For the prospective civilian AK buyer, there’s nothing quite as helpful as the experience of others. Most reviews (including most of the ones I have done) cover the experiences the reviewer has over tens or hundreds of rounds, as higher round-count reviews are typically too expensive to conduct regularly, for most. Rob Ski of the AK Operator’s Union has, however, undertaken since the beginning of this year a series of 5,000 round reviews, the latest of which – a follow-up on the Century RAS-47 using a brand new rifle (see previous test here) – he has just completed:

The RAS-47 unfortunately did not do well in the test, as it became clear that the gun’s components were not hard enough, with many contact surfaces deforming over the test. Headspace also opened up to an unusual degree, as the rifle’s bolt closed on a No-Go gauge after the conclusion of the test. While a rifle should only be considered unsafe if it closes on a Field gauge, it is unusual for a rifle with only 5,000 rounds to close on a No-Go. This indicates that the RAS-47’s trunnion and/or bolt may be stretching too fast, which is not a good thing.

The entire RAS-47 review, including videos and excellent high-res photos taken at regular intervals, can be found here: PART 1 – 500 Rds, Part 2 – 1000 Rds, Part 3 – 1500 Rds, Part 4 – 2500 Rds, Part 5 – 3500 Rds, Part 6 – 5000 Rds.