I voted Saiga and convert since you specified as a shooter, I think this is the best value.
But you are covering a 5X+ spread in price in your list.
As a collectible, I agree the Valmet or IMI Galil would be the one to get, but Galil mags are problematic unless you already have them as what you can find now is either expensive or in not very good shape, if not both.
Valmet mags could be a problem too if they don't use the standard AK mags, I'm not very familiar with the Valmet.
I've a milled Arsenal and I fail to understand why folks insist they are "better". They are heavier, that's about it.
As told on the History Channel's "Tales Of The Gun" The AK originally was designed for a stamped receiver, but the Soviet production methods of the time were not up to it, so they came up with the milled receiver as something they could actually produce. But as they show said, starting with an 8 lb block to end up with a 2 lb receiver was horribly inefficient, even for the Soviet standards of the day. They switch to stamped as soon as the production methods were figured out.
--wally.
