It has to be:
Mauser
C-ring
Integral mounts
One piece bolt
Simple open trigger
Safety that locks bolt
FEED-EXTRACT-EJECT perfectly
Lightweight to carry with one hand
22" or less barrel
Perfectly balanced

I have two BRNO ZG-47 in 30-06.. close as I have come to perfection.

The US in the last 40 years:

Socialism for big corporations and military industrial complex

&

Rugged individualism for the individual.