JA Replacement barrel

[Darreld Walton]

Future son in law asked if I'd repair a stock for him, and I had no idea what I was getting into before I agreed. What was handed to me is a 'sporterized', restocked, US M1917, Eddystone, with rear sight ears removed, all the usual...except this one is wearing a two groove Johnson Arms replacement barrel with a 'prick punch' mark in the Ordnance "Bomb" behind the front sight. I've seen these barrels 'loose', for sale, but not encountered one installed. I 'assume' that the prick punch mark would lend credence to the notion that this was an arsenal or armory installation. Couple of questions come to mind, though. Were 17's rebarreled and revamped before going over for Lend Lease to Allies, were they retained here in the States for Guard Duty and training?
The stock is shot, probably cheaper/easier/less time just to replace with a new sporter type. The action screws were both 'less than finger tight', the stock split at the rear of the inletting for the rear tang, forward through the magazine mortise, and a large portion of the recoil lug is broken out.

[Merc]

The returning 17s were supposed to go directly into storage right after WW1 when the govt. decided to continue using the 03s. They were given a rebuild prior to being stored when it was discovered that they were beginning to rust and would soon be useless if something wasn't done quickly. It's possible the original barrel was replaced during the post-WW1 rebuild. What's the date that's stamped on the barrel?

I've seen one or two sporterized 17s for sale at gun shows with their ears cut off and it always makes me wonder...

[fjruple]

Johnson Automatics barrel would be a WWII rebuild. The answers to your questions can be yes and no depending on the time period and to who the m1917s were shipped. For example after the Battle of Dunkirk and enormous numbers of M1917s were just given to Great Britain this taking place before the Lend Lease program. Later the M1917s were also given under Lend Lease to several of the Allied nations, Chinese and French come to mind. The M1917 was used by the US military as a secondary standard after our entry into WWII. Upon the US entry into WWII there was a shortage of .30-06 caliber rifles in general. Many that were taken out of storage were found to have rusted barrels due to improper preservation of the barrels. The US Army Ordnance had a vast number of left barrels from the WWI production of the M1917. These barrels were used up in the replacement, Additionally US Army Ordnance "built" additional 20,000 rifles from these left over spare parts thereby creating a shortage of new barrels. The Army at this point contracted RIA, High Standard (HS) and Johnson Automatics (JA) for new barrels. The M1917 was used by rear echelon US troops overseas but generally used states side.

--fjruple

[Darreld Walton]

Thanks for the information fellas. This barrel has been polished, and had to use magnification just to glean what information I shared. Can't, as yet, make out a date, but I suspected it was a War II replacement. Just got through cleaning the bore, and it looks like it should be pretty nice. What threw me at first is that it was a 'right hand' twist, instead of the usual five groove, left hand twist that are common on these things. Again, thanks!

[nf1e]

Just came in from making a little noise with my Eddystone 1917 with a Johnson Automatics replacement barrel. Old girl does a pretty good job at 100 yds even if I can't see the target very well.



Semper Fi
Art

[blackhawk2]

I would check for a cracked receiver.....Carefully go around the entire receiver with the q tip wet with lighter fluid.....I would not shoot a rifle with part of the recoil lug missing....regards....alex

[fjruple]

Just came in from making a little noise with my Eddystone 1917 with a Johnson Automatics replacement barrel. Old girl does a pretty good job at 100 yds even if I can't see the target very well.



Semper Fi
Art

Art--

That's not bad shooting with a two groove JA barrel at 100 yards.

--fjruple

[RC20]

I have one that is a full up original (0r as original as they get after all the go through)

Pretty good barrel. Responds more like a 1903 to reloads as its the same form.

And they could go anywhere. Less likelyh to overseas as most of those went early and were the ones removed from Stoarge.


The JA and HS came latter as they realized they did not have enough weapons for all the rear line (mostly) needs and started to supply barrels.

Most are fine as they were done right with the right tools.

The ones that you have to watch are the sporterized ones and if done wrong yes they can be cracked

[jjrothWA]

WWII 17 barrel were supplied by JA uing the current 2-groove arsenal rifling speds, the HS used the WWI four-groove specs.

Pricking the bomb was a authorizes requirement after rebarreling and proofing with the standard test load.

[PrimePower]

I have a M17 with a JA barrel. They can shoot well.
I believe that accuracy testing done did not find a great difference between 2 and 4 groove barrels.

[Fred Pillot]

I bought a NOS '17 JA 4 groove barrel off of Ebay for $150 so they must have made both 2 and 4 groove barrels.

[RC20]

Most curious. As far as I know JA only made 2 grove barrels for the 1917.

Have to do some research but 99.999% sure JA did not make a 4 grove for 1917.

If not JA then has to be RA - most likely.

[bruce]

Never fired a 17 w/ a 2 groove barrel. Have fired a pile of 03-A3 rifles w/ both 2 and 4 groove barrels. Day in and day out, firing rifles in equal condition using good quality handloads worked up for best results in these rifles, have not ever seen any measurable difference on target using either 2 or 4 groove barrels. If the throats, bores and crowns are good, if the rifle is well bedded, etc., then the rifle will give excellent results. The number of grooves in the barrel is irrelevant. When it comes t shooting cast bullet loads, I have actually had better results using the 2 groove barrels. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

[P51MUSTANG]

Bruce...Thanks for the info... Many people swear by grooves and say 2 groove cant shoot for anything.....

[bruce]

Re: two grooves. Back about 1990 I was pastor of a small rural church in farming country. Peanut fields surrounded the parsonage on three sides. The church was across the road. I built a nice backstop a little over 220 yds. from the back fence down by the woods. I spend several summers shooting a very nice Rem. 03-A3 with various handloads firing at standard 100 yd. bullseye targets. It got to here I could keep 10 inside of 2.5 inches almost without fail. Then one day I gloomed onto some nice little 180 gr. Hornady bullets. With the sights properly sooted up and with a decent set of sandbags, I'd stand in the back of the pickup and use the roof of the cab for a benchrest. It was lots of fun. The groups ... sometimes less than 2.0 inches. Had any number of 5 shot groups that were 1 inch. Just couldn't put a 10 shot 1 inch string together with that rifle. Hard to not break my position during reloading. True, it was a particularly fine shooting rifle. Just about any load shot well in it. Currently I have two 03-A3's in the gun cabinet ... Smith Corona and Remington. Both have two groove Remington 1944 barrels. Either one will shoot lights out! The SC I have used in local club matches with both jacketed and cast bullet loads. It will with care hold the 10 ring of a SR-1. In my hands, it stays in the 9 ring or better shooting prone slow or rapid fire. I do shoot a lot of cast bullet loads in it. It shoots wonderfully. The Remington shoots exactly as well. Either rifle is a shooting machine. I have a Remington 03-A4 replica with the common Weaver 2.5 scope. It will keep Winchester 150 gr. PSP's right at 1 inch. Firing Greek HXP, it will shoot 1.3 inches. These are five shot groups from a sandbag rest. In the field, it is pure poison. Unless it is some sort of air gauged national match special barrel, I just don't think there is any common issue barrel or for that matter any common commercial barrel that will do more than equal the results on target obtained with these two-groove barrels. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.