Explanation: Due to the general design excellence of the Soviet AKM, and a variety of problems with the early releases of the American M16 rifle*, US troops in the Vietnam War are recorded as having sometimes preferred the AKM (something NOT sanctioned by regulations) for combat. This creates… logistical issues, and in the low-visibility conditions of jungle warfare, often friendly-fire issues as well, since the sound of an AKM firing is distinctly differently from an M16.

It must be enemy fire if it’s an AKM, right?

It fucking should be, but hey, no one ever said war was simple…

My grandfather, a Vietnam vet, held a lifelong dislike of the M16, and spoke highly of the AKM, though he never ‘swapped out’ his own firearm.

*included, but not limited to, poor maintenance instructions issued to poorly trained recruits, susceptibility to jamming in the harsh elements of the wet and muddy Vietnamese jungles, a round that had trouble maintaining accuracy and power through dense jungle foliage, and a general distrust of the lightweight M16 by soldiers used to more ‘sturdy’ and heavy firearms.