There are a number of excellent gas piston rifles that are much more reliable and not far from the cost of ARs (especially with mass production) - the SCAR, ACR

There are a number of excellent gas piston rifles that are much more reliable and not far from the cost of ARs (especially with mass production) - the SCAR, ACR, HK416. One of these was supposed to become the new system, but it ended in a bureaucratic mire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_Carbine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_Carbine