This list is meant to provoke thought. You don’t have to agree with everything, and you don’t have to have the same priorities I do. These are just some of the factors that drove my choice.
One of the fun things about the AR-15 / M4 style rifles is that they are easy to mix/match with a huge variety of accessories, including optics. That same flexibility can also be confusing. For example, a short barrel rifle can shoot very accurately at long distances, so why not use a high power scope? My answer to that question is, “Go ahead.” However, for my rifles, I use the standard of, “Have a rationale.”
The Beretta 92/M9 variant was getting pretty long in the tooth. The weapon had served our military admirably, but I had no interest in owning one initially, other than some sense of obligation due to its place in history. But now, I have a new viewpoint