Johnson shooting today!

[jmoore]

I've never seen one as hard on brass as that one, but my sample size is fairly small. Sounds like a lightweight bbl. or "maybe-possibly" weak springs, but I lean towards some sort of lightening effort.

[EXCELSIOR03]

I've never seen the brass problem mentioned with my Johnson. I have had mine 15 years and the brass is just as reloadable from it as from any of my other 30/06 milsurps. I also have not seen the problem of throwing the brass exceptionally far. It throws it a little farther than my Garands, but not bad.

I see the same difference in velocity mentioned earlier. Typically the velocity on the Johnson is approximately 50fps greater with the Johnson than the Garand. I always surmised that it was because the Garand taps off some of the gas pressure to cycle the action and the Johnson is purely recoil.

If you have any mechanical problems, I think the undisputed expert on the Johnson is Ed Silva at Miltech. They restore Johnsons to mint condition and I think they have more expertise than anyone I have talked to.

[browningautorifle]

I expect it's like jmoore says and it's just a spring thing, doesn't matter. I have lots of other thing to shoot. I was told at the time it was not typical...

[rayg]

While on the subject of ammunition and Johnsons, I was surprised to learn mine would work with cast bullets running well under military ammo velocities.
I got it to work (feed from a loaded mag, eject the empties, cock the hammer, and lock open when empty) using a 180 grain cast bullet (RCBS 30-180-FN) at just over 1950 fps. I later found that another bullet in the same weight range (Saeco #315) would operate it going a little slower (1879 fps).
Using a 165 grain cast bullet (RCBS 30-165-Sil) and the same powder charge, it worked, but I don't have the chrono data handy. I think it was in the mid-1900s.

What powder did you use and how many grs Ray

[chuckusaret]

My brother has had a 1941 Johnson 3006 Automatic rifle since the early 60's that was given to him by our father. I doubt that this weapon has been fired since the late 1940's and the last time I saw it it was like new.............I have heard they are priced in the $5 to $6K range.

[BarryinIN]

What powder did you use and how many grs Ray

With bullets from the RCBS 30-180-FN:
36.0 grains of IMR4350 would not quite function (1949 fps). It would work with three rounds in the mag, but not five.
37.0 grains did function (1979 fps).

With bullets from a Saeco #315 mould, I got it to work at a lighter charge of 35.5 grains of IMR 4350 (1896 fps).
This bullet does weigh about five grains more than the RCBS (at the most) but perhaps it's greater bearing length was a bigger factor by adding enough resistance to let it work at the lower charge.

With the RCBS 30-165-Sil bullet, I tried the same 37.0 grain charge of 4350 that worked with the RCBS 180, and it worked the one time I tried it. I sorta tried it on a whim and didn't expect it to work with the lighter bullet, so I didn't even have the chronograph set up and can't give any velocity figures. I would guess it was going right at 2,000 fps, but could be way off there.

Velocity is not the only requirement for function (at least in mine). Looking at my records just now, I tried those 180 grain cast bullets with IMR 4895 that did not work, even though I reached higher velocities (up to 2,043 fps). They never even "almost worked" by ejecting a fired case but not picking up a new one. I had to cycle the bolt on each one.
It needed the slightly slower "shove" of IMR 4350.

I must be right on the edge of function/non-function. In addition to there being small velocity differences between what works and what doesn't, the number of rounds in the magazine made a difference.
My goal was to see what it took to function with five rounds in the mag and lock open on the last shot. After noticing some loads would work fine after the first shot or two, I decided that having more rounds in the mag must cause more drag against the bottom of the bolt. More rounds in the mag slowed the bolt enough to keep it from functioning.
I guess I could have gone lighter if the goal was to only load maybe three in the magazine.
Likewise, I have doubts my "good" loads would work with a fully loaded magazine. I never did try it with more than five in the mag. They would probably need a little more zip to overcome the greater drag.
Playing around with the magazine assembly out of the rifle, I couldn't tell much difference in the spring pressure whether pushing the follower a little ways, halfway, fully, etc, but there must be enough to make a difference. I'm probably so close to it not working that it doesn't take much.

[emmagee1917]

...pulling out the rim....Johnson's are very sensitive about chamber condition. Check to see if there is small pitting or dirt/powder build-up in your chamber. Clean or polish out to correct.


...dents and tossing long ways....Yep , your mainspring is collapsed. Pull it out , it should measure 12 inches. New ones cost $20.

HTH , Chris

[smellie]

As far as the FN ammo is concerned, I have a whole bunch of it here, fired hrough Garands, Brownings M-1919A4 and a BAR. Primers backed out on about 30% of the brass, primers actually lost in a few cases.

I have NO IDEA how anyone expected to fight a war with stuff like that! Just Jam City and no tea or toast in sight.
.

[bogtrotter2]

I certainly agree with "browningauto rifle" that sucker will whip that brass out level and fast. I wanted to enter a match we have locally for vintage military semi auto as long as I could get the leftmost bench. I figure the sight of hot brass sailing across their vision would distract those close to me and their screams as hot brass hit them would do the same for the others. I might have a chance to come up with a good ranking. It does tear up the brass some but not so bad they can't be reloaded.

[musketshooter]

Mine nearly rips the rims off and dents the cases badly. I don't try to reload them.