When it comes to shopping for AK-47s, buyers have an incredible amount of choice. So much so that the options can be dizzying.
They come in different calibers, variants, and countries of origin. The WASR-10 is a Romanian-built AK imported by Century Arms.
Having a somewhat colorful history, we decided to take one out to the range and find out for ourselves just how the WASR would perform. We’ll share those results with you below.
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WASR-10 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Reliable
- Lightweight
- Simple
Cons
- Stiff selector
- Picky magwell
The Bottom Line
The WASR-10 we tested had some interesting quirks but, overall, was reliable and relatively accurate. I enjoyed the lightweight heft and the very simple nature of the rifle.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Century Arms WASR-10
Specs
- Caliber: 7.62x39mm
- Action: Semi-AUto
- Width: 2.5” (at charging handle)
- Length: 34.25”
- Barrel Length: 16.25
- Height: 7”
- Weight: 6 lbs. 13 oz.
- Capacity: 30+1
- Comes With: Cardboard box, 30-round US Palm magazine, owner’s manual
Features
- Side optic mount
- AKM pattern furniture
- RAK-1 enhanced trigger group
History of the WASR-10
The AK-47 certainly has a rich history. Mikhail Kalashnikov started in the Russian military as a tanker, but after an injury, started thinking about why their forces only had one rifle for every two to three soldiers.
He set about developing a rifle on an intermediate cartridge, perhaps influenced by the German Sturmgewehr 44. At the time, Russia was still using sub-guns and the bolt-action Mosin-Nagant.
The Avtomat Kalashnikova was developed and introduced in 1947, netting the moniker AK-47 that much of the world uses today. These guns used stamped receivers for the first couple of years, then switched to milled.
In 1959, the AK switched back to stamped receivers and introduced other changes that optimized the design for greater mass production, addressing the aforementioned shortage issue. Thus, Kalashnikov’s Automatic Rifle Modernised (AKM) was born.
The design spread around the world, and many companies began producing AKs.
The Romanian company Cugir Arms Factory manufactures the WAS-10 (Wassenaar Arrangement Semi-automatic Rifles), which are then imported by Century Arms, who modifies them for improvements and compliance.
Who Is It For?
The AK-47 has a mass-produced simplicity that carries a certain cool factor.
This rifle was designed to be made in the millions and not have a bunch of crap attached to it.
For that reason, collectors may be very interested in the WASR-10. The Russian lineage, Romanian manufacture, and all steel and wood design have a mil-surp aesthetic.
But this is not to shrug off the effectiveness of the AK-47. Anyone wanting to defend themselves will appreciate the relative shortness and lightweight nature of the WASR-10.
Fit & Feel
The WASR-10 is pretty light. While the Century Arms website lists them at 7.5 pounds, our test gun weighed only 6 pounds and 13 ounces.
The wood furniture has a serviceable finish in that it has decent sanding and low shine. The grain is nice, though subtle, and the color is very light, like pine.
Using the forend and buttstock, I did not receive any splinters and found them decent to hold onto and shoulder.
The exterior finish on the metal is black, Parkerized, a dull coating similar to bluing. While we did not abuse the rifle, it held up well to general use.
Interestingly, the grip is much smaller than I’m used to though it was comfortable and effective. It seems to be made entirely of plastic and has a couple of very light-textured panels on either side.
Sights were effective, though they took some getting used to. The front post is situated to the right in its fixture, and the window of the rear sight is very narrow.
The magwell proved a bit challenging as some magazines would not lock up. Older US Palms and older stamped AK mags wouldn’t fit.
I am uncertain if this is because of the original single-stack nature of the WASR-10 or if this was something particular to our test rifle.
One challenge during testing was the stiffness of the fire selector. It was so stiff I had to change my grip to move it and ended up pinching the bottom of my hand under my thumb.
As a result, I ended up not using the selector during testing, though this was not my usual practice.
Having done some research, I had hesitations about the trigger and had heard of trigger slap problems, but was pleasantly surprised. I noted 1-2 millimeters of pre-travel before a defined wall.
Pulling through the wall, the trigger broke (after a bit of creep) at what averaged to be 3 pounds, 11 ounces on the Lyman Digital Gauge.
Reset occurred pretty quickly and was very audible and tactile.
How Does the WASR Shoot?
Here again, I was not sure how the WASR-10 might do during MOA testing. Using an optic mount and LPVO, I set up prone with a rifle rest to fire some groups.
I only had steel-cased, 122-grain TulAmmo on hand, so that is exactly what we used for testing. Opting for a 10-round magazine, I set up in the rest and dialed in the magnification on the Primary Arms 1-6.
Here, I truly appreciated the trigger in the WASR because I was able to get settled with my sight picture while pulling back to the wall. Once established, I broke the shot.
I was really happy with how my first group felt, and walking up to the target, I found the five shots came in at 6.5 MOA.
7.62x39mm (AK) Ammo in Stock
Subsequent groups largely held within 4-5 inches, with a couple of outliers pushing the groups to 7 and 8 inches.
When running full-sized magazines, I found the WASR-10 was a little finicky. The reliability was great, but some mags would not seat in the magwell, period.
Older US Palm magazines and older stamped magazines would not rock in and lock up. The magwell felt a bit tight, too, though no doubt this could partially be chalked up to my relatively limited experience with the platform.
As far as reliability goes, the gun was nearly flawless over the course of several hundred rounds. One incident occurred where after a reload, I pressed the trigger, and nothing happened.
I ejected the round, and this occurred again. After removing the mag and reseating it, I was able to get the WASR firing again, but those suspect rounds were lost in the taller grass, and couldn’t shed light on what particular malfunction had occurred.
Our founder also has an older WASR-10 which has been chugging along for 10+ years while being fed a steady diet of surplus ammo.
Recoil impulse was certainly stronger than an AR-15, but this is to be expected given the caliber and lack of buffer tube.
Even the butt plate is made of steel and offers grip instead of comfort before sneering at you in Slavic.
Accordingly, muzzle rise is a bit stronger. It is still well manageable, provided the shooter does a good job securing the weapon.
Closer to the firing line, I removed the optic and focused on just using the iron sights. I was able to confidently deliver accurate fire over the course of a few drills.
What Sets it Apart?
The WASR-10 is a licensed version of the AKM made in Romania.
The AK-47 has an old-world feel to it, being born of combat and the great need of a nation to defend itself. It prioritizes speed of production and reliability over other features.
WASR-10 By the Numbers
Accuracy
3/5
As mentioned, the best 5-shot group using TulAmmo was 6.5 MOA though notably, the majority of all three groups averaged in the 4-5 inches range.
Reliability
4.5/5
With the one undiagnosed issue we weren’t able to resolve; the WASR had nearly perfect reliability.
Customization
4/5
The AKM has been around since the 1950s, so there are plenty of accessories available, from rails, triggers, and all kinds of furniture.
Ergonomics
2.5/5
Since the WASR-10 follows the AKM standard, there are no left-side controls. Charging the weapon and making it safe are controls only located on the right side of the gun.
Value
3/5
The WASR-10 is listed at an MSRP of $1,069 though some retailers have them listed in the $800-$900 range.
Overall
3/5
Final Verdict
The WASR-10 is a good rifle that stays wholly true to the AKM idea in as much as modifications for compliance allow.
It is still likely cheap and fast to build, very reliable, and relatively accurate.
There are no frills here, no real evolutions, and few creature comforts for the user. Shooters also have to be open to a range of tolerances when it comes to mounting optics and using magazines.
If you accept these conditions, you’ll find the WASR-10 an effective weapon.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Do you love AK-47s like we do? Let us know in the comments below! Also, head over to the Best AK-47: Complete Buyer’s Guide for even more information!
13 Leave a Reply
My WASR-10/63 is a beast. It has eaten all ammo types by the tens of thousands with no jams under the harshest of conditions. Just to see if the Dirty AK Legends could be true, I took it to the range two or three times a week for over a year without cleaning. It just got louder, in some angry Slavic dialect of course. So I now believe the pull an AK out of mud, bang out the dirt, run a stick through the barrel and your back in the fight theory. Truly a battlefield worthy implement.
Don't try this at home kids. Foreign objects in the barrel have been known to have unfortunate results.
P.S. It was also a good excuse for being lazy as I was working a lot of overtime and didn't want to clean the damn thing anyway.
Well, here's one I haven't read about before....I took my new WASR-10 V2 to the range today. It came with a plastic 10 round magazine (NJ compliant) and I bought 2 metal Korean magazines as well.
All magazines cycled without issue.
When I tuck the stock into my shoulder pocket and try to sight through the iron sights, my cheek is very firmly pressed against the stock. Upon firing it, it feels like the recoil gets sent directly to my cheek. Ouch!
I tried different positions on my shoulder to no avail, same result. What gives?
Are you by chance pressing your cheek very firmly against the butt plate end of the stock? Sorry, that mental image just popped into my head.
I have an older (Clinton-era assault weapons ban) WASR and it’s just as finicky with mags. Bulgarian 30-rounders run the best.
I love my Wasr10 i got way back when Aks were cheaper than Ars for $400.
I love AK's. I have a WASR 10/63' a WASR 10, and a Suppressed Draco SBR with a 12" barrel. I get groups 1/2 that size with irons, and as low as 2" with a 3 power optic, on any one of them. With that same ammo. I wouldn't be too happy about 6.5". Thanks for the article!
The AK is a great running rifle...
But - it has 3 or four 'flaws' that I have observed over the years...
It is 'Top Heavy' - It always wants to go 'belly up'... Even with a full mag !
It is 'Front Heavy' - Most of the weight is forward of the mag well...
It is 'Too Damn Heavy' - Compared to my M-16 or CAR-15; Holy Crap !
Finally, I cannot find anywhere on my body, that's comfortable to store 5 or 10 mags...
If I wanted to lug 'bananas' around, I'd move to Hondurus and become a stevedore !!!
Now - having said all that - I recently 'built' an AR-K... ( an AR-15 chambered in .30 Soviet - aka 7.62X39 ) and I LOVE it !!! It shoots like a 30-30 & hits like a semi-truck !!!
Just use 10 round mags; They don't curve ! ;-P
I realize AK's are ruggedly built and I feel there fine for close work, spraying and praying BUT why not use something a little better than a 6.5 group at 100 yards. Makes no sense to me but I'm an old Marine and accuracy was ingrained into us I guess.
Thank you for your service Devil Dog! I come from the same line of thinking, but you have to let that mentality go a bit when traversing these waters. At the time, the Russians were sending 3 soldiers to the front with one rifle (often a Mosin Nagant) because of shortages. When Kalashnikov developed the AK, there was a large emphasis on being reliable, having okay accuracy, and producing them as fast as possible.
Thanks for the info. They are reliable and rugged, for sure.
I'm not taking my AK's to a shooting comp. I enjoy them for ringing steel for CQB and on 18-20" steel torsos at 200-300 yds. AK's are a ton of fun and something different to shoot. More accuracy shots I use an AR or my 6.5 Creedmoor Long-range precision rifle.
I have a pre-Clinton ban WASR-10. I swapped the stock furniture for the ATI Strikeforce furniture w-adjustable stock a few years ago. It gives the AKa more modern look and is very functional. Accuracy on mine is about the same. It likes a diet of the cheapest steel case I can find and it has always went bang with every trigger pull. I had a few polymer 30-round mags but they were finicky at best. I’ve found that the 30-round steel Bulgarian mags fit in the magwell best.
Very nice Harrison, sounds like you're pretty well set! I lament the increase in price these classics have experienced.