Century Arms C39v2, the American AK

While I was at SHOT Show I stopped by the Century Arms booth and took a look at their new rifle. It’s been five years since Century Arms put their first 100% American made C39 rifle on the market and this year they’re coming out with the C39v2 which they call “the American AK.”

The AK-47 itself has a long history, having been officially accepted into service in 1949 as the end result of work by designer Mikhail Kalishnikov and lengthy military trials. Despite the passage of more than 60 years it remains one of the most commonly used rifles all around the world due to both its affordable pricing and its durability in harsh climates.

The C39v2 is a solid rifle with a good, balanced feel to it. Although I wasn’t able to get any trigger time with it on range day it was nice taking a look at it at the company’s booth. The fact that it’s entirely American made appeals to me quite a bit; it’s nice to see what’s traditionally been a foreign rifle made in the U.S.A., especially considering how popular the original model is.

From Century Arms:

“We are excited to now offer the newest addition to the C39 line of rifles, the new C39v2, the American AK. It is 100% American made with no imported parts, built on a milled receiver machined from a solid 11 lb. block of 4140 ordnance steel. Enhancements include a T-shaped magazine catch, compatibility with AKM furniture, a bolt hold open safety, an enhanced dust cover and standard AK sights. The C39v2 is coated with black nitrite and uses a new enhanced trigger group. The C39v2 barrel has a concentric left hand 14×1 metric thread and is ready for a variety of muzzle attachments.”

Specs:

Caliber: 7.62x39mm

Barrel: 16.5″ with a 1:10 twist

Barrel thread: 14×1 LH

Overall: 37.25″

Weight: 8.2 lbs.

Receiver: Milled 4140 steel

Mag. Capacity: 30 rounds

Comes with: Two 30 round Magpul mags and a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

Country of Mfr: USA

Product Code: R12245-N, R12245CA-N (CA Compliant)

MSRP not listed

Interestingly this comes at the same time the announcement was made during SHOT Show that the RWC Group (Russian Weapons Company) is setting up a new company that will be called Kalashnikov USA with the sole purpose of manufacturing AK-47s here in the states. Sanctions put in place in the summer of 2014 have stopped new Russian-made AK-47s from being sold in the states, and by forming a new company and opening a U.S. factory the RWC Group may be able to get those new AK-47s to American buyers after all. RWC is optimistic about their manufacturing chances and said they’re hoping to have new rifles in production by the second quarter of this year.