I probably won't ever own a factory made rifle. Having invested in the tools, it's definitely cheaper to build a high quality rifle that is the sum of its parts by about half again what you would pay for the factory gun. That said, I sure as hell would like a KAC barrel and bolt to make my parts gun a 100% genuine KAC rifle, but the barrel in it is no slouch. Guys like Stick and Rich would agree, I dare say. The key is having armorer training to make the guns legitimately well assembled vs. being a YouTube scholar (Nothing wrong with that), but having a cred to back up your skill validates your work in a lot of people's eyes.

One other thing to consider: even the factory built rifle is worth more as parts than whole in this flat, buyer's market.

I will keep building on a hobbyist basis for now, but if another panic buy rolls around, I will happily sell down to a few, keeping only my most prized AR's. Until then, I have no plan to decide which ones I will keep, aside from my NFA wives.