Russia must replace Kalashnikovs with American and French rifles?

Evil Dragunov gets the job done

Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has caused quite a controversy...with his remarks about Russian small arms, particularly the legendary Kalashkikovs and the Dragunov SVD sniper rifles. Mr. Serdyukov stated that the Russian small arms had become outdated, and added that Russia could purchase small arms from abroad...What do Russian professions think on the subject? "Foreigners admit that Russian small arms are one of the best in the world. Just show me a foreign rifle which would compete with a Russian one on all specifications, including the integrity level..."The sitting Russian defense minister is not a military man - this is the problem. How can he judge the advantages and disadvantages of this or that type of weapon? The people who do not have an expert opinion in such questions should not make such important decisions, because they may lead to lamentable consequences in the future...What is good about Kalashnikovs? They are simple and easy to use. This is an unrivaled rifle from this point of view. These rifles were designed for mass production, for large classic wars. However, Russia has other, more modern types of small arms, such as Nikonov assault rifle. However, unlike the Kalashnikov, the Nikonov does not have the advantages of the legendary AK-74 - its easy use, for example. Its flaws include insufficient accuracy and a high rate of the consumption of cartridges. Their accuracy range of 400 meters is not enough for present-day warfare...It has one big advantage, though: anyone can shoot from this rifle. If you drop it in the sand or in the dirt - nothing will happen to the rifle..."As for foreign small arms, let's take, for instance, American and Israeli arms. They are high precision weapons, but they are designed for very accurate and responsible soldiers, who do not forget to clean them. I believe that it is unrealistic and unnecessary for Russia to purchase small arms from other countries,"...-----Full Article at English Pravda-----Shades of the anti-gun nuts in the USA, who also are woefully ignorant about firearms but lord it over with the power to ban firearms but are "people who do not have an expert opinion in such questions" that "should not make such important decisions, because they may lead to lamentable consequences"...the Russian Vs. Western firearms controversy will likely never be settled, as both have advantages and disadvantages which seem to cancel each other out in real world life/death situations. The effective operator should choose what works for them and go from there...(S9)