I'll admit I was alittle disappointed when I saw actors sporting what appeared to be AUG's and M4's all those moons ago. But to be honest, the Pulse rifle was awesome, but it was Cameron's baby. It was the 80's man; the future was full of laser weapons, flying cars and big hair reigned eternal. Ridley kept a very honest feel to the future in Alien, very industrial, dirty and used. It was obviously advanced, but it felt plausible. Rifle platforms running .556, 7.62 and to some extent 5.7 may still be in moderate to heavy use well into the future. I appreciate Scott's decision more now. He's keeping it grounded.