The AKM is definitely the more practical gun. In fact it's probably the #1 most practical/useful gun in the game. It's got good power, zeroing, and very plentiful ammo. From a pure aesthetic/preference standpoint, the FN FAL is my favorite gun in the game: massive damage, 20 round mag, semi or burst, and the firing sound is ridiculously awesome. Seriously, it sounds like a cannon, and it does as much damage as most sniper rifles but has only iron sights, very manly. However, as mentioned upthread, FAL mags only drop at crashed helicopters, and sometimes not even at those, generally making it one of the least practical guns in the game. And the M14 AIM basically does everything the FAL does but better, while being only slightly less manly. At the end of the day I'd still take the FAL, especially if it came with a good amount of ammo, and either keep the AKM in my backpack or drop it if necessary. Another good thing about the AKM is that the gun itself is relatively common, so you'll find another one at some point.