I have the opportunity to pick up a WASR-10 for a good price. I think it would fit the bill nicely as a cheap trunk gun.
However, I know these WASRs are the Shrubmasters of the AK world. What modifications are needed to make them a serviceable defensive carbine?
The problem with WASRs is more the people building them. If you get one that was built correctly then it should run fine. If not then take it to an AK smith and have him fix it.
If the front sight is straight just shoot the thing. If it works right, leave it alone. If not, sell it and move on.While they aren’t the prettiest and get hated on for a lot of silly reasons, fact is the vast majority of them are perfectly reliable.
I’d consider a WASR only if I was able to pick it from the rack myself. Some have canted FSBs, some have sticky bolts, some have shoddy riveting, some have off-center bores, etc…
I bought a WASR off a friend who was liquidating. Checked out ok, but their record is pretty well known. Accept the possibility of having something not right.
WASRs are factory built guns. The mag wells are opened up after importation, and US parts are added, which are ironically where most problems (if there are any) will originate.
Crooked sights and gas blocks are annoying, but rarely affect function. If you are expecting something pretty, it’s probably the wrong rifle for you.
My WASR-10 is all ‘canted’ to some degree or other. However it seems to all average out and it shoots extremely well!
As far as making it servicable all I did was field-strip it…use compressed air to blow the metal chips out of the trigger-parts…slop some linseed oil on the wood pieces…use a small skinny file to open up the rear sight notch a bit.
No kidding…I think my gas-block is canted…and I think the entire front of the gun is canted to the left a hair!!..Oh well…still shoots good
Try shooting it first.
It will rust in the trunk unless you keep it very well oiled or paint/refinish it.
Probably it will get stolen before that ever happens though…
Typically none.
Canted sights can still be easily zeroed (unless it’s terrible) and unless they goofed on opening up the mag well (will probably be snug on ((10)) mags) there usually isn’t much else.
It will rust in the trunk unless you keep it very well oiled or paint/refinish it.
Not where I live… I’m sure you already know if this will be a problem wherever you are.
This. Shoot it first. I hand picked mine and settled on the 4 th or 5th one. It ran fine out of the box.
OP, don’t know what the price is of the one your looking at but I saw one at a LGS last week for $700+ . . . :suicide:
I’ve had two, one ran like crap and the other has 11,000 rounds through it now with no problems. Totally depends on if you get a good one or not. The problem is, now that they have gone up in price, its a harder gamble to swallow if your wrong 
You can generally fix ANY WASR in two easy steps.
Take newly acquired WASR 10 and list it on Gunbroker for $1 start.
Take funds from Gunbroker sale, add money and purchase an Arsenal SGL21.
Enjoy your SGL21.
That made me laugh ! I purchased a WASR for $300 NIB and it had a bazzillion issues also. I didnt know any better at the time but tried to make it work but finally ditched with full disclosure to guy who loves to take wrecks and fix 'em…that was 5 years ago, he gave up and parted 90% of it out. Get the Arsenal save some grief & cash on repairs. AKs run & run, when there new and f$%^ed up out of the box thats a clue!
At the risk of sounding like a smart ass. Put a mag full of ammo in it, charge it, and shoot.
It’s an AK. WASRs are a hit and miss. Inspect it good before buying it, then take it out and shoot it. If it runs, it runs. Period
Quick update, I picked up the WASR and I’m considering myself lucky because everything looks pretty good. The front sight is canted just slightly to the left, which I’m sure I can compensate by adjusting the post . But other than that no real issues with the build.
I’m going to get a sling and light mount for it. Has anyone tried the RS Products BM-1?
I used to have a WASR and it was good to go. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but it shot bullets and was reliable. The only issues I ever had with it were the result of bad magazines, but after I identified the crap mags it was good to go, it even worked good with the crapco mag that came with the gun.
I ended up selling it last year to help fund a move. If I could find one for a decent price and have a chance to look it over, I would probably buy another one.
This
This is the correct answer.