HI
First, I never said all "variants" were the same, nor do they perform the same. Aspects of a firearm such as barrel length, weight, lining, muzzle brake style, fittings, method of attachment, rifling twist, and even age/use can cause variants of the same style to differ in performance. Stocks, grips, mode of fire, and every functional component can also cause variances in performance data. What I'm talking about is when a weapon is a nearly 100% identical copy of another other than the name. Where every little part is interchangeable with the other. Where upon inspection, with markings removed, one person could not tell the difference between the two, then I really don't see the point in having them.
You are trying to compare an M4 with an M16, or an AK-47 with an AK-74? Those are completely different weapon systems, with different calibers, barrel lengths, or other major functional differences. There are no simple cosmetic differences between them.
If someone were to lead me to a table covered in different AK-47's, all fresh from the factory with identical handling and identical number of rounds put through them, but just made by a different factory, then nearly 99% of them will fire the same. Sure, different factories will have different tolerances that lead them to produce items that are slightly better or worse than the other, but their overall performance difference is going to be so slight that the average shooter will not be able to tell. I'm talking very minimal MOA changes, doesn't matter if it was made in Russia, China, Yugoslavia, or wherever.
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