Read a quote from Bruce Lee not long ago that made me think of the "favorite weapons" thread but different subject matter.
"Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing special. It is merely simplicity; the ability to express the utmost with the minimum."
I think so frequently, it's so easy to get caught up in "what sights?" or "What barrel?" or "What trigger?" that one can lose sight of the person behind it all.
Yeah, a lot of this stuff does matter...until it doesn't. I'm nowhere near the part in my shooting journey where a "front sight is just a front sight, a trigger is just a trigger" and so on.
Sure, a lot of high level shooters modify their guns to suit their needs, but so do a lot of guys who aren't high level shooters (yours truly included) so perhaps the difference is a matter of mastery?