Well seeing how this thread has been brought back...
Like Targan, I have a deep affection for the L1A1 SLR but because we're talking US weapons here, my favourite US bangstick would be the Stoner 63 system.
I know it's heavy for a rifle but with the extra parts, you can change it to a light MG with different types of ammo feed.
And if you simply must have 7.62mm NATO as well (hey, I certainly would!), there's the Stoner 62 family, the 7.62mm design that the -63 evolved from.
Irrespective of all that and the weight, I've always liked the look of the -63 series.

Stoner 63 in rifle configuration
http://world.guns.ru/userfiles/image...Stoner63-2.jpg

Getting back on favorite U.S. weapons: the M-16/CAR-15/M-4, followed by the M1 Tommy Gun, the M-14, and the Ma Deuce .50 cal.

1911
 

nines are ok but I like the .45.
I have carried almost all of Col. Colt's versions but I like the Commander. We had a smith here that made one as good or better than any national match.
I could take out ten bowling pins at fifteen yards in 11.4 seconds. yep reload and all.
I could see in those days and I will not tell you how much of the Sheriff's money got spent on ammo.

How big are you?
 

I used that .45 gun with the stick mag.
hold low left and end high right. Three round burst.
the Ma 2 is maybe the worlds best design of a MG. I hold as evidence the longevity.

I would say the M-4A1 for rifle, and the M1911A1 for sidearm. A lot of the others are nice, but the M4 is just such an extension of my body now I Could not see taking anything else. I loved having my M21 and M107 to back up my M4, but if only one the M4.

If you want the M16A4 but with full auto you want the M16A3.

I see alot of us like the stoner, and 1911. Can't really go wrong with those. I'm gonna say a tie between 1911, garand, stoner, and m1 carbine

I like the Stoner bayonet, later known as the KCB-70 and KCB-77. Now made by Waffentechnik. They are slightly different from the old Eickhorns. The .45 M1911 design still shines a century later. Along with my Ar15 clone, an M14 with synthetic stock would only need match sights for long range work.

As far as what would/might be available to me in 1996 in the USAF---
SR-25 w/10x scope (private weapon)
GAU-5P/M-4A1/SR-16
STI Eagle
MK-760

The Air Force was like that, our gear improved as the SP, Engineers passed along the older stuff.

Maybe I am a bit old fashioned, and certainly it is not a suitable combat weapon when compared to High Powers Glocks etc. With all of that being said, the Colt Peacemaker! I have several and monkeys can fix it, IF it breaks. It's too simple to though. 4.75 inch barrel 44-40. A 200 grain pill at almost 1,000 f/s! If the 1911 can do it well, it's predecessor does it with style.

A wheel Gun?
 

I carried an S and W Model 19 in 4" long after others had gone to semi auto.

Why? Because of a long history and being very comfortable with it but that was law enforcement and I did not expect to be in a long drawn out shoot out, although the one time I had to shoot a man and killed him was after he and four officers had emptied their weapons at each other at less than ten yards and he had run into his home and gotten a semi auto Browning rifle.

Two of the Officers had .357 revolvers and two had 9mm semi autos. I had trained the two Deputies and lost a bit of confidence in them and my teaching skills. Later when he came out to finish two officer that had taken cover behind a Police vehicle forty-nine rounds were expended by him and Officers. He was hot once, by me, with a .223 Mini fourteen. :rolleyes:
The peace maker is a fine weapon for up to six rounds and maybe more if you have good cover and backup while you reload, the Smith 19 loads fairly quick but still is a six shooter, I can still get off twelve rounds in seven to eight seconds into a three inch circle at seven yards, but I can get two mags into the same circle in under fifteen seconds with any semi auto.
SOOOOO…. If it is a combat situation then I will go with a 1911.:cool:

Favorite U.S. weapon for the time period I would have to say would be the M16 series weapons. I liked the M16A2 a lot especially with a M203 under it. The older M16 and M16A1 with the triangle forend looked and felt great too. The carbines and commandos even though they might not have been as practical fighting across the plains of Europe or deserts of the Middle East, would have been a special treat to still have due to there handiness and weight. Plus they just look badass.

"Mistress," my SIG 229 in .40/.357 SIG would be my primary choice. I would back that up with my Kahr P9 in 9mmP. My holdout would be my customized Beretta Tomcat in .32ACP loaded with GLASER saftey slugs in my front left pocket. I get a lot of flack for the .32 but it has good sights and shoots very straight for a "pocket pistol." I routinely qualified with it at the Sheriff's Department even with our 30 meter target. Most of my .380 pocket pistols cannot do that.

I'd take my Daniel Defense M4 with my Trijicon 1-4 VCOG optic. My M14 EBR copy (built on an M1A) would be a close 4rd (my SCAR-17, or my TAVOR falls second and third). My Colt M16A2 with a Trijicon ACOG X4 mounted on the carry handle would also be an alternate.

SMGs would be either the H&K UMP in .45 or the MP-5 in 9mmP. I would take an MP-5K PDW if I could find one. I MISS my MP-5K; but my house needed a new roof and they were worth $20K during the ban. An unexpected favorite in my lineup would be the .45 Grease Gun. I shot this as a track driver in my old artillery unit and it was very easy to control. As hard as it may be to believe, the grease gun beats the Thompson hands down in every department.

For scatterguns, I would take my old Mossberg M590 with Sidesaddle shell carrier, 20" Vangcomp barrel, 500 luman SureFire forend, and 9 shot capacity. My Benelli M4 with 18" barrel and 7 shot capacity would be second. If I could find a Crye Precision 6 shot revolving under barrel Six12 shotgun; That would be the best of both worlds.

The MK48 Mod 0 or mod 1 would be the only MG to take. By taking the bolt feed tray and barrel off of an M249, you can convert the 7.62mmN MK48 to 5.56mmN. Just choose your caliber for each mission. Any M240 or M249 can provide up to 80% of your gun's required parts. That's really good for maintenance.

I've loved the M1911A1 for over 30 years, easy to use, reliable,and respectable stopping power...the "wonder nines" just don't comparable!

Rifles, I own a M-1 Garand for close to twelve years and it's a great shooter, certainly one I would feel comfortable carrying on battlefield.

On the military side, the M16A1, or the M16A3 FA variant, Colt product R704 I believe,M16A2 was R702.