I've heard some less than enthusiastic comments about Springfield lately, so you may want to rethink that. Despite what they advertise, you are not getting an all-new rifle. Springfield does stand by their product, so there's no issue about fighting to get them to honor the warranty, but it may be somethign you want to bear in mind. Aside from the receiver and stock, most of the parts are 40 year old USGI surplus parts. If I was down there, and had the cash for an M14 type rifle, I'd go for a Fulton Armory M1A. AFAIK, they use a proper forged receiver.