any reason not to shoot a rifle?

[SomeGuyJeff 0]

besides the obvious poor condition and obvious wear ? what would stop you from shooting your rifle? I recently inherited B73?? from a relative. was told he couldve brought it back from the war but honestly it looks like it has rarely or never been shot.the action moves freely and looks good to me. i want nothing more than to take it out and shoot away. ive only seen a couple others in person and none were as nice as this one. anything to look for (certain ammo to use or better yet NOT use) thanks in advance.

[Brian Alpert 0]

If it is in sound condition, there is no reason it should not be safe to shoot. Headspace is not a problem with original bbl assemblies. An old dry stock could possibly crack or even split but, then again, new ones could also. They are made to shoot, not sit in the safe although some would say they are too valuable to shoot. I shoot mine. They really draw a crowd at the range.

[Joseph Scott 0]

Johnson's are made of very high quality steel and are generally safe to shoot. I have found no headspace problems with original barrels and only a few with replacement ones. Some replacements were made with headspace at minimum but usable. I suggest not using ammo of 180 gr. or above, only because of recoil. They were designed for M2 150 gr ball ammo. Clean the chamber as well as bore. Clean any old grease and use oil to lube. Hold the gun tight against shoulder to prevent "bounce" double firing. Load only two rounds on first try, if it cycles ok, then load more. If it throws cases a long way, check the main spring, it should be 12" long. Compression or "set" is a common problem with old original springs. If it doesn't extract cases and clears them out to feed another, chamber may be dirty or finely pitted. If you need information on tear-down, inspection, etc, I have a DVD on that. Good luck.

[ryche_me 0]

As with what Joe said stay away from any ammo heavier than 150 gr. I made the mistake one time and put 180 gr. in mine. Talk about a beating on the shoulder. Plus ejectors are hard to find if a replacement is needed. After looking at the head on the fired cases there was a notch dented in from the ejector. I was concerned that i would break it if i used any more 180 gr.Good luck with it and let us know how the range trip was..Expect to draw a crowd, and get alot of expert advise from some guys who have never owned one , but know everything about them Ryche

[Mitch J 0]

The Only reason I chose NOT to shoot a rifle is for Preservation purposes only. Only way to keep a Car nice is to keep it in the garage, Same with rifles...

[SomeGuyJeff 0]

thanks all for the responses - the info is much appreciated. i just wish i couldve talked to my great uncle more about this gun while he was alive.

[SomeGuyJeff 0]

The Only reason I chose NOT to shoot a rifle is for Preservation purposes only. Only way to keep a Car nice is to keep it in the garage, Same with rifles...

being a family gun - passed to me - i obviously want to keep it in its current condition, but unless i find out otherwise, i want to enjoy it and shoot it.

[ArtR 0]

If it were me, I would shoot it....either with 147-150gr ball or with 150 gr soft tips....and enjoy. As both Brian and Joe said, these guns were made to shoot, not to be closet queens. And when you shoot it, you will draw a crowd. Be prepared to answer questions. And the best way to do that is to acquire a copy of "the book". Boy, I have not had to say that in a while! The book can be found at many gun shows and direct from this site....http://www.brucecanfield.com/johnson-rifles.html

[SomeGuyJeff 0]

took it to the range - and wow what a nice shooting gun. the guy working there had "only seen them in books" and wanted to hold it... we also let him pop off a couple rounds and that made a big smile a friend for sure. no issues - picked up some 150gr soft tip ammo - everything cycled nicely and we were able to get it zeroed within a handful of rounds at 100 yards.

[ryche_me 0]

Great range report... That is what we all like to hear when they go out and preform well, especially in front of others . I had mine at the range once and a guy from the Garand shooters club invited me to a match the following week. This was a guy who would have never approached me due to age difference, at least 20 to 30 years, and the other rifles i had with me( FAL, and an AK) would never have caught his attention... But the JSAR always draws attention. Make sure to clean her real good and keep taking her out with you. Thanks for the range update...Ryche