I'm baaaaaaack

Yeah, but AR's are like Barbies for men.. You can build one for any occasion. I'm doing a 3gun competition build. Here are some of the priorities for that:
1) Comp (less muzzle rise, faster followup shots, but makes you louder and a much bigger flash, so useless for tactical situations)
2) Optics (true 1-4 or 1-6 or 1-8, I cheaped out on a PA 1-4 for now, but will eventually go for an upmarket 1-6)
3) Trigger (you want a quality, 3lb single stage trigger - those usually go for $200-$400)
4) Pistol grip (the A2 grip is crap, so you want something more ergonomic and less slippery)
5) Fixed buttstock (the rattle of an adjustable distracts you. you can get away with an A2 stock, but I went with ACE ARFX full length)
6) Long handguard (I'm going with a 15" tube, so I can extend my supporting hand into a c-clamp with forefinger extended [shotgunner trick]; also reduces muzzle rise, makes followup shots faster)

Since most of the matches I'm shooting max out at 150yds, I'll wait until I get a 20" barrel and make modifications to the gas system, to match.