Subjects and Rifles Discussed:
- Countries of Origin, Importers, & Builders — Levels of Quality
- Choosing An AK — What To Look For And What To Avoid
- Arsenal, Inc. SAM-7
- Arsenal, Inc. SLR-107
- Century Arms C39-V2
- Century Arms RAS47
- Century Arms RH10
- Century Arms Romanian WASR-10
- Century Arms Serbian Zastava N-PAP
- Destructive Device Industries DDI AK-47S
- Inter Ordnance — I.O. Inc.
- Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 Gen II
- Molot VEPR
- Savannah Arsenal’s Related Pages
Countries of Origin, Importers, & Builders — Levels of Quality:
Tier One AK’s:
- Russian Molot VEPR.
- Finnish Valmet (no longer imported).
- Chinese Polytec and Norinco (no longer imported).
- Israeli Galil.
- Bulgarian imported by Arsenal Inc.
- Egyptian Maadi imported by Steyr (no longer imported).
- Russian Saiga (no longer imported… thanks, Obama).
- Builds by Rifle Dynamics.
- Builds by Krebs Customs.
- Builds by Ted Marshall.
Tier Two AK’s:
- Intrac (no longer in business).
- Egyptian Maadi imported by Pars International Corporation (no longer imported).
- Yugoslavian (preban, not built from parts kits in the U.S.).
- Anything Interarms built (no longer in business).
Stay Away From:
- Destructive Device Industries DDI AK-47S.
- Inter Ordinance (IO).
- Older Romanian WASR-10 rifles imported/built by Century Arms.
Unknown — Caveat Emptor:
- High Standard.
- Builds by Atlantic Arms.
- Century Arms C39-V2.
- Century Arms RAS47.
- Century Arms RH10.
- Century Arms Serbian Zastava N-PAP.
- Newer Century Arms WASR-10 (avoid older WASR rifles).
- Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 Gen II.
back to top
Choosing An AK — What To Look For And What To Avoid:
- Lucky Gunner’s How To Buy An AK
- Outdoor Hub’s Six Best AKs For The Money
- Buyer’s Guide To The AK Family Of Rifles
- Survivalist’s Board’s Best AK-47 You Can Buy
Problems To Look For:
- Canted front sight post.
- Bad rivets.
- Magazine fit (wabble left and right or rocks back and forth, too tight of a fit, not locking in place).
back to top
Arsenal, Inc. SAM-7:
- Tier One Gear!
- Bulgarian.
- SAM-7R = fixed stock.
- SAM7SF = side folder.
- SAM7UF = underfoldering stock.
- Bulgarian hot-die hammer forged receiver, bolt, bolt carrier, and double-hook trigger
- Cold hammer-forged 16.3” chrome lined barrel from Arsenal’s Bulgarian factory.
- Hard-chrome plated bore and chamber.
- 14mm muzzle threads.
- Muzzle brake, cleaning rod, bayonet lug, scope rail.
- Substantially extended service life over other types of assemblies.
- Very expensive — In the $1400 range.
back to top
Arsenal, Inc. SLR-107:
- Arsenal SLR107 Rifles at Atlantic Firearms
- SLR-107-R = fixed stock
- SLR-107-FR = side folding stock, folds to left.
- SLR-107-SF = side folding stock, folds to right
- SLR-107-UF = under folding stock
- Stamped receiver
- Chrome lined hammer forged 16.25” barrel
- 14x1mm left-hand muzzle threads
- Removable muzzle nut, bayonet lug
- 2-stage trigger group
- 800m rear sight
- Side rail for attaching optics. Comes with one 5-round magazine, sling, oil bottle, and cleaning kit.
- Manufactured in Las Vegas, Nevada, utilizing Bulgarian made Arsenal mil-spec 1mm stamped receiver and cold hammer forged and hard chrome lined barrel. The authentic US made components, such as the anti-slap double stage trigger group, mil-spec polymer stock set, Warsaw length polymer buttstock to perfectly complete this rifle for unparalleled quality and accuracy.
back to top
Century Arms C39-V2:
- Milled receiver machined from a solid 11 lb. block of 4140 ordnance quality steel.
- 100% American made.
- Accepts all standard AK magazines.
- Larger tee shaped magazine catch for quicker mag changes.
- Comes with the new side rail mount exclusive to the C39 V2 and uses the new Century side optic mount #SC1327 which provides a return to zero capability and the ability to field strip the rifle without removing the scope mount ( side mount SC1327 Sold separately ).
- AKM furniture compatible so you can install other types of AK furniture if you like with little modification, Bolt hold open safety and an enhanced dust cover.
- Barrel 1:10 twist, concentric LH 14×1 metric thread and ready for a variety of muzzle attachments.
- Chrome moly 4150 nitride treated barrel.
- Milled 4140 ordnance quality steel receiver.
- Bolt hold-open notch on the safety selector.
- Photos of a C39-V2 After 5400 Rounds
- 100% American made.
- Stamped receiver.
- Originally these rifles sucked and had a terrible reputation, as did most every firearm assembled by Century Arms. Evidently Century has gotten their act together and is producing a much better Romanian WASR-10. Before you purchase one, be sure to watch the following videos with regards to what deficiencies that you should be aware of.
- 16 inch chrome lined barrel with removable flash hider/brake.
- Side mount scope rail, and a nice quality wood stock set.
- Great starter AK.
- Imported from Romania and backed up by a 1 year factory warranty.
- Made in Serbia (part of former Yugoslavia) and Imported by Century Arms.
- Built in the famous Zastava Factory known for producing rugged & reliable AK rifles.
- 16″ Threaded barrel with removable slant brake.
- Accept all normal in spec double stack AK47 mags and drums.
- Scope Rail.
- Notched safety selector allows you to lock the bolt back.
- Serbia import markings.
- Doesn’t do well in the torture testing as seen in the following videos.
- DDI is now out of business. It appears that they let all 16 employees go the day after Christmas. You can probably find these cheap, but with the poor performance in the torture testing in the following videos, and the fact that there isn’t anyone to honor any type of warranty, I would avoid these rifles.
- The AK Files: Been gone awhile , what happened to DDI?
- This company has a terrible reputation.
- Save your money and buy from a reputable manufacturer.
- Avoid I.O. Inc. AK rifles. You have been warned.
- PSAK-47 Rifles at Palmetto State Armory
- Built in the USA, with all new manufactured parts.
- Nitride finished, Melonite treated 4150 steel barrel precision mated to a Billet barrel block.
- 1mm stamped steel receiver.
- Tortured tested to 10,000 rounds to ensure a quality product.
- PSAK47 GB2 rifle with a billet steel barrel block (front trunion) and bolt.
- Mil-spec style double hook trigger, and side rail mount.
- Tier One Gear! The VEPR is simply the highest quality rifle based on the Kalashnikov design.
- VEPR Rifles at Atlantic Firearms
- The VEPR Rifles and Carbines are sporting arms based on the famous Soviet designed RPK. They are manufactured at the historic Vyatskie Polyany Machine Building Plant (a.k.a. MOLOT).
- Hammer forged heavy barrel
- RPK-type receiver with extra reinforcements and a thicker receiver and barrel for superior accuracy.
- Chrome lined barrel bore, chamber, gas block and gas piston
- 1.5mm thick receiver
- RPK front trunnion
- Spring loaded firing pin
- Side scope mount
- Accept high capacity AK47 magazines and drums
- Threaded barrel 14×1 with removable muzzle brake.
- Savannah Arsenal’s AK47 / AKM / AK-74 Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s AK-47 Buyer’s Guide
- Savannah Arsenal’s How To Zero The AK-47
- Fordy Smith’s AK Operators Union / Center-T Class
- Fordy Smith’s AK Operator’s Union: Class Gear & Kit Review
- Fordy Smith’s AK Philosophy / Takeaways / Personal Opinions
- Savannah Arsenal’s Firearms Essentials Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Ammunition Essentials Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Marksmanship Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Gun Cleaning & Maintenance Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Tactical Rifle Essentials Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Tactical Rifle Accessories Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Tactical Rifle Ammunition Page
- Savannah Arsenal’s Tactical Rifle Optics Page
</ul
back to top
Century Arms RAS47:
back to top
Century Arms RH10:
back to top
Century Arms Romanian WASR-10:
back to top
Century Arms Serbian Zastava N-PAP:
back to top
Destructive Device Industries DDI AK-47S:
back to top
Inter Ordnance — I.O. Inc.:
back to top
Palmetto State Armory PSAK-47 Gen II:
back to top
Molot VEPR: