Brian Alpert

Here is another pristine JSAR from Crosier firearms.  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/881209979  He got $12K+ for one several months ago and $6K+ for another 2 or 3 months ago.  We'll see what this one brings.  This is one of the 7 or 8 he got at that closed (FFL dealers only) auction in Indianapolis several years ago.  As I recall, around $7K was paid for each at the auction.

I have dealt in JSARs via a table at the NGD shows in Louisville for the past 25+ years.  Nice original component and finish JSARs in 85-90% condition with good bores generally bring $5500-6500 today.  Those with replaced components...bbl, stock, refinished, etc but still in correct military configuration bring around $4500.  Some ask much more but asking and selling are two different things.  Most individuals selling don't know what they have.  They assume that since it is a JSAR, it his worth telephone #s.  If you want to sell at a show, your price needs to be 25% less than "retail" value....what ever that is

There is an exceptional B series on GB https://www.gunbroker.com/item/880230516  complete with extra 7mm bbl, bayonet and Chilean pattern scabbard and Dutch pattern sling.  It is pricey at $8900 but judging from what lesser stuff has been going for. in the "ball park" when you figure the bayonet and 7mm bbl would go for $1500 alone.

Someone already bid $4500 on this Winfield Standard Sporter  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/879130983

41 Johnson LMGs go for $35-65K.  Transferable (as opposed to dealer sample) MGs have been one of the most rapidly escalating items in the gun world.

This is not a Miltech which is a reputable restorer.  As noted, it has the look of a Doc Ross of Old Benicia Arsenal creation.  He put together JSARs with matching numbers, selling them as special rare factory originals, usually seen in his "Queens Guard Carbine" creations.  They are beautiful rifles, well fitted and finished but only that, not what they were sold as.

The bbl guide collar looks very strange and certainly not correct.  The rest looks OK from what I can see.  Remove the bbl and post some pictures for a better appraisal.

Drill out the plug, then drill a 1/8"hole on the opposite side, attempting to locate the cross bolt (which is solid in Winfield Sporters).  Use a narrow pin punch to drive out the cross bolt.  If you are lucky, you will not have butchered up the access hole much larger than the screw head in a correct cross bolt.  Once the cross bolt is out, screw in the mainspring cap screw about 1/3 of the way and tap it to loosen the tube.  When it is loose, remove the mainspring cap screw and push the tube out thru the receiver end.  Take your time or you will destroy it.

As an alternative, leave the tube in, replace the cross bolt with a proper one with screws on either end, and reshape the stock, inletting for the sling swivel and butt plate.  Attached is a picture of what can be done compared with an original

It has already reached $5500 with 10 days to go!  One never knows with auctions.

New listing on GB  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/878501529  Note the matching serial #s on the receiver, bolt and bbl.  I thought our friend in Calif only did matching serial #s on his "Queens Guard Carbines", but I guess he did some standard rifles also.  Beautiful rifle but phony as a $3 bill.

New listing on GB  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/878501529  Note the matching serial #s on the receiver, bolt and bbl.  I thought our friend in Calif only did matching serial #s on his "Queens Guard Carbines", but I guess he did some standard rifles also.  Beautiful rifle but phony as a $3 bill.

"IA CO SAC CA which stands for InterAmerican Company, Sacramento, California which also was known as InterAmerican Import Export Company. 

InterAmerican imported firearms and parts kits from China, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, England, Germany, Israel, Australia, Brazil and some other countries. Pacific International Merchandising Co (PIMCO), along with Armex Intl (a class 3 dealer) and Old Sacramento Armory (a retail gun store) were the three different extensions that distributed the wares of InterAmerican at the local retail, wholesale and class 3 levels.

Joseph,

     Glad you are ok and have a generator.  One of the smartest things we ever did.  Back in 2007 we had an ice storm and were without power for a week.  In the previous 40 years we were often without power but never more than a day or so but in recent years, the power companies began to pool their crews rather than maintaining their own  locally.,  When a crew came, they were often from Georgia or North Carolina and it was several days later.  We put in a 16 KW natural gas automatic whole house unit.  I am too old to rough it or do it the hard way.

     B 

Need more pictures, particularly the buttplate area, but looks like an original stock or a military style replacement with a replacement bbl missing the bayonet lug.  The scope mount is a Winfield type, but set up for Redfield type rings rather than Weaver allowing mounting of a 73B1 scope.  I have never seen this configuration on a Winfield.  Looks like a nice one for restoration as the metal looks good and the stock appears to be correct military configuration.  Addition of a rear sight and redoing the bbl with a bayonet lug would do it.  I have a rear sight as well as replacement bbl.  Email me @ brian.alpert@louisville.edu.

Here is what you have:

2 sporter stocks, 2 forearma

1 incomplete supporter bbl

1 44/45 LMG bbl

1 butchered JSAR receiver, probably fit for LMG semi-auto build

Assorted JSAR and 41 LMG parts

     What you are missing, for either a JSAR or LMG semi build is difficult to find and expensive

It appears that the rifle is missing both the front and rear cross pins as well as the retaining clip for the front pin.  These are attached to the forearm with a twisted brad.  I suspect this rifle was a private import, perhaps from Canada, handled through Century Arms. It was easier to electro engrave their mark for a single rifle than roll out their import stamp.   As noted, firing pin stops came both with and without spring clip retainers.  Those without were not made with any provision or room for a spring clip.

It looks like a Doc Ross/Old Benicia Arsenal creation.  

The perpetrators of these fakes claimed that Johnson Arms had these prototypes made up after the war in an attempt to entice sales south of the border

There are a few of these around.  Reportedly created and sold by our friend, Doc Ross of Old Benecia Arsenal in the 80's.  Armex imported a lot in the late 70's or early 80's but they could only be sold as dealer samples or to police agencies so most ended up being cut up and sold as parts sets.  These could be converted to semis using modified JSAR receivers.   I have one with a Mexican crest.  Not a factory prototype.  Why do a semi when the LMG has a semi setting already.

Remember a few months ago when a Chilean JSAR (with a 30/06 bbl) went for around $13,000 on GB.  The same seller, Rick Crosier, a well established US Martial arms dealer (recently deceased) just sold an even nicer B prefix for $6850.  Obviously his firm is still in business.  If one is to believe reports from the Indianapolis auction where they came from several years ago, this was sold at a loss.  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/872070028    Just goes to show, one never knows what will happen in an auction.

Remember a few months ago when a Chilean JSAR (with a 30/06 bbl) went for around $13,000 on GB.  The same seller, Rick Crosier, a well established US Martial arms dealer (recently deceased) just sold an even nicer B prefix for $6850.  Obviously his firm is still in business.  If one is to believe reports from the Indianapolis auction where they came from several years ago, this was sold at a loss.  https://www.gunbroker.com/item/872070028    Just goes to show, one never knows what will happen in an auction.

aUnusual LMG semi look-a-like,  Dror lower with tubular stock (Not 45 JLMG as stated), Modified JSAR receiver with 8mm Dror magazine well attached further modified for Dror 8mm bolt, not sure of the bbl with fiber grip and shark fin sight (like 303 DROR).  Bipod is 8mmDror (mounted in reverse).  This is a difficult build requiring modifications to the locking collar and likely customizing the 303 Dror fiber grip and latching lug.  It has the look of a Buehn creation.  See attached pics of both 1st and 2nd model Dror

You can do a decent job modifying a sporter to military configuration.  The hard part is replacing the covered stock bolt and cover screws which stabilize the recoil tube.  It certainly helps if you have an original stock to guide the shaping.  Sometimes you have to trim the buttplate to fit the wood which often is slightly narrower.  Here is one of my "attempts" and no, I am not interested in doing any more although I have 2 to sell.

it appears to be a Taft-Peirce prototype dagger bayonet  (pg 31 and 38) with a conventional scabbard.  The mounting lugs were somewhat different than the production JSAR so it would be of interest if it fit the standard JSAR.  Great find.  Maybe one of a kind.

There is an unwritten story of Johnson Rifles and machine guns post WWII.  They were well made American arms not identified with the US government.  It has been suggested that some of those big surplus dealers were CIA fronts or at least supported by them.  During the 50's, the CIA supported many insurgencies, so long as they were not communist.  Castro had JSARs, the Bay of Pigs Insurrectos were armed with scoped JSARS.  They showed up in Red China, Vietnam and the Korean conflict.