AK purists crack me up! I did a “ride along” with OMON in Moscow. All those guys are veterans, and most are former Spetsnatz. They were all using some version of the AK-74, and they had a lot of leeway in how they had them set up.
Every AK I saw in their hands had some sort of RDS and flashlight on it. All had slings and very few ran the military-style sling.
Every single one had an “aftermarket” stock/PG/handguard on it. Stocks with adjustable LOP were the norm. Them boys work in a wide array of temperatures, so it makes sense to have an adjustable stock to make up for variances in clothing layers and body armor.
You know what I didn’t see on a single gun? Wood. Not a wood stock or handguard to be seen. I don’t remember seeing Bakelite either......maybe in some magazines.
American AK owners tend to have a lot of purists in their ranks, while the actual Russians running the guns for a living most definitely are NOT. It’s an interesting dichotomy. I think I trust the real Russkies on this one.
I think you are right. Though, are we purists or just stuck in 1984?

