Romanian guy here. Had used two AKMs, standard 7.62x39mm in military service - one in bootcamp and one in my combat engineer battalion. The first one was manufactured in 1964 (!!!), the second one was from 1985. There was no difference between them in yhe quality of woodwork or metalwork. Both fired great; I never had jams or other problems with them (of course, we cleaned them every day, even when we have not shoot with them). We also cleaned the magazines every day and we were told to be careful with them, not to drop them or anything. We didn't have to worry about the ammo, that was issued to us on range or when we were on guard duty. We shoot quite a lot, since there was a lot of ammo that had to be disposed of, so we shot quite old ammo, but it never misfired (being properly stored into an Army ammo dump helps a lot...). So what I'm trying to say is that I saw a lot of people saying that the quality of romanian AKs is not good, so maybe the producer (Cugir plant) or the importer are doing something wrong, or anything like that? As I sad, I used two rifles, old and used by other soldiers before me, and their performance was beyond satisfactory. P.S. And don't get me started on the accuracy issue, I only say this - it's not the gun, but the man that uses it. P.P.S. English is not my natve language, but I hope I'm inteligiblle.

You addressing ME, Mr. "Tough-guy Keyboard Warrior"?

It hurts me to see such a fine rifle limited to semi-auto by a piece of paper with a signature on it.

Who needs two aks? I own 4 and its not enough!

I have both the Arsenal and WASR. Both are very reliable. With red dots on both, they are both very accurate. AK is a very durable platform. Perfect SHTF rifles. 122-125 grain bullets. Plenty of stopping power. 1000 rounds costs only $250. Inexpensive to shoot too.

who needs two ak's? come on hickok45, everyone needs at least a few!

After watching a lot of AK videos, I decided to order a Wasr 10. I love it. All matching numbers. No canted sights like a lot of people claim. I love mine. Don't believe the bad reviews. Don't miss out on an awesome rifle.

While in the Marine Corps back in 91; I picked up a discarded AK half buried in the Kuwaiti desert sand with the bolt cover missing, it must have been dropped there by an Iraqi republican guard trooper we recently defeated a week or so earlier...we all new how reliable the AK's were. I picked it up, the attached mag had a dozen rounds in it, I chambered it and fired the whole mag....not one stoppage after being half buried in the sand over a week.

The whole thing about the Wasr ak and wobbling mags is something that was an issue back in the day but was corrected in 2008 after some of those assault rifle laws changed and they no longer have that issue anymore thankfully... Very smooth very fun and a well-made reliable weapon

I have been shooting WASR's for years and they are some of the best rifles ever made for the money. For the price tag, I would rather have 2 WASR's than one Arsenal. That's just me. Great video!

Checking in here with the Wasr-10 made in 2019... Great AK no issues at all, stamped well, and the front sight is straight.

Newer production WASR's have fixed many if not all of the problems the earlier WASR's were criticized for.

BTW I love all the WASR haters out there for keeping the price low on the wasr 10 for all of us real shooters. Arsenals are great too.

Hey I'm Romanian 👍 🇷🇴 I speak it fluently too! Good video Hickok45

just got a Romanian WASR 10/63 today but haven't shot it yet. It looks great. No canted sights, tapco G2 trigger, matching serial number on bolt, NO magazine wobble at all. The rivets are not put in too deep, everything looks great. I cant wait to shoot it.

"Kareem Abdul Jabbar could shoot this gun." LOL.

Love my wasr 10/63. Never had a issue of any kind. My Magpul mags work great and its as accurate as you need it to be.

WASR 10 are 1k now. Forget the stock market, guns are a good investment. Wish I bought about 10 when they were 500.

I have a Wasr 10 that's a 2014ish made one. 1k rounds later, zero issues. Yes, many of the early ones sucked, and I have no love for century, but at the price point the current wasr is a great gun.

I'd love to leave them "as is," but they are virtually unshootable with those little bitty short stocks. They are like a child's toy when I pick them up. The after market stocks are what got me back into the AK after giving up on them for about a decade or more. I love being able to shoulder them like a real rifle; they are so much fun and are great rifles.

The new production WASR 10's (not the 10/63's) are of much higher quality and all around great rifles.

Thanks for making great videos. I have a WASR 10 63 . Mine works great with Bulgarian new surplus mags. I stained and sealed the wooden stock and added a bigger grip. Mine works fab and eats any 7.63x39 that I feed it. . I am happy with the accuracy and I use a V-Bar mount with a 4x32. Spot on.

I have several Arsenal rifles. They are outstanding.

You are truly a master at gun etiquette happy to have you represent us!

The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar part made my day.

I looked up "WASR vs Arsenal", and I was so glad to see Hickok had a video made!

I like the way he never tries to sway you one way or the other. Just an honest review in his opinion. If only news reporters would do the same

i want to meet hickok45 he seems like a awesome guy and fun to shoot with

The U.S military needs a DIVISION of you...Great VIDEOS. .God bless

Arsenal parts are not made in russia but Bulgaria

I have an old sar-1, a great entry level ak. I've had it about 20 years or so and it still runs great. it got me into AK's.

Hickock45 _The historian_ ... Bringing us back to when "AKs are not that expensive" and you "could find an Arsenal in every gun store" and "WASRs had a reputation for not being that good" Funny what 10 years can do.

Life IS good... Especially when you own an AK. Thank you for another amazing video hickok45:)

My Arsenal SAR M1F is made in Bulgaria, not Russia. Izhmash and Molot are the main Russian factories.

I love my Bulgarian Arsenal full auto Type 3.That is first AK that Bulgarian arsenal made and the nicest AK i ever see.

I own the Arsenal Bulgarian milled receiver based AK. Great rifle. I spent a little more because I wanted too. IMHO there is no such thing as a "bad" AK. Their tolerances are so loose that it's hard to build one that won't work. Get yourself the best one you can afford. You'll love it!

I just bought a WASR 10/63 back in January and have absolutely no complaints whatsoever! At 599.00 bucks I think it is a very good bargain, especially if your just getting into the AK platform. Arsenal makes an awesome AK no doubt, but for almost 400.00 cheaper the WASR takes the cake for this guy!

Great comparison vid, seems like they both hit what you're aiming at Can't get enough AKs, LOL Thanks for posting!!

That cabinet is a prime example of the difference in concealment and cover

"Kareem Jabbar could shoot this comfortably" As a Bucks fan I was dead by that reference.

"Tapco works beautifully" I believe I'm correct in saying that this is the first time this phrase has ever been uttered by someone not working for Tapco

When you decide which one to keep, I will gladly store the other for you!

Search wasr vs spikes tactical...if a $400 gun can take the same abuse a $1300 gun can, its a pretty good buy in my eyes.

It's required to support a longer barrel (and therefore a longer lever in physical terms). You should note, that US have some specific importation laws, and imported rifles are usually built on domestic receivers, so I can't guarantee you'll find a Saiga with an RPK receiver. On the other hand, you'll know it when you see it, RPK receivers have visible bilateral protrusions, where the trunnion extension is.

I love my WASR-10/63. Absolutely love it! Hickok45 MLH&R!

Did he say "gun porn" lmfao thats hilarious!!!! Love this guy!!!

Id be in heaven with a range like that! Nice video

Thank you for always being a reliable source of gun knowledge.

I bought a wasr 10/63 a few years ago. shoots great invested better parts on it and made if a better gun. I know people who spend over 1000 on a arsenal and still spend money investing on it. I believe I came out on top with my Wasr

Отличное видео ! Интересно узнать об истории оружий + посмотреть их в действии. Один из моих любимых оружейных каналов.

Ak 47 companies would thrive selling their aks in America

Recently purchased a WASR-10. It's actually a very well made AK. Not too much rattle and the mags fit nice and snug. I even put Iraqi issued steel mags in it that were well used and still a tight fit. About 600 rounds though it and no FTF/FTE. Great rifle for the price.

Who needs two AKs?! What kind of question is that?! Hickok, I'm so disappointed... ;-)

"Kareem Jubar could shoot this gun comfortably". Hell yes, Go Lakers! I was fortunate enough to see Kareem play live. Great player. Nice video

Just got an Arsenal last week. It's an Arsenal Sgl-21-62 and it runs flawlessly. That plum color sure looks good. Only problem is its CA compliant....

Glad I bought my WASR years ago. I checked on pricing today and they have more than doubled. I have put thousands of rounds down the tube and it still shoots like the day I bought it.

I absolutely love my SGL-21, it's my "go to" gun when SHTF.

man i never walk into a gun store and see an arsonal on the rack

Bought my Norinco and Polytech rifles back in the 90s, I'm still very much happy.😊

Legend has it the cabinet is still taking 7.62’s to the face to this day.

AKM's are supposed to have a slight magazine wobble. Same for the gas piston. Regards

Best AK is the one you bought at affordable price, and that is doing its job.

The Tapco trigger on my AK (Polish underfolder) is awesome. I couldn't imagine a better trigger for my AK...

great unbiased video. I just picked up a Wasr 10 from Cabelas that was on sale walked out paying 501.50. The front sight is not cantered no mag wobble with Poly mags the bloc mags wobbles a little bit but not much, tapco trigger. only thing I have to do was dremel the weld off the barrel cover to expose the threaded barrel to put on a PWS FSC47 muzzle break

i have to eat my words. i walked into bobs trading post in Kansas and on the wall he had 3 arsenals now he has 2:)

"Who needs two AKs..." LOL.

I bought my wasr 10 brand new for $500.00 right out of the box roughly 3 years ago and never had any issues what so ever, a lot of fun to shoot, especially for the price.

I love my Arsenal RAK and Circle 10 mag combo... Simply perfection. :)

I hear wasrs are a lot better now

Love the videos man, only thing i can say negative, is that if a person has an ak chambered in anything but 5.45 or 7.62 (i.e. 5.56) they are not very bright crayons indeed.

Yes. Izhmash makes the "Saiga" line of rifles, Arsenal re-manufactures them in the US into a mil-spec AK 103 type rilfe.

“You don’t go into a gun shop where they don’t have them” lol this quote in 2021 is no longer valid at least when I’m at😂😂 man it took me four shops before I could even get my hands on an arsenal chambered in 762x39 and I didn’t even see a WASR chambered in 762x39 at any shops

I love the WASR-10

I need way more than 2 AK’s.

I have two 10/63's and both are fantastic. One of them I have owned for 20 years and I have ran thousands of rounds through that rifle in all weathers. I have been up the creek and over the mountain with that thing. It is utterly reliable.

The main differences between the AK and AKM are forged vs milled receiver, a different recoil spring assembly (interchageable), a different trunnion and barrel mounting (in one instance the barrel is screwed in, the other it's pushed in an pinned), a slightly different (though interchangeable bolt carrier), smooth vs ribbed receiver cover (interchangeable), thread protector vs flash hider (interchangeable) and bayonet mount. Most AKs in the US feature a mix of these features.

Ive seen WASR 10/63s sell for a 1000! :,( Makes me glad i bought a 5.45 Arsenal for 800 :D

That was a well made cabinet .. Looks still functional after all that abuse .. Might need a new paint job ..

Hickock you got a slice o heaven there man.. Playtime at the range right off the deck

the loose tolerances of the AK are exactly what has made it THE #1 combat rifle of all time. On a recent Military Channel program "The Top 10 Combat Rifles", the presenter stated he could teach someone everything they needed to know about an AK in about 4 hours... versus the AR, which he said would take a week.

Is it weird that I still want a WASR even after having an Arsenal?

i love that hes got the ussr flag underneath the rifles

What else can you say except. (" This dude is the MAN".) I love this fricken guy.

I have a Cugir (WASR) WS1-64 (425mm barrel) with a folding stock and a Cugir WS1-63SB (320mm barrel) with a red dot sight (it has 4 reticles) from the Russian Army. I already had different AR15 models, but I sold them again after a short time. If I had to defend my life, there would only be 3 weapons for me: Glock 31 (.357 SIG), Glock 17 (9mm Luger) and an AK clone. Original AK 47 are unfortunately forbidden in "oh so free" Germany.

Arsenal are Bulgarian AK's, and they are the best ones!

They are pieces of history my friend, they must be preserved, just as any other artifact should be.

I like my WASR, and after having to enlarge the magwell I haven't had any problems. The rifle came with 2 surplus metal mags. The first was snug, and the second didn't fit at all. I enlarge the magwell so that the first mag slides in and out rather smoothly. The second mag was visually thicker than the first and I didn't want to enlarge the magwell too much, so I actually ground down both sides of the mag. Now it fits very tight but at least it fits. Both mags tend to feed ok, but sometimes fail. I bought some surplus flat back metal magazines. These fit loosely but feed perfectly. I also have 2 Korean 75 round drum magazines that fit loosely but feed perfectly. I finally picked up some Tapco mags and they fit and feed perfectly.

2019 anyone ?

So glad you are unbanned.

He's the guy who every criminal fears breaking intos house

That's exactly what we all needed to hear. A man that has a lot of experience with firearms telling us how it really is and not these fan boys trying to convince us. WASR and Arsenal are the same, its just whoever bought the Arsenal overspent just for the brand.

As much as I hate everything the USSR stood for damn if they didn't design a fantastic rifle

AK47, when you absolutely, positively want to kill every mfer in the room, accept no substitute. Hallelujah!

I have a GP WASR 10 built/imported in the 80's and I love it. There is a slight cant on the front sight but it zeroes and shoots just fine, especially with quality brass cased ammo. As for mag fit, I have two Bulgarian steel mags that wobble a bit but lock in and function just fine. The Circle 10 waffle pattern mags fit nice and snug with hardly any wobble at all. Neither type of mag has given me any issues whatsoever and the gun runs like a top just like an AK should.

Bought my wasr in 2002 and it still runs beautifully.

If you're gonna spend enough to get an arsenal you might as well get an AR so you can hit targets beyond 300 yrds, an AK should be a cheap rifle that works. Arsenal rifles may be great but you're still limited to 300 yrds and in.

Century mills out the magazine well to accept all mags including yugoslavian mags which is why romainian mags as well as other eastern europeon mags wobble ! Yugoslavian or Chinese magazines fit nice and tight in WASR-10 AK's which is the way they are designed to fit , Tightly ! Magazine wobble is from using improper magazines in amerikan AK's that were milled out to take all mags !

I couldn't decide either. So I bought Both. I bought a arsenal SGL21-66. Also bought a smith and weesson m&p 15. I paid 900 for the arsenal and 1100 for the smith and wesson, both brand new. All I can say is they are both amazing guns and I reccomend buying both if you can't decide.

@blastun, According to what I've read, they are both.

guns are cool, the flag not so much. use the flag as a 300 yard target