Johnson Hunting Rifle?

[Jim Peden 0]

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 )

[Jim Peden 0]

Correction: That's GUNS AMERICA, not Gunbroker.com. sorry for the dyslexia...

Jim

[Ed Johnson 0]

Dad was definitely involved with custom rifles using Mauser actions, post WWII.

The operation in Hope Valley, RI was not just my father's. I believe it formed after

JA finally folded it's tent and Dad moved on to Winchester. The principal was a Mr.

Kenneth Kemp, assisted by "Ike" Isaacs, both former JA employees. Their new

company was called "Johnson Automatics Associates, Inc." with Dad's blessing.

The JAA,Inc. operated for many years in Hope Valley, in an old building presently

occupied by a furniture company. As an irony, after Dad died in 1965, I ended up

having them act as our final assembly plant for the 5.7 mm Spitfire Carbine which

Dad and Jack Fitzgerald designed in the early '60's. Much of this is covered in the

latest Johnson book by Canfield & Lamoreaux.

JAA,Inc. remained a custom rifle & shotgun refurbishing business for many years

and they had many of the older machines from JA, including the older "hook"

rifle turning machines and drillers, as well as a complete Blueing tank.

I believe Joe Scott told me that he purchased some older tools after Ike Isaacs

passed away some years ago. In any case, we would have to have a pretty close

look at the Gunbroker piece to validate that Dad's firm actually built it. Hope this

background info is helpful. Ed J

[Ed Johnson 0]

As a footnote, I tried to check the number you gave above and could not see the

gun in question. Sorry I can't be more helpful to you. ej

[Bob Lamoreaux 0]

Johnson Automatics Custom Gun Shop existed in the Cranston/Providence (Rhode Island) area through about 1948/49. The ads in the American Rifleman magazines of that era first show a post office box, then -- in the later ads -- the address of 60 Aleppo Street. I suspect that the P.O. box address reflects the time that MMJ, Jr. was still actively involved with the custom gun shop and that the Aleppo Street address was after MMJ, Jr. terminated his association with Johnson Automatics Custom Gun Shop, probably when he and David Dardick (and others) were attempting to license the production of Johnson firearms to foreign military establishments through Johnson Automatics Export Co. (JAX).

I sort of doubt that the Mauser is a Hope Valley rifle.

Interestingly, converted military rifles seem to be collector's items in and of themselves, depending on the outfit doing the conversion. Not too long ago I saw an '03 Springfield for sale, converted by R.F. Stegley (? spelling) of Philadelphia. This piece was offered for somewhat over $1,000. I think it was rebarreled into another caliber, but can't remember what the cal. might have been.

Bob

[Guest Brucew]

Mr. Peden and Mr. Johnson I'm a new guy here and I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your post. This past weekend I bought a beautiful custom mauser from a pawn shop, this gun has "johnson automatics" stamped on the barrel. Is there any way to tell if this would be an original gun from the rhode island shop? This gun was made on a mauser action chambered in 30-06, it has a european style stock, double set triggers, griffin and howe scope mount, and double leaf express sights. Do you know of anyone in my area that could look at this gun and tell me if it is an original and if it is what it may be valued at?

[Luc 0]

I made photo's (I still have them somewhere) of a custom(?) made Johnson rifle with a couple of different barrels,and was fed from a detachable box magazine, if my memory is correct. It was engraved with the name of the owner. It was in a Ft. Wayne, IN gun shop about 1980 for about $1000. Too much money for a collage kid to buy. I really wasn't that interested as it wasn't the military model. I think it was sold to some one in Alaska.

BKW

[DaveHuz 0]

Have found this site for the second time and it has been very interesting to read about these rifles. History Channel's "Mailcall" had a short blurb on the Johnson rifle a few days ago. Inherited my Dad's .270 Johnson Automatic with Mauser action (specifically the action is: FAB.NAT.D'ARMES de GUERRE HERSTAL-BELGIQUE -marking on top of action is YII 1930 with crown and crest with a cross inside it). No serial number is visible as I expect it is underneath hidden by the stock-haven't taken the rifle down yet. Barrel has a hooded ramp sight and it and the action are heavily blued. The curved bolt handle is marked with an "M3" underneath. Stock is beautiful dark walnut with hand cut checkering in excellent condition and with a Packmayr recoil pad, although this rifle has spent some time in the field. I believe my Dad acquired this piece some time in the 50s when we lived in Central NYS. He had worked with and known several old time gunsmiths in the Utica, NY area and I believe one of them had sold this rifle to him. Any experts out there have any idea of the value of this rifle? I might be interested in passing this piece on to a collector who can appreciate it or restore it instead of my keeping it cased and secured out of view.

[DaveHuz 0]

Just some updated history on the aforementioned .270 Win. rifle that my Dad had built. The Johnson barrel had to have been purchased separately by my Dad or a gunsmith as my Uncle who is now deceased brought the Mauser action back to my Dad right after his tour in N. Africa in WWII. As I recall our conversations, the Mauser action had been attached to a barrel that was bent (probably as a result of combat) and the gunsmith mated the action to the Johnson .270 Automatic barrel.

[Joseph Scott 0]

As Ed mentioned, I do have many of the small gages for manufacturing the bolt action rifles. Many are chamber gages in various calibers. I think they are marked "Johnson Automatics" but will have to look again. I have seen such Johnson sporters over the years but they do not seem to have any special value. They made a light weight version with a Johnson muzzle brake. Some of the gages are for the rifle and LMG's. I use two of the original .30-06 test bolt gages for headspacing my barrels.

[Story 0]

Tangential to the original subject, I recently acquired a sporterized 1903 Springfield that looks like an early Sedgley (Marble rear sight instead of the Lyman 48), but lacks any Sedgley markings.

It's also *sanitized* like a Sedgley (no receiver arsenal markings, no barrel dating) and the sporter's serial number is in the right spot for a Sedgley - 21xx on the bolt track in the tang.

The top of the barrel has a "P" stamp but on the bottom, under the chamber, is stamped "30.06" over "J.A." (Johnson Automatics?) and "98D" on the underside of the receiver's front ring.

From another posting on the net, when the end of the war came there was little material or work for Sedgleys and they closed. Some workmen went on to establish themselves as custom rifle makers. The best known was Paul Jaeger of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania who had learned the gun trade in Germany. Martin Wurzer, a Ferlach-trained metal man and Carl Peterson a Swedish-trained stockmaker, formed the partnership of Wurzer & Peterson in 1945 this located at 5239 N. Fifth St. Philadelphia.

Could this be a Hope Valley sporter, built from Sedgley surplus material (stock, action, rear sight, etc)?

Or did Johnson Automatics sell barrels to any of the Sedgley-veterans who went into business for themselves?

[Ed Johnson 0]

My guess is that this rifle would probably have been from the Hope Valley shop but obviously I cannot be absolutely certain. I believe that Hope Valley did more custom work on customer-owned rifles, which this one could be. Ed J

[Story 0]

Not my ad, no interest in this sale, posted merely Pro Bono Publica - a .30-06 JA Mauser

http://www.gunsinternational.com/JOHNSON-AUTOMATICS-SPORTER-MAUSER.cfm?gun_id=100136789