What you need to know when shopping for an AK47 variant

Published on September 10, 2010
Duration: 9:26

This video provides an expert guide to inspecting AK-47 variants before purchase, focusing on common manufacturing flaws. Key areas to check include rivet seating, finish quality (bluing salts), barrel alignment, and front sight cant. It highlights issues with Inter Ordnance (IO) rifles and Century Arms WASR-10s, particularly their magazine wells, while praising Arsenal's higher quality conversions.

Quick Summary

When buying an AK-47 variant, inspect rivet seating for flushness, check for bluing salt residue indicating poor cleaning, verify barrel alignment and front sight cant, and examine the magazine well for rough cuts or excessive wobble that can cause feeding failures.

Chapters

  1. 00:00Introduction to AK-47 Shopping
  2. 00:57Inspecting Inter Ordnance (IO) Rivets
  3. 03:11Fit, Finish, and Bluing Salts
  4. 04:17Barrel Alignment and Sight Cant
  5. 05:17Century Arms WASR-10 Magazine Wells
  6. 06:59Century Polish Tantal Comparison
  7. 07:34Arsenal and Saiga Quality

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common issues to check when buying an AK-47 variant?

When buying an AK-47 variant, inspect rivet seating for flushness, check for bluing salt residue indicating poor cleaning, verify barrel alignment and front sight cant, and examine the magazine well for rough cuts or excessive wobble that can cause feeding failures.

How can I identify a hastily built AK-47?

Signs of a hastily built AK-47 include poorly pressed rivets that might cave in the receiver, leaked bluing salts from crevices, and a canted front sight used to compensate for barrel misalignment. These indicate shortcuts in manufacturing.

What's the difference between a WASR-10 and a higher-quality AK?

Century Arms WASR-10s often have rough, dremel-cut magazine wells due to modifications, leading to magazine wobble. Higher-quality AKs, like Arsenal conversions built on Saiga receivers, feature proper magazine well dimensions, tight lockup, and better overall fit and finish.

Why is barrel alignment and sight cant important on an AK?

Barrel alignment relative to the trunnion and front sight cant are critical for accuracy. A canted front sight used to compensate for a misaligned barrel is a common manufacturing flaw that indicates a lack of precision during production.

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