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A good article about the AK-47 That I want to share with you.

100% American Made AKs: Century Arms RAS47 & C39V2

I am not generally a fan of the AK-47 family of weapons; I have spent too much time on the receiving end of them. But I am a fan of all things American made, so I was more than happy to review a couple of offerings from Century Arms.  Anything Commies can do, we can do better. And the boys from Vermont have set out to do just that. 

A Little Background

For testing, I received the RAS47, Century’s most popular rifle, as well as the flagship C39V2. Both weapons are completely American made, so at least we can be sure the parts aren’t heat treated in Vodka. I had to look twice at the receivers, they do say made in Georgia. But they mean Georgia, Vermont, a small town upstate. Despite my initial skepticism, both weapons are beautiful. The fit of the parts doesn’t resemble a smooshed turnip, which is also a novel concept in Kalishnokavs. These carbines are not AK-47s because they lack the selector switch and true AK-47 rifles differ from these replicas because their receivers are milled from solid blocks of steel and their furniture is substantially different; they also feature a different pistol grip and gas block.
The RAS in RAS47 stands for Red Army Standard. It is designed to be a copy of the ’50s era AKM at least on the surface; it’s a tip of the hat to Cold-War era Soviet Union. The furniture is a beautiful blonde wood, unlike any other, I have seen. Fingers crossed it is a Vermont native tree and that maple syrup was used to finish it. No one from the factory would confirm that for me though. It’s a gas-operated semiautomatic chambered in 7.62x39mm and the rifle’s receiver is stamped from a 16-gauge 4140 sheet steel treated with a black nitride finish.  The fit of the parts is extraordinary by AK standards. Most of the specimens I have seen were extremely used battlefield examples, but I would still bet money that they didn’t look like this the day they left the factory. The grip is black plastic, with nice diamond texturing and finger grooves. Improvements have been made to the magazine release, it is significantly wider than the original. In place of a bullet tube of questionable origin and rifling, the RAS47 sports a 16.5-inch, 1:10-inch twist Green Mountain Nitride barrel. Also outside of Commie spec, the safety lever features a cut out that acts as a bolt hold open. To help keep costs down, Century opted to make the RAS47 without the traditional bayonet lug, cleaning rod or storage compartment in the stock. History would show this to be inaccurate, however, it does make it a more affordable option for history enthusiasts who want to save a dollar.

Photo Courtesy: Century Arms RAS47


The RAS47 comes standard with a side rail, so optics mounts aren’t out of the question if that is your flavor. Personally, I have about as many spare AK parts laying around the house as I do hubcaps for a  ’72 Pinto. So I opted to test my rifles with iron sights. More on that later. Taking a look inside, we find something else curiously not Mil-Spec. The bolt has what appear to be large lightening cuts. I wasn’t aware this was a modification for AK-47s, but whatever floats your boat. The trigger is a vast improvement over normal AK’s, featuring the RAK 1 trigger. The take up is smooth, and the break crisp. It’s not a 1911, but a night and day difference from the Soviet standard.

SPECS — RAS47

  • Type: Gas-operated, semiautomatic AKMs
  • Cartridge: 7.62x39mm
  • Capacity: 30+1 rds.
  • Weight: 7.55 lbs.
  • Barrel Length: 16.5 in.; 1:10 in. twist;
  • Overall Length: 37.25 in.
  • Trigger: RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger Group
  • Sights:  Standard AKMs adj.
  • MSRP: $700

The C39V2 is the flagship model, and features all of the same goodies as the RAS47, and then some. The most obvious change is that it features a milled receiver, as opposed to the stamped and riveted receiver on the RAS47. It is noticeably heavier, but that actually helps tame recoil a bit. The furniture on my test gun was a darker wood, resembled of a traditional AK. One note to put in your pocket, MAGPUL furniture will fit on this milled receiver. The trigger is supposed to be the same RAK-1 as the RAS47, but I had to look that up to be sure. Granted, my test models are demo guns. It is entirely possible the C39V2 has been used a lot more, and therefore more broken in. The trigger in the RAS47 was great. The one in the C39V2 was unreal. The gauge said there was a 1 pound difference, but it felt like a lot more on the range.

SPECS—C39V2

  • Type: Gas-operated, semiautomatic AKMs
  • Cartridge: 7.62x39mm
  • Capacity: 30+1 rds.
  • Weight: 8.05  lbs.
  • Barrel Length: 16.5 in.; 1:10 in. twist;
  • Overall Length: 37.25 in.
  • Trigger: RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger Group
  • Sights: Standard AKM adj.
  • MSRP: $800

Range Time

For testing, I used Hornady Black 123-grain SST was used. I, for one, am glad to see some high-quality brass cased ammunition hit the market. There will always be a place for spam-can imported junk, but it’s no way to try and accuracy test a rifle. It should also be noted the projectile improvements with the Hornady. Instead of some bimetal or steel-core mil surplus, Hornady offers the proven Super Shock Tip. This polymer tip drives into the lead core like a wedge on impact, forcing rapid expansion. The boat tail profile decreases drag, and improves the aerodynamic profile. And it says Hornady, so you know it is going to be consistent.

Photo Courtesy: Century Arms C39V2


Article Continues Below

For accuracy testing, I didn’t have an optical option, which left us with iron sights. Irons are great, and it’s not my first rodeo. But I am loath to publish accuracy results from just irons. I haven’t won any High Power matches recently, so it may in fact be the shooter, not the gun. I shot my groups at 50 meters for this test, not 100.

The RAS47 turned in a 3.5 inch group as its best, not that far off most AK-47s I have shot. I have seen some better, but a whole lot worse. The C39V2 was significantly better. Its best of the day was 1.5 inches, with a flyer that was most likely shooter. Without the flyer, the group was a 1 inch four-round group, which is probably closer to the capability of the gun.
Both of these guns are fantastic buys, depending on your needs. If you love traditional AKs and are willing to accept the accuracy standard they are famous for, the RAS47 is for you. If you want to spend a little more coin and shrink that down some, the C39V2 is for you.
For more information about Hornady ammunition, click here.
For more information about Century Arms, click here.
To purchase a Century Arms carbine on GunsAmerica, click here.

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