the best magazines?????

[itsme1738]

what are the best mags to buy for my sar 3 in 223 556?....i hear tapcos are crap....looking at promags today...they need to be filed to fit correctly but i hear they are good after that,19.00 not bad

[hazmat]

On a SAR 3 I had a number of years ago, I modded some Bulgarian .223 mags to fit. You will need to file the back of the mag to get it to fit around the center support.

[FunkyPertwee]

These: https://www.apexgunparts.com/product_info.php/cPath/50/products_id/437

[btcave]

These: https://www.apexgunparts.com/product_info.php/cPath/50/products_id/437

These are the best. Worth every penny for an SAR-3. I own them for mine.


The high price is reflective of the current political environment. They should drop in price some in about a year.

[imanaknut]

The SAR-3 was designed by Romania to use the same mags as the German STG-940 rifle system, known as the Wieger system named for the city in Germany that they were built, "WIEsa GERmany". Because of this, the mag was also given that name, Wieger. So when people ask about the mag for an SAR-3, while many can be modified to work in it, there is only one mag specified for use in it, the German Wieger mag.

[FunkyPertwee]

These are the best. Worth every penny for an SAR-3. I own them for mine.


The high price is reflective of the current political environment. They should drop in price some in about a year.

They were $30 in 2010, and $47 in mid 2012. The supply is drying up regardless of politics, IMO.

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

Wiegers are perfect.


Bulgy 5.45 mags will work too if Modified.




I have a line on a Sar-3 with a pile of mags for $400 once the "time/owners baby is born"

[imanaknut]

They were $30 in 2010, and $47 in mid 2012. The supply is drying up regardless of politics, IMO.

You want to really get sick, when the SAR-3 first came out in 2000, mags were being sold in E. German raindrop camo bags, 4 mags per bag with a really nice cleaning kit and East German gray sling. Price was $49.95.

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

even lower at shows

they were down to $4 a mag....for the ORANGE bakelites, 4 mags and the raindrop pouch for $20.


then the other mags started rolling in and you got 4 brown/brick/tan/plum mags in a pouch for $32 shipped.

[FunkyPertwee]

You want to really get sick, when the SAR-3 first came out in 2000, mags were being sold in E. German raindrop camo bags, 4 mags per bag with a really nice cleaning kit and East German gray sling. Price was $49.95.

Ah, to be a young teenager on gunsnet wishing I could place orders on Aim surplus. Little did I know that when I grew up it would all be in high demand and short supply.

And to think back then all I heard was complaints from the old timers about how much better things were in the 80's....

[itsme1738]

well i bought 3 of the pro mags today......none fit.....i will take them back,they will not fully latch ,i could probably file a little off but ,i want to talk to the gun shop first
to make sure i dont void the warr

[imanaknut]

even lower at shows

they were down to $4 a mag....for the ORANGE bakelites, 4 mags and the raindrop pouch for $20.


then the other mags started rolling in and you got 4 brown/brick/tan/plum mags in a pouch for $32 shipped.

Sure the AK-74 mags were dirt cheap but you had to modify the feed lips to fit the .223/5.56x45 round, and have a mag that would function only if not full loaded. You would have to add a Robinson follower to make them fully functional, or modify the AK-74 follower for the correct feed angle of the .223. Don't remember how much the Robarm follower was, but without it, you had a pretty mag that didn't function at full or even near full capacity.

For me, the nice thing about buying the SAR-3 with the lip modified AK-74 mags was that I was able to use them in my SAR-2 with no problems, and keep the Wiegers with the SAR-3. More mags for the SAR-2 and correct mags for the SAR-3.

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

I remember the GIANT stickers on them that said "SAR-3" or ".223"




I think the robarms at the time were $3.95 IF you could get one. the guy I might be getting the Sar-3 from modified the followers in his and they run 100% .

[imanaknut]

I remember the GIANT stickers on them that said "SAR-3" or ".223"




I think the robarms at the time were $3.95 IF you could get one. the guy I might be getting the Sar-3 from modified the followers in his and they run 100% .

Second most important thing to think about when buying an SAR-3.

The first is to make sure the hammer strikes the bolt squarely. When Century imported the rifles, they removed the original fire control group and installed ones made for them to bring the rifle into line with the sporting purpose clause of the new ATF second amendment. If they didn't reprofile the hammer correctly it could damage the bolt after a while. The reason the hammer has a different profile is the bolt on the SAR-3 is shorter than the standard AK bolt, causing the hammer to have to travel further to strike the firing pin. I check for proper shape by using a piece of paper between the bolt and hammer, and just pull the hammer back a little to snap it onto the paper. It should leave a nice round or very very near round mark on the paper. If it only hits on a small spot you can either take a dremel and hand file to the hammer to get it square, or buy the correct SAR-3 hammer from Redstar Arms which I believe can be found at Blackjack Buffers.

[El Laton Caliente]

even lower at shows

they were down to $4 a mag....for the ORANGE bakelites, 4 mags and the raindrop pouch for $20.


then the other mags started rolling in and you got 4 brown/brick/tan/plum mags in a pouch for $32 shipped.

I remember Tapco had the AK74 mags four in a pouch for $7.95....

I just lucked into a dozen Wiegers for $25 each.... too bad I had already bought four from Apex for $46 each...

[ROCK ME AMADEUS]

:lool:


who wanted 4 mags for 7.95 when you could have painted FAL mags for $.99



oh how I'd love a time machine to do it all over again.

[El Laton Caliente]

The 50 cent G3 mags... $69 cases of Wolf 7.62x39... $150 cases of 1200 rounds of Port 7.62x51....

[itsme1738]

update....i took gun and mags back to the store and,sure enough,dont fit.....so we try every mag they got,none fit!i told him that,i had read about filing them,he said that i could try it ,i asked if it would void the warr. he didnt know so he called promag.....1 hour too late.I took them home and filed them anyway(whats 13 bux?)....about 20-30 light strokes with a medium file and they fit perfect!......so i did the next one,perfect and i broke the last one,(i forced too hard and broke the front catch off....my bad i think).......i call promag today,i talked to a tech,he said that the issue with AKs is the trigger guard, that,they are all not in the same place,some have 4 rivets,some 2....a 32nd a 16th a 64th sometimes makes all the difference for a mag to fit right! he told me to file them lightly untill they fit tight! usage would do the rest and,it would not void the warr.....this is common....he told me to send the broken one back and they would replce it no questions!....cool!


and i cycled 30 rounds through each mag.....worked perfect......hope i was not too long winded,just thought id share....jeff

[imanaknut]

Thanks for the update, and if you think you are long winded, you never read one of my posts describing certain AK variants! :smiley31:

Be careful hand cycling live rounds. While it is rare, a floating firing pin can leave a mark on a primer, and if the primer is soft enough (commercial ammo) you could have a minor problem at best, major trauma at worst.

The actual "tale of the tape" will come when you actually fire the rifle to see if all 30 rounds feed properly. I hope so because it would be nice to read about a mag other than the Wieger that works in the SAR-3, and Pro-mags don't have the best reputation for function, but it sounds like their customer service is A-1.

You wouldn't happen to have a picture or two you could post? The SAR-3 is a really nice, very special rifle and worth bragging about in pictures.

[itsme1738]

ill see if i can get i pic or 4 up.....

[itsme1738]

2466246624672468

http://www.gunsnet.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=2467&d=1364966046

[itsme1738]

wow i screwed that up.......bed time

[imanaknut]

The modified former East German AK-74 mag will work without the modified follower as long as you don't load it over 20 rounds.

[itsme1738]

another update......went to the range tue,i put 200+rounds down the pipe,had a blast!!!i never shot an AK before now,LOVE IT! i was able to get 2 inch groupes at 35 yards!.....promags worked perfect!!!! no problems! my bakolite mags however ,jammed every 3rd shot,(i never tried the steel 10 round).....any sugestions? i have a large pic of those in a earliler post,they came with the gun....

[imanaknut]

See the above posts about the East German "plastic" mags not functioning properly. It was unfortunate that Century took such a fine rifle and made it look bad by putting modified 5.45x39 AK-74 mags in the box with ".223" stamped on the floorplate and a huge sticker on it declaring it .223 only. WRONG!

I took all the modifed AK-74 mags that came with my SAR-3 and put them in the bag with my SAR-2 mags and never had a problem running 5.45x39 through them. Glad to hear that the promags worked. Most of them don't in other rifles, but every now and then they have to get one right.

As for suggestions, see above about the Wieger mags that the SAR-3 was designed around.

[itsme1738]

so you are telling me that they changed the floor plates put stickers and, called it good?...well shit! question then,will the mags still work with 545?.....im thinking i should try to sell/trade them then. a mag that dosent feed is worthless!.......mine did have those big white stickers on them!

[El Laton Caliente]

so you are telling me that they changed the floor plates put stickers and, called it good?...well shit! question then,will the mags still work with 545?.....im thinking i should try to sell/trade them then. a mag that dosent feed is worthless!.......mine did have those big white stickers on them!

The "full" Century mod was to bend the front of the follower up, grind the locking lug at a sharper angle and do a slight mod to the feed lips. OH, and paint a black band around the top and stamp .223 in the floor plate. Later, they went to the Roberson follower that theoretically would let you feed thirty rounds.

None of it worked well. The cartridges are just too different.

The Weigers work. Bulgie waffles will with a little fitting. Sounds like Promag will also...

[rshaneck2002]

Weiger mags if you can find any these days, a can of 7.62x39 or russian wolf 5.56 at $69 a can of a thousand man are those days are gone. bought and shot alot of it at those prices and right after 9/11 they were still $89. for a can of a thousand. I bought a Saiga in .223 from Dunhams sporting goods in 2002 for $189.00 and people laughed at me at the time at my local gun club, they dont laugh today. Converted it in 03 for another $60 worth of attachments from K-Var and still pop it off a few times each summer,looking forward to it this upcoming yr alot. One tough rifle, had to buy one in .308 soon after.

[itsme1738]

one of the 3 mags i have has black around the top....i will have to cpmpare the 3 more closely now...thanks