New owner, $1500 purchase of a "sporter"

[budbd 0]

I am a new owner of a johnson 1941 semi automatic 30-06 and since I live semi rural and semi remote I felt lucky just standing in front of one locally, picked that one up completely reparkerized the other day for a low price of $1500 mainly cause all the markings are gone on the top of the receiver except serial number in the 9000 range so the gun shop felt it was only worth a quick $1500(maybe they were right), the gun shop said previous owner acquired it from the estate of original owner who had left it in the white with no finish, so they reparked it for sale, I was surprised to get offered it for justr $1500 in "shooter grade", oh yeah I paid that amount, couldn't really afford it after all sorts of other collecting recently.

Anyway, took it to the range today, I, haha, hope that is okay, cause I put one 1941 round through it,then two m2 ball reloads, worked fine, and I am re-inspecting, all seems okay, had a heck of a time figuring out how to take it apart to inspect the trigger group, it shoots just fine, all the bolt parts are immaculate, and the bore and muzzle have seen seemingly little use. I have had more troubles with more expensive and rifle systems freshly reparked or brand new, seems parkerizing really slows guns up a bit till they break in. Well, I must be lucky unless there is somethng I aint seen yet, all seems in order, $1500 shooting excellent rifle "out of the box" so to speak.

I don't have a photo yet, sorry, only can state it has military front sight, no bayo lug, some sort of sporter rear stock with plastic buttplate, there is a wood plug near the buttplate that seems to keep the recoil system in check. Other than that, I proved the wood plug wasn't shoved through the buttplate at the range so it is what winfield wanted in there then. Yes, I will study the schematics more, this recoil assembly setup concerns me, though I am sure it is all the way it is supposed to be or the sporter setup wasn't a perfect setup.

[webmaster 0]

Sounds like a good deal any way you look at it. Your rifle may need a little work but any Johnson at $1500 these days is well worth it.

Send your S/N and I'll give you some history.

The 'slopping' sound maybe caused by a weak recoil spring. The wooden plug in the butt is a blanking plug to cover where a screw is. Winfield's plugged these in their stocks to tart them up a bit.

Parts are available from Joe Scott on this board.

I checked your IP address and it comes back to Allentown, Pa. A few members live in tha area, plus I go to the Harrisburg show if you want to meet up one day for me to look over your rifle.

[Guest Guest]

Thanks, serial number is 9128. That plug in the stock, will post a photo here, not sure if you understand the problem there I am speaking of, I should just remove the recoil assembly to see if the stock is busted.

My other problem, is I still haven't removed the whole buttstock, I believe on the left side the original stocks had access to that hammer block pin, is seems covered up by wood, I actually have no idea how to get that whole buttstock off with trigger group to inspect the trigger group closely, it looks okay with a flashlight, I guess I don't have to really worry about inspecting for broken parts since I fired it already, would be non returnable it it was damaged anyway after a firing.

Actually, I am on the west coast of Oregon, unsure why my IP says Allentown, PA, since I use msn as a internet service provider, maybe that is why, and hopefully this doesn't mean I have been "hacked" on my computer.

Will try to list photos, seems to require urls, guess I will post some over at gunboards.com, then link those.

[budbd 0]

Whoops, that was me as "guest" accidently, I see I have to log in and it accepts a "guest". Anyway, the serial number is 9128, a very faint "8" but there, thank goodness the mystery buffer of the past left the serial number.

OKAY, I AM HAVING TROUBLE POSTINNG PICS, AND I HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME, HERE IS A LINK WITH THE PHOTO'S ON ANOTHER BOARD WAY DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. THE ARROW ON TAPE POINTS TO AN AREA I FEEL ON ORIGINALS HAD AN ACCESS HOLE TO PUSH THROUGH THE HAMMER BLOCK PIN, IF I AM RIGHT, THAT WAY I COULD REMOVE THE BUTTSTOCK AND TRIGGER GROUP FOR INSPECTION, THOUGH IT LOOK LIK BRAND NEW IN THERE. The slopping is eliminate when the plug is in there and after I "tighten up the screw clockwise, so ther is no slop then otherwise I would have never shot it if there was slop, I guess like I said, thank goodness for a wood plug, but I would rather have a steel plate over the wood plug, then a buttplate, seems with repeated recoil the wood screws and the buttplate would give out, LIKELY WHY THIS rifle wasn't shot much, seemingly, my gain.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=1536

[webmaster 0]

Details for JSAR : 9128

Delivered from Cranston Arms to Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Co. : 03/13/42

Stock Type: 2

Barrel # 6277E

Hammer Block # 8981

Hammer # 7242

Bolt # 9293

Locking Cam # A0457

Firing Pin # A6661

Extractor # 8479

Magazine # A2000

Delivered from Jamco to Johnson Automatics Inc 03/17/42

Contract : Netherlands Purchasing Commission

[Guest Guest]

Yeah, I can see my bolt number in your post, will remove barrel later to confirm. Is that information in a readily available book?

Anyway, I won't bore with various questions, that is really amazing all the parts numbers you listed.

Just to think, this rifle is pretty much "still alive" after all the hands its been in, who knows how it ended up here on the Oregon coast, former deceased owner(before purchased from an estate in the white/no finish and getting parkerizied this summer).

Without lots of previous post research, I am figuring it was not shipped out to the dutch east indies just in time to be captured by the japanese.

[budbd 0]

Jeese, it aint keeping me logged in when I return.

[webmaster 0]

The board will log you out after a period of inactivity. As a tip - when you return to the site - click on the M 41 rifle area and it will say welcome back and a time you last visited. If it doesn't just go throught the login procedure.

Make sure you computer will accept 'cookies'.

[budbd 0]

Test shot the johnson today again, about six rounds of korean m2 ball surplus and some m2 ball spec softpoint reloads at 2850 fps 150 gr, was shooting extremely low on the 50 meter setting at 50 meters, had to jack the sight to 4 hundred meters to get more under the bullseye better. I believe I should give the muzzle crown a 5 minute recrown job, the shots dispersed more than I liked but did group.

I know these aren't fine target grade rifles, maybe the muzzle is uneven somewhat, but what is sure there is too much parkerizing there for me to really tell.

What worries me is how low it shoots, maybe these generally shot low or one was to aim at the feet of an enemy target, unsure. Who knows, maybe I shouldn't shoot it at all, I don't even have a plan if I broke a firing pin or anything happened to an extractor, as for everthing else, really, everything seems excellent condition, and there aint nothing wrong with the bore of my rifle except maybe the crown seems uneven and has too much parkerizing buildup around it.

[budbd 0]

Details for JSAR : 9128

Delivered from Cranston Arms to Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Co. : 03/13/42

Stock Type: 2

Barrel # 6277E

Hammer Block # 8981

Hammer # 7242

Bolt # 9293

Locking Cam # A0457

Firing Pin # A6661

Extractor # 8479

Magazine # A2000

Delivered from Jamco to Johnson Automatics Inc 03/17/42

Contract : Netherlands Purchasing Commission

Looks like my barrel assembly has been changed over time, numbers are 0660k both places on the barrel. I have some theories about why it shoots so low, either the front sight is too tall and meant for 7mm or the rear sight is wrong or a reproduction making it wrong somehow, likely the front sight base. Barrel does have the two pin ways if a bayonet lug is to be installed so it aint a reproduction or m1 garand barrel.

[budbd 0]

Wouldn't ya know, I lucked out, if you can call it that, in getting the former deceased owners 440 rounds of 1941 m2 ball apart from the johnson of subject here, he had owned too, in its' original ww2 unissued ammo can and all rounds in unopened boxes except one opened up for inspection, for $100 from the gun shop, a nice gesture from them, though I am always leary of vintage ammo unless it is dirt cheap or near so. I just don't see this kind of stuff needing to be "protected" as collector ammo, I had shot up some same boxed as lesser quality years ago and my last of same year ammo just last week.

I once several months ago tried to buy just the nice . ww2 50 cal can can alone, but couldn't then unless with ammo for $200 instead of the $100 today, and of course, like I said, I think it is okay for me to "consume" these rounds in my johnson guilt free, the way I see it, the older vintage ammo gets the more prone to not igniting it gets, good thing this stuff was recently sealed up.

By the way, I would post photos of my rifle other than that link, but I click on "image" to find a hosted link to photo's and it don't work, so I guess pic posting aint really done.

[Black Tom 0]

Keep in mind that the WW2 military ammo. has a corrosive primer and most currently available bore cleaners will not remove the corrosive salts. Be sure to clean your barrel with hot, soapy water or WW2 bore cleaner.

[budbd 0]

Good point for all others, I of course have shoot so much surplus over the years it is like second hat. I used swab the bores in the field with ammonia method then cleaning, then I would at the field swab with hoppes no.9 which says something about handling something such like that, then cleaning when home thoroughly. Right now, I am out of hoppes no.9, so I will go the ammonia method, though the amonia method contains alot of water which bugs me getting in a gun especially when winter starts setting in, nothing drys fast enough.

I wished I did have some "GI bore cleaner" cause I think that was some of the best stuff for cleaning corrosive ammo.

Other than that, this is a good point for still those who are either younger or haven't actually heard that old surplus ammunition is corrosive, I have seen alot of surplus firearms bores ruined or might as well be called ruined sitting at gunshops.

Thanks...