still shootable?
Sure it is. But that doesnt mean they still dont suck. I agree its important to train and be proficient with what u have or were issued. But at the same time improving the gear can certainly reduce strain and increase your efficiency by a huge amount as well.
I shot the Cabin Fever Challenge back in 2018 with my Type 81sa rifle in stock configuration. I really had to try hard to achieve a score somewhere around 60. But yet the following year i attempted it again, with a muzzle brake and PKA optic equipped, and with relative ease managed to score 112. While wearing a Soviet officers jacket to boot haha it demonstrated to me just how much of a dissadvantage the irons were on my Type 81sa.
In 2018 i also used my Colt A2 Hbar with a carry handle upper. In stock form with the ghost ring sights i managed to score 105 with extreme ease. That showed me how properly designed irons can almost hold their own to optics.