saigafreake
Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Messages
- 111
Ive seen atleast a dozen of them never seen any rust on them only different finishes ive seen parked and blued ones.
Century Romanian AES-10B, courtesy of ClassicArms.us
- Thread starter RyanM
- Start date
- Status
Shear_stress
Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,728
Mine had no corrosion, but some parts did have different serial numbers on them. I'd definately believe that bits and pieces of these guns came from decomissioned military RPKs. Kind of cool, actually.
By the way, a few coats of a 50-50 blend of shellac and alcohol will also give that furniture a nice, com-bloc finish.
By the way, a few coats of a 50-50 blend of shellac and alcohol will also give that furniture a nice, com-bloc finish.
ohgrady
Member
I received my AES-10B back from Century today. I'm not sure how they repaired the bolt carrier-I can't see a repair, but the crack is gone. Century uses JB Weld on the gas piston threads-the piston doesn't wiggle-I've got some concerns about that.
Grady
Grady
They don't JB weld the pistons. That's what some homebrew guys have done, though. What Century does is torque the piston all the way down on the carrier, then normal weld it through one of the pin holes.
If it really bugs you, you can pick up a new(ish), properly pinned bolt carrier for about $70, at various places.
Not sure how much of a difference that makes. The piston only flexes when the bolt carrier hits the recoil spring retaining whatsit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sNDTdKQNVU
ohgrady
Member
gas piston and trigger issues
That explains why there is a hole on one side that I see the threads of the piston on, but not the other.
My concerns stem from the fact that my first bold carrier cracked-which is why the rifle went back to Century. On the other hand-money is tight-I was wondering about drilling and pinning the piston in the way it should be? This would probably be a good time for someone to tell me to leave it alone and see if it works!.........Or maybe if it aint' broke, don't fix it?
This AES-10B has some rather stinging trigger slap. I noticed the top of the hook on the trigger is at a different angle than my two WASR10's which have no slap. Holding the rifle level, it appears the top of the hook is at less than a 45 degree angle/slope - is that how it should be(I can only compare to my WASR10's)? The disconnector looks like it has had the modification/fix noted on http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/slapfix.htm.
On another note, when I sent back the rifle, I had to send back the 40 round mag. that came with the rifle because it was defective - the new one that was sent back is defective too. I'm not having good luck with them-I'd like to talk Century into swapping me out for a 30 rounder.
That explains why there is a hole on one side that I see the threads of the piston on, but not the other.
My concerns stem from the fact that my first bold carrier cracked-which is why the rifle went back to Century. On the other hand-money is tight-I was wondering about drilling and pinning the piston in the way it should be? This would probably be a good time for someone to tell me to leave it alone and see if it works!
.........Or maybe if it aint' broke, don't fix it?This AES-10B has some rather stinging trigger slap. I noticed the top of the hook on the trigger is at a different angle than my two WASR10's which have no slap. Holding the rifle level, it appears the top of the hook is at less than a 45 degree angle/slope - is that how it should be(I can only compare to my WASR10's)? The disconnector looks like it has had the modification/fix noted on http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/slapfix.htm.
On another note, when I sent back the rifle, I had to send back the 40 round mag. that came with the rifle because it was defective - the new one that was sent back is defective too. I'm not having good luck with them-I'd like to talk Century into swapping me out for a 30 rounder.
ohgrady
Member
new magazine
I emailed Century - told them of the defective 40 round mag. They said they'd send another-and they promptly did. It appears defective too. I quit - I will take a dremel to them and see if I can fix the problems.:banghead:
I emailed Century - told them of the defective 40 round mag. They said they'd send another-and they promptly did. It appears defective too. I quit - I will take a dremel to them and see if I can fix the problems.:banghead:
What exactly is wrong with the mags? Are they not fitting right? I had to file... I forget what all, to get my AES-10B to accept all my magazines easily.
Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the welded bolt carrier. A lot of guys on AR15.com make noise over it (as well as the piston being made by Tapco), but the vast majority of WASRs never have any bolt carrier or piston related problems.
Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the welded bolt carrier. A lot of guys on AR15.com make noise over it (as well as the piston being made by Tapco), but the vast majority of WASRs never have any bolt carrier or piston related problems.
ohgrady
Member
The mag. that Century sent back with the rifle was too narrow at the top and a round would wedge. I took a dremel and file to it, it helped but one side still wedges a round. I looked at the mag and compared it to some others-the back of the mag at the top is slightly bent inward-maybe a sixteenth of an inch.
Here is the funny part, I took the follower/spring from the first replacement mag and put it in the second mag Century shipped and that combination worked fine. The follower from the second mag only goes to about 5/8 of an inch to the top of the body of the first mag-I wonder if I can beat the top of the mag. body out enough to make the mag. usable?
On another note - Century has some more AES-10b's - they are $599 now. I'm glad I got mine when I did!
Here is the funny part, I took the follower/spring from the first replacement mag and put it in the second mag Century shipped and that combination worked fine. The follower from the second mag only goes to about 5/8 of an inch to the top of the body of the first mag-I wonder if I can beat the top of the mag. body out enough to make the mag. usable?
On another note - Century has some more AES-10b's - they are $599 now. I'm glad I got mine when I did!
ohgrady
Member
AES-10B prices
Oops, I meant Classic Arms has them for $599 now. Which says to me that Classic paid more from them from Century/their supplier. I could be wrong, but it seems that Classic has not tried to take advantage of the "panic" buying.
I've thought about selling mine too. I saw one go for $625 on a GB auction. Part of me is thinking sell mine and one of my WASR's to fund a PSL.
I've only had my AES10b to the range once, so I haven't decided yet if it's a keeper.
Oops, I meant Classic Arms has them for $599 now. Which says to me that Classic paid more from them from Century/their supplier. I could be wrong, but it seems that Classic has not tried to take advantage of the "panic" buying.
I've thought about selling mine too. I saw one go for $625 on a GB auction. Part of me is thinking sell mine and one of my WASR's to fund a PSL.
I've only had my AES10b to the range once, so I haven't decided yet if it's a keeper.
ohgrady
Member
Magazine problem
Here's some pictures of the mag. problem. Can I beat/bend the mag. so the follower slides to the top of the body? It's hard to see, but the third picture shows how the top is bent inward. The follower will not come all the way to the top of the body.
Here's some pictures of the mag. problem. Can I beat/bend the mag. so the follower slides to the top of the body? It's hard to see, but the third picture shows how the top is bent inward. The follower will not come all the way to the top of the body.
AmEngRifles
Member
Jump WAY forward to 2010, July 10th. I just bought a new AES10B from a dealer in NC. Glad I had read so many of the comments. Just about everything that has been mentioned was somewhat present on my rifle. Doesn't look like much has changed with Century in the last 2 years! lol.
First note. My 40 round mags suck too! As I broke EVERTHING down for a thorough cleaning, even the 2-40 rounders that came with the rifle got broke down for inspection and cleaning. I think the Romanians probably have terrible quality control and it seems that the mag followers are probably out of spec. I want to do a switch out with followers from other European mags I have that are much nicer overall and much smoother in execution. The Romanians seem sharp at almost every corner. My mag follower had to be tapped downward to get them out of the body.
The rifle was actually pretty good. Most of the things everyone has mentioned are not that servere and even less so if you know they are coming.
I cleaned up the rough edges of the new mag well and that took all of 10 minutes, if that. The mags fit snugly, but not too tight. My Bulgarian Polymers fit tight, but again, no too bad. They would probably wear in over time. De-greased everything. No corrosion on the insides. Barrel seemed to have greasy red stuff clogging it, but once that was out, it shines, shines, shines! Cleaning rod removal is a two handed operation. The bipod appears crudely made with many sharp corners as well. I think my front sight tower is on straight, but my rear sight gradient bar was bent slightly. Only need to bend her back without breaking it. The barrel protective nut was not welded in place, so not welds to break or cut. Spun right off. The stocks definitely need finishing. I like the linseed oil look. Although the Russian Red stains look really good too! I might even cut my stock club foot back in to make more of a "hook" to grasp.
All in all I am pretty happy. Now to get it to the range with some quality mags. Stupid Romanian magazines.
By the way, paid $606 for this rifle. If it operates without any issues, I will be fine with the price. If it hiccups, I will call Century and get them to make it sew! I had an early Century Cetme that gave some trouble, but once Century corrected it, it ran 100% for years and years after that.
Thanks for the the input guys!
First note. My 40 round mags suck too! As I broke EVERTHING down for a thorough cleaning, even the 2-40 rounders that came with the rifle got broke down for inspection and cleaning. I think the Romanians probably have terrible quality control and it seems that the mag followers are probably out of spec. I want to do a switch out with followers from other European mags I have that are much nicer overall and much smoother in execution. The Romanians seem sharp at almost every corner. My mag follower had to be tapped downward to get them out of the body.
The rifle was actually pretty good. Most of the things everyone has mentioned are not that servere and even less so if you know they are coming.
I cleaned up the rough edges of the new mag well and that took all of 10 minutes, if that. The mags fit snugly, but not too tight. My Bulgarian Polymers fit tight, but again, no too bad. They would probably wear in over time. De-greased everything. No corrosion on the insides. Barrel seemed to have greasy red stuff clogging it, but once that was out, it shines, shines, shines! Cleaning rod removal is a two handed operation. The bipod appears crudely made with many sharp corners as well. I think my front sight tower is on straight, but my rear sight gradient bar was bent slightly. Only need to bend her back without breaking it. The barrel protective nut was not welded in place, so not welds to break or cut. Spun right off. The stocks definitely need finishing. I like the linseed oil look. Although the Russian Red stains look really good too! I might even cut my stock club foot back in to make more of a "hook" to grasp.
All in all I am pretty happy. Now to get it to the range with some quality mags. Stupid Romanian magazines.
By the way, paid $606 for this rifle. If it operates without any issues, I will be fine with the price. If it hiccups, I will call Century and get them to make it sew! I had an early Century Cetme that gave some trouble, but once Century corrected it, it ran 100% for years and years after that.
Thanks for the the input guys!
Last edited:
AmEngRifles
Member
UPDATE on those 40 round magazines.
What I found was that one (both) had followers that were made with excess material on the back spine. After dremeling theses edges down, one mag now works perfectly. Follower runs all the way up to position and does not stick. Hard to see in my pictures, but after comparing the followers to ones from mags that work perfectly, I realized the side portions of the bend downs extended beyond the back bend down. On my other mags, this area was perfectly flush, so I ground down the excess sticking out beyond the back piece.
The other mag still sticks. What I find is the mag itself has a bump, or deformation on the inside just below the feed lips. It is probably not fixable, as it is the base stamping underneath the reinforced, spot welded feed lip assembly. It may be possible to either modify the follower extensively for use in this ONE magazine, or get some form of larger, offset bar and hammer it back down. Not too worried as I have a good supply of working mags. It is too bad Romanians don't have any more pride in their workmanship.
The gun itself still has not been functioned fired as I find myself in the middle of refinishing the stock set. It is going to look "marvelous", although I am hoping it functions as well. Time will tell. Maybe a range trip this weekend?
Pictures to come of the finished stock.
It is kinda fun that Century all but pretty much sends raw wood for stock. It allows an owner to customize his rifle and have a certain pride in ownership and assistance in finishing his own rifle.
What I found was that one (both) had followers that were made with excess material on the back spine. After dremeling theses edges down, one mag now works perfectly. Follower runs all the way up to position and does not stick. Hard to see in my pictures, but after comparing the followers to ones from mags that work perfectly, I realized the side portions of the bend downs extended beyond the back bend down. On my other mags, this area was perfectly flush, so I ground down the excess sticking out beyond the back piece.
The other mag still sticks. What I find is the mag itself has a bump, or deformation on the inside just below the feed lips. It is probably not fixable, as it is the base stamping underneath the reinforced, spot welded feed lip assembly. It may be possible to either modify the follower extensively for use in this ONE magazine, or get some form of larger, offset bar and hammer it back down. Not too worried as I have a good supply of working mags. It is too bad Romanians don't have any more pride in their workmanship.
The gun itself still has not been functioned fired as I find myself in the middle of refinishing the stock set. It is going to look "marvelous", although I am hoping it functions as well. Time will tell. Maybe a range trip this weekend?
Pictures to come of the finished stock.
It is kinda fun that Century all but pretty much sends raw wood for stock. It allows an owner to customize his rifle and have a certain pride in ownership and assistance in finishing his own rifle.
Attachments
Last edited:
AmEngRifles
Member
The range trip went without incident. Rifle fed, fired and functioned 100%. That was good news. I was surprised that this rifle didn't seem to display any greater accuracy potential over my 16" barreled AKM. Maybe this is a function of cheap combloc surplus type ammo. I realize we are not talking match ammo from these suppliers, compared to western made ammo. Might try putting a scope on to see if I can shrink the group size. I would say they were running in the 6" to 8" range. Didn't keep any targets. I was mainly "sighting in" and function testing. Happy overall with the purchase.
The other thing that I found out is that these AES10Bs don't come with 13" bipod legs. Not sure why they have shorter legs, but they do not allow the rifle to sit prone, off the bipod, with a 40 round mag in the mag well. The legs are a bit short. I am working on getting the proper height legs soon.
The other thing that I found out is that these AES10Bs don't come with 13" bipod legs. Not sure why they have shorter legs, but they do not allow the rifle to sit prone, off the bipod, with a 40 round mag in the mag well. The legs are a bit short. I am working on getting the proper height legs soon.
AmEngRifles
Member
Has Century stopped making these? I don't see them come up for sale anymore on GunBroker. Just the AES10, which seems to have a bad reputation.
Thanks all for your comments and this thread on these rifles. Because of it, I purchased a CENTURY product, but was willing to take a chance, and ended up with a really nice rifle.
Thanks all for your comments and this thread on these rifles. Because of it, I purchased a CENTURY product, but was willing to take a chance, and ended up with a really nice rifle.
Classic Arms is still listing it, but with a folding stock.
The AES10 wasn't bad, per se, but it had an incorrect light barrel, and the bipod was mounted in the wrong location.
I have dozens of Romy mags. Have had issues with exactly ONE, and that was full of rust, not a build flaw. If you're gonna replace followers, get the plastic Tapco ones, it will give you an additional US made part as well.
Put a drum on your RPK and no problems with bipod height. I would also recommend function testing before doing any refinishing if you want to be able to send it back if required.
The AES10 wasn't bad, per se, but it had an incorrect light barrel, and the bipod was mounted in the wrong location.
I have dozens of Romy mags. Have had issues with exactly ONE, and that was full of rust, not a build flaw. If you're gonna replace followers, get the plastic Tapco ones, it will give you an additional US made part as well.
Put a drum on your RPK and no problems with bipod height. I would also recommend function testing before doing any refinishing if you want to be able to send it back if required.
- Status
