As soon as my friend gets into town and gets some time, I hope to get it and better pictures of it.
What I've done is basically helped him look for more markings on it, I didnt do this physically, but I went to some documentation from johnsonautomatics.com and read the document there that explained were inside there would be specific 30.06 markings, and JA markings, and other little things to look at. I didnt specify this and got called a liar because my post says things like "we cant find anymore markings" and how could I do this if I dont have it, just wanted to point that out. I'm just trying to help out a buddy.
Here is ANOTHER weird fact, I live in San Diego, and there is a pretty cool collectors shop called La Mesa Collectables (its actually a reloading shop now, with NO FFL), but one of the guys there is pretty knowledgeable. He actually told me that he knows of another person that has one of these firearms. He believes that something funny might be going on, but has access to this other firearm (at least he made it sound like it) so that would be interesting, I didnt ask if this other firearm did or didn't have the barrel shroud/support on the front of the receiver. But one thing that the weapon does have in common, is the fact that parts of the firearm have been nickel platted. Seems really weird, but anyways, I am just as interested as all of you, who knows what it is, maybe someone tried to do something funny 20-30 years ago, but Im just guessing, I have no idea how to answer how long this weapon has been in my buddys family.
I can tell you one thing, he is very happy that I posted all this, he doesn't know crap about firearms, and the BS dealt to me on that other forum would have left a real bad taste in his mouth. YOU GUYS rock, thanks for all the info.
Again, do any of you have any info on what were called the Melvin-Johnson "B series" receivers? Thats what was implied, was that this was a cut up series B. But the emergence of another one in the So Cal area, while this one was in Florida, sounds pretty intriguing to the least.
I told him how the barrel used to be connected at the front under the wood to a connection that was attached to the barrel shroud, which his unit doesn't have, but then he said he pulled the front nose off the stock (I later confirmed this is the deeper colored area on the front of the stock on the picture) and he tried to explain that there is a rod that runs under the barrel back to the receiver and the rod has some funky pivot pin connected to another lug that is attached to the barrel. He said this rod also had a tight spring wrapped around it running back as far as the rod goes into and under the rest of the stock towards the front of the receiver.
Pretty trippy, cant wait to get it and take some more pictures, sounds weird, and would be worth seeing most people I have talked to on a one
ne basis, I like James read about how the barrel moved during recoil (or thats how I understood it at least).
I also emailed the guy running johnsonautomatics.com or the webmaster address at the site, but I think I already said that.
Standing by, and curious as all hell now..
-John