Any Source for Original JSAR Stocks?

[tricky9914 0]

Hello,

I am looking for an original 1941 Johnson rifle stock... Of course, these are difficult to find, be it original or repro. Does anyone here know of a reputable source who might have one for sale?

I am also planning on going to the "Show of Shows" in KY next month - does anyone know the chances of finding one there?

Also, when I do find a stock, should I be concerned about it fitting correctly? I know JSARs were meticulously manufactured, so are stocks one size fits all?

Also, can anyone recommend someone reputable who can do repair or restoration work on a stock in very poor condition?

Thanks for all your help!

[Brian Alpert 0]

Loose original stocks for JSARs are few and far between and, when found, generally in poor condition and outrageously priced.  In almost 20 years of collecting and dealing in JSARs I personally have not seen an original stock for sale that I would put on a rifle.  There are some decent replacements around, originally offered by John Darling and for the past several years Joseph Scott.  These stocks (like the originals) were "drop in" with little if any fitting required.  Replacements offered by other vendors required a great deal of fitting and some just could not be properly installed.  I have "rebuilt" several JSARs with Joseph Scott's replacements and would not recommend any other.

You never know what you will find at the "Show of Shoes" but I would still guess your chances are "slim and none" for an original JSAR stock.

[tricky9914 0]

Thank you for your expedient and helpful response. Is Joseph Scott a member on this forum? Is there a way of connecting with him?

I do have an original stock, but, like you said, it is in very poor condition. There are two large cracks leading from the tang, and a chunk of wood missing from the left side of the rear of the wrist... I feel like the entire back tang/wrist area of the stock would need to be cut out and replacement wood fitted into it. It is also a "thin" stock without the bulge which would otherwise contour around the sides of the circular magazine. Any reputable wood-workers here?

[Brian Alpert 0]

Joseph Scott is a regular on this forum.

[Brian Alpert 0]

I have never used them but they come highly recommended  http://www.gunstockmaker.com/

[tricky9914 0]

Thanks again, Brian. I am going to message him for a repair quote.

Another question for you: This stock in question is "thin" which does not have laminated (or solid) bulges that contour the rotary magazine. I know that stocks were made with thinner blanks, in order to diminish excessive wood waste, and laminated "cheeks" were affixed on later, but was it common for JSARs to leave the line with just a thin stock? Photos are attached.

 

 

 

 

 

st 2

st 1

[emmagee1917 0]

The cheeks were added " later " as a step of the manufacturing process , not " later " as at somewhere else .

No rifle left the factory with an incomplete stock.

Chris

[Brian Alpert 0]

If it is an original stock, the cheeks have been removed.  It is not a big deal for one skilled in stock repair to glue and contour new cheeks. Check to see if the stock is original. It will have 3 holes in the butt and a particular type of inletting on the end facing the magazine.  Originals will have a letter and a number stamped on this surface.  

[sinker4 0]

Several years ago I meet a gunsmith here in New Hampshire that had worked in a wood working shop in western Mass that supplied stocks and fore ends for the 41 Johnson. I visited his shop to see what he might have and bought an NOS  , unfinished stock with a new butt plate and tube that he kept for himself . I couldn't believe my luck, and he is a great gunsmith too.