Slater, I'd read most of that, perhaps in The Black Rifle. The A2 stock was my biggest gripe; it simply doesn't fit me. I suspect the Marine's concentration on marksmanship may have led to the A2 sight; we were never trained on it, and teaching it must have been a bear.
The M4 barrel has no magic for me as well; I've a pencil-barreled Colt carbine that has a much nicer feel in the hands.
Moon