I think many of us have seen wild variations in quality of the Kalashnikov firearms.   Back in the early 1990s there were very inexpensive guns coming in from Eastern Europe.  The quality of many of these guns were pretty darn good.    As the years went by, the guns got worse and worse and I started to see my fair share of AK style weapons that did not live up to the AK47s reputation of reliability.   There were a few importers that were assembling guns that looked bad, but they worked very well.   Some rifle sights were misaligned but other than that, it was really all about the rifle stocks.

If you are interested in learning how to modify one of your Ak rifles.   A good starting point of figuring out what you can do and modify on your gun is to start with Tapco accessories.  If you are working on a stamped receiver, I suggest looking into the Tapco side folder, fixed stock or the T6 adjustable stock.   The M4 Carbine will always have an edge over the 7.62×39 style for speed, but you can make your AK style weapon into a BETTER CQB gun.   The pistol grip on the AK is also an easy change that will improve your hold on your firearm.  The AK family of rifles were mostly designed for shorter operators and for users wearing gloves and heavy jackets.  You should be able to modify your gun to be more comfortable and closer to you LOP if you feel the AK is too short for you.