Nitesite, congrats. I've never owned a Century (American) made AK and like you and others stated the company had some quality issues on back. Glad (hopefully) that has all changed.
The AK market, like other things touched by our governemnt, has been screwed up for years. Wholesalers imported quality mil spec weapons from places like Romania and were forced to make them 922 compliant. And in some (actually most) cases the aftermarket parts they used were junk plus because of untrained installers, this caused 90% of the issues with these weapons. Many AK owners have been forced to redo their own guns.
And in some cases magazines vary from country to country and wholesalers here, during the 922 process, were actually trying to remanufacture wrong mags to fit the guns they were trying to sell. I have three slab side mags that some idiot tried to dremel to make work in a different AK. And they are now junk.
All this said, the AK is a great battle rifle that runs in all conditions. I've taken guns covered with mud/debris and washed them out with a water hose or dunked them in a creek and they are fully functional without any field stripping or additional cleaning. They run dry which is great in desert conditions and their components are absolutely simple to maintain.
Congrats on your first purchase. One is not enough. Hopefully you can find an old one manufactured in the eastern block. They are typically outstanding. I have a Romanian AK manufactured in 1970 and it runs like new. And still has the original bayonet!
Still some Russian ammo on the market that was imported before the recent governemnt ban. Good time to stock up despite higher prices. AKs love steel cased ammo. SGammo out of Oklahoma is a good source for Russian ammo.
Regards