M48TANKER

Hey Gary, I believe that Mr.Scott does have all the parts you need. I think you definitely got your money's worth. Some "0000" stell wool soaked with Ballistol or BreakFree and rubbed very lightly on the rust spots can usually make them better. Don't rub too hard and keep the steel wool wet with lubricant. The buttplate will clean up the same way or maybe use a brass bristle brush with the lubricant to get in all the "lines". Congratulations on your purchase. Many mainsprings have to be replaced anyway, so that's kind of par for the course. Mr. Scott sells new 12 inch long mainsprings for $20.00 I think. I bought a couple from him and probably need two more soon. Use a shotgun bore brush to clean the mainspring tube and it will be fine. "M48TANKER"

Thanks to Brian for the excellent photos of the stock and the pertinent information. I hope that more will use the "Gallery" feature to show us their collections. "TANKER"

Check out my latest photos. I removed the shiney combed stock and forearm from "My First Johnson" and installed another set of wood. The newly installed buttstock is more like a "military pattern" but I believe it's still one made by Winfield? I need the tiny metal plate that is nailed into the forearm, to secure the front takedown pin. Got to see if Joe has these for sale. If not, I can make one. I'm going to leave the metal blued for now..it's a very good bluing job. Also leaving the "Dahl" ramped front sight for a little while. Someone might want to put it back into the "Sporter" configuration. Sorry about the poor quality pictures...I just can't seem to take good pictures indoors. And the new sling...well it's NEW !!! I think I need to bury the sling in the back yard for a month or so. I'll try to find an older looking sling at the next gunshow.

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I bought the wood as a finished product from a private seller on the internet. I don't know where he got it. It is a beautiful piece of wood! Not an exact duplicate of the "military" stock, but close. Maybe it's a John Darling stock? Does anyone know? There have to be others out there.

I followed the auction closely and as I expected the real bidding came at the last hour. The rifle sold for $3951.00 .......worth the money I believe. It appeared to be close to "original" to me? One flaw was the front magazine "take-down" pin being repaired, but that's a very small thing. The buttstock has a couple of small chips on the left side, but what the heck...it's just "patina" to me. It looked almost as good as the $8025.00 rifle that sold last week. That's a big price difference. Someone did "Pay for the Story". Actually they paid for the bragging rights as to who owned it before. I suppose the past owner being well known for the "AutoMag" pistol, and a collector, is worth $4000.00 extra....just not to me! Both buyers got nice firearms I believe.

We're very proud of your accomplishments Jim ! Thanks for all your efforts.

Mitch J...you can say that again!

That's good news from all of you that have used the ammo. I clean ALL of my weapons immediately after firing, so using corrosive ammo has never presented a problem. If I shoot a couple of hundred rounds through my UZI or M16, I'll clean the weapon within the hour. Even if I only shoot ONE round through it...it gets cleaned. Most of my buddies think I'm overly cautious. They may clean their guns once a year or so. But then, they are not shooting corrosive ammo, so maybe they can get away with it. With a lot of the military surplus there is actually no way to positively know for sure. If you got it at a good price then it's safe to assume that it's corrosive, berdan primed, and steel cased! I was mainly concerned about the bullet weight and powder charge. The chrono details helped me a lot. I love this board for it's friendly people and wealth of knowledge. Thanks, M48Tanker

Thanks Barry, it would be nice to shoot the PS74 since I have a bit of it. I think I'll still look for some appropriate M2 Ball. I've only reloaded for my 50 caliber, out of necessity due to price. I suppose reloading 36.06 won't be any harder. If anyone has any extra ammo loaded to M2Ball specs, let me know. Thanks, M48TANKER

Hi guys, I'd like to get the info on JSAR #5288. Also I need the little metal "thingy" that locks the front takedown pin from falling out. The pin is the one that holds the magazine to the receiver, and the metal "thingy" is the "clip" that is fastened on to the front forestock with a nail, and the pin's lever locks under it. I hope someone has one. Thanks in advance. M48TANKER

Thanks for the information Joe. I'm now aware of what to look for. Live and learn...just don't pay a whole lot in the process! Mike

Well Guys, I had a good week. Look at the pictures that I just posted in the Gallery section. A long time neighbor came to see me and brought a couple of knives to sell. One is a US M4 bayonet used on the M1/2 Carbine. The sheath for this one is not original to the knife, but it's a really old "Navy" sheath..I think. The bayonet has all the correct marks for an Imperial US M4 guard marked bayonet. The other knife is a 1918 Trench Knife called a Knuckle Knife. It too has all the marks of being an original LF&C trench knife, with brass cast knuckle grip and blackening on both the grip and the blade. The scabbard is of the "French" design, I think, and unmarked..with a dent in the tip end and soldered or welded on belt clips. Then I received the book that I found on Amazon.com and it's what I hoped it would be. To me it appears to be an original NOS and unissued "TM 226" for the 1941 Johnson rifle. It still has the fold-out section in the back. There is not a smudge, crinkle, bent corner, or any other sign of it ever being touched by human hands. (I'm not sure if this rules out space aliens or not.) The cover is made of a thin "cardboard" like material, thicker than the pages of the book. On the back of the cover it has stamped TM 226. (It is in 100% condition...just unbelievable.) So....give me your opinions on any and all of my acquisitions. I buy or trade for them as if they are fakes, and hope that they are the real deal. M48TANKER

Well, it seems that the manual I found on Amazon.com is just a reproduction after all. No wonder it seemed too good to be true. The seller did not represent the manual as an original and would give me my money back, but it's not worth the trouble. I've added a notation on the photos in my Gallery to let others know what they are looking at. I don't want someone else assuming that the manual is the real deal! It's still a good useful manual, just not a collector's item but a fake. M48TANKER

Webmaster, You know what they say about something that seems too good to be true...it's usually a fake! I'm glad I didn't give too much for the thing. I already have a couple of obvious reproductions and was really hoping this one would be real...oh well. It is too nice to be real. However it's close enough to make a good display until I learn from you how to tell the difference. I was able to keep a buddy of mine from buying a reproduction bayonet because I knew what to look for. Thanks for your insight and I'll pm you for the rest of the story. TANKER