1972 WASR GP 10/63

[armory 142]

The info I have been able to locate on these 1972's with the triangle and arrow trunion marks are the parts are from military/guard versions, not civilian rifles....Anybody know the true story on them??

I had a chance to compare them side by side today with other unmarked WASR's and the quality between the marked and unmarked rifles were night and day........

Thanks!

Edited February 1, 2012 by armory

[rs51085 136]

I also read somewhere about the triangle and arrow symbol indicating that they were military full auto versions. But the very best guns are made out of "G" kits. This g is found on the side of the rear site block. This was the highest deasignator of quality that I know of. Nice wasr.

[armory 142]

I also read somewhere about the triangle and arrow symbol indicating that they were military full auto versions. But the very best guns are made out of "G" kits. This g is found on the side of the rear site block. This was the highest deasignator of quality that I know of. Nice wasr.

 

I also read the "g" is ground off by Century on these 1972's......I really don't know for sure, but the info on these is sketchy at best.

Thanks for you help!

[armory 142]

Alright....I bought it....$450......Actually impressed with the quality. Mags fit tight and lock up nice. Nothing slanted or canted......and the 1972 Triangle Arrow mark on the front trunion has me intrigued. Only this one out of 8 guns I looked at that had it.

Edited February 2, 2012 by armory

[rs51085 136]

i have a wasr with that mark on it to. it is not a g kit. century has nothing to do with the assembly of these guns they are made in Romania. century just cuts out the mag hole to take double stack mags and puts tapco triggers in them to be 922 compliant. here is a pic of my mark. i don't think these are all that rare but i could be wrong. it wasn't to long ago the g kits weren't rare and they have dried up. in the second pic you can see a g parts kit. notice it does not have the arrow. it think this is because the gun was never used. the kits parts look like it has never been fired. that's all i know. now take that wasr out and let it rip!

 

 

[armory 142]

i have a wasr with that mark on it to. it is not a g kit. century has nothing to do with the assembly of these guns they are made in Romania. century just cuts out the mag hole to take double stack mags and puts tapco triggers in them to be 922 compliant. here is a pic of my mark. i don't think these are all that rare but i could be wrong. it wasn't to long ago the g kits weren't rare and they have dried up. in the second pic you can see a g parts kit. notice it does not have the arrow. it think this is because the gun was never used. the kits parts look like it has never been fired. that's all i know. now take that wasr out and let it rip!

 

 

 

I have been doing a little more research....

I guess the G kits were semi-auto only guns for the national guards that were demilled .....

The 1972 Triangle Arrow guns are supposedly built on an unissued military guns that were demilled, that is why the quality seems higher ....not built on rejected military parts like most other WASR's.............

But it is all hear say....would like to know for sure.....Anybody have a contact at Century???

[akastormi 617]

The arrow in the triangle is the Romanian Arsenal mark. The "G" kits were Guard issued rifle demilled full auto kits. WASR's are commercially produced kits for the US market.

[ShadowFire 220]

Nice WASRs.

 

I have an Underfolder WASR and one that is made in 1989. I can't determine when the underfolder was made, no clear markings on the trunnion that tell that. However the 1989 WASR is clearly better made in terms of the parts they used to assemble the rifle minus the receiver. No triangle, arrow or G marks but they both shoot straight. They've been good to me.

[MT Predator 2,294]

My WASR is a 1977, no triangle and arrow mark but it goes BANG every time the trigger is squeezed. I bought it off a guy who "Modernized" it with a quadrail, SAW PG, and a Crapco T-6. Best thing about the deal was the Trijicon ACOG he had on it with a shitty UTG side mount. I basically ended up paying the ACOG new price for the entire package. Also got four good steel mags and two shitty Promags plus 100 rds of ammo in the deal. (I was really after the ACOG for the price which isn't on the WASR anymore).

I got rid of the T-6 and replaced it with the EMA receiver extension and an AR take-off butt stock. It's a dependable shooter and sees more rounds than my other AKs as it is my beater AK. It's easy to bumpfire as well which is always a crowd pleaser.

[armory 142]

The arrow in the triangle is the Romanian Arsenal mark. The "G" kits were Guard issued rifle demilled full auto kits. WASR's are commercially produced kits for the US market.

That may be true for unmarked WASR's, but I think these marked ones are anomalies from what I have been able to research so far......I will keep digging!!

[todmich 16]

I also have a WASR 10/63 dated 1975 with the triangle and arrow.

[mancat 2,368]

The info is all over the web if you search for it.

 

"G" rifles were for the "Guardia", Romania's sort-of National Guard equivalent. These were otherwise identical to standard Romy AKs, except for having full-auto FCG removed, the "G" mark on the sight block, and black band on the buttstock. Most G kits imported to the US are later builds, made after the Cugir arsenal stamping was dropped. I don't know of any WASRs made from G kits. These kits are hard to come by these days, and definitely not available for $100 like they used to be, barrel and all.

 

If you have a triangle or arrow-in-triangle proof, then the trunnion and any serial matching parts are from a recycled military rifle. Quality on these parts are high, though drops in later years, especially after 81-82 when a political purge of experienced Cugir armory workers occured. Quality didn't recover until the 90s after that.

 

The empty triangle proof was originally used to denote trunnions manufactured for 5.45 barrels. Some genius eventually realized that the chamber journal size for 7.62 and 5.45 barrels was the same and made this difference in proofing superfluous. At this point all trunnions were manufactured with bare triangle proof marks. Eventually the proof mark was pretty much dropped entirely when Romania's armory at Sadu (square proof) accounted for very little AK production.

 

If you see a WASR that is missing the Cugir proof, it's likely made from new parts, as Cugir is either running out of rifles to recycle, or has succumbed to American consumer demand for more new, matching-parts AKs to competer with the growing popularity of other commercial AK variants. New trunnions are marked with a dot-matrix electropenciled serial, datecode, and "RO" country code.

 

Not that I have anything against newbuild Romanian WASRs, but given the choice, I would pick a surplus build solely for the cool factor.

 

All of these rifles should have new barrels now. Even if you found one with a surplus barrel, the condition of these is typically excellent. Romania did not fight any major wars other than against its own dictator, and so Romanian AKs are all pretty much lightly used or not at all.

 

Romanian AKs found in the rest of the world? Not so much. Some of the most heavily worn AKs seen in the middle east came out of Romania. They are still kicking hars and doing their job. It speaks well for Romanian AKs and is a stark contrast to the common refrain that these are the worst of the AK world. They are doing exactly what AKs were meant to do: make lots very cheaply and last forever.

 

If you couldn't tell, I love Romanian AKs.

Edited February 5, 2012 by mancat

[armory 142]

The info is all over the web if you search for it.

 

"G" rifles were for the "Guardia", Romania's sort-of National Guard equivalent. These were otherwise identical to standard Romy AKs, except for having full-auto FCG removed, the "G" mark on the sight block, and black band on the buttstock. Most G kits imported to the US are later builds, made after the Cugir arsenal stamping was dropped. I don't know of any WASRs made from G kits. These kits are hard to come by these days, and definitely not available for $100 like they used to be, barrel and all.

 

If you have a triangle or arrow-in-triangle proof, then the trunnion and any serial matching parts are from a recycled military rifle. Quality on these parts are high, though drops in later years, especially after 81-82 when a political purge of experienced Cugir armory workers occured. Quality didn't recover until the 90s after that.

 

The empty triangle proof was originally used to denote trunnions manufactured for 5.45 barrels. Some genius eventually realized that the chamber journal size for 7.62 and 5.45 barrels was the same and made this difference in proofing superfluous. At this point all trunnions were manufactured with bare triangle proof marks. Eventually the proof mark was pretty much dropped entirely when Romania's armory at Sadu (square proof) accounted for very little AK production.

 

If you see a WASR that is missing the Cugir proof, it's likely made from new parts, as Cugir is either running out of rifles to recycle, or has succumbed to American consumer demand for more new, matching-parts AKs to competer with the growing popularity of other commercial AK variants. New trunnions are marked with a dot-matrix electropenciled serial, datecode, and "RO" country code.

 

Not that I have anything against newbuild Romanian WASRs, but given the choice, I would pick a surplus build solely for the cool factor.

 

All of these rifles should have new barrels now. Even if you found one with a surplus barrel, the condition of these is typically excellent. Romania did not fight any major wars other than against its own dictator, and so Romanian AKs are all pretty much lightly used or not at all.

 

Romanian AKs found in the rest of the world? Not so much. Some of the most heavily worn AKs seen in the middle east came out of Romania. They are still kicking hars and doing their job. It speaks well for Romanian AKs and is a stark contrast to the common refrain that these are the worst of the AK world. They are doing exactly what AKs were meant to do: make lots very cheaply and last forever.

 

If you couldn't tell, I love Romanian AKs.

 

 

Thanks for the info! I new the quality on this particular rifle was quite good. I am extremely happy with it for $450. All the numbers match except for the dust cover. I am going to polish the bolt and probably do some different wood, or even try my hand at doing a black/grey laminate job. Also have to weld on a nub on the bayo lug so that is correct for bayonet attachment.

 

BTW, is there a particular year that is the cream of the WASR's? Like is a '75 better than a '72 or such?

[mancat 2,368]

60s-mid 70s are the best. In the late 70s more cast parts started to appear, such as sight block and gas block, and chrome-lining of gas block stopped. These were just cost saving measures that weren't very noticable. It wasn't until the Cugir purge I mentioned that quality took a nose dive for several years - even then they will still work though, just a bit uglier.

 

Also Romanian AKs never had chromed or polished carriers, so if you want to keep it original don't strip the carrier. If you don't care, go for it.

[TheDarkHorse 216]

This is probably the most informative topic on this rifle that I have read to date.

 

I had a WASR about ten years ago....it was one of the new builds previously mentioned. It was solid and I never had any issues with it BUT the quality and attention to detail doesn't compare to the GP WASR 10/63 that I picked up yesterday. Triangle/arrow circa 1974. No magazine wobble, no canted sites, etc.

 

To me, it's as nice as some of the Romy G builds I have seen....if not better.

[mancat 2,368]

About ten years ago, there was not much demand for the AK, and it wasn't much of a money maker for Romania/Cugir. Today, they are one of the world's largest arms exporters, and world demand for their product is extremely high, primarily in the US. Once the AK market blossomed in the US, they started to face competition and were suffering due to a reputation of poor QC. We may not hear from Cugir very much, but they are surely aware of their reputation, and there was some rumor that Century threatened to stop importation of Romanian rifles if they did not improve their QC.

 

Since 2009-2010, the quality on Romanian export rifles has drastically improved. Nowadays there are very few problems on the WASR, M10, Draco, and AES-10B series. Too bad that PSLs seem to have dried up for now. It would be great to see armory-rebuilt PSLs with new barrels as required by import law. Romania also has domestic PSL chambered in 7.62x51 NATO. Hello Cugir? We would like to buy one.

 

I recently picked up an AES-10B with matching serials, dated 1969. It looks damn near unfired for a parts kit of its age, and in fact it probably is. The barrel is new. Assembly is very tight, and machining quality on the parts is extremely good for a Romanian rifle. I've always loved Romanian AKs, and I'm glad to see that the quality is steadily improving.

Edited May 18, 2012 by mancat

[TheDarkHorse 216]

Indeed.

 

The only remaining "issues" (if you consider it such), with my rifle are:

 

(1) Loose muzzle brake. I easily remedied this by applying blue loctite. I have no intention of changing it so this was a no-brainer.

 

(2) Relatively thin finish. I love parkerized finish. It retains oil and is a great rust deterent, but the finish is easily scratched. Saigas are painted, so I may go that route for future touch-ups....not so much for looks, but more for rust prevention.

 

(3) The wood. I personally like the character, but it's raw and needs a protective coating. A coat of polyurethane should do the trick. I like lighter colors (like pine) so I don't plan to stain it.

 

Outside of these three "issues", my rifle is as tight as any AKM out there. The attention to detail is there. My wasr from 10 years ago was a far cry from the one I own now. Even though there are "higher-end" AKMs in my collection, the new GP10/63 is the one I keep reaching for.

Edited May 28, 2012 by TheDarkHorse

[Blazer76 3]

I love my WASR its a 85 and goes bang every time I jst wish century hadnt made the mag well so big would like to have it redone with a NoDak spud reciver

[J308 1]

I just recently picked one up myself at a show,also 1972 Triangle with the arrow. Very happy with the fit and finish. Nothing rattles or makes a sound on it.Perfect sights,shoots tight,runs flawlessly,etc.

 

 

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Edited August 28, 2012 by J308

[Shotgun12 205]

I have a 1965 with the triangle arrow on mine. It also has some faint markings below the rear sight.

[whitetrashrn 74]

All the romanian kits i bought were Matching # G kits. I never got a bad one out of the 10 I got.

The finish sucked on most of them but the guts all seemed like new. The Guard didnt have a lot

of $$ to furnish ammo so not a lot of rounds went down range with a lot of thes "G" series guns.

With Nodak spud receivers they all turned out to be great shooters that functioned flawless from

the start.(Thanks to Nodak Receivers). This winter I may sandblast and park most of them. Time will tell.

[rnemhrd 165]

I have to say I picked one of these up today. I have a saiga 7.62 but felt the need for one of these. the shop owner let me strip it. All numbers matched and parts looked new. It is a 1968 with the triangle stamp. he let me grab a hand full of pre ban mags and insert them and they are actually tighter than my saiga. I may file a hair off around the front where they go in. Shot 80 rnds through it and it grouped as well as my saiga with iron sights at 50yds. I think after the tapco hammer gets a polish and slight profile and the rails and bolt carrier ger a polish the saiga will be the shelf queen and this will be the go to. Saiga is all painted up and looks nice. I may refinish the wood all nice and toss on some black synthetic k var furniture I have to beat around with. I did check this gun against others he had. He was surprised I took the display gun that had been handled, and not a new in the sealed box gun.lol

Edited October 30, 2012 by rnemhrd

[Ralph 0]

My first post here.  Just wanted to point out that it seems the sweet spot for the GP WASR-10/63 would be between late 1972 and early 198? as it seems ROMARM's CUGIR factory transitioned from lightly used duty rifle parts (triangle designation) to new and identical mil-spec part group kits (no triangle at all).  Furthermore, these non-triangle kits were using the latest design iterations while maintaining the cold forged group manufacturing and barrel/gas tube chroming (before the non-mil-spec sintered block and lesser staff QA debacle years).  I think the apparent ten-year range between 1972 and 1982 represents the best quality and fit/finish of the WASR line--and depending on year retooled by Century Arms--furniture changes and how finely finished a re-cut mag well looks/functions--or if cut at all for double stacks.  I'm no expert so please pardon any foot eating.  I think mine was originally purchased in 2007 or so and has a trunnion date of 1972 with no triangle.  All parts look as if new and bolt group and other parts are identical 4-digit ser numbers.  No sintered pieces.  Cold forged barrel/receiver/chamber.

Can anyone tell me what the 11 stamp stands for around the trunnion?  Is it a factory designator?  My trunnion markings follow . . EG-04**-72   RO . . in case of comment (asterisks are for part of the 4-digit serial number).