Jim Peden

I have a 41 Johnson Bayonet and Sheath which I'm thinking of putting up on Ebay but my neighbor said I should let you guys know first. I'd like to get $400 for the set. Email me at peden@middlebury.net if you're interested. Thanks.

Wow, that was fast. I've sent you my phone number via email. Thanks to the Johnson Board for this service. Jim

There's a custom Mauser being offered on Gunbroker.com ( # 976327649 ) and I'm wondering if Melvin Johnson actually built these completed rifles or is this simply a custom put together with a Johnson Automatics manufactured barrel? The description is thus: Custom 98 Mauser Sporter with 4X Bushnell Scopemaster in 270 win. Perfect blue with bright barrel built by Melvin M. Johnson Jr. who designed and manufactured the Johnson Model 1941 Automatic Rifle and Models 1941 and 1944 light machine guns for the US government during WWII. Johnson had his custom shop located in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, where he made custom conversions of surplus bolt action rifles into "state of the art" hunting rifles by converting them to 270 or other high power chamberings in the early 50's. Barrel is marked Johnson Automatics .270. A very nice gun. ( $1,200 )

Yes on close examination, this looks more like an original that was rode hard and put away wet. High resolution looks more like rust pitting that has been cleaned up, as Art suggests. It might have been chucked in a vice for a vigorous wire brushing, wonder if rather than the hole simply being simply off center, part of one side was sanded down.. More vice chucking with heavy handed brushing might even have been able to bend the shaft.

This may indeed be a new Chinese or Pakistani variant, and if it is, the "domed rivet test" may be now history. You are correct to be suspicious, for if the "flat" side isn't flat enough to fit on a barrel, that strongly suggests that the manufacturer did not have a JSAR on hand to test his new creation. My neighbor has one of the finest JSAR bayonets I've ever seen - very mint with an equally attractive sheath. I've never seen one better. There were a few, perhaps, that weren't used for tent pegs, but they appear to be quite rare, as are minty JSARs themselves. I've no personal objection to militaria reproductions, as long as they are clearly identifiable as such and not easily transformed into pieces to be sold as originals. Indeed, as a Civil War Reenactor, I have a passel of weapons ranging from Colt and Remington pistols to a percussion Sharps carbine, and I am delighted to have weapons I can carry on the field without adding wear and tear to an authentic piece of history.

see http://www.gunrunnerauctions.com/listings/...emnum=899142467

See Link to listing on Ebay

All correspondence from historically significant individuals is of intrinsic value, and Melvin Johnson is certainly a legend in the ranks of those who study the history of firearms design. As to a cash value, I could not hazard a guess. I'm sure many members of this forum would be interested in what it says, if you are willing to share the content or post a copy of it to be viewed by all. Most of us readily share with each other what we learn about the history of the Johnson designs, for the mutual benefit of each other and for history in general.

Reading a borrowed copy of William B. Edwards' 1962 book Civil War Guns this morning, I came across an interesting side note: It was a photo of a Gatling Gun with a drive belt and wheel replacing the hand crank handle, and the statement "Col. Mel Johnson in 1949 took a regular M 1883 Gatling and hooked up electric motor drive to achieve fantastic rate of fire. Notion led to development of electric Vulcan gun for F105 jet fighter armament." Is this our Melvin Johnson? The inventor of the Vulcan, as well?

I believe that is the ultra-rare full race model, with extra barrel cooling and a quick detachable rotary magazine. Should fetch a premium price, they'll probably throw in the Brooklyn Bridge with it.

Interesting item on Ebay, described as ORIGINAL WW2 JOHNSON RIFLE BAYONET & SCABBARD This is an Johnson semi automatic rifle bayonet that has been modified by adding a British No 9 Mk1 blade . Possibly experimental as I have two of the same (one I am keeping). The blade still has traces of old cosmoline. A very unusual bayonet one of two that I know of! http://cgi.ebay.com/UNUSUAL-MODIFIED-JOHNS...1QQcmdZViewItem

You've come to the right place. The experts on this forum will be able to give you the straight scoop. I'm not one of the experts, but the JSAR receivers were not polished, so a "sand" finish is more or less consistent with originals. The stock looks like it may have had a coating of linseed oil or similar, based on the shine. But the lack of externally visible inspector stamps or markings on the stock is not in itself proof that it has been sanded. I'll quit while I'm ahead. The real experts will be along shortly. You have a nice weapon, just the same. Count your blessings, these firearms are fairly scarce and growing in value every day.

Blessings on all of you who strive to ride hard, shoot straight, and tell the truth. My personal holiday tome is on the net at http://www.susanpeden.com/christmas-2007 Special blessings for Jim Pullen, who makes this forum the Band of Brothers it has become. Jim Peden

My caveat in the previous post was "air superiority", indeed, when we control the airspace, our armored forces can make anyone who doesn't pee in their pants. As far as IED survival is concerned, I'd much rather be cruising the boulevard in an M-1 than an up-armored Hummer, ay'yup. It's interesting to note that they aren't making any new Abrams at this time - just rebuilding them to like-new condition. They are remarkable in their general survivability, the core components are hard to break. Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead in a tank ( pun intended ) but my (Navy) hat's off to those guys who man them. And Rick's right about the vulnerability of the surface Navy today - 2 ragheads in a bum boat almost sank the USS Cole. Too bad the liberals sank Reagan's plan for SDI (Star Wars). Would be nice to be able to toast a missile shortly after liftoff. .. but that opportunity has, unfortunately, passed. Chalk one up for the liberals... the terrorists' best friend.

Too bad tanks are now obsolete if you don't have air superiority. Today a UAV can take out any tank, with one lone SF operator on the ground manning the designator. Target recognition software can now even eliminate the need for a separate designator. This museum is a wonderful collection of a bygone era. I'd love to see it sometime.

Our webmaster will have to rule on the "can I sell on this forum" question, but there's no doubt the bayonets and sheaths are even rarer than the weapons. Actual value will hinge a lot on the quality of the sheath. One of my neighbors has an amazingly pristine example - museum quality and 100% genuine, and it's got to be worth a heck of a lot more than my average-condition set. They occasionally come up on Ebay, usually sell in the neighborhood of $400 more or less, but sometimes a bargain will slip through. If you post some photos of it, the experts on this forum can undoubtedly give you a value opinion.

Joe, your site may be down, but probably not completely "lost". On the odd chance that you still have the information on your personal computer, it can easily be restored by finding another hosting company. That not being the case, there's still some hope for recovering at least part of it. The "Wayback Machine" at http://web.archive.org archives web sites from the past and I see that some of your info from 2004 is still available from the archives, including some ( but not all ) photos. See, for example the page at http://web.archive.org/web/20040831030501/...t.net/~jmscott/ ... and there are others. I'm a professional web designer in addition to being a JSAR fan, if you need any guidance or advice in how best to restore ( or even rebuild ) your site, feel free to give me a call at (802) 897-2001. Always glad to help out the "good guys" .... of which you are certainly one! Best Wishes, Jim Peden Shoreham, Vermont

Sheath looks intact, no beauty, but how often do you find only the sheath for sale? Ebay Link

On the plus side, if you find a JSAR for a "fair" price, it's like money in the bank, because the price trend is ever upward on this relatively scarce and highly desirable firearm. Should you find a "nice" one for $3500, consider yourself very lucky indeed and jump on it like a possum on a plate of spaghetti. But.... make sure you know what you're getting before you buy it. The folks on this forum are very knowledgeable, and very helpful, don't hesitate to ask. For example, if you see something on the web - particularly a piece with a lot of photographs, they can usually discern a good portion of the authenticity or originality of the piece from photographs. A number of weapons were "converted" for civilian use, with modified stocks, drilled for scope mounts, etc. and while these are still interesting and valuable, they do not have the value of a completely original, untouched weapon. On rare occasions one can find an "all matching numbers" JSAR for sale and from these you should run fast, as there ain't no such animal. JSAR's were not deliberately assembled with matching part numbers. Good luck in your search!

I searched a 9,000,000 name database in the National Archives for WWII enlistments (38-45) but did not turn up a single "Crasnoff". It's a relatively rare name ( Russian origin ). There was a Victor N. Crasnoff, born 1898 in Russia ( immigrated to US in 1915 when he was 26 years old ). The 1920 census lists him as a boarder, another reference shows him as a mechanical engineer. He was in WWI, however, enlisted in New Jersey. This guy was too old to be a soldier during WWII, but he could have been involved with Johnson, engineering background and such. "Hill" unfortunately is too common to research without additional information. Sorry can't be of more help on this.

Like they say, "Buy the gun, not the story...."

An excellent JSAR bayonet and sheath can bring $450 - $500 and perhaps even higher. The sheaths are rarer than the bayonets, and minty original sheaths are very rare indeed. There are repros out there, and sometimes one will find an original bayo in a repro sheath. Be sure to check the website and carefully read about this before paying too much for a sheath that looks real minty. The differences are easy to spot if you do your homework.

Whatever you do, DO NOT used any cleaning or preservation product that contains petroleum derivatives. These are primarily sold as waterproofing compounds, such a Mink Oil and such. Best to store it in the dark, i.e., away from ultraviolet light sources, which may weaken the stitching in time. Plastic bags can outgas polyethylene-based gases, and should be avoided. Unless it is very dry, and cracking, do nothing but wrap it in acid-free paper and let it rest. Contact your local museum for acid-free paper, they'll probably even give you a sheet. It's rather thin, more like tissue paper in thickness.

I asked him early on in his first auction about the sling, and referenced the discussion on this site. His reply was "the buckle is not anything like an o3 sling buckle it is much larger. Do you think those people know everything and have seen everything? get a life." So I'm now wondering if the sling in question is not only NOT a JSAR sling, but is possibly a foreign copy of a U.S. sling, if the buckle is "much larger". But, since it "came off a Johnson", why not you all put a cheap knockoff sling on your JSARs, then "take it off" the rifle and sell it as a genuine JSAR sling? Incidentally, in a subsequent email, he wrote and said, "By the way if you did post my response on that sight you had better get a good lawyer because I am going to bankrupt you in court." I found this unsolicited additional email an interesting insight into his general intelligence, not only for the use of the word "sight" instead of "site", but his somewhat less than brilliant understanding of the court system, where generally it is a bankruptcy judge who rules on a bankruptcy petition, and where else would it be than "in court"? Hey, maybe he's a judge, in addition to being a Johnson expert!

JSAR on Guns America at http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976749692.htm This is a "sale" site, not an auction site, so that's the final price. Seller claims they have 2 others. Mmmmmmm