Hmmm,
OP in Germany, ever go hunting in the winter time? In sub-zero weather?
Ever notice you can wear gloves (nice warm gloves) and still use any of the Comblock firearms? How many U.S made firearms (military or sporting) can you do that with?
Ever ask yourself what the Russians were using when they regularly cleaned our clocks in virtually every international rifle match? All through the forties, fifties and most of the sixties. they weren't buying Remchesters and tweaking them.
My Makarov will feed empty cases from the magazines, much as i love the 1911's I've never seen one that could do that, and in over fifty years playing with them I've seen a few.
Issue accuraccy, acceptance criteria for the AKM was prox 12" at 300 meters for 50% hits on human size target, Acceptance for the M-16 was 6" at 100 yds, prox the same as the AK, Mosins and SKS did better, Acceptance for the M14 was ... 6" at 100 yards.
My VEPR in .308 , from the bench w/4 power scope and radway green will shoot 1-1 1/4 moa all day long at 100, 200 and 300 I haven't had a 500 yard range for many years.
Lots of reasons to respect and/or value the Russian firearms.
Don't believe I've repeated any of the (accurate) comments made before me.
I remember during WWII the armchair 'Experts' were guffawing at the little Jap soldiers with their cheap, ugly "little" 6.5 mm rifles, "hardly more than a .22" was one I still remember.
My Dad didn't think they were 'pip-squeak' cartridges, nor did my uncles, my later step-father, and the Guys I served with later, veterans from Guadalcanal on through Korea, didn't laugh at them either. Nor at the Chicom and Russian weapons used in Korea.
That experience helped convince me that the reason we so often find arrogance combined with ignorance is that they are in fact two sides of the same coin.
The Combloc weapons can have a lot going for them, but 'throwaways' they are not.
People that like them should buy, shoot and collect them, people that don't ... shouldn't.
All JMHO, as always, Others MMV, that's fine too!
Regards,