somd_mustangs

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About somd_mustangs

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    Enthusiast

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Southern Maryland
  • Interests
    Pre-1911 Colt semi-auto pistols, pre-WWII 1911's, Argentine 1911 derivatives, Walther P.38, Reising Target pistol, H&R Reising rifles, Johnson 1941 rifle, MBA GyroJet pistols & carbines.

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  1. DASH: The FN tool did the trick! I ordered it Monday morning and had it in hand Wednesday. Had to file the blades a little to get them to fit in the cap slot but once I got a snug fit I was able to apply at least 50 ftlb to break it free. It was really cranked on there! No way a screwdriver would have done it. No damage, all is well. Thanks very much for the tip !
  2. Thanks, that's the kind of gouge I needed! Jay
  3. I'm a little behind the power curve here but since this is still for sale... It really is a small world. I've dealt with this seller - I'm the most recent glowing feedback. I purchased a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer from them this summer that was donated by a 1st Division Marine officer. The story in the listing stated it was captured from a North Korean officer during the first offensive and carried by the Marine (Able Company C.O.) at Inchon, Pusan, Chosin Reservoir, etc. So there was a whole back-story to go with the gun, but I paid what a 1903 in that condition would be worth (taking the sage advice to heart) and the story was just a benny. It did come with a letter from the Marine officer, who is still alive, describing the circumstances and verifying the story. I was also able to find this officer's story in several books and oral histories online and it meshed with the claims. So at least in this instance the seller was for real. Seems like a nice guy too and was pleasant to deal with. If you actually manage to wade through all the verbiage of the most recent listing (04 Dec), he never actually comes out and claims this specific rifle was used by the USMC or Rangers, just "seems to indicate" with a disclaimer. It's a shame there's so much yimmer-yammer in there that has nothing to do with the actual rifle at auction. It just muddies the waters. If somebody's going to spend that much dough, they should do independent research - like come to this site. The tough part is figuring out what it's actually worth in today's marketplace. Pretty much a classic example of how not to list an auction. Jay
  4. Barrel: When I bought the first rifle, the seller had a pile of 5 spare barrels he thought were Johnsons. I took a chance and bought them all for $500 unseen. Turns out 2 were 7mm Chilean, 1 original mil-spec, and 2 Sporter. One Sporter was bent & rusty and worth only the collars. The 2 7mm's are gone via Gunbroker & trade a few months ago. Hopefully the military is straight! It's got some external pitting but bore looks ok. Need to find some erosion gauges I guess. I plan on keeping the spare barrels I have left, at least for now. End cap: thanks for the lead. I thought about machining something out of a flat chisel or paddle drill bit but if there's an existing tool seems like a smarter move. Last thing I want to do is damage the cap! As far as ammo, while I'm not the world's worst rifle shot, I'm probably close so it's more for fun and the range "wow" factor than anything else. Just don't want to over-stress the gun... - Jay
  5. I finally got around to working on my Sporterized Johnson S/N 4741 (probably a Winfield) and found these part numbers, wondering what if anything is still correct and any other info that might be available: Stock N/A BBL N/A (I have a spare, 6905K) Hammer block #9487 Hammer #C4979 or C4379? Bolt # E0730 Locking cam #C0276 Firing pin #E2679 or E2079? Extractor #H2537 Magazine #A 656 (have spare too, #9687) Fortunately I found this site a while back (when I bought my first mil-spec Johnson, # B1970) and it's helped significantly! At first glance this looks like one scary complicated rifle but it's impressive how much thought and engineering went into making it easy to strip down and maintain. I have most everything to finish the conversion back to milspec, and as expected the stocks were the sticky point - I traded a 7mm Chilean barrel for a really nice set of Joseph Scott repro stocks to get the project ball rolling. Unfortunately the receiver was drilled for a scope mount, although all the holes will be hidden by the rear sight leaf. At this point I plan to just use set screws to plug the holes so a scope can be mounted for shooting and the original sight can be switched back in for "show." Advice: I'm having a heck of a time getting the mainspring tube cap unscrewed. I was trying to save the "original" Sporter stock, but perhaps that's foolish? Would it be smarter just to cut the back off so I can get some sort of purchase on the cap? I've had it soaking in PB Blaster for several days now with no joy. There is absolutely no evidence of wooden plugs or other access to the recoil stop and/or screws. I originally planned to just pull the cap & buffer assembly out and use a new stop & tube in the repro stock. Getting ahead of myself, but what is good, safe ammo to use in this gun? I just want to basically plink with it at 100 yds or so. Parts still needed: o Original rear sight elevator o Retaining clip for the front magazine pin Barrel: I currently have 3 barrels, 2 are "Sporter" of unknown origin, and one appears to be original military that has external cosmetic issues (pitting, finish loss). I would like to get in touch with Joseph Scott to see what it would take to check and fit the Sporter barrels with mil-spec sight & bayonet lug, check the military barrel and perhaps parkerize all 3. I'm pretty much a neophyte at this social network stuff however so hopefully he'll see this. Thanks, Jay