JSAR cleaning kits

[Black Tom 0]

Recently I have been in contact with a new owner of a JSAR who was/is interested in acquiring a butt stock cleaning kit. I have period kits in my Garand and 1903. (An aluminum "cigar" tube in the 1903 and a plastic tube type in the M-1) Neither of these will fit in my JSAR, with both being about 1/2" too long for the butt stock well.

My butt stock appears to be original--not a replacement.

Does anyone what type of kit was used?

Thanks,

B.T.

[Joseph Scott 0]

Tom, in my opinion there were no cleaning kits in the stocks. I believe the hole was to lighten the overall weight. Several years ago, someone posted a picture he claimed was an original cleaning kit, but it was plainly a British Enfield kit. Maybe the webmaster's research has/will uncover otherwise

[Bob Lamoreaux 0]

Tom, in my opinion there were no cleaning kits in the stocks. I believe the hole was to lighten the overall weight. Several years ago, someone posted a picture he claimed was an original cleaning kit, but it was plainly a British Enfield kit. Maybe the webmaster's research has/will uncover otherwise

I might be misremembering, but I don't recall seeing any JSARs with a "trap-door" buttplate. Doesn't seem likely that one would put a cleaning kit in a location that would require removing screws to access. If, and this is a big "if", there were any "Johnson cleaning kits" -- as such -- one would expect them to be either belt carried or pack carried. Can't remember which rifle it was for, but I seem to remember a World War I rifle ('03 or M1914/17?) that had a pouch type cleaning kit to be carried on the belt. Maybe I'm just dreaming this up. Old age, you know !

[ryche_me 0]

I might be misremembering, but I don't recall seeing any JSARs with a "trap-door" buttplate. Doesn't seem likely that one would put a cleaning kit in a location that would require removing screws to access. If, and this is a big "if", there were any "Johnson cleaning kits" -- as such -- one would expect them to be either belt carried or pack carried. Can't remember which rifle it was for, but I seem to remember a World War I rifle ('03 or M1914/17?) that had a pouch type cleaning kit to be carried on the belt. Maybe I'm just dreaming this up. Old age, you know !

I think there was a belt mounted cleaning kit for the M-1, I have one around somewhere that i was told was for the GARAND. I don't remember seeing any JSAR with a butt trapdoor. MARK

[Black Tom 0]

Thanks guys.

What everyone says makes perfect sense. I had always assumed that the longer of the two holes held a cleaning kit and that the shorter one held a small container of Luberplate. What I couldn't understand was why the rifle was engineered in such a way that someone would have to field strip it to get at the screwdriver on the end of the bolt handle.

Removing even a little wood would lighten the load a little bit.

It's been a long time since the USMC gave me an M-1 to stroll around with but I can remember someone saying that they would throw away the Joker, in a deck of cards, to make their load lighter.

The BAR guys routinely discarded the bipod & flashhider, as that got rid of over a lb. of weight.

I don't recall ever having a belt carried cleaning kit. From what I remember we had our bayonet, usually two canteens and a small web pouch that held a compress dressing and possibly some sulfa powder. Maybe there was some type of cleaning kit but I just don't remember having one.

Thanks,

B.T.