I picked up a Norinco several years ago as part of a trade. I took the rifle to the range and shot it a couple of times. The rifle was not very accurate and occasionally doubled. You can make a Norinco into a good rifle, a buddy of mine has one that he has reworked and it is a fine shooter. But if you don't have the parts laying around it would cost more than buying a Springfield to start with unless you get the rifle for nearly nothing. Obviously, I don't know anything about your situation but my suggestion would be to save a little longer and buy a Springfield, while they are not the rifles that they used to be, if you do have a problem Springfield will make it right where as with the Norinco you are on your own. With that said, the M1A is a fine rifle system and will serve you well in a variety of roles from plinking, target shooting, hunting and protection.
