The AR has blossomed over the last couple decades, moving from its bare-bones military roots to a platform that has more variations on the theme and more applications than most of us would ever have imagined. From humble 5.56mm-chambered rifles scarcely removed from their combat-mission predecessor, the AR has morphed into a long-range hero, a big-game and varmint hunting rifle, a pistol, a fast-action competition rifle, and pretty much everything in-between.

All well and good, but through the innumerable metamorphoses, the core of the AR held fast in the minds of most shooters. Strip away the gadgetry and whizmos and you have a defensive platform at heart and the reason for its continued popularity. When personal defense advocates consider a rifle, it is the modern AR that jumps to the front of the discussion almost every time.