The AR family gets wide coverage here, so I’m gonna offer a little contrast today. I traded into a ‘new’ 2008 WASR-10/63 about a week ago. It’s just the basic Romanian AK-47, probably made in the same CUGIR toaster factory where my late-lamented SAR-1 was built. It has the plain, threaded muzzle with a nut on it. The wood on the WASR is uglier than that which came on the old SAR-1’s.

The WASR’s G2 trigger and is infinitely better than any SAR trigger I ever handled. Five times over the RCBS trigger pull gauge reveal an honest four-pound trigger. If you can finesse a trigger, it is two-stage. The first stage takes just over three pounds to 'set' and the final stage is not quite another pound. The final stage could be crisper... I'll look at it after it wears in and see what can be done about that.

The first outing proved the rifle pretty accurate for an AK, putting three shots of Tula FMJ in just over a half-inch at 50 yards- and that G2 trigger really helps. Problem was, it shooting five inches to the left at the limit of sight adjustment. So I knocked everything loose and straightened the front sight base out. This of course involved cutting the barrel nut weld, which was a simple matter with a fine Demel cutting wheel. Boys, that Front Sight Base was ON there! Even with the pins out, it took some PB Blaster, creative block and punch work to get it moving. I ain't bitching though... had to light a torch to straighten the FSB on the old SAR.

If I’m OC about anything, it’s iron sight zero. I centered the front sight and slogged out in a downpour to confirm the windage correction. At 110 yards I fired three shots, two of which landed in a 5" bull. The rain underscores the beauty of the AK. I had no problems with optics loading up with water, compromised iron sight co-witness, etc. Just blow the water out of the sight notch and keep on hammerin’.

There was just enough barrel showing through the holes, after the adjustment, that re-drilling was in order. I hogged the FSB holes with a 7/64 bit, cleared the proud barrel material and got a good snug drive-in with the OEM pins. While I had it apart, I also re-crowned the muzzle with a fine silicon ball and finished it off with some 400 grit silicon carbide paper. Most Century AK muzzles look like they were crowned by a drunk chimp with a chainsaw file. This one was no different. I’ve re-crowned several of them and accuracy usually improves 70-100 percent. Things got better immediately, with three rounds of Tula in about 2 inches at 100 yards. I simply can’t shoot stock AK sights any better than that.

I was pretty satisfied with this gun… except for one sharp edge on the dustcover. SOB bit me. Needless to say, that dustcover got a file taken to it in short order. I also discovered when you don’t have Band-Aids in the truck, electrical tape and a napkin will do.

The front post, as delivered, lacked parallel sides and the top of it was sorta lopsided. This was not helping me shoot it well. So I pulled the front post, checked it in a drill and worked it down to about 0.055", taking care to get the top flat and stone off any burrs. It got the standard cold blue baptism before being reinstalled and smoked with a lighter, to kill any glare. I re-zeroed it late today. The group is 5 rounds of Tula FMJ fired over the range bag at an 8” bull, at 196 yards. It measured 3 1/4 inches.

Re-crowning the muzzle & cleaning up the post made for substantial improvements. These rifles really aren’t supposed to shoot this well, particularly with five buck a box steel-cased ammo. No, I can't do this on demand. But when I can do it, if feels really, really good.

A little work turned an ugly duck into a better shooting - ugly duck. I'll give then credit tho, they work and yours ended up doing fine. Should have kept my MAC90 and did some of what you did.

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--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

Even better shooting!!!

Wonder how many of those rifles (SKS and AK variants) we think of as inaccurate would show marked improvement with these or similar simple alterations?

...instead, think of it as more than a Thompson.

And that ain't too shabby.

-AaronB

nm

are its sights and stock. Both are critical elements of hitting well and quickly at distance. When I shot the passable group shown in the first post, I had overcast skies and a perfect sight picture. I shot again yesterday, in bright sunlight from a steep angle, and doubled the group size.

If the 200 yard exercise proved nothing else, it is that this particular specimen shoots well enough to justify decent sights and an optic. There are lots of side-rail mounts for the AK, the better examples pricing around a C-note. Same goes for sights. Frankly I've never liked the side-rail, which is one thing to snag stuff and a nuisance when slinging the rifle across your back. I'd just as soon the damn thing wasn't on there.

I'm thinking this might be a slick way to solve both problems at once. They seem to have solved most of the problems associated with dust cover mounts.

http://texasweaponsystems.com/id1.html

Thank you for the interest and kind words.

Izzat gizmo behind the optic an aperture sight?

I had the same problems with the SKS Para I bought a few years ago - sights and stock. Couldn't hit crap with it. Replaced the kindling-wood stock with a Choate and the sights with a Williams large-aperture rear and Firesight front combo. Made all the difference in the world. Little sucker shoots great now, and is still short, light and handy.

Only problem now is the trigger. It's like pulling a scared cat off a screen door.

Back in the 90's our standard girl/kid deer rifle was a SKS with the barrel shortened/recrowned to 18.5", the bayonet lug cut off the front sight and then the front sight reversed and pinned back on. Took weight off the front & it sure made them handle better.

I could usually work that "cat off the screen door" trigger down to 'usable' but you had to be real careful or you'd be ordering another sear from Numrich.

There are now so many sight options available for these Rusky designs... glad you found something that worked for you.