Century Arms Zastava PAP M90NP 5.56mm AK-Style Rifle

Rather, the AK-47 was a hybrid rifle based on several other successful designs. It utilized the trigger mechanism, double locking lugs and unlocking raceway of the U.S. M1 Garand, the safety of the John Browning designed Remington Model 8 with the gas system and intermediate size cartridge of the German Sturmgewehr 44.

Century International Arms has combined a battle-proven design with new parts to make the PAP M70, a hard-hitting, smooth-handling and rugged tactical carbine. Built by Zastava, the same factory that produced the M70B1 and M70AB2 for the former Yugoslavia, PAP rifles represent civilian versions of the M70 series. Century Arms performs the necessary BATF 922r compliant modifications that allow this rifle to be legally sold on the U.S. market.

These include U.S. made parts such as the trigger, hammer, disconnector, compensator and gas piston which are investment cast from 4140 steel and manufactured by Thompson Investment Castings. The checkered polymer pistol grip is also American made. To help alleviate trigger slap, a TAPCO G2 trigger group has been installed.

With the sunsetting of the assault weapons ban back in September 2004, semi- automatic rifles are again allowed to have threaded muzzles, folding stocks and bayonet lugs. Consequently, the Zastava PAP M70 has a threaded muzzle with removable slant break and a bayonet lug.

Currently, the Zastava PAP M70 requires Century Arms to thread the muzzles and weld on the bayonet lug. It has a thicker stamped steel receiver that is equipped with a side rail scope mount for attaching an Eastern bloc style optics mount, which provide a handy quick detach system that also allows the shooter to fully maintain use of the iron sights. A 7.62X39 chambered 16.25″ hammer forged barrel is brand new and considerably more accurate than standard mil-spec surplus.

At the heart of the design is its Kalashnikov long stroke gas piston system. A gas port in the barrel, located at the 45-degree-angled gas block roughly 2 inches forward of the handguard, taps gas off the bore when a cartridge is fired.

This gas impacts against the forward face of a large gas piston, which is affixed directly to the bolt carrier assembly. As a result, the force of the gas pushes back this large, heavy chunk of steel to rotate and unlock the dual-lugged bolt from its locking recesses to cycle the action.

The bolt carrier and piston are a one-piece unit. A fixed cam on the bolt rides in a kidney-shaped groove in the underside of the carrier that rotates the bolt in and out of battery. Two horizontally opposed lugs on the bolt body lock up in corresponding locking recesses in a barrel block that is housed in the stamped steel receiver.