My dabbling in the dark side has finally come to a head

[Bob The Great]

Well, there was a gun show today, and I figured I'd go look around. I happened to come across this little guy, and just couldn't resist bringing him home. I'd been playing with the idea of an AK for a while as a cheap truck rifle, but the idea of stocking another caliber always put me off, so an AK chambered in 5.56x45 is perfect.

It's a Romanian WASR-3, imported by Century. I checked the front sight for cant, and it's perfectly straight from what I can tell. It already has a Tapco G2 FCG installed and it came with 2 Weiger mags (at least, I think they're Weigers). Despite not having the dimples in the reciever, they both lock up perfectly with no slop and rattling, and I fed a few JSP rounds through it by hand with flawless results.

Overall, the whole gun is much cleaner and more finished than the other Romanians I've handled. It has the side-mounted rail if I decide to put anything on it in the future. The furniture is kinda rough, but that doesn't bother me.

The was another Romanian .223 at the show that was absolutely beat to crap. It looked like a monkey carved out the mag well, the finish was horrible, the mags would either fall out or get stuck, and the guy still wanted $400 for it. There was also a $1200 chinese poly-tech that was a thing of beauty, but it honestly wasn't much smoother or more finished than the one I picked up for only $425.

I've got a Tapco pistol grip and gas piston on the way for it, just so I can be darn sure it's 922r compliant, and a Romanian side-folding wire stock is in the works too. I got to play with a few at the show, and I like the fact that they don't block the gun's controls when folded.

Pics are attached. I can't wait to go try it out.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SubNine]

Congrats on the WASR-3. I just got home from firing my GP WASR10, and while it's not a precision rifle, it does throw lead down range without a single hiccup, and I can still hit a man sized target at 100 yards.

[Bob The Great]

So, a question for all the AK gurus (if any of them happen to see this thread): Where can I find some simple polymer US-made handguards? The only ones I seem to be able to find are the Tapco Galil-style (which I guess is ok if that's all there is) and the triple-railed super-expensive ones.

Also, if anyone has any tricks on replacing a gas piston (pictorial walkthrough would be awesome), I'd appreciate it. Mine doesn't appear to be pinned anywhere that I can see, so I'm not sure if it's crimped in or if I'm just blind.

[mech1369dlw]

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Also, if anyone has any tricks on replacing a gas piston (pictorial walkthrough would be awesome), I'd appreciate it. Mine doesn't appear to be pinned anywhere that I can see, so I'm not sure if it's crimped in or if I'm just blind.

The pin is there, it is just very hard to see. Take the bolt off the carrier, lay the carrier down with the handle to the right. About 1/2" inch from the end, at the 3 and 9 position, hit it lightly with some 220 grit. A drop if water or oil, then wiped off should show the outline. The pin is 1/8" diameter but when installed, they let a bit stick out on each side. It is smashed flat and then ground down and blues. A good center punch to start and then a 1/8" punch should finish the job.
Welcome to has good info. Also check out Romanian Kalashnikov Rifles.