Casp

1-2 minutes is plenty for me as well. There's no real reason to require an intermediate combat rifle to do better than 1 minute even with optics. The only reason I prefer the AR is the Evil E-word: ergonomics. I have no problems using an AK, but I prefer the fit and feel and manual-of-operation of the AR better, even in spite of the awkward charging handle location.

As to cheap weapons, what I was saying was a generalization. There are cheap ARs that aren't accurate, an...

Did that seriously cut off the end of my comment? Screw that.

There are cheap ARs that aren't accurate and there are cheap AKs that aren't reliable, but it's not the general rule. I know people who swear on the accuracy of their Vulcan and Olympic ARs but I would NEVER trust my life to one in combat. Conversely, I would never expect to win a high-power match with a WASR, but I know I can plow fields with it all day and it will still work.