Century Arms Draco
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 311 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
- Introduced
- 2009
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Century Arms Draco is a Romanian-built AK-pattern pistol chambered in 7.62x39mm - essentially a stockless, short-barreled AKM configured to qualify as a pistol under US firearms law. Imported from Cugir, Romania, the full-size Draco wears a 12.25-inch barrel, AK-pattern long-stroke gas action, wood handguard, and ships with a 30-round US Palm magazine. It is the platform that launched an entire category of large-format AK pistols in the American market.
The Draco's name became shorthand for the entire AK-pistol category in American gun culture, immortalized in hip-hop lyrics and prized for delivering rifle-caliber firepower in a short, stockless package that sidesteps NFA short-barreled-rifle rules.
MSRP approximately $1,000-1,045. SKU HG1916-N. Full-size Draco barrel is 12.25 inches. Frequently paired with arm braces by end users. Also offered in a Russian Red handguard variant.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Century Arms
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Romania
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2009
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 311 mm
- Overall length
- 470 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Stamped steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 640 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1640 J
- Effective range
- 150 m
- Maximum range
- 400 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Stamped receiver
Rotating bolt
Long stroke gas piston
Ak pattern action
No stock
Krinkov style muzzle device
Wood handguard
Us palm grip
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 2.72 kg | 794 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 470 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 311 mm | 102 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 30 | 8 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Century Arms Draco
How much does the Century Arms Draco weigh?
The Century Arms Draco weighs 2.72 kg (6.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Century Arms Draco?
The Century Arms Draco is chambered in 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the Century Arms Draco hold?
The Century Arms Draco holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Century Arms Draco?
The Century Arms Draco is 470 mm (18.5 in) long overall, with a 311 mm (12.2 in) barrel.
Who makes the Century Arms Draco?
The Century Arms Draco is made by Century Arms (United States).
When was the Century Arms Draco introduced?
The Century Arms Draco was introduced in 2009.
How does the Century Arms Draco operate?
The Century Arms Draco uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- US civilian market
- 2009
Provenance
Confidence in this record
80%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/century-draco' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "century-draco", "name": "Century Arms Draco", "manufacturer": { "id": "century-arms", "name": "Century Arms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1961, "website": "https://www.centuryarms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "updatedAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "version": "d154910cee52996c6c58a3547f2b9ddb0d09a05e3f5558d8d0e9eacd63185679" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "RO", "year_introduced": 2009, "barrel_length_mm": 311, "weight_empty_g": 2722, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}