Tom C. can you help me with info about this Eric Johnson rifle?

4

404tbang

Member
01511 is the number i believe

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beautiful rifle, folks took a lot of pride in their work.
it shows.

Howdy Tom!
This quote is from you on 4-18-2008 in a thread that you started about Eric Johnson rifles.

You spoke of seeing this rifle at an auction, and that it was going to be run through again. You were asking the folks here what they could tell you about it.

I am not trying to make you uncomfortable, but I saw from another thread that you posted in that you are from Pennsylvania. No, I am not a stalker:). This rifle, if we are speaking of the same one (and I think we are!) came from Pennsylvania and was sold at an estate auction in Martinsburg, West Virginia on 4-19-2008.

The rifle is a Remington model 37 with the same serial number you posted. It was built by Eric Johnson in early 1948 for a shooter named Charles Whipple. Ironically enough, not long after that, Whipple started working for Winchester in an important role that I simply can't remember right now. Someone who posts here by the name of 40ezxs responded to me that Whipple shot for Winchester and was extremely good. As an aside, one of the things that I love about this place, 40ezxs gave specific information about a record that Whipple set. I asked where he found the info, he replied that he was shooting right beside Whipple when he set his record. Thought he had him beat until the end. First hand information, I love this place!

Obviously it would be frowned upon by the Powers that Were at Winchester if Whipple would have been seen shooting a Remington 37! I am trying to figure out if Whipple sold the rifle, or just put it up while he shot for Winchester.

Tom, you wouldn't happen to recall the name of the deceased whose belongings were sold at that auction would you? If it was somehow related to the Whipple family, that would be interesting. I am not trying to pester anybody, I am just trying to learn as much about the rifle and it's owner/owners as I can. It helps to put the person who owned the rifle at one time, back into the picture so as to find out more about the history of the rifle, and to learn more about the shooter as well. I would like to help the rifle tell it's story.

Thank you!
Greg
 
i didn't remember giving a serial number, the gun i saw had eric johnson
i believe on the barrel and was sold at an auction in fairmont w.v.
by i think joe r. pyle auctioneer from mt. morris, pa. they could probably
tell you alot more about it. i think it went for between 750-900 bucks.
let me know if you can't find out what you need i can make a few calls.
it did look like a nice gun i just quit bidding after it went over 700. i've learned
a little more about them since then. at the auction they had about 40 guns
they were selling, i'm not sure if they came from a dealer or an estate sale.
good luck. i do remember they had a bunch of farm equipment they were
also selling. if you look on auctionzip.com they should have joe pyles's phone
number they're pretty good people. 1-724-324-9000 i just looked up their number. i think they have a toll free number but i couldn't find it.
 
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Charlies37

Charlie lived at Somerset PA which isn't that far from Fairmont WV. Charlei set his records with a 52B marked Tool Room. The rifle that replaced this B was a 52D with a Hart SS barrel.Custom stock.
Charlie passed away in his late 50's.
When I am on the PA Turnpike and I go by Somerst PA,I always slow down a tad.
40EZXS .:)
 
that isn't very far, i've seen people from alot farther than that come to
some of the auctions and gun shows. did you buy or have a chance to
buy that rifle? and i'm actually in w.v. just a skooch south of the mason-
dixon.
 
Tom and 40EZXS

Howdy Tom!
Thanks for responding! Thanks to you too 40EZXS! (That's the guy I was talking about that was shooting next to Charlie when he set some records! See, so many people around this site with a WORLD of experience and knowledge :))

Tom, I ended up with that rifle. I did not know about the thread that you started until WAY after I got it. I was doing a search on Eric Johnson and your post came up. When I read that the action did not have anything on it, and you were asking about a Winchester 52, I thought it might be a Remington 37. Then when you put the serial # in a post I thought, HEY, that looks familiar! Dug the rifle out and they matched!

I do not know where I came up with Martinsburg, the auction was in Fairmont as you said. Yup, Joe R. Pyle was the auctioneer. And I say this with GREAT SINCERITY, those guys were FANTASTIC to work with! Absolutely top of the line. I live about 1/2 hour away from Lexington, Ky and I had some logistical issues to work through. Did not know if I could get in on the auction or not. It all worked out in the end. Whoever it was that I spoke with from the auction agency did not know the name of the previous owner of the rifle.

I was able to get the information about Charlie Whipple owning the rifle by the kindness of Hap Rocketto. He dug out the Eric Johnson shop records and patiently looked it up for me. Super nice guy!

Like I said earlier, it helps to be able to connect the shooter who owned the rifle,to the rifle. It is little tidbits of info that help pull a story together about the rifle. 40EZXS mentioned that Charlie worked on some sort of barrel weight to try to tune rifles. Presumably nowhere as detailed as those available today, or else they would have been around for a lot longer than they have. My rifle has evidence of having had something around the muzzle. This would seem to indicate Charlie tried it on this rifle. The Canjar trigger is super light and very crisp. The details tell a little bit about the person and what they wanted in a rifle. I like trying to learn about this stuff and trying to preserve the history of it for folks in the future.

I would still like to find out whether or not Charlie kept the rifle or sold it somewhere down the line. This rifle is EXTREMELY accurate. I can't imagine someone selling it unless circumstances in life forced them to sell it. No matter what else they had to shoot.

Thanks Gentlemen!
Greg
 
Charlie Whipple

I do not know how long Charlie worked for Winchester Western.He was Manager over WW PR guys.That covered shooting sports. He could not shoot while with WW.I guess he wanted to and did return to the game.
He held the record for every fired match and Agg at one time or another.
I feel he is the only shooter to fire ack to back 400X40 plus X's.
But he never won the big one at Perry.:)
 
40EZXS said:
Charlie lived at Somerset PA which isn't that far from Fairmont WV. Charlei set his records with a 52B marked Tool Room. The rifle that replaced this B was a 52D with a Hart SS barrel.Custom stock.
Charlie passed away in his late 50's.
When I am on the PA Turnpike and I go by Somerst PA,I always slow down a tad.
40EZXS .:)
Click to expand...


Pothole?
 
did you call pyle's and ask them who they sold it for?
no wonder i never get a gun at an auction people coming
from kentucky hmmm maybe i ought to see what you
guys have for auctions down there.
 
I got lucky! (rare event to win an auction)

Howdy Tom!
You are more than welcome to come on over into the promised land! We'll feed ya, and swap stories with ya, and teach ya AALLLLL about the majesty and glory and tradition of University of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball!! (goodness I hope we have a better year this year...)

But when it comes to a gun auction, well, I have seen some amazing prices come from some unremarkable guns! And I have never understood it unless it is a family member that simply has to have something for sentimental value. I was hoping against hope that folks would not know much about that rifle. I believe I was wrong! I have a wife and 2 kids and a cat to feed, and that rifle made a dent, sorta more like a train wreck, in the budget! I was very lucky to get it, and am thankful.

It seems to me that auctions with guns go reeeediculously high everywhere!

Take care,
Greg
 
so how does it shoot? anything actually special about it that
you can make out? i usually don't care who built a rifle or if it's
stock as long as it shoots. that one as i recall had no markings
just his name, carl johnson, if i remember right. then some of the
others on here showed theirs and i realized that wasn't a typical
gunsmith. actually i didn't think the prices at that auction were
terrible. a guy sitting beside me spent about 3 grand on some old
shotguns. i guess there was one he really wanted that he got. i
forget now what make it was. maybe a fox.
 
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it's a shooter!

Howdy Tom!

I have only been able to shoot it a couple of times. That's pretty sad after a year and a half. When I shot it, it was prone, resting on leather sand bags that I had to put on top of some books for the front rest. I was running out of time as it was beginning to get dusk. I was using Eley practice ammo.

It would shoot under .25 at 50 yards. I only got to do a few groups, so I do not know how it would do consistantly. The best group was .11, there is no tuner on the rifle. The scope that I put on it is an old Balvar 24 barrel mounted scope. I don't want to drill and tap the action. I want to get more time, and better ammo, and actually get to the range and shoot from a bench to see what it will do. It has a Canjar trigger that is very light and very crisp. There is no safety on the rifle. I think the pull is around 2 or 3 ounces, I need to get a gauge to say for certain. The rifle has been bedded. I presume that Johnson would have done any action work necessary.

I had always wanted a good Remington 37. I found one that I wanted on auction arms once. Decided that I WAS gonna get it:cool:. Sold a rifle to pay for it ahead of the auction:(. Auction arms is like ebay. The auction ends at a set time. I almost did not get home from church in time. I literally got my bid in with 2 (two!) seconds to go:D. The screen said that I was the high bidder:D. I basked in my glorious accomplishment of winning the auction with 2 (two!) seconds to go after getting home from church:D:cool::D. CLEARLY I was meant to have this fine rifle:). That I sold another prized rifle ahead of the auction to pay for:(. I refreshed the screen to see the final price with my name listed as the victor:cool::D:cool:.

:confused:
I refreshed the screen again, as it appeared that there had been a mistake.

:confused:
I refreshed the screen AGAIN, as it appeared that there had been a mistake.

:eek::eek::(:mad::confused::eek::p:p
Another guy got in a bid with 1 (one!) second to go and beat me by a buck!!!
Then I got tickled. It wasn't funny, but it was funny! Got what I DESERVED!

I had learned to do the sniping thing on ebay after I kept getting slaughtered on everything that I was bidding on. Mostly antique knives. Then, I started beating some of the guys who had been beating me. I did that a time or two on auction arms. Did NOT work on that Remington 37!

I sent the guy that won the rifle an email, you could find a way to do that then. Basically I said "As I have done unto others, so it has now been done unto me, enjoy your new rifle!"

That rifle was close to mint. It was too nice to get a scratch. I would not have enjoyed it like one that had enough wear to shoot without fear of a small scratch.

I was very lucky to get the Eric Johnson built Remington 37. Finding out some of it's history has been a ton of fun. Scratches and all, I would prefer it to the rifle that I did not win. When the time comes to get into competition, that is the rifle I want to use. I am sure I will get stomped into the ground by people with purpose built br rifles. But I want to learn, and I enjoy shooting rifles that have history.

Who knows, maybe the attitude adjustment that I had to make several years ago got rewarded:).

Take care,
Greg
 
been there done that, not on a 37 but an original xp100 221 fireball,
also on a 700 classic in .264 win. then i learned at the range to carry
cash and be ready to buy when a deals offered. then again i've made
out a time or two. i'm pretty much happy with what i have now, and
just am happy to have a nearby place to shoot and the time and money
to do it. thanks for posting i had always wondered what happened to that
rifle. tom c.
 
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