you can turn a 700.00 rifle into a 500.00 rifle with an A3 barrel.
03 barrels arent that tough to find. just spend some time looking.
they just look cheesy on a 1903, i wont istall them anymore, by the time you spend 150.00 for an A3 barrel, pay 100.00 to have it turned down to match a rear sight base, spend another 50.00 to have the base installed right.
have the barrel finished to match the receiver, youll have well over 300.00 in a rifle that still has a 1903A3 barrel stuck on the end.
when if you just look, find a 1942 to 44 1903 replacement barrel, made by HS, SA, or Sedgley, for around 200.00 with a sight base already attached, then pay a gunsmith 75.00 to install, headspace, and testfire, your in it less, takes less time, and is a real 1903 barrel.
i have a few WW2 replacement 1903 barrels id sell, and install them as well, and have it done in less then 2 weeks with shipping time...