03A3 accurizing CMP Games legal

[Wolley]

FWIW I just read a thread on the M14 forums by Gus Fisher about repro 1903 stocks. According to the post the Sarco stocks are beyond bad and take many hours of fitting. The CMP stocks while not perfect are much better.
As I said, we will see.
If anyone is interested I'll post my experiences with the Boyd's/CMP stock.

[Chuckindenver]

i fitted 4 Boyds stocks last winter, no holes, buttplate wouldnt fit right, bands wouldnt fit over the stock and handguard ,action and trigger guard were off enough to leave a large gap, after they were fitted, and that was for 1903,s dont get me started on M1 stocks
contacted Boyds, and got a less then nice responce from them.
i have fitted 7 or 8 Sarco stocks, all had holes drilled, little or no fit time.
action to trigger guards dead on, bands fit tight, but they did fit, and came with new cross bolts, installed easy.
had one that was warped a bit, called Sarco, they said send it back, they would send me a replacement.
unless Boyds have changed the way the make the stocks, hired people with a good additude for customer service and have thinned them down a bit, id say go with the Italian wood.
too bad Boyds doesnt give a hoot.
they made stocks for Ruger as well, and the fit on them was poor as well,
i received a 77 Mark 2 to glass bed and install a brake, rifle was so poorly fitted in the stock, it pushed the barrel 1/16 to the right with chanel pressure.
i called Ruger , they sent another rifle, it had stock fitting issues as well, so it went back.
i finally talked to the guy that grabs the rifles for shipping, and had him pick one that was fitted right.
finally got it done. nice looking laminate stocks, to bad the quality in fit isnt as good as the finish.
the Ruger issue was 4 years ago, i dont think they use Boyds wood anymore, like Remington they use another supplier, dont remember the name off the top of my head, said suppier sells seconds on Ebay.
maybe Gus has had better luck they me, but i can tell you, i have heard more negative then positive with Boyds wood.

[Wolley]

Got the stock today and it did require some work but only on the hand guard.
The steps or shoulders if you will didn't line up with the ones on the stock. Took the bulk off with a dremel and cleaned the cuts up with a file. Everything else was perfect. Got the first coat of tung oil on tonight. Receiver and trigger guard seem to fit well, handguard mounting ring is slightly loose and the barrel fore end bed seems good. Even pressure anyway. Might be a little tight but according to BobS if they're a little tight it's better.
Shooting in a match on Saturday so I'll take it to the range on Friday afternoon and see how it shoots.

[Chuckindenver]

make sure you install the rear tang bushing, youll be unhappy if you dont

[Wolley]

It came with one installed. Recoil bolts were also installed. The only thing different is the lack of handguard clips. Not sure what those were for anyway.

[Chuckindenver]

they keep the handguard from splitting under recoil. they have to be installed.

[Wolley]

Got the rifle to the range Friday for load develpment. Elevation zero changed from the 300yd mark to the 150yd mark. Interesting.
In the process of working up loads I found a combination with the Radway Green 4895 that gave me an honest 2.25" group at 220yds. Sweet!! Off bags of course.
Shot an 80rnd High Power match today and because the poodle guns stayed away I was the Match Winner.
The rifle seems to be a bit more consistent now. No cracks/splits and nothing has loosened or moved. The pistol grip is more comfortable to shoot than the straight stock. You still can't wrap your thumb around the top during the prone and sitting stage or you will get the Sgt. York thumb in the cheek.

[Dollar Bill]

I just built up 2 rifles, a 1903 and an A3 using CMP stocks. All inletting is well done and square with the long axis. Both barrelled actions fit just a hair tight (those are the ones you rebarrelled for me, Chuck). The 1903 handguard came with clips. Recoil bolts and bushings installed. One has a bedding problem. The barrel is about 1/16 off the forend and clamps up tight when the handguard is installed. I'll have to work on it some. Other then that, I'm happy with the stocks.