I’m actually looking for a factual answer, but this thread may turn into IMHO. Note that I am not currently in the market for an AKM, and am just asking out of curiosity.
I used to have a Maadi AKM back in the '80s, which I recall was identical to the Russian ones. (Semiautomatic, of course. ) It had laminated stocks like this one. I don’t know who manufactures the AKMs currently sold in the U.S., but which ones will accept surplus laminated stocks? The ones with plastic stocks are just ugly, and the ones with solid wood stocks look too much like AK-47s.
the only thing you really have to worry about is whether a stock set is for a stamped or milled receiver. The Maadis (I had one myself) is a stamped receiver. I now have a Romanian WASR-10 which has a “laminated” (seriously, it’s plywood) stock like the Maadi did, and it’s also a stamped receiver.
) It had laminated stocks like this one. I don’t know who manufactures the AKMs currently sold in the U.S., but which ones will accept surplus laminated stocks? The ones with plastic stocks are just ugly, and the ones with solid wood stocks look too much like AK-47s.