The Main Battle Rifle of the Next Revolution ...

... won't actually be a particular rifle. Rather, it will be a particular ammunition type: .22 Long Rifle.

The ammo is cheap and plentiful, and comes in a variety of configurations for different uses. Easy to stockpile.

The weapons that fire the ammo are cheap and reliable and come in a variety of configurations for different uses.

Wounding an enemy soldier is usually better than killing an enemy soldier because a wounded enemy soldier has to be cared for instead of just buried or left to rot. That forces your enemy to divert people and resources away from fighting you. Smaller-caliber ammo like .22LR is more likely to wound than to kill.

But it can kill, so if you decide you need something heavier, you can kill one enemy with your .22, take his weapon and ammo, and go to town.

The foregoing sermon was not specifically intended to promote the purchase of ammo in a way that generates ammo-buying power on my part too, but now that I think of it ...