Completely agree with your experience of the folding stocks. Having used a few guns with folding stocks I can say that the only advantage they offer is in compact storage for transportation. You really can't fire a folded rifle accurately and make consistent follow up shots even if you use the "pushing the sling forward" technique, so folders are not that practical in CQB or firing from vehicles.
Even still, a lot of the guns are not that easily transported when folded, especially for side folders. Yes the overall length of the gun is reduced when you fold it, but its thickness can be doubled when you fold it to the side. Unless you have a wire style folding stock like MP7, AKMS or similar, I'm not sure folding a gun necessarily saves all that much space unless your gun case is designed for it to be folded. (some of my gun cases are not wide enough to allow for the storage of folded G36 and UMP, but a folded VZ58 is okay)
With regards to the charging handle I also really agree with your point after a recent trip to the range with a friend. He has a SKS that jammed up real bad, a unfired round will not fully load into the chamber and will not extract. My friend cut up his hand real bad trying to use a knife to get it out and it didn't work. I got it out by re-inserting the bolt and let it catch the round, and smack the living f**k out of the gun onto the ground trying to pull the charging handle back. After a few hard smacks the round finally flew out. If a AR-15, QBZ95 or guns without pronounced charging handles are stuck like that, you need some serious tools to be able to clear that jam.
So the simplistic design of the charging handle (like a AK style) for QBZ191 offers the advantage of allowing the users to smack the f**k out of it (or mortaring, the more civilized way to call it) when a round is really jammed up in there. (you can probably use your foot to kick the charging handle down, that should work as well, as long as you make sure to not put your face in front of the barrel)
Glad you point it out too, AK100s, and the new generation of AKs shoot real smooth, at least from the videos I have seen! I AK103 as well, and it shoots 7.62x39 like it is a 556!
I guess buffer tube isn't everything, the overall design of the gun and how recoil impulses travel down the gun matters as well.
As a terrible example of gun design, I have a UMP-9 at home. I don't know if it is the blowback system or its bolt being so heavy, that thing feels like it recoils harder than a 556, even though it is only a 9mm...
From the videos I have seen of the QBZ191 firing (which is not a lot), it does look like it has a bit more recoil than a M4. But then again, when I think about it, all 5.8mm guns seem like they have a bit more recoil than 556 guns. So I don't know what is a realistic expectation to have about QBZ191's recoil, and how low is reasonably low.
