Dspariland yeah the LRB looked very promising as opposed to SA with their hit or miss cast receivers. I figured silicon nickel and an np3 bolt would be great(exactly what POF used to do). Easy cleaning and maintenance and have the front of the action trued said:
Bickering aside, my point is that NP3/hard chrome/whatever other plating is not necessary and with an M14 type is a total waste of money. Generally reliability isn’t the issue with M14's it's accuracy, more correctly, repeatable accuracy. You can have the best barrel/bolt lock up in the world and have a fantastically accurate single shot but the real trick is getting the gas system to play nice and mount solidly into the stock. The GLFS is a nice sight and I use it myself but keep in mind that ultimately it's primarily the nut that keep the gas system together and must fit correctly to keep proper tension on the gas cylinder. M14 types don’t' have a "gasblock" they have a relatively complicated gas cylinder/piston/nut/stock plate that all must fit and interact to not only function the action correctly but also to properly lock the stock to the operating bits. The voodoo is somewhat, if not mostly, negated by unitizing your gas syatem but not totally. None of the operations to make this happen are terribly complex but they do require attention and quality parts.
I personally would not look at the Springfield white feather simply because of the questionable mount it comes with. I've heard several people tell me that they had problems with them (second hand) but I've also seen one that while tight, had been loose before and the owner had to practically glue it together. Also, the nature of the mount doesn't allow for mechanical sights as it uses the rear base to anchor the mount. Do some research on that mount and you'll see where it's weak.
I recommended Springfield Super Match simply because it's a good match level starter M1A. Buy it and shoot it and if it f&^ks up you send it back. And if you don't like it you won't be out as much as you will with an LRB. And if you do have any issues their warranty is top shelf. You can get into one of those for the $2-3k range match ready less glass where as you'll spend at least that for a GI clone LRB. I have about $4500 into my personal LRB less glass and I'm running a midweight, match internals, and walnut stock. Nothing too special but it runs like a raped ape.
Consider your price point and what you want and go from there. Keep in mind there are some cast receivers that are as highly regarded as forged (SEI) and Springfield has won LOTS of trophies over the years as well so don't let that be your total deciding factor.
Fulton has been hit or miss over the years but generally regarded as quality. Armscorp I wouldn’t touch with a 10' pole; Enterprise I have 0 first or even second hand knowledge of but they are rare. If you're stuck on building forged, you can also consider Polytech and or Norinco (in that order) as their receivers are generally considered 2nd in quality LRB only. 7.62mm brand is up and coming but have been having some teething problems out of the gate. I hear good things, but I think they have a ways to go yet to beat LRB.
And FYI, holding POF up to be some kind of gold standard doesn’t buy you lots of credibility with me either. You asked, I answered. Take my advice or don’t but I wouldn’t be too quick to judge a person’s knowledge or experience based on a bit of sarcasm or a profile.
