Century Arms C39V2 AK-47 Rifle Review and it's 100% American Made
I reviewed the first Century International Arms American made C39 Centurion rifle when it was first introduced and I loved it. That same C39 has been the base for many upgrades and reviews and along the way has been a perfectly reliable AK47.
That first C39 was well made, however it still did not "look" like a pretty high-end AK47. Century International Arms now is delivering their latest C39V2 model which offer a 100% US made AK47 with all the nice little touches you would expect from a gentleman's AK47.
Most people think of the AK47 as a thug and warlord gun, however with the C39V2, I think Century has added a little class back into the AK. If you think of the regular C39 as field grade then the C39v2 would be a Grade 1 gun with dressed up finish and furniture and features. 
At the heart of the C39V2, Century has carried over the 4140 ordnance grade steel receiver used on the C39 models but styled it subtly different with more rounded edges. Of note, the C39V2 also does not feature the second lower stock tang. Century included the extra lower tang and short reinforced stock hole on the C39 originally to add overall strength to the design, however in doing so they also made it almost impossible to change stocks. The C39V2 now features the same tang and stock specs of a stamped receiver so pretty much any stamped receiver stock will fit on the C39V2. A big thank you to Century for this. 
The C39V2 not only has a chrome lined barrel, but has been nitride treated as well for significantly improved corrosion resistance. The nitriding also delivers the look of a higher end barrel finish. Other new features are the T-paddle extended magazine release, two included Magpul AK Mags, bolt hold open safety, enhanced dust cover, and lightened bolt carrier assembly for improved performance. Century is also now including their new "enhanced trigger" which is the closest thing to a match trigger for AK47 on the market. 
The trigger is worlds better than the triggers typically found on AK's. On the C39V2, Century delivered very nice high end wood furniture. If I had a Russian grandpa Valdemar, he would be very proud of "dis vonderful and beautiful AK-47". The gun is so pretty and with such a nice finish that I can't help but want to send it off to WMD and have it NiBx coated to really bling it out completely.
The remaining internals and sights on the rifle remain unchanged. The removable Century chevron compensator remains as do the standard adjustable AK front sight pin and rear sight are fully windage and elevation adjustable up to 800 yards. I was a little disappointed that Century dropped the US flag on the side of the receiver. Instead a classy little C39V2 logo is in its place.
ACCURACY
When it comes to high end ammo, Hornady has a pretty nice selection. Like the C39, my best groups were from the Hornady Zombie Max ammo which is very close to Hornady’s top grade 7.62x39 steel cased ammo.
With the regular $6 a box Herters/Tula/Wolf ammo I saw around 4” groups at 100 yards off the rest with iron sights. However with the Hornady rounds my best group was in the 2” range at 100 yards. Add in a magnified 1-4x 3Gun scope and 100-yard groups should easily swing down to the 1.5" range. I think cobbling on an optic mount would take away from the beautiful look of this rifle. From my perspective its just fine with iron sights.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Just as Century International Arms did with the C39, they delivered an extremely well make 100% US AK-47 with the introduction of this C39V2 model. I never thought I would say it but I finally found a sharp looking AK47. 
Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever said an AK was nice looking, however the little touches on this AK actually make you think more in terms of grandpa's AK versus tactical thug. It isn't a Browning Citori from beauty perspective, however its lustrous barrel finish and high grade wood furniture give off the appearance of a hunting rifle. Consider that the 7.62x39 has just a bit more umph than the time proven 30-30 whitetail and hog round and you can easily consider slipping in a 5-round magazine for hunting. 
This new model offers AK-47 aficionados a very well appointed and nice looking firearm option with some well thought out refinements and performance upgrades which also add to the cosmetic quality feel of the rifle.
The previous C39 model received a lot of kudos at the range for its looks and quality. That noted the C39V2 grabs even more attention. Everyone has an AK-47, however not everyone has one that looks this nice all while being American made. Century Arms definitely has another winner which may become another great american hunting rifle.
SPECS
Century Arms International C39v2 RI2245-N
Semi Automatic Rifle
7.62x39mm
16.25" Barrel
1:10 Twist
Chrome Moly Nitride Treated Barrel
14x1 Metric Left Hand Threaded Muzzle
Milled Receiver 4140 Steel
Magpul Magazine - 30 Round
Century Arms International C39v2 RI2245-N
Semi Automatic Rifle
7.62x39mm
16.25" Barrel
1:10 Twist
Chrome Moly Nitride Treated Barrel
14x1 Metric Left Hand Threaded Muzzle
Milled Receiver 4140 Steel
Magpul Magazine - 30 Round
Premium Wood Furniture - AKM Furniture Compatible
Plastic Pistol Grip
Black Finish
35.25" Overall Length
8.2 Pounds
100% American Made
Street Price: $739
Plastic Pistol Grip
Black Finish
35.25" Overall Length
8.2 Pounds
100% American Made
Street Price: $739
Century Arms - www.centuryarms.com
14 comments:
The barrel isn't chrome lined. Just nitride treated. There's compelling arguments that nitriding is superior in almost every way to chrome lining.
Yet they couldn't somehow find a wooden pistol grip to match the nice furniture elsewhere on the gun. Typical Century Arms...
You sure they didn't just put a Tapco G2 trigger in there? Plus, they couldn't somehow find a wooden pistol grip to match the nice furniture elsewhere on the gun. Typical Century Arms, trying to improve their market share and quality reputation, and missing by just that much...
The trigger is Century's own design its known as the the rak 1. From everything I've heard it's one of the very best AK triggers on the market.My only complaint is that there is no FREAKING SIDE RAIL, why make a 2MOA gun with no easy way to attach optics.The pistol grip looks cool.
Elias Tyson, you can always get a parabellum top rail or Texas weapons systems top rail......
Elias Tyson, you can always get a parabellum top rail or Texas weapons systems top rail......
For the price they want for this rifle Century should have included a side mount for a scope attachment. This oversight guarantees that I will not buy this rifle.
The distributors are all saying that the rifle does indeed come with a chrome lined barrel by the way, whether Century treated it with Nitride as well is not mentioned. I do not yet trust these new "last forever" barrel treatments and wont for a couple of decades when they have proven their longevity like the chrome lined bore in my SLR95 has proven itself over the past 20 some odd years and over 45,000 rounds with no signs at all of wear to its chrome lining. Still waiting for a failure to fire not caused by a faulty primer with that SLR95. Does anyone think that ANY Century product will stand up to two decades of hard use? If so, I have a bridge to sell you located in New York City. Century, with VERY few exceptions sells crap and always has. They are the company that foisted off the WASR to probably hundreds of thousands of disappointed buyers who found they owned a problematic AK that often needed immediate attention before the first round could be fired what with misaligned gas tubes and a myriad of other problems. But Century laughed their way to the bank knowing how very few people would take advantage of their meager single year warranty on those junker rifles. Everything Century touches turns to crap if it didn't start out as crap to begin with with VERY few exceptions such as their imports of some Euro handguns. I have yet to run across a properly made AK made available by Century. I would LOVE to have their 7.62X39 version of the RPK but again, no side mount. You telling me that a sniper variant of the AK doesnt need a scope? Some fellow mentioned that you can always replace the top sight and go with a pickatinnie top rail and yep, you can do that for another $100 or more. Why the heck didn't Century just include a side mount or offer to add one for free if someone sends in their rifle for such an addition. If anyone at Century is looking at this and will offer to add a side mount for a scope rail for either the C39v2 or the C39v2 RPK please shoot me an email telling me where to send it. My email address is: dmath76@hotmail.com heck, I might even pay the few dollars that the side mount costs if Century would just be good enough to install and align it properly. I will already be out the freight of sending the rifle in for such an install but will gladly do so and will indeed purchase the RPK version of this rifle if Century would simply do what they should have done when initially offering these rifles to the public.
Wow, we are whining about the inability to put an optic on an AK out of the box??? These aren't sniper rifles, they are intended to be shot with iron sights. If you want a rifle that is capable of fully utilizing optics, buy a rifle meant for precision shooting. This was meant to be a gun that could go through hell and back and still fire...not shoot the balls off a gnat at 300 yards.
I was ready to purchase a C39V2 AK and then I noticed NO SIDE RAIL... Why???
Bought a C39 v2 installed a TWS gen 3 dog leg pins to front sight easy scope comes off easy when top cover is removed! Scope is a Leupold VX Hog 1-4x20mm works well up to about 300 yards! I installed see thru ring had lost my rear sight because of mount on dog leg rail, added the gen 3 peep sight in case I lost zero of scope! Had to add 3/4 cheek riser, really nice set up for hogs! Try it it not cheap but you will like it!
I have C39v2 and installed a AK master mount and works very good. No drilling into the receiver you use the supplies pins to install and no longer need the retaining pin. This will solve the complaint about the side mount less the fee for the mount.
I own 2 century's and both are great shooters. 1 is the polish underfunded they did in a limited run of nodak spuds, it is excellent shooter and accurate to boot. The first was a 375.00 wasr back in 2011 and it did have canted sights, however I sent an email to Century, I was in manufacturing and offshore sourcing and reverse engineering for automotive industry, they took care of me more than a year after buying about 2 actually. They also rechecked the head spacing as I asked and made all the corrections needed, that one is a great field rifle. Just my experience thought I'd share it.
I own 2 century's and both are great shooters. 1 is the polish underfunded they did in a limited run of nodak spuds, it is excellent shooter and accurate to boot. The first was a 375.00 wasr back in 2011 and it did have canted sights, however I sent an email to Century, I was in manufacturing and offshore sourcing and reverse engineering for automotive industry, they took care of me more than a year after buying about 2 actually. They also rechecked the head spacing as I asked and made all the corrections needed, that one is a great field rifle. Just my experience thought I'd share it.
I own 2 century's and both are great shooters. 1 is the polish underfunded they did in a limited run of nodak spuds, it is excellent shooter and accurate to boot. The first was a 375.00 wasr back in 2011 and it did have canted sights, however I sent an email to Century, I was in manufacturing and offshore sourcing and reverse engineering for automotive industry, they took care of me more than a year after buying about 2 actually. They also rechecked the head spacing as I asked and made all the corrections needed, that one is a great field rifle. Just my experience thought I'd share it.
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