Description
Probably no other 20th-century military arm has been as successful as the AK-47, which was developed by renowned Soviet firearm designer Mikhail Kalashnikov and adopted by the Soviet Union in 1947. Simple to produce and maintain, and extremely rugged and reliable, the selective-fire AK (or Avtomat Kalashnikova) was widely supplied to Warsaw Pact and Third World nations (as well as many revolutionary movements) by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.
Coincidentally, the rifle so often used against American forces during the past six decades utilizes the same basic operating principles as the M1 Garand. Propellant gas bled from the barrel impinges on a gas piston attached to the bolt carrier, which terminates in an angled cam track that engages a lug on the bolt head. As the bolt carrier moves to the rear, the bolt is cammed counterclockwise, turning its two locking lugs out of engagement with the receiver. With further rearward travel of the carrier and bolt, the case is extracted and ejected, the hammer is cocked, and the recoil spring is compressed. Finally, propelled by the recoil spring, the bolt and bolt carrier return forward, stripping a fresh round from the magazine, chambering the cartridge and camming the bolt back into lockup.
Introduced in January 2010, the Centurion 39 is a new semi-automatic version of the AK-47 design, and it retains all the signature AK features, such as the curved 30-round magazine, 7.62×39 mm chambering, and an oversize, right-side safety lever. Unlike other AKs sold in this country, which are usually assembled using foreign-made parts kits, the Centurion is made completely in the United States.
The Centurion 39 conveys an impression of extreme sturdiness, with robust and simple internal components, and a receiver machined from an 11-pound block of 4140 steel. Century Arms states that the rifle is also made to tighter tolerances than the original.
The Centurion, however, incorporates a number of changes to the original design. For example, its 16 1/2-inch barrel terminates in Century’s proprietary three-port Chevron Compensator. Created expressly for the Centurion, this removable unit more effectively directs propellant gas upward to reduce muzzle jump.
