1903-A3 Criterion barrel vs. GI barrel accuracy?

W

WyndoCleaner

New member
I have a sporterized Remington 1903-A3 (serial number on the action indicated it was made in 1943 by Remington, I don't know about the barrel or the bolt) with a barrel I pretty much know nothing about. I am just assuming the barrel is a GI barrel. I and a few other people can get 2 MOA with it, which is OK I guess. I would just like it to be a little bit more accurate. I don't know the condition of the inside of the barrel, but there is some wear on it (it's 72 years old--as expected :D ) and it was cut off right before the front sight post. It's already sporterized (aka "ruined"), so might as well... although I must admit, the stock is a GORGEOUS blonde color--perhaps birch.
I was looking at the Criterion barrel, and I am hoping they tend to be more accurate than the GI barrel. Will it be?
I know acceptable accuracy back in the day for military small arms was 3 MOA, so it's not BAD that mine is 2. I would just like to see a little something more out of it :)

I don't think it's glass bedded, I haven't looked specifically at that part of the stock yet. I don't know if the bolt is original to the rest of the action (it doesn't seem to be, it used to be really hard to open until I cut a few coils off the spring. I have not fired it since then, so I hope it won't cause light primer strikes; also, the bolt doesn't slide back smoothly).

tl;dr version: how accurate is the Criterion 1903-A3 barrel compared to the original GI one?
 
All I can say is it's hard to beat a good 4 groove HS or SC 03A3 barrel. You can still find those occasionally but they're expensive(probably less expensive than a commercial barrel plus the cost of fitting).
 
Hmmm I did a quick search for a HS or SC barrel, but didn't find much. I'll keep an eye out, though! I found a website that had HS barrels out of stock for ~$300
I can install the barrel myself (if I can just get the tools). Although, like everything else I've worked on with this rifle, nothing will go right :D
 
I saw 03A3 4 groove barrels still in the wrapper on ebay a while back but didn't follow up to see the final price.
Keep in mind the 03/03A3 has an extractor cut that has to be machined in at some point. Most gunsmiths will charge extra for this machine work. The new surplus replacement barrels (2) I've used were "clocked" and pre-cut for the extractor. Screwing them in was all that was needed. Maybe I was lucky but they headspaced correctly both times.
 
Better accuracy with a new, match-quality barrel? Of course. MOL a no-brainer IMO. I'm a dealer for CBI, and have their barrels on our personal guns as well.
Top notch.

The CMP re-barrels 1903-A3's, Garands, Carbines and more- all with Criterion barrels:

http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/custom-gunsmithing/

They also sell their "CMP Special" as one of the grades of Garand, already re-barreled with a CBI barrel.
 
Mobuck: Looks like the Criterion barrel has an extractor cut already. But like you said, it might not line up with my rifle. And I would cross my fingers for headspacing. After dealing with frustrations similar to this with the gun and the truck I'm rebuilding, I might just give it to gunsmith to deal with. Too bad we don't have a good one down here it Tucson. The Criterion website also suggests, for this particular barrel, to have a good gunsmith install it...

tobnpr: Alright, I might go with that barrel then. I think I remember reading that only CMP customers can buy barrels or have a barrel put on. Is that true?
 
I recently assembled a 1903A3 with one of our barrels and have been getting a little under 1 MOA with my 1903A3. It took a bit of stock fitting and handload development, but it's certainly doable with iron sights. The pair of shooters who won the 2013 Vintage Sniper Matches running our 1903 barrels have been finding consistent 1/2 MOA performance with their USMC M1941 reproduction builds.

http://criterionbarrels.com/vintage-sniper-match-main

The reason we recommend a gunsmith install our barrels is mostly because the barrels are sold short chambered by .010. In order to headspace the barrel properly with your bolt, a chambering reamer will be required. If you are looking for a good gunsmith to work on your build, I have a few references I can get you in touch with.

Some GI barrels are capable of great accuracy, but the quality of an original barrel may be hit-or-miss. Stock bedding also plays a big role in 1903A3 accuracy.

One factor I can guarantee is that a Criterion barrel will function properly. If it doesn't, you can always shoot us an email (contact@criterionbarrels.com) and we'll help get that build up and running as soon as possible!

-Josh
 
We shoot a surplus rifle competition each month at range I'm a member. Majority of rifles used in it are 1903A03 rifles and one of them usually wins the event. Heck, they usually have the top three or four scores. A couple of the 1903A03 rifles used have a criterion barrel and if the shooter does his job, he's tough to beat for score.

But yea, I'd say a Criterion barrel is better when it comes to accuracy.
 
A 1903A3 replacement barrel should have the front sight keyway and extractor cut, plus the witness mark on the left side. If you line up the witness mark with that on the receiver, the alignment should be OK and only a very slight reaming (if any) should be needed for headspace.

Jim
 
Alright, thanks for your posts everyone! I think I will go with the Criterion barrel.

garryc, that link you dropped is for a Remington 2-groove, which is what I have. Plus, they're out of stock.
 
I have used surplus '03 barrels for different applications and it is true, it can be "Hit or miss". Some of the best ones I used had quite a few miles on them. I cut down both the front and rear and some shot unbelievably well. Unfortunately, you do not have that option with what you are doing.
 
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