Right. The AK was an almost perfect tool for its intended use. That cannot be said for many weapons.
But the same can be said of the M-16. Aside frome some early stupidity, it has always been an effective weapon. I’ll take professional soldiers with M16s over peasants with AKs any day.
But I’ve seen shows do side by side comparisons, as if all else was equal, andthat doesn’t work. Like comparing PCs, laptops, tablets, and my cell. Compare them all under the same criteria, like sitting at a desk with performance demands, and you get a who is best/who is worst. Of course there are other factors.
Same with a carbine, rifle, pistol, shotgun. There are always tradeoffs.