One common comment i hear in defense of the AR platform is the shear number of that weapon across the US. Parts are plentiful. True enough. A similar thought for me is the 30-30 lever gun reasonable range, simple operation, hundreds of millions of that type across the country. And cheap, plentiful ammunition.
I have to admit I have a built in antiquated hatred for the AR simply because when first introduced to combat they were known to jam, where the M14 just kept on spitting bullets out the front end.
I often recall loading up on a Caribou sitting by a butter bar that had an M16, he noticed my M14 and wished he had one due to reliability issues.
My recollection is the AR was actually designed for the Air Force and worked quite well, when the Army got their hands on it they specified an ammo that was dirty, thus causing the jamming. Eventually the bugs were worked out and it is today a world renowned platform.
But I still prefer something SKS’ish or M14’ish.