Criterion Barrels Shooters Announce Two Additional National Record Setting Performances

After our announcement in March that a free barrel would be awarded to any competitor that sets a national record with a Criterion barrel, shooters Mark Stout II and Rob Spurrier stepped forward to share details regarding their recent national record setting performances.

Last year Victor Betzold set a national record in the M1 Carbine match at Camp Perry, posting a score of 375-6x. That very same day junior shooter Mark Stout II (pictured on right) set the M1 Carbine National Youth Record with a score of 362x5X. Demonstrating the consistent reliable performance of his Fulton Armory M1 Carbine and Criterion barrel, Mark has been awarded a gold medal in each of his last three National Match appearances. Mark is not only a top notch shooter, but he has proven himself a talented musician and scholar as well. He recently graduated from high school and plans on attending the University of Michigan School of Engineering later this fall.

The second national record recently reported by a Criterion Barrels shooter was submitted by Rob Spurrier (pictured on left), whose nearly box stock .308 CMP Special M1 Garand set the record for the Modern Military Rifle Matches that is offered by the Civilian Marksmanship Program through their Travel Games events. Rob’s score of 293-10X at the 2014 Oklahoma Games remains unbroken as of June 2016, even though rule changes have recently allowed for the inclusion of AR-15 pattern rifles with optical sights and collapsible buttstocks.

Rob has been competing in service rifle matches for the last five years, and practices dry-firing his rifle on an almost nightly basis. His introduction to service rifle competition took place during a local benchrest match, where he observed some other shooters competing with vintage service rifles, and decided to give it a try. At his very first service rifle match he took first in the Springfield bolt action class, and the hook was set. The record-setting M1 Garand features a Dupage walnut stock that was previously won by Rob in Phoenix. The overall build design mimics the Post-Korean War period rifles issued by the US Navy. This particular receiver was manufactured by Springfield Armory, with a serial number in the 3.5 million range. Rob’s handload recipe for his M1 utilizes military brass, Hornady 168gr. BTHP bullets, H4895, and Winchester primers.

If you have set a national record with a Criterion barrel, feel free to contact us by phone at (262) 628-8749 or via email at [email protected]. We always enjoy sharing shooter stories, and would be more than happy to offer a complimentary barrel upon verification of each national record set with one of our products.