EmericD said:

lazy and highly sucessful at the same time...

It means only one thing - the others (especially the US) did an even worse job in that regard. I'm not so sure about the french AAT-52, but from little I've heard it was also not a great success, too. It's like running away from the bear - you do not have to be the fastest runner to survive, just not the slowest one.

The machined and riveted receiver and the rear locking bolt of the MAG were an old tech by late 1950s.

There is an old (1990 dated)  document that compares M16A1 and A2 (which should be a bit more accurate than the M4) with the AKM and AK74, although the provenance and conditions of the Soviet rifles and ammunition are not known, and only single specimens were tested. Yet, it is of some interest, I think

here's the key data:

Full report can be downloaded here. for example: https://disk.yandex.ru/i/dSSvQGyIhGrY5

JPeelen said:

Generally, comparisons are tricky, because one has to take into account that dispersion tests of an ordinary production weapon(!) are done very differently compared to ammunition(!) testing from a precision barrel.  Available numbers usually are from ammunition testing

The ammo component is very important.

The 'SOCOM' profile barrel of the M4A1 is capable of excellent accuracy when using good ammo:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/Colt-M4A1-SOCOM-Barrel-Accuracy-Another-Look/118-762088/?page=1

However US made M855 is notoriously some of the least accurate 5.56 ammo on the market (almost always worse then foreign SS109), with Winchester made M855 being atrocious.

I suspect military ammo is usually the limiting factor for weapon accuracy rather than barrel quality. 

Would be fun to see match 5.45 handloads vs match 5.56 for an AK74 vs M4A1 accuracy comparison. 

Farmplinker said:

As a member of the Carry Handle Cult

I admit I am a sucker for carry handle aesthetic as well:

gatnerd said:

Would be fun to see match 5.45 handloads vs match 5.56 for an AK74 vs M4A1 accuracy comparison.

I think the simplest apple to apple comparison would be to get a quality 5.56mm AK (101 or some other) and to fire same types of ammo through the M4 and AK

As for handloading, I'm yet to see the match-grade brass cases and brass-jacketed 5.45 bullets, at least here in Russia.

mpopenker said:

5.56mm AK (101 or some other) and to fire same types of ammo through the M4 and AK

Thats very clever, and I agree that would provide the best 1:1 mechanical comparison.

Here's an Arsenal made 5.56 AK, getting under 2 moa. I regret not snagging one of these when they were more reasonably priced.

https://youtu.be/bow9Mstgz8Q?t=302

If the US Army could figure out you don't need a full-power rifle for battlefield marksmen, I would have thought Russia would have issued an accurized AK-74 to replace the SVD decades ago.

Soviet army was rather critical about American views on the warfare in general and small arms in particular

Some Western ideas were tried, scientifically tested, approved and embraced, such as was the case with the SCHV ammunition, other were tried and then rejected. Some were ignored.

In fact, as the US and NATO found out in the Afghanistan, the Soviet concept of the squad-level full power semi-automatic marksman rifle to complement the SCHV assault rifle was the right one.

Out of curiosity, what were the ideas tested and rejected, and what were the ones ignored?

Hmm.  Did I miss something?  When did the US Army conclude that you don't need a full-power rifle for battlefield marksmen?

Afghanistan, 2003

Iraq, 2004

Afghanistan, 2013

Djibouti, 2022