A "workhorse gun" is open to broad interpretation. The OP didn't specifically say it was a combat weapon for use in Afghanistan, either.
Guns used to protect property and enhance self defense are also used on live targets, and hunting is the largest, most common, and most legal way to do that. 80 million people hunt in the fall for a variety of species, how is that excluded from "workhorse?"
To make the AR legal in all states, it can't be in 5.56. It has to be bigger, commonly .240 or so. I didn't make the rule, the State legislatures did. If you want a "workhorse" gun it should be big enough to at least hunt game legally.
As for shooting squared up, there's some controversy about presenting a larger target to an adversary to take a plate hit COM. That's what shooting squared up is really all about. I don't agree with being a bigger target and deliberately opting to present myself as one. It's a CQB tactic, not Infantry field craft, and very exclusive to urban conflict. Sure, having a shorter stock will facilitate it, where does that fit in with the much broader category of "workhorse." It's racehorse.
Almost ALL target triggers use a travel limiting adjustment screw that restricts the movement of parts. It certainly doesn't "bind them up," no increase in friction at all. Insinuating it's bad for one application but just fine for others doesn't even begin to explain how they aren't effectively the same. But, they are marketed for a lot more money, and we can't go around saying the Emperor is unattractively attired in his birthday suit, can we?
It's worse when the defense of expensive triggers comes without any acknowledgement of the context. "Workhorse" guns aren't by my concept "high precision long range target rifles." I put triggers last because too many consider them essential - and mount one on a dead average 2MOA barreled gun. If someone wants to defend that application, it's going to have some problems sidestepping how little accuracy they will gain. The barrel still has to shoot to the level of precision first, and the optics have to support that. Without those first, a $250 trigger is eyewash build recipe bragging.
Nothing wrong with mods to the AR, but the priority of build is matching the barrel to the task first. If it can't meet the requirements, any lesser part won't make it suddenly better, all it can do is not take performance away. All the other parts are NOT accuracy improvers, they are actually accuracy non-distractors. You don't get more accuracy with a free float, you are eliminating stock and sling pressure from making it more inaccurate. Big difference, because if they could, we'd all buy cheap junk shot out barrels, add optics, floats, and triggers, and get 1/2 MOA guns. Not ever happening.
It's prioritized and incremental. You don't get a free lunch. And "workhorse" wasn't tightly defined as a long distance, precision, combat weapon. What makes it one could be taking it too far - a racehorse gun good for a limited application, not for hauling the load.
She rocks!