I’ll keep my Saiga TYVM.
I like my IMI Golani in 5.56mm, also a Kalashnikov derivative. All steel except the folding stock. Replaced the plastic with wood.
Never liked M-16s. In Vietnam I carried a folder AK in the cockpit but an M-16 on ground duty. Plastic & aluminum - yuk. Went back in the reserves & carried a M-16A2. Better, but I still dig the AK.
Anyway, good to know that AR-15 ownership is proliferating. Makes Schumer & Feinstein sh*t square nickels knowing AR-15’s are out there in the millions. Molon labe!
IMO, the AR15 is a nice to have, maybe, gun one purchases after getting two others. If self or home defense is your primary concern,then your 1st choice will be a concealable pistol or revolver that can be and is carried or within easy reach at all times where it is legal to do so. The 2nd choice will be a shotgun because of it’s versatility. With the right loads, one can hunt anything from squirrels to white tail deer and wild boar. And if you can get to it in time, it makes a great home defense weapon. Personally, I don’t see myself ever buying an AR15.