My latest "Johnson"

[M48TANKER 0]

I just acquired another 1941 Johnson, but it's not the typical JSAR. This one looks more like the "V" model, the Taft-Peirce sporting model, or the Marlin sporting model...but it does not have those manufacturers' names on it. It has a vertical magazine, a full stock, no sling swivels, the routings for the buttplate and rear sling swivel have been plugged with the same type and grain of the stocks wood and are hard to notice unless you look for them. The rear sight is not the typical sight either because there is no dovetail for it. The top of the receiver is just flat with no raised portion for a dovetail slot. The sight that is on there is a "buckhorn" type sight with some lettering left that appears to have said "MARBLE" "Gladstone, Mich. USA". The top of the receiver has also been drilled and tapped for a scope base. The stock has a flat buttplate with a small patch of checkering in the middle and it's "plastic" or "bakelite" or whatever hard buttplates are made of. The stock is a full stock to the end of the radiator, but it's actually made up of three pieces that are joined with a "factory made dovetail/lap joint. The joint is done so well that if the wood were sanded and stained again I think you wouldn't be able to tell where the joints are. There appears to be only one coat of "varnish" over the bare wood. The receiver looks to have started life as a typical 1941 Johnson "R" type receiver #A0095. The normal "1941 Johnson Automatics, Providence Rhode Island, Patent numbers, 30.06 semi-auto" lettering is present. The receiver and barrel are blued like a Winfield blue but the barrel has no identification marks on it. However there are two cuts on the bottom of the barrel where a bayonet lug may have once been pinned. For this reason I think the barrel was once meant to be a military barrel, but it has no other markings. Likewise the rear stock section appears to have been military with the exposed screws on either side for the mainspring tube recoil stop, it looks like it once had a metal buttplate and once had a sling swivel. On the left side of the receiver the hinge loops for the rotary drum have been machined off. On the right side the stripper clip entry has been milled flat. A steel box has been added where the rotary magazine used to be and it forms the magazine well. The magazine looks like it would hold five or six rounds. The center wooden section is a tight fit around the magazine well box, with a spring loaded flat blade to hold and release the magazine. The rifle strongly resembles one of the "V" model Taft-Peirce or Marlin commercial models, but the rifle also appears to have possibly been a factory demonstrator, or prototype. All the modifications appear to have been done by a good machinist or the factory and the wood was definitely done by an expert. However the overall quality does not seem to be meant for the commercial market. Overall the rifle looks better than the pictures indicate and all parts are in good condition. The extractor is #A0187, the bolt is #A2258, the firing pin is #A5894, and the locking cam is #A3003. I didn't check the trigger, hammer, or lock frame yet. I'm going to try to attach a link to "Snapfish" photo hosting gallery with an album of pictures of all parts of the gun. I wonder what I have? I believe that it is more than a "Bubba-done-it"...Bubba doesn't do quite as nice work. Here is the link to Snapfish, I hope: http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4679447014/a=129430422_129430422/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

[ArtR 0]

As people may not want to "join" SNAPFISH, you might be better to post photos with your message, use INSERT IMAGE icon on reply post tool bar

[M48TANKER 0]

Sorry, I was not aware that you had to join Snapfish in order to view a shared album...my bad! Well here goes:

[Brian Alpert 0]

A couple years ago, I picked up a similar vertical feed JSAR at an auction. The original JSAR receiver was unaltered except a portion of the clip feed was ground off to make the stocking easier. The rear sight and elevator were also modified to a more "sporting" configuration. The buttplate had been modified from an original JSAR buttplate. The clip held 5 rounds. The rifle looked reasonably well done...by a competent gunsmith or machine shop. I got it for a song and was only interested in using the receiver and parts so I sent the bbl off to Joseph Scott to be "remilitarized". To my chagrin, he found that it was a grafted bbl in 2 pieces (as seen in the attached photo) and was potentially dangerous.

[M48TANKER 0]

Thanks for the input Brian! Your rifle seems to be a cut above mine. Your stock seems to be made of one piece, but with the potbelly middle still partially there. Don't you just really wonder about the history of these particular rifles? I guess that's what makes them "collectible" .....some are a mystery. Who in the world would graft a barrel like that? Since I see the barrel has been sectioned to show the chamber, I assume that you put another barrel on the rifle. It looks like they took the time to inlet the stock to fit around the hinges for the rotary magazine, but it's a shame that they also machined off the stripper clip guide as mine was done. For collecting and historical reasons I suppose these rifle should be left "as found" as much as possible. I have to admit though that I'd like to return this one to it's rotary magazine status...don't worry..I won't. Your receiver also started life as a rotary magazine receiver and was converted later by someone. Your buttplate was altered too, but you didn't show how. Mine has a "plastic/bakelite/whatever" buttplate off some other commercial rifle. I'm going to look at some old Marlin rifles to see if I can match the buttplate. Does your rifle have the filled in spots where a sling swivel was on the back and where the top of the military metal buttplate wrapped over the top? Any other markings on the top of your rifle or the barrel, as in the pictures of the "Marlin" stamping. Mine has none...just the regular 1941 Johnson lettering with patent numbers, etc. Would you hazard a guess as to the value of such rifles? Are they "rare, rare, very valuable collectibles" or just "redheaded stepsons" that don't rate getting excited over? Thanks, Michael Roper...aka...M48TANKER (btw...received funds today)

[rigunner 0]

M48 Tanker,

I have MR3 a Taft Pierce model.I will get it (it is stored off site ) and try to send photos.My recollection is that the mag on my rifle is different from yours and the stock looks different.

I will reply but it may take me a few day.

RIGunner

[M48TANKER 0]

M48 Tanker,

I have MR3 a Taft Pierce model.I will get it (it is stored off site ) and try to send photos.My recollection is that the mag on my rifle is different from yours and the stock looks different.

I will reply but it may take me a few days.

RIGunner

Thanks "rigunner," I'd love to see pictures of your rifle. We now have a "Gallery" section where you can create an album of pictures of your Johnsons. Of course you can still post pictures in the forum section too. Where are all the "Marlin" and "Taft-Peirce" rifles? I guess that very few were made. I hope that more will surface. The variations of Johnsons makes them so interesting...if rifles could only talk! M48TANKER

[webmaster 0]

Well RI GUNNER has one of the Marlin rifles. T-P rifle R13 was destroyed by fire a couple of years ago and the others are dotted around in private collections and museums.