hahaah thats nothing new in my world.. luckily for me .308 is cheaper than .223 in most cases here
ok as for the flash hider, short mag, and the funny stock .. here in NZ we cannot have flash hiders, normal capacity magazines, or free standing pistol grips .. unless we have our E-catagory license .. which i dont.
( original flash hider also has bayonet lug.. another no-no on normal NZ license )
the mag is a specifically made 5 round mag, but there are no license restrictions on buying 20 or 30 round mags which regularly sell on our version of Egay .. Trademe / Tardme
the wood furnature is gettable, as is the stock and pistolgrip (but i dont mind the synthetic. and will probably slap a quad rail onto the front , dust cover weaver rail on top, and hack that barrell down .
i havent had a chance to look at the rifle ( its not the only 1 that the store has ) , but i have dealt with their salesman alot ( they know its me when i call now

) so i should be able to make sure i get a pretty schmick unit.
am heading down that way on business in a months time, will stop in and have a look see ..
Thank you very much to maple for all your tips and suggestions. i will make sure i have a look when i get down there