criterion garand barrel

[colt100]

What I can expect accuracy wise with a new criterion barrel? I know that these are "service grade" and alot of accuracy with the garand comes from a stock, ect. I am planning on re-stocking (DGR) and having him replace the barrel with a criterion on one of my well used (TE7-8 now) garands. It used to shoot groups, now it shoots shotgun type patterns at 100 yards.

Just curious if anyone else has had this done and what the results were.

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[AKA Hugh Uno]

the same as a GI barrel. 3MOA with LC Ball Ammo off a rest with a competent shooter.

[VeeVee]

For what it's worth... I tested my new criterion for the first time last weekend.

At 100 yards using a sandbag rest. HXP ammo. I was messing with 6 o'clock aiming vs. center mass.

Disclaimer:
I'm a new shooter and only been to the range exactly seven times with a garand. So I'm not a "competent" shooter. It may be all 10x in the hands of a competent shooter.


(click for bigger)

[colt100]

I was hoping that after spend about 600 dollars on this rifle, I would have a rifle that would shoot no more then 2 MOA. I thought that a new barrel would be a better shooter then a new GI barrel.

The barrel I was replaceing had shot about 2 MOA with LC ammo. I managened a 3 shot group once that was under an inch with LC 66. That was many rounds ago. The stock on this rifle also has a back and forth motion to it when the trigger guard is removed.

I have a garand with a scope that I can get 2 inches with handloads but that rifle likes to string the shots vertically.

Would I be better off getting a krieger (or other maker) barrel? I figured that I could send a rifle to kreiger for about 800 using the exisiting stock. Of course, I would have kreiger glass bed the stock, float the handguards, do a trigger job, ect. I was planning on sending the rifle I have scoped to have that service done down the road as I use that rifle for deer hunting at times and would really like to have a garand that would be able to keep up with my M1a.

What kind of groups can you get with handloads and 168's?

[AKA Hugh Uno]

you are almost certainly MIS-remembering the accuracy of your old barrel. CONSISTENT (as in ALL THE TIME) 2MOA is what you might expect with match handloads in a well set up non-match prepped M1. ABOUT 3MOA is all you could expect with LC.

I have a full match prepped CLint Fowler rifle which MIGHT hold 2MOA with LC surplus. The stuff is DOO DOO for any hope for accuracy.

HXP might get you a bit better groups than LC ball, but not much more than a HALF MOA.

[colt100]

Well, Hugh, I'm not misremembering what the old barrel could do. Of course, this was off the bench and I had to do my part but I could hold 2 MOA with that rifle and get better groups then that at times. I also handload so I'm not too concerned what groups LC or the greek surplus is going to give me. I will most likely be shooting my handloads out of the rifle anyway. I know M2 ball is going to be larger in groups but what kind of accuracy is the barrel capable of with match ammo? With the garand that I have scoped, I can get around a 2 MOA at 100 yards with my handloads. That barrel isn't new either.

[JBS]

Colt100 I have had a few Garands come through the shop that would hold 2 MOA or a bit better with Ball and would really shine with handloads. You can’t go wrong with a Kreiger barrel. I do not have first hand knowledge of his match prepping of Garands but check around. You can get a Garand to shoot Sub MOA and I have made a few that would do so. The hard part is keeping them in that condition. They just don’t stay in tune for long periods of time. It has a lot to do with the extended length of the OP rod. Also note there are two methods of setting up the front hand guard. One is the old way where it floats. The other is to close up the front hole so that the front hand guard is driven on the barrel and tight as hell. Some rifles and barrels respond to this very, very well. If you go this way try the drive on method first as it can’t be done after the metal is removed from the front band to do the old way. Good luck

[Charlie59]

How do you tighten it up, with shims? I never heard of this before. But, I have a 1903 SA, that shot 6 inch groups. I saw the barrel would move when I gripped it near the muzzle. I cut up a match book cover at the range, and used strips as shims between the muzzle and front band. The groups shrank to 2 inches! I will try your method next week. It can't hurt IMO.

[JBS]

Remove the front end cap from the front hand guard. Place on a armorers block. With a round nose punch begin taping around the raised lip of the barrel hole, the side of the cap that faces the wood. You want to close this hole up in a uniform manner until when installed back on the hand guard it requires you to drive the front hand guard onto the barrel. You are attempting to trick the barrel into acting like the front hand guard assembly is a fixed part of the barrel.

On your 1903 you created a pressure point that changed the harmonics and whip of the barrel for the load you where shooting. Keep playing with the pressure point and you may get the group smaller. The method I described above is for M1 Garands not 03 or 03A3.

[AKA Hugh Uno]

under the right conditions (i.e. honest verification by third parties), I would be quite happy to place my own 500 bucks cash down anytime against 100 bucks from anyone who thinks they can sit down and get an HONEST NO BS 2MOA (i.e. 2 inch group or LESS) with two consecutive full clips (8 shots) of ANY USGI LC M2 Ball ammunition ever made off any rest they like from a STOCK M1 Garand. The dial caliper never lies and virtually ALWAYS disappoints.

The military accpatance standard for M2 ball (best I can recall) was about FOUR (4) MOA (or less) from a TEST BARREL FIXTURE. Even hand-loaded into carefully prepped cases with weighed charges, M2 heads still stink and constiture a waste of powder and primers.