's.


Stick with 7.62. Mags AND ammo is plentifull. 5.56 AK's have their own set of issues and mags are $50+ since arsenal is the only importer and Polish Beryl mags hardly every get imported. 5.45 is going to dry up faster than a rape victim and Mags are also harder/difficult to find.
 
Hey GoingBallistics, are you experiencing losing your zero on the optic using that TWS cover?
Good question. I just swapped out a lesser score for this Vortex and I didn't have a hard case that allowed me to keep the scope on (this has been project gun, so I have no long-term data).

I'll keep a close eye on it and also mount to the aluminum quad to compare deviation. Will report back and bump before this weekend.
 
Skip the C39 and get a quality AK. Anything Century touches generally is shitty. It's the exception, not the rule to get a CAI that is built correctly and functions.

The exception is guns like the M92 PAP, since Century does not touch it as the mag is already setup from the factory. All other imports have to be fucked with to make AK mags work and some other things for US complaince.

If you want an AK, Get an Arsenal, N PAP (tend to be much better than WASR/other century shit), Older M85, Norinco or anything that does not come From CIA, Interarms, M&M.

You can snag an old Norinco or Hungarian for less than $1000, and they are some of the finest AK's ever made. They will also hold their value much better as they haven't been imported since '89. Quality steel and contructed on the same machinery of the old red's.


Stick with 7.62. Mags AND ammo is plentifull. 5.56 AK's have their own set of issues and mags are $50+ since arsenal is the only importer and Polish Beryl mags hardly every get imported. 5.45 is going to dry up faster than a rape victim and Mags are also harder/difficult to find.
Just curious to understand what your meaning of quality is. I've fired well over 1k rounds through this and not a single issue. The accuracy is def above AK average and the buy-in is far below most AK entry points.

I have the Guns & Ammo AK edition in front of me and they have quite a glowing review regarding the C39. They clearly disclose the "teething" issues you mention of (i.e. once "being shitty"), but it's clear that Century Arms has come a long way in the development of the C39.

It appears as though the tactical version that I purchased is now selling for $599 and if you add about $300 for the same after-market parts, for $899 you have a rifle that must be the very best value/performance for the money.

So if you bought a SAM7 and fashioned it like my rifle, you'll struggle to do it for under $1600. If you and I were side-by-side shooting at targets at 100 and 200 yards, you'd feel sick that you spent 2x as me for the difference in performance, IF there would be any, and it's not unlikely that you'd get horse-fucked.
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And like 99% of the responses :

Most people are dumb. They do not think, they are uneducated and they ask the same stupid (almost rhetorical) questions that get asked 10x a day.
Your one gun means dog shit. Historical precedent proves otherwise
Guns and Ammo is an ADVERTISEMENT, like all magazines.... in fact you are better of taking the opposite advice of what they tell you.
Most of those (aftermarket) parts are junk.... complete waste of money useless pieces of tapco shit. An AK needs very little. Maybe a quality optic , maybe a quality handguard replacement. It's and AK, not a gucci AR. The more shit u hang on it , the more you move away from the benefits of an AK (light, easy to use, and decent reliability)

You don't have to buy a SAM7, in fact, Milled AK's are not needed. A good quality Stamped Arsenal can be had for around $1K, less if you dig around.

CAI has 20 years of putting out shit after shit product. Lets just ignore that and believe whatever we want to believe.
 
Good question. I just swapped out a lesser score for this Vortex and I didn't have a hard case that allowed me to keep the scope on (this has been project gun, so I have no long-term data).

I'll keep a close eye on it and also mount to the aluminum quad to compare deviation. Will report back and bump before this weekend.

If your going to mount an optic, the only way to go is with a side rail like:

https://www.k-var.com/shop/KV-04S.html

Or with a Sight replacement like:

Parabellum Armament Rail Systems

Owned both and the Parabelelum is the way to go. Much less zero drift.
 
I just used that magazine as an example, and it's far from the only positive reference on the latest iterations of the C39. All things being equal (namely price), why would you want a stamped over milled? Like I said, go get whatever AK you want and you'll be very, very frustrated in trying to out-shoot me w/ my C39. In looking at the aftermarket parts I used, I'm trying to figure out if you consider TWS rails as being junk, or Midwest Industries rails as junk or the Magpul CTR stocks as junk?

I'm not a fan of the Tapco shit either, but it's clear you paint in very, very broad brushes. It's also clear that you think you know everything. It also seems like you're implying that I'm stupid.... and I might be. That said, answer my previous question on how you think a good AK should shoot and how a shit AK should shoot, spot me that delta and let's meet-up and bet something SIGNIFICANT. We can video tape the session and post it to this thread.

In conclusion, you seem to post in a matter-of-fact way on what's junk and not and if someone steps on your "not," your pussy gets swollen shut (as in that thread when someone said KAC service sucks and you got indignant). You seem to remind me of name brand snobs in billiards where people know everything, walk around with $20k cues and still can't draw their rock or golfers who know everything about every set of clubs, balls, playing conditions and technique, but can't come close to break par. The bottom line is shooting is outcome-based -- shit works or shit doesn't and it's accurate or it's not, with all other variables being equal.
 
I just used that magazine as an example, and it's far from the only positive reference on the latest iterations of the C39. All things being equal (namely price), why would you want a stamped over milled? Like I said, go get whatever AK you want and you'll be very, very frustrated in trying to out-shoot me w/ my C39. In looking at the aftermarket parts I used, I'm trying to figure out if you consider TWS rails as being junk, or Midwest Industries rails as junk or the Magpul CTR stocks as junk?

I'm not a fan of the Tapco shit either, but it's clear you paint in very, very broad brushes. It's also clear that you think you know everything. It also seems like you're implying that I'm stupid.... and I might be. That said, answer my previous question on how you think a good AK should shoot and how a shit AK should shoot, spot me that delta and let's meet-up and bet something SIGNIFICANT. We can video tape the session and post it to this thread.

In conclusion, you seem to post in a matter-of-fact way on what's junk and not and if someone steps on your "not," your pussy gets swollen shut (as in that thread when someone said KAC service sucks and you got indignant). You seem to remind me of name brand snobs in billiards where people know everything, walk around with $20k cues and still can't draw their rock or golfers who know everything about every set of clubs, balls, playing conditions and technique, but can't come close to break par. The bottom line is shooting is outcome-based -- shit works or shit doesn't and it's accurate or it's not, with all other variables being equal.

Bottom line, I have more general firearms knowledge than most people on this site. I have been doing this shit since I was a kid. I'll take the pepsi challenge ANY day of the week. I don't know everything but I'm more well rounded than all but a few.

These were debates that were hashed out 10-50 years ago, by people way smarter than both of us. 99% of the background history never gets said, because doing so would require writing a book. It would be a full time job explaining every little thing to every person.

People all have different experience levels and knowledge bases. There is an infinite amount of information out there, if you seek it out. I have a matter-of-fact way because that is the way it is. I can and will defend every word I say or type. However I am not going to do it repeatably every day because people are too lazy to do their own research or read previous discussions on the topic Something that's new or cool to you, is old fucking news to other people who have already been around the block a few times.

You haven't even been on this site a month, 5 posts and your running your face like you have any credibility.

It's the same tired, stupid shit that newbs and idiots have to bring up, despite a wealth of information already out there. Couple stupidity with laziness, and the balls to talk shit about subject matters they don't even begin to understand, and its a recipe for posts like yours.

No different then:

DI Vs Piston
AK vs AR
Glocks VS 1911
9mm vs .45
10.5 vs 11.5" ballistics
Milled vs Stamped


If most people took the time, stopped and actualy thought about what they were typing, took the time to do some research, and apply that with actual experince perhaps we would not be bombarded by stupidity, urban myths, and complete ignorance.

Century Arms International is JUNK. PERIOD. THE END. You will not find one reputable, knowledgeable gun owner/enthusiast who disagrees with that. When a product line has the highest known defect rate among it's industry, its probably a good indicator.
 
Bottom line, I have more general firearms knowledge than most people on this site. I have been doing this shit since I was a kid. I'll take the pepsi challenge ANY day of the week. I don't know everything but I'm more well rounded than all but a few.

These were debates that were hashed out 10-50 years ago, by people way smarter than both of us. 99% of the background history never gets said, because doing so would require writing a book. It would be a full time job explaining every little thing to every person.

People all have different experience levels and knowledge bases. There is an infinite amount of information out there, if you seek it out. I have a matter-of-fact way because that is the way it is. I can and will defend every word I say or type. However I am not going to do it repeatably every day because people are too lazy to do their own research or read previous discussions on the topic Something that's new or cool to you, is old fucking news to other people who have already been around the block a few times.

You haven't even been on this site a month, 5 posts and your running your face like you have any credibility.

It's the same tired, stupid shit that newbs and idiots have to bring up, despite a wealth of information already out there. Couple stupidity with laziness, and the balls to talk shit about subject matters they don't even begin to understand, and its a recipe for posts like yours.

No different then:

DI Vs Piston
AK vs AR
Glocks VS 1911
9mm vs .45
10.5 vs 11.5" ballistics
Milled vs Stamped


If most people took the time, stopped and actualy thought about what they were typing, took the time to do some research, and apply that with actual experince perhaps we would not be bombarded by stupidity, urban myths, and complete ignorance.

Century Arms International is JUNK. PERIOD. THE END. You will not find one reputable, knowledgeable gun owner/enthusiast who disagrees with that. When a product line has the highest known defect rate among it's industry, its probably a good indicator.
My junk AK would horsrfuck yours and my POF would horsefuck your KAC. Nitbag.
 
+1 for the Zastave PAPs. Just stay away from the original PAPs that came in as single stacks.

Yep, the early guns came with single stack bolts, so after mag well was opened up, they would not feed reliably.

Assuming they monkeys at CAI did the magwell modification correctly, the newer O and N PaP's come with the correct double stack bolt.

The reason I recommend the M92 is multi-pronged:

1.$400 for a factory zvasta gun
2. Because its a Pistol, it can have the correct double stack AK magazine well preventing the need for the monkeys to fuck with it.
3. They FSB's are strait from the factory, Chrome Lined, Eastern Block Built AK.
4. 7.62x39 has most of it's powder burned and a 10" barrel is the optimal length for velocity/portability.
5.Super easy to SBR, or add a Sig Brace for a sub $600 almost SBR
6.It accepts 4 piece Bulgarian Krink muzzle adapters
7. Ammo is cheap, plentiful, effective
8.Shooting 5 foot fireballs at night is a riot.
9. ONLY $400?????? Buy em cheep and stack em deep.
10. Mags are cheap and NOTHING beats Eastern Block Steel Mags. I was buying them $90/10 a few months ago from apex. Bought like 50 mags, a lifetimes worth for not even $500. Tons of East German, Romy, Polish and Yugo mags.


 
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I have looked at all the Arsenal Ak's. I've only shot one before. They seems pretty nice. Maybe I'll keep looking. I found a C39 that was for sale- it was a good deal but I'm in no hurry to buy one. No you don't need a milled reciever, I understand that.. I'll think about this for awhile. Seems like the reviews I seen about the C39 is that alot of people liked them.
 
Six, there are some very good AK builders in the US, but you will spend an arm and a leg.

There is still the issue of Domestic produced parts. They just cannot build certain things like barrels that equal the old 70 year machines of the soviet block. We make the best precision barrels in the world, but since the demand is low, no one is going to take on the massive capital investment of millions of $$ to setup AK barrel production. Not when it can be done for pennies on the dollar in some poverty stricken 3rd world shit hole where they work for peanuts. So the US consumer is the one that loses. This is why it is imperitive to use a eastern block barrel, and since there is a barrel ban for parts kits/import (not that parts kits are plentiful anymore) you are stuck with conversions from "sporting" configurations.

The AK was designed to be a cheap, easy to manufacture, robust weapon that can be given to someone with little/no formal military training. The first versions were milled, but it was quickly realized how much more expensive, longer it took to produce and heavier it made the weapon. It adds zero benefit but had significant drawbacks. Keep in mind the people making these guns at the factory were little/unskilled communists so they needed to simplify production down to the lowest common denominator.

If you want to buy an AK, a Vanilla 16" Rifle, then you should be looking at Arsenal, N PaP, and the older Pre 90' import guns like Hungarians, Chineese, Yugo, or Polish. Even the older Romy guns imported by CAI are decent, SAR 1,2,3, and some of the early WASRs.

For a pistol or SBR canidate, Arsenal or M92 PaP. Problem with the Arsenal guns is, they are chrome lined, and you do not want to be cutting down a chrome lined barrel to create a SBR. Go with the pistol varients of either.

For a good basic history of the AK, and even machine guns in general, check out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Gun-C-J-Chivers/dp/0743271734 . It's easy to read and does not get too technical.

Hope this helps.
 
Bottom line, I have more general firearms knowledge than most people on this site. I have been doing this shit since I was a kid. I'll take the pepsi challenge ANY day of the week. I don't know everything but I'm more well rounded than all but a few.

These were debates that were hashed out 10-50 years ago, by people way smarter than both of us. 99% of the background history never gets said, because doing so would require writing a book. It would be a full time job explaining every little thing to every person.

People all have different experience levels and knowledge bases. There is an infinite amount of information out there, if you seek it out. I have a matter-of-fact way because that is the way it is. I can and will defend every word I say or type. However I am not going to do it repeatably every day because people are too lazy to do their own research or read previous discussions on the topic Something that's new or cool to you, is old fucking news to other people who have already been around the block a few times.

You haven't even been on this site a month, 5 posts and your running your face like you have any credibility.

It's the same tired, stupid shit that newbs and idiots have to bring up, despite a wealth of information already out there. Couple stupidity with laziness, and the balls to talk shit about subject matters they don't even begin to understand, and its a recipe for posts like yours.

If most people took the time, stopped and actualy thought about what they were typing, took the time to do some research, and apply that with actual experince perhaps we would not be bombarded by stupidity, urban myths, and complete ignorance.

Century Arms International is JUNK. PERIOD. THE END. You will not find one reputable, knowledgeable gun owner/enthusiast who disagrees with that. When a product line has the highest known defect rate among it's industry, its probably a good indicator.

I have been here long enough to see that some of the things you say in posts are completely false and unvalidated, so before you start throwing out the word credibility, you should look into some of the false "facts" you have written. You seem like a knowledgable person in certain aspects, but in several posts I have seen you participate in you come across in a way that makes it difficult to tollerate you or respect your opinion. How about we try to be polite and helpful with one another instead of coming across with an exremely biased, arrogant know it all attitude.

Now with that said, I would not argue the fact that if you put up the average Arsenal against let's say the average CAI WASR, the Arsenal would win everytime. What do I mean by win? It will have a far nicer finish, components will be more refined (smooth internals not rough), and it will be put together better, thus making it a better running rifle. In my experience, my Arsernal SGL-21 did have a far better finish than my WASR, and did run smoother until I tweaked a few things on the WASR which at that point they were equal. Accuracy between the two rifles were identical both times I actually put them on a rest side by side and shot some groups at 50 and 100 yards. But again these rifles were never designed for this and it was just more or less me wondering if the rifle I payed 2x more for would have any difference in accuracy, it didn't.

You are correct about CAI having a reputation of putting out shit products. The probability of getting a rifle that a monkey put together from them is there, and that is where the gamble is. You MAY end up with something that needs sent back to them or better yet fixed by someone who knows AK's, or you can actually end up with a rifle that is headspaced properly and doesn't have a canted sight, mag wobble, or banana peels in it. All I'm saying is that just because there have been several lemons that came out of that plant doesn't mean they are ALL shit.

By the way, from my knowledge those PAP pistols are untouched, and it was a big surpsise when last weekend one at the range had constant failures where it would get hung up and not fully go into battery.
 
Feel free to point out where I am wrong, with verifiable sources.

If someone doesn't like what I say or dissagrees, that fine. I am all about civil discussion, but it gets old spoon feeding the same idiots who just want to run their face for the sake of it. It's easy for people to be dumbasses on the internet, beacuse in person, they would be evicerated. Ive been through this bullshit cycle enough times in the last 15 years to know who is worth it, who isin't, and who can be salvaged. But if you think I am going to take lip or shit for some dumbass who cannot even present a valid arguement or results to shit talking then you haven't been reading enough of my posts.

I am here to help people that ask for it, and to learn more for myself. People who just jump in to rattle the boat, are white noise. The people reading the thread, can see the bullshit for what it is, so its not like they need to validate everything said in a post. I get enough PM's, emails and likes from people of all walks of life to know what I am doing is right. The white noise can go piss up a rope for all I care.

As far as CAI and the actual subject of the thread, Can you name ONE company that has a worse reputation than the CAI when it comes to building or modifying guns? They are absolutley abysmal. From AK's to FAL's to HK clones you name it, they fuck it up. They use the cheapest parts, use cheap unskilled labor and almost zero quality control. Even if your gun seems to function fine, there is no assurance that it does not have defects that will manifest later. No one who has the means or knowledge would buy their shit. They have the reputation they do for a reason.

AK accuracy is the LAST thing that is important. Chrome lined (should be), AK trunnion/barrel/Bolt lockup that is not exactly precisie, and shitty eastern block ammo are not a recipe for accuracy. Function is ALWAYS number one in a fighting gun, and the AK is a fighting gun.

I have no idea why your pap pistol didn't work, could be a number of issues from bad mags, bad ammo, modifications, parts installed incorrectly from user or something wrong from the factory.

You guys come around and cherry pick examples to justify one point or another. I can show you JP and GAP rifles that have shit the bed, does that mean they are garbage guns? When companies show over a long history that they put out shitty/defective products or on the flip side, are known for putting out quality, well built and reliable products......THAT is what matters. A randon statisically insignificant sample (N-1) is just that.
 
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Feel free to point out where I am wrong, with verifiable sources.

If someone doesn't like what I say or dissagrees, that fine. I am all about civil discussion, but it gets old spoon feeding the same idiots who just want to run their face for the sake of it. It's easy for people to be dumbasses on the internet, beacuse in person, they would be evicerated. Ive been through this bullshit cycle enough times in the last 15 years to know who is worth it, who isin't, and who can be salvaged. But if you think I am going to take lip or shit for some dumbass who cannot even present a valid arguement or results to shit talking then you haven't been reading enough of my posts.

I am here to help people that ask for it, and to learn more for myself. People who just jump in to rattle the boat, are white noise. The people reading the thread, can see the bullshit for what it is, so its not like they need to validate everything said in a post. I get enough PM's, emails and likes from people of all walks of life to know what I am doing is right. The white noise can go piss up a rope for all I care.

As far as CAI and the actual subject of the thread, Can you name ONE company that has a worse reputation than the CAI when it comes to building or modifying guns? They are absolutley abysmal. From AK's to FAL's to HK clones you name it, they fuck it up. They use the cheapest parts, use cheap unskilled labor and almost zero quality control. Even if your gun seems to function fine, there is no assurance that it does not have defects that will manifest later. No one who has the means or knowledge would buy their shit. They have the reputation they do for a reason.

AK accuracy is the LAST thing that is important. Chrome lined (should be), AK trunnion/barrel/Bolt lockup that is not exactly precisie, and shitty eastern block ammo are not a recipe for accuracy. Function is ALWAYS number one in a fighting gun, and the AK is a fighting gun.

I have no idea why your pap pistol didn't work, could be a number of issues from bad mags, bad ammo, modifications, parts installed incorrectly from user or something wrong from the factory.

You guys come around and cherry pick examples to justify one point or another. I can show you JP and GAP rifles that have shit the bed, does that mean they are garbage guns? When companies show over a long history that they put out shitty/defective products or on the flip side, are known for putting out quality, well built and reliable products......THAT is what matters. A randon statisically insignificant sample (N-1) is just that.
Civil discussion as in "drying up faster than a rape victim" or asking another poster to "point to where on the doll they touched you?"

You sir, are FAR from civil and my "newness" here doesn't mean I'm clueless nor does it mean I wouldn't swallow you whole.
 
Feel free to point out where I am wrong, with verifiable sources.

I don't have the time to scavenge through your posts and validate all the inaccuracies, but most recently in a discussion towards Glock's you through out some information that was false and I took the time in correcting it. You possess some good knowledge in other threads I have seen you comment on, but credibility with an attitude like yours goes a long way so at least take the time to validate your information before throwing it out there. The same thread, and others I have read, is where you came off extremely biased and with an attitude that does not make it difficult to profile your character. But, I know things are not always as they seem and for all I know you could be the nicest guy off here and someone I would enjoy drinking a beer and talking firearms with.

I am not acting in defense of individuals who you have words with here, I am just noticing a trend of people not taking kindly of your attitude is all. I'm sure this site has the intention of growing and treating individuals this way is not helping. You have the knowledge that many on here can benefit from, but don't turn your knowledge into arrogance.

Now back to AK's. For the life of me I cannot remember the company, but there was a relatively new company that put together shit rifles with shit customer service to boot, and they recently just got acquired by someone else who is turning things around. Does this ring any bells to you, as I am bothered by forgetting the name now? Anyhow, there have been companies in the past who have come and go due to shit products, and CAI although surely does produce some here and there, sticks around and does what it can to progress. In the case of my rifle, you can sometimes make chicken salad out of chicken shit.

For what it's worth what I had to do it make mine function better was smooth out the rails internally so the bolt carrier glides smoother, reprofile the hammer, and take a bit of material off the dust cover where the charging handle rubbed. Along the way I polished the bolt carrier (not performace related, just easthetics) and put in a Krebs trigger pin retaining plate to hold the unit together better. It also had a terribly stiff safety that had I had to work on. Several thousand rounds later, it is still performing above my expecations for a rifle I payed around $450 for. I promise that you would be quite surprised taking the "Pepsi Challenge" with my WASR. And for the record, I would ofcourse rather have the Arsenal built Saiga I used to have, but I regretfully sold it a while back needing some funds for a firearms unrelated matter. Regardless I am very pleased with this AK and by no means do I feel like I am missing out peformance wise compared to other higher value models.

If the OP is willing to throw out the loot for an Arsenal, by all means pick it over any CAI build. If not, you may get a CAI rifle you will be very happy with, but with that you are running the risk of a lemon by getting anything with CAI stamped on it. If you know what you are looking at and have access to a retailer that has several in stock, there is a very good chance you can find a pretty decent WASR AK.

I agree that CAI does not have a very good track record with putting out several lemons out of a batch, but do not completely disregard their products. In reply to your statement about no one with knowledge would buy there stuff, well I am an educated individual with a decent amount of firearms knowledge and a good bit of experience both formal and informal, and I would put my CAI rifle through a course anyday and I would trust my life to it if I ever had to.
 
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You are going to believe whatever you want to believe. No different the fools who think their XD's or Bushmasters are just as good as premium products. No amount of proof, examples and logic is going to sway someone who is quite frankly, not capable of reason.

My assertions and beliefs are based on long term trends, ad hoc statistical analysis, subject matter experts in the industry and being able to think through these problems. Perhaps I give people way to much credit, expecting them to do the same level of due diligence and apply the same level of critical thinking. This website like all others is a cross section of society. The majority of society is uninformed, ignorant, rash idiots. It's doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see the correlation.

CAI is around, because they are cheap. They have the import infrastructure and to be honest, because they do such a cheap/shity job, they can keep prices low. Any company that would have a reasonable level of build quality, Labor's and QC would cost MUCH more. CAI has been around for decades, and they own the import market.

Clearly you are failing to understand the underlying point, as you keep on trying to use a SINGLE example as justification.

You clowns think all this shit happens inside of a vacuum, and refuse to factor in or even consider all the other variables.

You can trust your life to cheap shit, I really don't care. No different than buying the cheapest Harness, parachute, Helmet, or any other mechanical device that can and will save your life. People, who know better, choose quality gear and tools. Either your life is not worth much, or you are just ignorant. Or Both.

Life is too short for cheap guns, cheap women or cheap scotch. They all are not worth the time or effort.
 
Your attitude on this forum is quite comical. I honestly feel bad for any friends you questionably may have. I would profile you as the type of person who doesn't do too well with interpersonal communication, and therefore has a hard time making or keeping any friends, so you come to a forum like this because you can actually exhibit this arrogant behavior towards people over the internet. This is sadly becoming more of a common behavior in today's society. I for one do not appreciate your remarks. Both your indirect and direct approach of insulting people because of your arrogance is quite sad. I would be very hard pressed to believe you would ever have the balls to act this way towards me in person. With that said, this is supposed to be a friendly forum to communicate with other individuals about common interests, so I will be the more intelligent and mature person and be done with you.

Yes, I gave you my example as 1 example. There are TONS of other examples out there that I have personally seen and heard about. For every lemon they put out there are many decent ones too.

One final note, just know that if it already hasn't happened, that one day if you portray this type of attitude outside of the web towards someone, you will eventually be put in your place, and from that maybe you'll learn some humility and an important lesson in life.
 
What is an acceptable defect rate? You are not even making sense.

If Product A has a .5% defect rate and product B has a 5% defect rate..................Then product B still on the surface is right 95% of the time.

Except in Things like Guns, Airplanes, Saftey Equipment or ANYTHING that has an impact on life/death/bodily harm, 95% would be an epic failure. Imagine of 5% of planes just fell out of the sky or a Sawblade would disintegrate 5% of the time resulting in people being maimed.


Like I said, your life and the lives of those around you must not be worth much if you are willing to bet them with known defects. Or perhpas you like to spend more money and time fixing shit that should come correct from the factory. I don't know, but when I buy something, I expect it to be right the first time. The company certainly does have not a disclaimer saying "Project gun" or "Gunsmithing required to function as designed" or any such shit that is actualy indicitive of the products that leave their factory. Lemons happen to anyone but when patterns are formed over many many years, how can you argue that?

I am sorry you cannot understand this. I don't know how else it can be simplified.

Passive aggressive threats are the only thing comical in this thread. The rest is quite sad actually.
 
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Century is hit and miss on quality of builds.
Some run , others are close and some need to go back to the factory to make it right.

Based on their HK, Galil, FAL, etc. clones I would guesstimate an 8 out of 10 for guns that work out of the box and built correctly.
(Century gets you close)
 
The issue then becomes, if corners are cut and QA is not done propperly.......

Where else did they cut corners? You might see and identify obvious issues, but what about the stuff you can't easily see, or doesn't show up until you try and run it hard.

It's all about corporate culture. To them, its acceptable to put out junk. You want to stick with companies who do not share this attitude. Ones who either through contractual obligations, Integrity or the Simple fact that Reputation = Profit.
 
Your attitude on this forum is quite comical. I honestly feel bad for any friends you questionably may have. I would profile you as the type of person who doesn't do too well with interpersonal communication, and therefore has a hard time making or keeping any friends, so you come to a forum like this because you can actually exhibit this arrogant behavior towards people over the internet. This is sadly becoming more of a common behavior in today's society. I for one do not appreciate your remarks. Both your indirect and direct approach of insulting people because of your arrogance is quite sad. I would be very hard pressed to believe you would ever have the balls to act this way towards me in person. With that said, this is supposed to be a friendly forum to communicate with other individuals about common interests, so I will be the more intelligent and mature person and be done with you.

Yes, I gave you my example as 1 example. There are TONS of other examples out there that I have personally seen and heard about. For every lemon they put out there are many decent ones too.

One final note, just know that if it already hasn't happened, that one day if you portray this type of attitude outside of the web towards someone, you will eventually be put in your place, and from that maybe you'll learn some humility and an important lesson in life.
I'd smash my PRS stock down his chicken-cobra throat and make it fucking stay there until a time of my choosing. I'd take side bets all day long that this fucktard is some pimple faced kid using dad's laptop.

The only thing that mongoloid knows about failure rates (that wouldn't be conjecture) would be his failure rate to protect himself if this were real-life.

Sorry for hijacking, but I noticed this faggot cocking-off in another thread to a guy who made an innocuous comment about KAC and he puffed his chest out like an internet forum tough guy.

Then, he stormed in this thread about C39s being shit garbage, which they're clearly not. If I haven't fired thousands of rounds out of mine, I haven't shot 1 and I never had a single failure... and the accuracy has been scary-good.
 
I have owned several AK platform rifles and my last one was a milled receiver Arsenal SAM7. It was a nice rifle quality wise but it's been replaced by a SIG 556R. The SIG runs rings around any AK I have owned, better sight radius & choice of sights or optics, better trigger, stock & rails for configuration.
Accuracy really blows the Arsenal sam7 away. It also fits an adult frame.

It's a good caliber, just select the platform you like the best.
 
I think maybe you guys are taking Cobracutter all wrong. Yes he is a little abrasive with his points but that doesn't mean he is wrong about what he is saying. I certainly do not agree with everything he says, but I do find myself on the same page a lot of the time. With that said, most of what I have seen from Century has been pretty bad when compared to other companies products. If you want a nice AK, that runs smooth, look no further than Mike Friend at Firing Line Oklahoma. His rifles, IMO, are some of the best available. On a side note,all these threats of violence do not look good on our community. There is absolutely no good reason for it. We (or most) of us are here to help and each of you are entitled to your opinions.

Chris R
 
You guys are arguing like some old women! haha Damn... I kinda heard century was "hit and miss" with quality, or in the past. I was just thinking maybe the c39 would be better being "American Made". Plus the reviews I seen on them. There are guys out there who get a hard on about milled recievers. I passed on a deal today with a C39 because I'm gonna read more on them. I have some nice AR's and love em. I was just thinking about getting another AK. I used to have a G 1975 and it was a tank for what it was. I guess you get what you pay for and I know that. Sounds like Arsenal is kinda "fail safe" in terms of being nice all round.. I was just thinking about getting a beater rifle but second guessing myself now on getting something nicer. It would be nice to have something that shoots the 7.62x39 when ISIS or ISIL (whatever you wanna call them goat fu%^ers) invades the U.S. and we are scrounging rounds to fight them. hahahahahahaha
 
You guys are arguing like some old women! haha Damn... I kinda heard century was "hit and miss" with quality, or in the past. I was just thinking maybe the c39 would be better being "American Made". Plus the reviews I seen on them. There are guys out there who get a hard on about milled recievers. I passed on a deal today with a C39 because I'm gonna read more on them. I have some nice AR's and love em. I was just thinking about getting another AK. I used to have a G 1975 and it was a tank for what it was. I guess you get what you pay for and I know that. Sounds like Arsenal is kinda "fail safe" in terms of being nice all round.. I was just thinking about getting a beater rifle but second guessing myself now on getting something nicer. It would be nice to have something that shoots the 7.62x39 when ISIS or ISIL (whatever you wanna call them goat fu%^ers) invades the U.S. and we are scrounging rounds to fight them. hahahahahahaha

Six, you could always buy a Saiga 7.62 and convert it yourself over time. They have the ones now that have the hard parts of the conversion already pre-done.

This way you start out with a quality base rifle and you can go from there.

Russian Saiga AK 47 Rifle IZ 132 SALE

Save some money up front, and buy a gun that will at the very least hold its value well.
 
Wish my WASR 10 was reliable... If I hold the front of the mag and pull it back into my shoulder it will feed a few more before it hickups, tired 4 different mag brands all with the same result... 5-8 inch groups is about all I can expect at 100 depending on ammo used... even tried reloading it with .310 .311 and .312 bullets for no gain. FWIW, I purchased it this year.
 
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Wish my WASR 10 was reliable... If I hold the front of the mag and pull it back into my shoulder it will feed a few more before it hickups, tired 4 different mag brands all with the same result... 5-8 inch groups is about all I can expect at 100 depending on ammo used... even tried reloading it with .310 .311 and .312 bullets for no gain. FWIW, I purchased it this year.

Ouch that's terrible, sorry to hear you got one hell of a lemon from them. I would call them and ship it back to them for a free repair. I've only benched mine and shot for groups a couple times, but I was hovering around 3 moa using Golden Tiger ammo. I feel that is plenty accurate for the rifle, but more importantly it is 100% reliable. You should seriously give them a call and report back to us.
 
People like Metal want to ignore reality and history.

When a company with one of if not the worst reputations in the Gun Industry somehow gets something right (or you just haven't found the problems yet), they use that as a base for why people should buy them. It is almost always tied to THEM having bought the same product and self denial that they made a poor choice.

It's also a well know fact, that returning a gun to Century, you are just as likley to get your gun back fucked up from warranty work, as you are out of the box. The same idiots who cannot reliabily build/mod/QC the gun the first time are going to get it right? OOOOOKKKKKKKKKK

Most people are too gun ignorant to know they have a canted FSB, or the Magwell is not cut right, or it has the wrong bolt or they used the wrong FCG parts or the US made piston to meet 922r is out of dimension. Even then, there are enough people who report serious problems that only somoene ignorant to the company, a fool or a hobbiest who knows the risks would buy them.

It's one thing to say you admit and accepts the risks associated with buying a product that sells for HALF (HINT) of what a correctly built comparable product sells for from it's competors, it's quite another to just go in on blind faith.

Would you trust century to pack a parachute for you? How about make a child seat your little baby is going to be riding in? Would you feel comfortable with a Century Pharamisct handing out your medications?
 
I understand reality very well. I stated earlier of there being a risk that Century did something wrong during the build. I rolled the dice and it has payed off with well over 6k rounds through it thus far. And like I said, performance based it is no different than what my Arsenal was that I payed 2x more for.

Your analogies are irrational though. A wrongly packed parachute can kill a sky diver, a cheap faulty child seat can hurt a child, an uncertified pharmacist can hurt you with a poorly prescribed narcotic, BUT.... a Century Ak that is a lemon from the factory will malfunction and upset you at the range... HUGE difference in circumstances. If someone purchases a firearm for self defense use/SHTF/battle rifle, or whatever, I would hope that they would be smart enough to put it through its paces to ensure reliability.

I don't understand the argument here, I am not being biased puffing my chest out saying Century is great I'll take one over a RD Ak rah rah rah. I am just simply stating the fact that you can get a rifle from them that functions perfectly fine. There are companies that make firearms that I am not a fan of, but when I see a friend or student bring one to the range I don't insult them like you do to people. If it works, great.
 
I don't insult anyone for owning something, despite it being a poor choice. Should they decide to start blowing smoke or making up bullshit, they will get set strait. Nothing personal.

Most people just don't care and go on about their days, Oh look American Idol is on....... Those that come seekng advice, are doing just that.
 
I don't insult anyone for owning something, despite it being a poor choice. Should they decide to start blowing smoke or making up bullshit, they will get set strait. Nothing personal.

Most people just don't care and go on about their days, Oh look American Idol is on....... Those that come seekng advice, are doing just that.

So let me get this strait, you're accusing me of "blowing smoke" or "making up bullshit"?
 
I don't insult anyone for owning something, despite it being a poor choice. Should they decide to start blowing smoke or making up bullshit, they will get set strait. Nothing personal.

Most people just don't care and go on about their days, Oh look American Idol is on....... Those that come seekng advice, are doing just that.
When someone has the writing mechanics of a 4 year old, what makes anyone think they have a clue about anything?

It's "set straight" not "set strait."

You need to learn how to be literate before you start dogging on any company, son.
 
Troll or new guy running his face?

I spell like shit, and usually post from a tablet.

Get the fuck over it. You can't refute what I say because it is true. Try harder troll.
 
Troll or new guy running his face?

I spell like shit, and usually post from a tablet.

Get the fuck over it. You can't refute what I say because it is true. Try harder troll.
Truth stings like a bitch, clearly.

This new guy is going to be around for a while, so while you're playing the "I'm the smartest guy in the world" card, I'll always be there when you fuck up.

I'm not running my face as you clearly don't have a command of our language. Say what you want, but "it is what it is."

^^^^ Sound familiar? That's your approach on every single post you make.

I'm sure that makes your eyes squint... I know if someone said that to me, I'd be enraged after being mortified. If you read your posting style, which is akin to "fist-fucking" your fellow posters, you will find that you make it a habit in trying to make others look and feel like a retard when they're clearly not. It's almost as if you go the "long way" just to inject extra insults and innuendos.

Try to lighten-up, humble-up and try to treat others with a modicum of respect. You seem to be passionate, and that's a good thing. You also appear to know guns as well, which is excellent for this forum. That said, knowledge without humility and class is a sickening thing.

When you imply others are stupid and simple-minded when discussing weaponry while you're not very astute in the day-to-day stuff, it's embarrassing for everyone.

We can go on like this forever... or not.

Allow me to be the first to apologize for launching at you earlier.

"I'm sorry, Cobra."

I'm very aggressive, like you, but more on the reactive versus proactive. All I'm saying is that it's easier to be a nice, respectful, classy and welcoming guy than it is to be a "going-out-of-his-way-to-be-an-internet-cocksucker."
 
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Anomalies do not set precedence, patterns do. Stay clear of any firearms from Century. I am more familiar with Kalashnikovs than any other firearm type and I do not make my previous statements lightly nor uninformed or without experience.
 
Buying commercial AK's like the ones from CAI means you kinda have to inspect the gun before you buy it, and know what to look for. Most of the common defects can be spotted before purchasing. Gas port size and alignment, headspacing, and a few other things you can't check so easily but generally these are rare issues. Become educated on what problems to look for, and then purchase in person rather than ordering from the net and crossing your fingers in hope that you receive a good rifle.