cplnorton

Requesting info on Serial # 4863

4 posts in this topic

 

I picked up Johnson serial 4863 today.  I think on the these early ones you gentleman might have the build sheets.  I would love to see how much is still original.  

Also this one looks a little nicer in the pics than in person.  It's pretty salty.  The parkerization has turned to a brown color, and the wood is scarred and dark like you see from weapons that were fielded.  The bore has a little frosting and the Muzzle is a 2-2.5ME.  So it's for sure issued and it almost looks like it served some time in the Pacific or some type of humid type environment.

With this one being early, could have been one in the Dutch Shipment?  Or could it have been possibly a Marine rifle, or maybe one sent to South America or something?  I haven't researched Johnson's in over 10 years, so I'm hoping new research has been found.  I know when I researched these a long time ago there was no way to know.  Other than the known Marine Johnson serials in Canfields book and the ones in Grunt Gear.  But any new info on these earlier serials?  

Thanks for any and all help.

 

 

 

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Edited by cplnorton

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Just a few words of caution. As so few of the rifles actually were sent to war, let's not get carried away. Also, wait on the production data to find out how much is still original. More often than not, rifles went through a mix-master and parts were mixed up. Rifle could look as it does by both use and abuse by unknowing hands any time after 1945.

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Here is the log data on #4863

Received from Cranston Arms 1/12/42

Stock #2

BBl #3280E

Hammer block #5751

Hammer #7233

Bolt #5406

Locking cam #4464

Firing pin 3646

Extractor #3187

Magazine #5429

Transferred to NPC 1/30/42

This JSAR obviously did not make it to the Dutch East Indies.  They had already fallen to the Japanese.  It could have been one of the 800 purchased from the Dutch for US forces.  More likely, it remained in embargo and saw use with Dutch forces after WWII ( they were busy trying to retain their colonies) or as rifles purchased surplus from a variety of dealers and used in various insurgencies throughout the 50's

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