safety

[akgunguy 0]

Just purchased a M1941 Johnson through Rock Island Auction (due in this Friday). Question is...should I have a gunsmith check it out prior to firing or is there seldom a need for this?

Any other tips?

[Rick S. 0]

akgunguy,

You should get any used firearm "checked" before shooting it. The JSAR is a rare weapon, and because of it's rarity there just aren't many smiths who can wring it out like it should be. I would definitely have a gunsmith check headspace, to ensure you don't have a case rupture, and damage or destroy your brain housing group (head), and/or your rifle. Any smith with 30'06 gauges should be able to do this.

The M1941 Johnson Website, of which this board is a part, has allot of information, in case you haven't seen it. Simply field stripping, cleaning, and performing a visual inspection of the parts would be a good start. Having a good understanding of how the parts interact and operate mechanically, and looking for burring, scoring, evidence of battering, and obviously missing, bent, cracked, or broken parts will save time and expense.

Joe Scott, who frequents this site, but has been running from hurricanes, lately, sells a DVD that offers excellent guidance. He also sells some critical parts that aren't available elsewhere. Hopefully he, his family, and worldly possessions are fully mission capable, and we hear from him soon.

There is a precarious balance between the mainspring, located within the buttstock, and the firing pin spring. Worn mainsprings cause battering of the bolt, boltstop, and receiver. I believe minimum acceptable length is 11.5 inches, if I recall correctly. (Someone please chime in, if I'm mistaken.) When worn mainsprings are replaced, and weak firing pin springs are not, the potential exists for slam-fires, causing doubling or possible automatic fire. This is a very dangerous condition to the shooter, anyone downrange beyond the backstop, the shooter's legal status, and possibly the rifle. These and other parts should be inspected for serviceability, by somebody knowledgeable, before firing the weapon. The only way to really fully test for these conditions is at the range.

Again, there aren't many gunsmiths who've even seen a JSAR, before. This has made it necessary for many of us to do it ourselves. You've come to the right place, if you have to go this route, as there's allot of knowledge and experience here. If you aren't very confident, though, don't shoot it. The life you save may be your own!

I've inspected, and fired my own JSARs. I have also been trained to inspect small arms in the military, and understand where the critical areas are. I still will not pretend to have the last word on this subject. I wouldn't have dared to do it without the guidance of participants of this board. Proceed at your own risk.

That said, the JSAR is a well designed, very robust and forgiving rifle. So much so, that while it lost in competition with a design that had already been accepted and rushed into mass production by a country about to enter into a world war, several of it's unique design features can be found in modern small arms in use as we speak. Aside from the attention you get at the range when shooting a JSAR, if you possess an understanding of the unique features of this rifle, it's a genuine pleasure to own and shoot.

Semper Fi,

Rick S.

[akgunguy 0]

Thanks for the information. Could anyone actually suggest a qualified gunsmith that I could just ship the firearm to for inspection and/or repair?

Hopefully too, Joe Scott will respond to this posting with his contact info and I will order the DVD, etc.

[webmaster 0]

Mel,

Glad to see that you got posting!!

Joe Scott is the best person to give your rifle a once over for you. He will check and guage all the usual bits that cause problems.

Hopefully he is OK and his place is not too bad after Ike.

[akgunguy 0]

Received the rifle as scheduled. In my opinion, it is the 90% rifle the auction house claimed. Excellent stock, metal finish, bore, etc. Took it apart enough to thoroughly check the headspacing...all good there. SN = B5019 and am anxious to get the Johnson book and check out its history, etc.

[akgunguy 0]

Ok, headspace is correct....rifle works great...clean, shiny bore, excellent condition...SN = B5019. Can anyone help me out on history of that SN?

[Mitch J 0]

Ok, headspace is correct....rifle works great...clean, shiny bore, excellent condition...SN = B5019. Can anyone help me out on history of that SN?

I also agree that Joseph Is the one to contact for inspection.

I am Planning on selling a '41 Johnson in the near future and I will require that the buyer have it inspected by Joseph as per the sale.

He is one of the best..

Regards Mitch J.

[ArtR 0]

Currently there is no production information on "letter prefixed" SN rifles at this time.

[Joseph Scott 0]

Johnson main springs should be 12" long. Short ones eject the cases too hard and dent them coming out. New springs are $20.

[korvette 0]

akgunguy,

You should get any used firearm "checked" before shooting it. The JSAR is a rare weapon, and because of it's rarity there just aren't many smiths who can wring it out like it should be. I would definitely have a gunsmith check headspace, to ensure you don't have a case rupture, and damage or destroy your brain housing group (head), and/or your rifle. Any smith with 30'06 gauges should be able to do this.

The M1941 Johnson Website, of which this board is a part, has allot of information, in case you haven't seen it. Simply field stripping, cleaning, and performing a visual inspection of the parts would be a good start. Having a good understanding of how the parts interact and operate mechanically, and looking for burring, scoring, evidence of battering, and obviously missing, bent, cracked, or broken parts will save time and expense.

Joe Scott, who frequents this site, but has been running from hurricanes, lately, sells a DVD that offers excellent guidance. He also sells some critical parts that aren't available elsewhere. Hopefully he, his family, and worldly possessions are fully mission capable, and we hear from him soon.

There is a precarious balance between the mainspring, located within the buttstock, and the firing pin spring. Worn mainsprings cause battering of the bolt, boltstop, and receiver. I believe minimum acceptable length is 11.5 inches, if I recall correctly. (Someone please chime in, if I'm mistaken.) When worn mainsprings are replaced, and weak firing pin springs are not, the potential exists for slam-fires, causing doubling or possible automatic fire. This is a very dangerous condition to the shooter, anyone downrange beyond the backstop, the shooter's legal status, and possibly the rifle. These and other parts should be inspected for serviceability, by somebody knowledgeable, before firing the weapon. The only way to really fully test for these conditions is at the range.

Again, there aren't many gunsmiths who've even seen a JSAR, before. This has made it necessary for many of us to do it ourselves. You've come to the right place, if you have to go this route, as there's allot of knowledge and experience here. If you aren't very confident, though, don't shoot it. The life you save may be your own!

I've inspected, and fired my own JSARs. I have also been trained to inspect small arms in the military, and understand where the critical areas are. I still will not pretend to have the last word on this subject. I wouldn't have dared to do it without the guidance of participants of this board. Proceed at your own risk.

That said, the JSAR is a well designed, very robust and forgiving rifle. So much so, that while it lost in competition with a design that had already been accepted and rushed into mass production by a country about to enter into a world war, several of it's unique design features can be found in modern small arms in use as we speak. Aside from the attention you get at the range when shooting a JSAR, if you possess an understanding of the unique features of this rifle, it's a genuine pleasure to own and shoot.

Semper Fi,

Rick S.

how do i find mr. scott??? anyone have his number ..? thanks korvette

[Rick S. 0]

korvette,

Mr. Scott may be reached by sending him a message through this board. He posted in this string just above your reply. Click on the dropdown menu to the left of his post that has his name on it. You'll see the option to send him a message.

You may first need to set up your control panel from "My Controls" at the top of the page to ensure you'll receive the reply. He responds to his messages, though maybe not as quickly as a direct email. That feature protects all of us from spambots and other evil cybersludge.

I also need to contact him, and I use these features myself.

As you can see, his work is highly recommended, and he is one of a very very few with expert functional knowledge of the JSAR.

Semper Fi,

Rick S.