[hill billy]

So my father in law gave me this gun and it took me a while to find out what it was. When I received it, it would neither load nor eject. I stripped it down, sanded out and refinished the walnut stock, polished some metal parts and managed to blindly hit a 2 ft metal target at 500 yards with iron sights on Saturday(only once :scrutiny:). It now loads and ejects like a dream and is overall a fairly nice rifle. My questions are as follows-

1. How can I tell if this is a Springfield or a Mauser conversion? I only found out what the rifle was from a book listed on ebay as the original catalog.
2. Is it worth anything? I have no real intention of selling it but I am curious.

The adjustable rear sight no longer works so that's my next fix.

[Jim Watson]

The simplest thing would be for you to show the gun or GOOD pictures to somebody who knows the difference between a Mauser and a Springfield. Not to mention an Enfield or Arisaka. There are several of us here, post pictures.

Johnson Automatic Arms was a reputable firm but they were not a famous extra high line customizer like Griffin & Howe. One of their rifles would bring more than a Bubba job, but not a tremendous price. Maybe not as much as the unaltered surplus, collectors and speculators being what they are now.

[hill billy]

Ok I'll get some pics tonight.

[Ron James]

Did I miss something? you have a Johnson 48 and you want to know if it is a converted Mauser or Springfield? You have a sporting version of the Johnson automatic rifle. An original design, the Military version was used by the USMC as a substitute standard because of the lack of Garands. I also don't believe you did the value ang good by refinishing it.

[Jim Watson]

My word. While I knew that Johnson Automatic Arms sporterized some Johnson Automatic Rifles, I never dreamed that one could be confused with a Mauser or Springfield... which they also worked on. Waiting for pictures.

[hill billy]

I was under the impression that all of their rifles of this type were either converted Springfields or Mausers.Anyhow, pics in a couple hours.

[hill billy]

well someone had tried their hand at the stock before and screwed it up so I think my job was a little better

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee59/privateer0000/jbhoboh004.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee59/privateer0000/jbhoboh005.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee59/privateer0000/jbhoboh006.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee59/privateer0000/jbhoboh007.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee59/privateer0000/jbhoboh008.jpg



I was basing my info off a copy of the Johnson catalog from 1947 which showed this rifle to be a converted Mauser or Springfield. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jim Watson]

The action is a '98 Mauser made at the Gustloff Werk in Weimar, Germany (bcd manufacturer's code), in 1942 (42 date code). World War II surplus available cheaply for 20 years after for sporterizing. But good quality, Germany was still winning in 1942.

Looks like it still has the Mauser trigger and trigger guard, but a Johnson Automatics barrel in .30-06 pretty close to the Winchester Featherweight profile. Pretty good blue job, better than a lot of overbuffed Bubba jobs. Stock is plain grain, but it is real walnut, which is more than you can say about some of the current plastic and mung wood stocks around.

Rear sight looks like a Lyman, don't horse it around, try to find somebody with some knowhow. Might just be gummed up with old oil and need soaking out with penetrating oil like Kroil. There is also a lock screw to hold the adjustments in place, be sure it isn't tight.

[Ron James]

You don't have a Johnson Automatic rifle. It is a K-98 Mauser action with a sporter stock. Perhaps Johnson Automatic Rifle Co, is the one that did the work. Your stock rework looks nice. Sorry about the confusion. As stated in Cool Hand Luke, "what we have here is a failure in communication " ( or almost what was said). In the heading " Johnson Automatic ". well that kind of threw me for a loop.

[hill billy]

It is stamped Johnson automatics in several places which is what threw me. Yes, the front and rear sights are lyman and it has the Johnson automatics muzzle brake on it as well. It shoots well and feels nice and it's the largest caliber rifle I own at the moment so it stays. Thanks for the comments on the stock, I build a lot of things but have never done a gun stock, I'm very happy with how it came out

[rcmodel]

It appears to me that the rear sight aperture is facing foreword.

It should be facing the rear, so you can look through it.

rcmodel

[Jim Watson]

I think the dohickey facing forward is the QD plunger for the elevation staff. But I can't be sure, the picture is rather dark.

[hill billy]

I don't think it's possible for the sights to be mounted backwards as they are notched into the stock.The knob facing forward I believe is the locking knob for the vertical adjustment, which currently does not work.

[Vaarok]

In the late forties and early fifties, the Johnson Automatics company couldn't sell enough M-1941 rifles to pay bills, but had huge quantities of gunsmithing equipment, and ran a mailorder sporterizing business, turning out some pretty nice pieces given the average level of homebrew quality back then.

[hill billy]

The stock is hand mortised for the action and barrel, the work is a bit rough but it fits well.

[TEDDY]

the sight is on right,the peep mount is facing back,or to the rear as whichever way you want to call it.most military lymans are on right side mine are.if it has plunger it would not have lock.oil it.and gently rock the piece.
:uhoh::rolleyes::p

[hill billy]

I took the rear sight apart and cleaned it well and it works like a champ. The lock has a plunger for large, quick adjustments and it screws down to lock it place.