just go to the range and see some one shoot it. It is ugly, but it needs to. Its sinister lines and fire spitting flash deflector make it very intimidating. Get shot at by one and even your trusted 1911 gives you little confidence of winning the fight. It makes people quake. It is the perfect thug and tyrant weapon.
However it was inherently designed with range and accuracy limitations because the spetznaz were using long range Dragunov to shoot at deserters.
There is a great scene in Enemy at the Gates with the Soviet blocking battalions shooting their M-1910 Maxim machine guns at soviet soldiers falling back from a failed attack.
The Dragunov came later.