Courtesy of Tactical Life
As import restrictions began to tighten on AK parts kits, the American market picked up the slack. Barrels and other parts made in America have improved and continue to increase in number and popularity. While it used to be cheaper to import military-surplus parts regardless of origin, American-made parts have become much more affordable in recent years.
Although some imports are still around, especially pistol variants, AKs that use American-made receivers and a smattering of imported parts are pretty common nowadays. These guns cost a bit more, but their quality is often high. It was only a matter of time before complete American-made rifles became available, especially those with receivers CNC-machined from billets of steel, and some of the best come from Century Arms.
Century Arms C39 Series
Century Arms is best known for offering extremely affordable imported weapons, so it was a little surprising to see the company begin offering U.S.-built AKs as part of its C39 series a few years ago. Now these AKs have been around for some time, and they’ve become very popular. The company currently offers its semi-auto C39v2 rifles in a variety of configurations, but I got my hands on an earlier C39 for testing.
Made in Vermont using all-new, U.S.-made parts, these are truly American AK-47s. The Century Arms C39’s receiver starts as an 11-pound block of 4140 ordnance-grade steel that’s carefully CNC-machined to proper specifications. Out front the rifle uses a 16.5-inch, 1-in-10-inch-twist, chrome-lined barrel capped with a muzzle brake.
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