[tahunua001]

I owned a century WASR 10/63(romanian AK47). I sold it for a number of reasons.

1. price: I bought it during obama scare 2009 when everyone was convinced that the newly elected president was goign to bring back the gun ban. demand soared and so did the prices. I spent 800 dollars on a rifle that was worth less than 500 at the time, I sold it 6 months ago for $600 and once again I see similar rifles going for the same price.

2. ammo availability/price: I purchased the AK47 to augment my personal defense guns due to the large supply of surplus 7.62x39mm ammunition and the ease it was to stockpile. however over the course of the last 3 years the demand has only risen while the supply of ammo has only dwindled. surplus 7.62x39mm is now nearly the same price as 5.56x45mm only it is all corrosive for the most part and modern production 7.62x39 is not nearly the same quality as modern 5.56 in terms of reloadability, reliability, accuracy or consistency.

3. ergonomics: I tried for 3 years to like that gun. I fired close to 2,000 rounds from that gun. when compared to a modern plinking rifle like the ruger 10/22 then the AK is a fine specimen however when compared to paramilitary platforms it is quite lacking and in some cases temperamental. for instance my particular AK had a canted front sight post and a very loose magazine well(both common among century AKs). the magazine well was so loose that the rifle would jam quite consistently(almost 50% of the time) unless modern polymer magazines were used, surplus steel mags were a no go). when I got tired of trying to adapt to the iron sights I mounted a red dot on it however the height of the red dot did not allow for a good cheek weld. after many different attempts at wrapping the stock in paracord to give a higher cheek weld I finally gave up and switched back to iron sights.

furthermore is tactical use. I can hold an AR15 and without removing my firing hand from the gun or losing sight picture I can reload, unload, engage/disengage safety and cycle the bolt. this can be accomplished by both right and left handed shooters(though it takes more practice with lefties). on the other hand the AK47 having it's charging handle on the right, the safety on the right and a bottom mounted magazine release rather than side mounted means that there is no way to accomplish all of these functions without giving up sight picture.

I wanted desperately to like the AK platform however in the end I only developed a distaste for it. I am an AR15 man all the way and in my eyes there are few, if any paramilitary designs out there, antique or modern that are better for a self defense/home defense rifle. I recognize that the AK47 was a good battle rifle during the cold war that certainly left it's mark on world history however I find little practical application for them as a modern sport rifle when the ar15 is:
cheaper to buy
cheaper to shoot
more ergonomic/adaptable
easier to find parts for(online and locally)
and modern production.
there are a finite number of AKs out there. the only modern production AK that I am aware of is the century centurian rifle and they are not being cranked out very fast.