I think for some it's trying to match the classic looks of an AKM with it's slant brake or the AK74 with it's ubiquitous brake, you rarely see 74's sans brake.

On the other hand I think it's because the pre-ban rifles had threaded muzzles and you could screw on whatever you pleased that fit. Flash hiders/brakes/dummy suppressors. I've got quite an assortment of brakes and flash hiders ready for some post-Sept. fun. Options man, it's all about having options!

As for the AK's in the news pics, not only are they often lacking muzzle devices, most appear to suffer from serious use/neglect. Just another small part to lose...

If I lived on a dirt floor I imagine there'd be all kinds of stuff mashed into the dirt.

I will guess that it is because the extra work and expence is more then it is worth to the makers of these guns in some ut of the way part of the world!  With the guns you are talking about they are likely not made in Russia, Poland, Romania, or Hungary but instead some back room workshop...

Just a guess...

Now, I have never shot a full auto AK yet but I have shot the 7.62x39 in full auto from my AR-15 with a rLL and frankly the recoil of the 7.62x39 doesn't seem so bad that you really need the gadget anyways...  Hell, in a comparable upper I think the 223 may jump more then the 7.62x39 so perhaps we need these on the M-16...  Just Kidding but you get the point!

i think it is due, in part for us westerners, to it being an "evil" and restricted feature (hopefully this will all be a bad dream come september 14th) and we always want what we can't have because it has been deemed "bad" for you and the children.

Quoted: Of course what do those foreigners know, they only use thier guns in combat, they hardly ever take them target shooting.

Based on all the pics of the AKs in Iraq with no stocks... I will bet our military is glad they never practice or they might just keep the weapon in a configuration they can aim as opposed to point!

The main reason I enjoy having muzzle attachments on the end of my barrel is to protect the muzzle.

I was standing on a bridge on an old RR track which is now a ranch road.  My buddy and I were looking down at the creek below.  It was winter and the rut of the road was an icy trough.  I lost my footing and fell very quickly... Instead of going all the way down to the RR bed or worse, to the creek below- I found myself supported!  My handy little Bushmaster 16" postban carbine; which I was holding by the pistol grip w/ the muzzle down had caught be in the fall. As I went down, the muzzle slammed into the road and  I used it basically like a cane to assist myself back to balance.  

I stopped, took out my cleaning rod and pushed the ice out of the bore.  Then I took a peak at the muzzle which after crashing through 1-2" of ice had found it's way to a nice solid piece of basalt (or whatever those lava looking rocks they line RR beds with are)  The crown had a nice gash in it.  On that day, I began praying that all folks who wish to ban firearms based on appearance would catch quick acting consumptive herpes and rot to hell.

My Bulgarian SLRs both have those 3 chamber brakes which every purist apparently hates.  To me, they protect the barrel and don't elevate the decibel level to uncomfortable levels- in my book they're a welcome addition as they PROTECT the muzzle.

Sly

Most of the AKs in the third world are left-overs from the Soviet Union.

It's a matter of giving. Every time the Soviets switched from an old platform to a new one, they completely re-armed all thier troops and all remaining weapons were either stockpiled for reserves/schools/training, or given away to anyone who either supported communism or was fighting a war.
It's just that when the switch to the AK74M platform came, the old '74 platform had nowhere to go. No major conflicts, plus there was that whole global arms control thing. I honestly have no idea what happened to the '74 platform. Probably left in reserve stockpiles or less likely, re-arsenaled to the '74M type.

My bayonet is floppy without a muzzle device.

Granted, I dont have a bayo lug or a muzzle device on it right now, but when the ban is up.....