So how is it possible to select a single "ideal rifle"? And furthermore, why bother selecting a single rifle?

The answer to the latter is easier. Most do not select a single rifle. They have a selection, which they can call upon for the specific task at hand. This is perhaps the ideal condition, but in this article we’re operating under the premise that a single choice needs to be made. A single choice allows for better familiarity, consistent operation, and all resources are focused on a single firearm (ammo, tools, training, parts and accessories). In some situations, you may only be able to carry a single firearm, and thus be forced into the decision. It is not practical to travel by foot carrying multiple long guns, particularly over any period of time.

In modern times, one could argue the dependency for survival on a rifle is not what it may have once been. We have burglar alarms, cellular phones, laws and police forces, a powerful army, and technology has made us safer than ever. At the same time, technology has made us more vulnerable than ever before. A small group has the potential to wipe out millions of people with a single nuclear weapon. The fall of the Soviet Union has loosened the control over its existing nuclear weapons, and third-world countries can have nuclear arsenals. The threats from crime, terrorism, natural disaster, and weapons of mass destruction are real. If something were to happen today, you would need to have made a decision about the rifle you would select and be prepared for such an event.

So the need to select a "survival" rifle is real. Selecting a single "ideal rifle" is not easy. The AR-15 series of rifles comes out ahead when compared to everything else. In the text that follows, this article will attempt to justify that decision, as well as to take it a step further and specify a single configuration of the AR-15 that is "ideal".  Keep in mind that this is a single opinion in an exercise to select a general-purpose tool for a great number of possible scenarios. This means that while the selected rifle may not be the best choice for a particular scenario, it is the best choice when all those scenarios are viewed as a whole.

The "ideal rifle" as described above is an AR-15 with a short (14.5 or 16) lightweight or M4-contoured barrel with 1/7 or 1/9 twist (latter preferred), flash hider, M4 collapsible stock, A1 carry handle receiver (with A2 aperture). Options can include illuminated optical sight and a weapon-mounted light. A scope can re-balance a front-heavy rifle (caused by tactical light). This configuration gives the greatest flexibility under a variety of conditions, and performs its duties as well as or better than any alternative.

The need for self defense under unpredictable geography, weather, and conditions is common to every military force. It is also common to police forces and anyone interested in "survival." A large portion of the world’s armies has adopted the AR-15 in its various forms, and currently police departments throughout the world are making the switch. The U.S. military, perhaps the best equipped Army in the world has recently begun deploying it’s new generation rifle to it’s forces: an AR-15 with a collapsible stock, short barrel, and optical sights where appropriate. Millions of dollars on research and development have been spent to find the "ideal rifle" and the AR-15 has once again risen to the top.