Johnson Automatic replacement barrels

[RC20]

Models of 1917 had many uses, a few saw US frontline combat, many saw combat with the Free French Forces (which were outfitted with those from GB)

Mostly they served as secondary weapons.

Sea Bs were issued those. Probably the only significant use they saw in serious combat use with US forces.

Chemical Corp (smoke shells etc) were issued those rifles. Close to combat but not in direct contact.

Rear guard functions, POW etc would be another major use. M1s being issued to combat troops.

Canada saw a plethora of use. Lots of supported entities including one reference to their forestry division. RCAF for guards and who knows what else.

The Philippines of course saw use until the surrender and then after with Guerillas. Japan used them until the US Forces took Philippines back. For some reason recovered 1917s were burned (I have seen the pictures of that) None has ever been noted to have been brought back to US. Between the bad environment and the burning if any came back they were not documented in any way.

China used them and there have been a few examples that have found their way back to the US from Vietnam and Asia.

[JohnPeeff]

I brought back a captured Eddystone 17 from Vietnam Dec 68. I don't remember much about it except it was in poor shape. I gave it to a friends father who as I remember was going to use the action for a sporter.

[RC20]

I could see that in an era of M16, Ak etc a 1917 would stand out big time.

Philippines, circa 1944 (45?) ehhh, vs an M1 or a sniper 1903. and the burning of them.

A lot of my info is Ferris (have to read the notes now!) rest is gathered history from so many sources I can get them all in.

[milboltnut]

Savage got the Rem blanks then RIA got them... Ferris

[RC20]

Yes. RIA put their stamp on them not Remington. Odd stuff

I would think HS got into the business about the same time as the barrel orders were being placed.

Nothing to back that up.

[lyman]

wondering if John Stimson would know,
he is the end all guru for High Standard pistols, and has most if not all of the records ,

might be worth an ask,

http://www.histandard.info/

[RC20]

Sometimes I get into the weeds too far. Relevant to this.

The two grove was WWII approved standard as a cost and possibly proud-ion improvement option.

It was tested and found to be as accurate as the current to them 4 grove and 6 grove and or met the accuracy standards.

The design as it were for the JA was 1903 not 1917 (right not left twist and the groves were US depth not Brit depth) - the only difference was the threads for the 1917 (and the cut for the front sight)

HS shipped 4 and 6 grove barrels throughout the war. Their take was it would cost them more time to convert to a two grove system than it saved at anything. That would be somewhat analogous to the 1917 i9tsel in WWI that it was vastly quicker and workable to convert tithe P14 to 30-06 than to convert W, R and E operation to building 1903s.

The shape of the lead into the groves is square I believe (again this is from memory) 1917 was more tapered.

So in all respects its a 1903 barrel. Oddly the chamber is cut the same as 1917 (pretty close to field reject)

Remington I did a mix of 4 grove and two grove barrels for the 1903A3 - shifting over two grove after 1943 or so. As they were making gobs of 1903s, every little bit of mfg efficiency made a difference.

[Darreld Walton]

The Johnson 17 barrels I've looked at are indeed two groove, however, they do not resemble the Remington A3 two grooves. Where the Rem. barrels have two nearly equal width lands and grooves, the JA barrels have two very wide grooves, and two 'normal-ish' width lands. I just traded with my new son in law, as he needed a new hunting rifle, and received, among other things, a 'sportered', Bubba'd Eddystone with an as-new JA installed. This rifle's bedding appears to be first rate, and, it's drilled and tapped, and a decent scope mounted. I plan to take it out to the bags to compare it to the Remington, and 'regular' 1-10, LH, five groove 1917 barrel.
Also, I've noticed that the two groove barrels in my Fazakerly No 4 Mk I, two groove uses the British/Canadian type of round-cornered land, but I've yet to get close enough to a Savage to see if they're the Rem style, or the Brit.
Apparently, (switching to the A3 side for a moment), there was a small release of apparent prototype Smith Corona marked, HS produced, two groove replacement barrels, I purchased one, new in the wrap several years back, and when I mentioned it, it caused quite a stir. So far, if memory serves, there have only been nine or ten reported and actually confirmed, on the Culver forum. Doesn't mean there weren't more, I know. The old gunsmith in Cheyenne, Wyo. that I bought it from said he sourced it from an outfit in Chicago in the 50's for something like .50 cents, new, unopened, with the unique HS/SC red ink that they used to notate nomenclature on the packaging still plainly visible when I bought it. That barrel is in a collection of a gent in Maryland, along with the packaging. Arguments raged between a few of the guys, one fella claimed that his Dad talked to someone at Savage, a disgruntled old fart, apparently, that claimed he made two groove barrels, and that note was apparently blown out to mean that it was Savage, and not HS that made the two groove Smith Corona barrels. (I have to wonder, if the conversation DID take place, how many boilermakers had been consumed at that point, and if he remembered that Savage WAS making two groove barrels, just for the Lend Lease No 4 Mk I's).
Sorry, I've been through the wringer on the two groove 1903A3 barrel thing...1917's in other than Bubba condition are a new field for me.

[RC20]

A lot of odd stuff happened, a lot did not get recorded (they were kind of busy!)

And memories get tangled up. Urban legends like the click of the M1 En Blok Clips puke out, right, in the midst of a lot of shooting you are going to hear the ting, but men who were there swear it was true. Human memory tends to be iffy as all get out. Good for generally what went on but specifics elude.

Myth was there were very few 6 grove SC barrels, actually something like 20k if the top researcher is right. Not the majority of course but not rare either. Have to see if I can find the data on the one I had, it was late mfg outside what the experts thought was made. Possibly just had a machine setup and kept making them on it (or used to fill out a need)

1917s in the OEM barrels stuck with the setup they had had adjusted for the 30 caliber (another myth they used 303 spec barrels and not true, US Military Authorities would not tolerate that, they made em comply with commonality of parts they sure were not going to go with a sloppy 303 (3.11 vs 3.08) barrel (and they had to meet accuracy requirements)

Ergo, the OEM W, R and E were 5 grove left hand twist (those Brits!) to Brit specs for lands and groves (width of each) as they had determined it had a better wear in the iffy 303 Cordite eat out era.

All that tooling was gone after WWI, so they made em with the right threads and with the grove and lands of HS, JA or RI (Remington) 30-06 standard US and right hand twist and the US lead into the lands and groves.