As for the scope rail being off , i never checked any of mine so i don't know what to tell you there , now for the forarm it could have been damaged in shipping or at the gun shop , the fit and finish on most of these rifles is a sometimes thing , sometimes you get a real good one and sometimes you get a not so good one .
I have found that the way they shoot more than makes up for the looks . i know this don't help much , you could give H&R a call in the AM to see what they say about it , their number is in the FAQs of this site or on their site too .
stimpy