I guess what sticks in my craw is folks telling me what I need and don't need, with no regard for individual circumstances. To automatically assume it has anything to do with bragging rights or my ego is offensive.
I'll keep my adjustable stocks, thank you very much. We're not all built the same, not the same height, have the same length neck or same length arms. Adjustability allows us to fit the rifle to ourselves, not the other way around. A1's and A2's are too long. Factory collapsible stocks are too wobbly and uncomfortable. So I have a Magpul ACS.
I'll also take the 2.5-3lb trigger. Why? Because it's my preference. Don't care if that's milspec or not, I'm not in the military and get to choose my own equipment.
I'll also stick to quad rail handguards. Why? Because it gets friggin' dark here in the sticks and I need a weaponlight. Those that relegate them to "mall ninjas" have obviously never needed to shoot in the dark so their opinions and generalizations are arbitrarily dismissed.
I need my vertical foregrip to operate the light from. Why? Because tapeswitches suck.
My rail also allows me to mount my front sight much further forward than the original gas block location.
I also need an aftermarket grip because the stock grip puts too much of my trigger finger into the triggerguard. Maybe not a big deal for those in the military who only rely on one rifle but I'm not in the military and have a relatively vast accumulation. The Magpul MIAD gets the nod.
Personally, I prefer iron sights and a good detachable carry handle rear works great. However, they suck in the dark where a red dot works best. An illuminuated low powered variable is a good compromise between close range work at night and longer distance precision. My workhorse needs to bust anything from crows to coyotes out to 300yds.
Round it out with rail covers and a padded V-TAC sling.