Here is my new AK.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8565/im000813ej5.jpg

So there it is, WASR10. Some questions I have about the rifle. I cleaned it on the outside with #9, I noticed there is a lot of grime in the chamber and possibly barrel. Is #9 safe for these internal mechanisms? Is there a better way to clean it, what supplies might I need. It came with a little cleaning kit in a metal cylinder looking thing, but im not really sure how to use the brush since its so small. It cant possibly fit through the barrel, do I need a push rod? I'm also thinking of sanding the wood a bit and applying wood oil or something as a finisher/protectant. Does anyone have recommendations on what size sand paper and a good wood sealer?

Here lies what may be nothing, or may be an issue..

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3185/im000818ol6.jpg

As you can see the barrel is slightly more to the left in the picture, will this cause any issues? everything looks straight except the very tip. The crome seems to be on one side(left) more then the other. I know these are beat up surplus deals, so I dont need perfection, just want to see if this is a serious issue or nothing to worry about. All feedback is appreciated, thanks!

Oh one more thing, im thinking of getting a scope. I would like something basic but good to learn on. I'm guessing I will need mounting hardware aswell so if anyone knows a great deal. I thinking along the lines of 2-4x magnification for a bit of distance practice, and to learn more about shooting rifles in general. thoughts?

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Originally Posted by GlockAddict

Oh one more thing, im thinking of getting a scope. I would like something basic but good to learn on. I'm guessing I will need mounting hardware aswell so if anyone knows a great deal. I thinking along the lines of 2-4x magnification for a bit of distance practice, and to learn more about shooting rifles in general. thoughts?

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If you want to learn about rifles, stick with the iron sights until you can do everything within the cartrideges range that others can do with a scope.
Once you do that, then buy a quality scope and nobody will be able to touch your rifle scores...but you will probably figure out before then that scoping an AK is a waste time and money unless you have poor eye sight.

Your cleaning rod is that little rod under the barrel. It is just long enough to clean the barrel. These are not beat up surplus deals, they are new. They were origionally made as low-cap mags, but after they were imported, Century carved out the mag well to make hi-cap mags fit. That bracket you have on the left side of the reciever is for mounting a scope. My eyes aren't the best, so I mounted one on mine. Mine shoots about 3" groups at 100 yards. YMMV. This site will tell you everything you need to know about Romanian AK's. Romanian Kalashnikov Rifles. To get all the dirt and junk out, take off the cover, pull the spring out, pull the carrier out, pull both pieces of forward wood and go for it. The wood can be sanded with 220 or so paper, coated a couple times with Minwax, then it will look better than a picture of a spotted puppy, laying next to a wheel of a wagon covered with freshly mowed hay.

This is gonna seem weird, but you probably don't want to use the cleaning rod that came with it to actually clean the rifle. The steel rods, I've heard, have the potential to damage the bore, the crown, and such. You should just use a standard issue commercial cleaning kit and keep the rod for cosmetic purposes.

I'm new to the wonderful world of AKs also. Here's my new Yugo I got earlier this month. The stock was sanded bare and it looked like it had no finish at all. A little more sanding, some steel wool, and about ten coats of tung oil and it looks pretty good.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...s/YugoAK3a.jpg

The metal on mine also seemed to be kind of... oh... "gritty" all over. Seemed almost like it had a lot of real fine sand on it in places. I stripped it, cleaned it thoroughly, and covered it with a generous coat of CLP Breakfree. Danged if it didn't soak it up. Dry? Metal? Repeated applications resulted in a nice smooth, non-gritty patina.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3185/im000818ol6.jpg

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As you can see the barrel is slightly more to the left in the picture, will this cause any issues? everything looks straight except the very tip. The crome seems to be on one side(left) more then the other. I know these are beat up surplus deals, so I dont need perfection, just want to see if this is a serious issue or nothing to worry about. All feedback is appreciated, thanks!

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Pic is kinda blurry--you mean the bore is not centered in the barrel? I'd say you may have issues sighting it in. Sometimes the front sight is a real PITA to drift for windage even with a stout AK front sight tool. If the receiver, barrel, and front sight are not aligned correctly, or canted from perpendicular---you'll have a heck of a time chasing your hits on target with sight adjustments. Hoppe's #9 in my opinion is for mainly internals and barrel--it's a powder solvent. I'd recommend anyone with an AK try Sweet's 7.62 solvent--it's very good. A word of caution though for the chrome lined barrels in any rifle----ammonia based solvents (such as the Sweet's) should not be left in the barrel for any length of time. The bore should be swabbed dry after the use of ammonia based solvents, then neutralized with CLP, and a light coat of the CLP left in the bore (not swabbed totally dry). In my opinion---the AK47 is not a sniper weapon--it's basic design pretty much dictates it's not a rifle made for mounting a scope--neither is the SKS for that matter. Learn to use and adjust the open sights provided. The AK is mainly a close range, hi capacity, short barreled weapon---that was the intended use---one should not expect more.

If you are interested in scoping the AK but do not want to go the side mount route then the ultimak rail combined with a red dot sight have received good reviews.

AK-47, Mini-14, Mini-30, AR-15, .30 M1 Carbine, M-14, M1A Accessories, Scope Mounts, Stocks, Optics, Weapon Lights

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cool, WASRs are just fine as long as the FSB is on straight. Have fun!

I clean mine with brake-cleaner and lube it with wheel-bearing grease, seriously, you don't need anything fancy for an AK.

thanks for all the great feedback, I stripped the rifle last night for the first time and cleaned it. Im about to hed over to home depot for some sand paper and wood finishing, keep you updated. Guess I will hold off on getting any sort of additional sight.

Another serious problem im having is the safety mechanism is extremely hard to move. I have to use a towel and press hard with both hands to move the safety to the firing position. I would like to loosen it but I dont want to damage the rifle. I don't think it's because the rifle is so new, because I have never felt such a tough safety on an ak(granted I've handled less then 5). The actually safety's thumb area is so small too. Any additional feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

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Originally Posted by GlockAddict

thanks for all the great feedback, I stripped the rifle last night for the first time and cleaned it. Im about to hed over to home depot for some sand paper and wood finishing, keep you updated. Guess I will hold off on getting any sort of additional sight.

Another serious problem im having is the safety mechanism is extremely hard to move. I have to use a towel and press hard with both hands to move the safety to the firing position. I would like to loosen it but I dont want to damage the rifle. I don't think it's because the rifle is so new, because I have never felt such a tough safety on an ak(granted I've handled less then 5). The actually safety's thumb area is so small too. Any additional feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

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Pop the receiver cover off and swing the safety lever up above the edge of the receiver (don't go far enough to pull it out). cover the end of the safety with a cloth and bend it out a little bit with a pair of pliers. Just go easy, a little at a time until it gives you the amount of resistance you are looking for. If you go too far, just bend it back. I've had to do this with both of my AK's, and now I can flip the safety off with a fingertip (not that I usually have the safety on).

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Originally Posted by LMarshall73

Pop the receiver cover off and swing the safety lever up above the edge of the receiver (don't go far enough to pull it out). cover the end of the safety with a cloth and bend it out a little bit with a pair of pliers. Just go easy, a little at a time until it gives you the amount of resistance you are looking for. If you go too far, just bend it back. I've had to do this with both of my AK's, and now I can flip the safety off with a fingertip (not that I usually have the safety on).

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Thanks im going to try this tommorrow. I sanded it down just now and put on a coat of minwax, so I need to let it dry for awhile.

Aww crap the safety came off and a spring came off it aswell, pushed it a bit too high while bending it out, looks like I get to learn how to install a safety now. :rolleyes:


Ok I can get the safety back in(realized I had to hold the trigger while rotating it)
All better now ;]

That little spring can give you fits if you ever have to pull the fire control group. One of THESE will make stripping the rifle down to the receiver a snap. One of the first accessories I purchased for my AK's.

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Originally Posted by LMarshall73

That little spring can give you fits if you ever have to pull the fire control group. One of THESE will make stripping the rifle down to the receiver a snap. One of the first accessories I purchased for my AK's.

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nice

New pics post wood treatment!

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7417/im000819er6.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8985/im000820nk5.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/6886/im000821nd4.jpg