Really off topic, but not ---

[diggerj 0]

Timing is everything in life, they say - here's one example.

I got into this JSAR adventure by virtue of my son rummaging around in the basement of my then recently deceased father-in-law. He found a bunch of rifgle parts rolled up in a shower curtain and covered in oil/cosmoline what have you. Fast forward to a Google search for what was the radiator on a JSAR and follwed by a visit to Walt Liss who put the bolt handle back on properly and showed me old movies and a host of Johnsons etc.

We knew my father-in-law had come back from Vermont discharged before the second war started from the old horse artillery. He had worked in the middle-war years at the boatyard in Providence but we never discussed where he had obtained the JSAR because HE NEVER MENTIONED HE HAD IT! After his death, and knowing he lived probably within 8-10 miles of the Cranston plant making the JSAR, I assumed after the fact that he may have worked there at the plant in some capacvity.

Fast forward again to recent times when my wife is applying for a renewal of her passport for this Fall trip we plan. She obtains an original birth certificate she actually had never seen before. As they documented the stats of her parents it is noted:

mother - Lena ... age 19 ... occupation - at home

father - David Francis Pearson ...age 23 ...occupation -- "gun tester"

I guess we know from whence he got the JSAR, but can you imagine the questions he could have answered had we known before he died!

You can imagine I plan an extensive search of every niche and cranny in the house (I did a cursory one after finding the JSAR).

Walt Liss, I might ask you if the records show any initials of inspectors and if "DFP" might be one. Could even be a b+w film of him - that's for another time and space, though.

May all your times be good ones gentlemen - Regards,

John D.

[webmaster 0]

Hi John,

Just a sideline to your excellent piece of family history. Cranston Arms/ Universal Winding Co. were part of the New England Small Arms conglomerate (NESA) who contracted with Ordnance Dept. to make such things a BAR's and M1 Carbine parts.

The production log does not have any annotations to denote who was the test of proof firer. It's just numbers tabulated into a chart.

So he could have been a BAR function/ proof tester too! That's pretty awesome in itself also!

[diggerj 0]

Nice expansion on this Jim, thanks. I will be going through the dozens of jars of screws etc. my very organized father-in-law has in the basement on steel shelves - the famous wood screw for JSARs is my target - NOS !! Any update will be some weeks away as I have a date with my kidney stones coming up next week and thereafter, but I'll log in any finds!

John

[Roger Geer 0]

Where does one go in this forum to ask Questions about Johnston Automatics/Custom made Sport Rifles. I have just acquired a Custom 22-250 Mauser Action. It is stamped JOHNSTON AUTOMATICS on the barrel

THANKS

ROGER

[Ed Johnson 0]

A good descrition on the custom rifles division is contained in the book "Johnson Rifles and Machine Guns" by Bruce Canfield on pages 209 - 212. The book can be ordered from several sources or from the publisher, Mowbray, at 1 800 999 4697.