By Jerry Ahern, Photos by Sharon AhernI’ve lately become an ardent fan of the AK-47

type rifle. Most of these rifles found in the UnitedStates are an amalgam of overseas-made parts thatare legally importable and U.S.A. made parts thatconform to all the BATFE regulations, so the resultis a semi-automatic only military sporter, whichcannot be converted to selective fire in the normalcourse of events. Oft times erroneously, gunnypeople, including writers like myself, will refer tothese AK-type firearms and similar militarilyinspired weapons as semi-automatic or civilian-legal assault rifles. Granted, in apinch, with really fast triggerwork, an operator familiar withthe firearm can lay down a pret-ty decent amount of suppressivefire in semi-automatic modeonly. These are sporterized mili-tary firearms that can be useddefensively; but, where legal todo so, can be taken into thegame fields or used in recreational shooting activi-ties for target practice and the like.

What was missing up until this time was an AK-47 type firearm made completely from Americanparts, one that was capable, without alteration, ofaccepting Picatinny/universal rail accessories,

accepted conventional AK-47 magazines and hada stock that was upsized to allow greater compati-bility with the typically larger American physique.

The most widely disseminated personalweapon on the planet in the modern age is theAK-47. As this is written in November of 2010, thenext day will be the tenth and that will be the 91stbirthday of the AK-47’s designer, Mikhail Kalash-nikov. As Americans, we may not have always

been thrilled with the uses towhich AKs were put; but, sinceits finalization in 1947 and stillto this day in military service,the AK-47 has an enviable repu-tation for ruggedness, simplicityand reliability.

This all-American-made AK-47 has some other unique fea-tures not found on all AKs. The

receiver is machined from a solid block of ord-nance steel. I mentioned this to my friend SidWoodcock, the designer of the Detonics .45 andan all-around world-class weapons expert. With-out hesitation, Sid told me the weapon wouldprobably last a lifetime because of that.

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Clockwise from top: 1.) The Centurion 39 with 30-round magazine and Crimson Trace light/laser/verticalfore end unit. 2.) The manufacturing data and an Ameri-can Flag can be seen on the Centurion 39’s receiver.3.) In addition to the muzzle, the laser and the light, theorange post front sight is readily visible here. 4.) Withthe five-round magazine in place, the AK-type rifle willhave a lower profile for bench and prone positions. A30-round magazine is shown below the rifle.

Ahern Under the Gun: Centurion 39, The ALL-AMERICAN-MADE AK-47

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The most widely disseminated personalweapon on the planet

in the modern age is the AK-47.

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