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One last question. The last time I barreled a Garand it was with a Wilson standard profile barrel for my then new (to me) John C. Garand match gun I built on a CMP Belgian returned receiver. That barrel comes short chambered, and I was dismayed to find its short chamber was wider at the breech end than my pull-through reamer would touch. Not a problem the short chambered heavy weight Barnett barrels have, but heavy barrels are, of course, not allowed in the as-issued matches.
Are your Criterion non-chrome lined barrels short chambered, or unchambered, or do they have the same pre-made chamber dimensions the chrome-lined ones do? I assume the Krieger is unchambered, as the M1A match heavy barrel I got direct from him a decade back came that way, but perhaps the standard contour version you sell is different?
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OK, here goes.
Get a copy of
The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide. Therein you will find the procedure for chambering a Garand for the proper headspace,
before barrel installation. That will allow you to determine whether a given barrel requires headspacing, and if so, help you ream to the proper depth. Frankly, I have a pull-through reamer that I've never had to use. One reason Clint developed the off-rifle chamber reaming procedure was so that he could polish the chamber after reaming, which is not practical when you finish ream after the barrel is installed.
Our chrome-lined barrels are dimensioned so that they will 99% of the time make headspace; we can do this because we're working with USGI Garand receivers, which have perfect interchangeability, and USGI bolts, which, when new, also are interchangeable. The fly in the ointment is that unless you are very, very fortunate to find new components, the bolt and receiver will be used and thus worn, though the receivers don't wear very quickly unless grossly abused. (An aside: a fellow once approached me at a gun show with a factory-wrapped package of five brand-new complete Garand bolt assemblies. I used one for the build in
The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide; I still have one left
.)
If the above is the case, why then are non-chrome-lined barrels short-chambered? Mostly because you
can finish-ream them. Finish-reaming will allow you to get "minimum" headspace if you're careful. Note that the barrels we offer are not "unchambered," they are short-chambered. A few turns with a finish reamer will complete the throat, and a few more will lengthen the chamber as needed.
Anyway, I don't often ask people directly to buy the book, but in this case, I'll make an exception. The whole subject of barrel installation, chambering & headspacing is exhaustively detailed and lavishly illustrated.
So...does this help?
Best regards,
Walt