I finally finished a long standing project: a M1903A1 USMC sniper clone. I built the gun using a never-issued original Type-C stock, 1.3M serial number action, original National Match rear sight, and a new Criterion barrel.
When I installed the barrel, I got the headspace set at bare minimum- cases don't stretch one iota. I then re-throated it with a 1 1/2 degree included angle leade specifically for cast bullet shooting. 500+ rounds through it and not one jacketed bullet, yet. Accuracy with a couple pet loads hovers in the MOA territory. (NOE 169 Elco/24 grains SR-4759/RWS primer, or, Old NEI 180 RN/18 grains 4759/CCI LR primer- all with LC Match brass. Bullets of COWW alloy+tin, bhn 12, sized .309 to perfectly fit the throat. Sizing and seating done with L.E.Wilson straight line dies.
The scope fell into my lap recently- not an original USMC. It is the same model Unertl 8x 1 1/4" though, just without the black mounts. An afternoon spent playing with the Bridgeport and there she was. I'm hoping to shrink group size a bit, but am mainly looking forward to not squinting through that tiny peep any more!