Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N
Century Offers a Very Affordable Tactical Rifle in Case the Crap Hits the Fan
You never know when civil unrest will break out or the dead will walk again. The possibilities of things like this happening are the reason that I believe every home should have at least one tactical rifle with several high capacity magazines. As some readers may be aware there are various types and calibers of tactical rifles. The two most popular tactical rifles are the AR-15 and AK-47 platform versions. I will focus on one of the better entry AK-47 rifles with this review. I also have an article about the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport if you are dead set on an AR rifle.
A good friend of mine has several AK rifles and my review is based on a weekend of shooting and then cleaning his Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N. This is a Romanian AK-47 style rifle that has American made parts to be compliant with various import laws on these types of rifles. Going over those would be beyond the scope of this article, but to keep it simple just about all foreign tactical rifles have American parts and are imported as kits and then assembled by the company. It is you standard AK-47 rifle you would see in the movies that has a metal body and wood stock and hand guard. It is chambered in the Eastern bloc 7.62X39mm caliber. The barrel is 16.25 inches and 34.25 inches overall. It will typically come with one or two 30 round magazines and a cleaning kit depending on where you purchase it. The appearance of the rifle will slightly vary as well since it is being made from a kit.
I had a really good time at the range with this. I found it to be very accurate and relatively comfortable to shoot. The trigger pull is pretty standard and not ultra light or a heavy pull. At 7.5 pounds the weight is not very heavy and when we do weekend shooting trips we often keep on guns on the slings to insure the weight is not too heavy to carry. It does have more kick than an AR-15, but not enough that it should bother the average shooter. It held a reasonable pattern with iron sights at 25 and 50 yards. I was able to use a scope and did some 100 and 200 yard shots. It was not as accurate as my Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport at those ranges, but still accurate enough to do the trick if need be. I also found it to handle three round burst and rapid fire shooting very well. I personally put 400 rounds through it and did not have a jam. Cleaning was fairly simple and there are a variety of videos on how to do this on YouTube. I have heard stories of people not cleaning these for years and years putting 200 rounds a week through them. I would personally not do this, but that is one benefit to the AK rifle is they take abuse much better than AR variant rifles. This is why so many third world countries often have these as the weapon of choice.
The only drawback to the Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N is that about 30% of the guns people get often need some minor tweaking. Things like a bent front sight are the most common problems that people experience. This is not really a problem, but most of the ammo you find will be steel cases ammo and most ranges don't want you to use steel cased ammo. That is really a drawback if you plan to shoot it.
I would call it a great rifle for the money and you can find ammo on sale for as low as $0.16 per round. That is cheaper than the Federal Champion Ammo that I shoot in my Glock. You can also find very reasonably price magazines as there are all kinds of surplus equipment out there. If you want a good tactical rifle and don't have the budget for the AR-15 then I would highly recommend you look at Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N or similar AK versions. The lifetime warranty does not hurt either, but you need to check as not all rifles from Century have the lifetime warranty.
Thank you for reading
God Bless you and God Bless America.
Resources
A good friend of mine has several AK rifles and my review is based on a weekend of shooting and then cleaning his Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N. This is a Romanian AK-47 style rifle that has American made parts to be compliant with various import laws on these types of rifles. Going over those would be beyond the scope of this article, but to keep it simple just about all foreign tactical rifles have American parts and are imported as kits and then assembled by the company. It is you standard AK-47 rifle you would see in the movies that has a metal body and wood stock and hand guard. It is chambered in the Eastern bloc 7.62X39mm caliber. The barrel is 16.25 inches and 34.25 inches overall. It will typically come with one or two 30 round magazines and a cleaning kit depending on where you purchase it. The appearance of the rifle will slightly vary as well since it is being made from a kit.
I had a really good time at the range with this. I found it to be very accurate and relatively comfortable to shoot. The trigger pull is pretty standard and not ultra light or a heavy pull. At 7.5 pounds the weight is not very heavy and when we do weekend shooting trips we often keep on guns on the slings to insure the weight is not too heavy to carry. It does have more kick than an AR-15, but not enough that it should bother the average shooter. It held a reasonable pattern with iron sights at 25 and 50 yards. I was able to use a scope and did some 100 and 200 yard shots. It was not as accurate as my Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport at those ranges, but still accurate enough to do the trick if need be. I also found it to handle three round burst and rapid fire shooting very well. I personally put 400 rounds through it and did not have a jam. Cleaning was fairly simple and there are a variety of videos on how to do this on YouTube. I have heard stories of people not cleaning these for years and years putting 200 rounds a week through them. I would personally not do this, but that is one benefit to the AK rifle is they take abuse much better than AR variant rifles. This is why so many third world countries often have these as the weapon of choice.
The only drawback to the Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N is that about 30% of the guns people get often need some minor tweaking. Things like a bent front sight are the most common problems that people experience. This is not really a problem, but most of the ammo you find will be steel cases ammo and most ranges don't want you to use steel cased ammo. That is really a drawback if you plan to shoot it.
I would call it a great rifle for the money and you can find ammo on sale for as low as $0.16 per round. That is cheaper than the Federal Champion Ammo that I shoot in my Glock. You can also find very reasonably price magazines as there are all kinds of surplus equipment out there. If you want a good tactical rifle and don't have the budget for the AR-15 then I would highly recommend you look at Century Arms International GP WASR AK-47 R/1188N or similar AK versions. The lifetime warranty does not hurt either, but you need to check as not all rifles from Century have the lifetime warranty.
Thank you for reading
God Bless you and God Bless America.
Resources
http://www.thegunsource.com/item/48120_Century_Arms_Rifles_Shotguns_CENT_ARMS_GP_WASR10_762X39_WD_2-30RD.aspx
www.sportsmansguide.com
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by Jay Braun
I am 34 and born and raised in the Delaware/Maryland area.I went to college in the deep south and had a double major while being a varsity athlete traveling up to two days a week year round. I work in ba... View profile
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