H2O Man is accurate in what he has written. Furthermore, the ordnance steel they used on that rifle's forged receiver is superior to what is used on USGI American rifles and definitely to that on the Springfield rifles. Great deal there! As an alternative, I would look at what services Clint McKee at Fulton Armory might still be offering.
Have you read Different's book, it's a must read for the M14 enthusiast/expert. I posted this elsewhere as it seems to be a popular subject these days. Here is some further test date on a Chinese bolt and receiver:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=6&t=283219
It's funny people love dogging SAI just like the rest of the big guys (Remington and Bushmaster come to mind). I've read Lee Emerson's book a few times and own a newly manufactured SAI M1A (made 8/2009).
You guys should read the section on commercial receiver geometry. Actually you should read the whole chapter on commercial M14's. It goes through the differences in geometry and also goes on to compare an SAI select fire M1A as almost identical to a USGI M14.
Here is an interesting section on the chinese M14's (again taken from Lee Emerson's fine book M14 RIFLE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT, I assume he does not mind as he puts a text only version of this book for download for free on the internet):
Karl Maunz was living in Atlanta, GA when Keng’s Firearms Specialty imported Poly
Technologies M14/S rifles. Keng’s Firearms Specialty supplied him with two Poly
Technologies M14/S rifles for testing and evaluation. He found the receiver to be made
of equivalent AISI 8620 alloy steel. The receiver material testing conducted by Smith
Enterprise and Karl Maunz was done independently of each other. The Chinese bolts,
however, were not made of the USGI drawing specified alloy steel.
The Smith Enterprise testing included hardness testing of the Poly Technologies receiver
core by cutting it apart. One Poly Technologies receiver was tested to destruction by
loading ammunition to create excessively high chamber pressure. The reader MUST
NOT exceed powder charges as listed in reputable reloading manuals if hand loaded
ammunition is used. Personal injury or death may occur if done so. The very first Poly
Technologies receivers were very hard, harder than a file, which left them without the
toughness provided by the relatively soft core of receivers made according to USGI
specifications. The Chinese arsenal quickly corrected this by strictly adhering to the
receiver heat treatment procedure.
After Smith Enterprise completed the evaluation, a second meeting of the parties involved
was held. Even after this second meeting, Poly Technologies did not correct all the
concerns of Smith Enterprise and Keng’s Firearms Specialty had regarding the Chinese
bolt. Specifically, 1) the bolt locking lugs were too narrow and 2) the carburizing and
hardness remained unsatisfactory because State Arsenal 356 did not change the
material to equivalent AISI 8620 steel but continued to use steel equivalent to AISI 4135.
This was in spite of the fact that Keng’s Firearms Specialty offered to supply USGI M14
bolts until Poly Technologies could manufacture its own bolts according to USGI
specifications. Poly Technologies refused this offer from Keng’s Firearms Specialty. The
Chinese never changed the bolt material for M14 type rifles exported to the United States.
So yes the Chinese M14 are forged but if they never completely got a handle on the heat treatment process specially in the bolts. Also they as all other commercial M14's have many differences that separate them from a real M14 as they must.
I like my SAI M1A. A USGI scope mount fits on it (with the required modification done by SEI) and the scope is right in the middle of it's adjustments like it should be so I assume the geometry is fine. I've had a few chances to have it side by side with a Chinese M14 and the SAI definitely is finished better (as far as the final machining/finishing goes) you can tell that from feet away. I do also believe that the SAI op rod, trigger group, bolt, sights etc. are all very well made. I sold most of my big ticket USGI parts because I found the commercial parts to be of good quality (though I have obviously not done any quantitative or destructive testing).
Again if I had the chance to pick up a Chinese M14 for say $700 I would definitely do it but it would be taking a trip to SEI for the bolt conversion and testing/heat treatment. I know many shoot theirs as is but that is their prerogative as long as they know the whole story behind their rifle.
And yes SAI has had their fair share of problems over the years but they dealt with them via recalls and uprades to their design.
