M1941 Johnson Semi-Automatic Rifle

[bilko *Deceased*]

I bet that gets Bilkos juices flowing

 

 

just a bit ,was told that the force sorted the stoppage problem out by cutting the recoil spring in three parts and then rewelding[and a cupple of other fixes]..told by william"sam" magee 6-3 fssf..

 

Dave.

[bilko *Deceased*]

And my Johnson 1941 RIFLE ( I wish I had the LMG instead)

T

 

 

I would happily put some rounds throu that .

 

Dave.

[camopara]

Generally Johnson's, either the JSAR or the JLMG were used early. Paramarines operated in smaller numbers than their bigger brothers in the FMF. Their squads consisted of 8 and the weapons breakdown was usually 2 SMGs (Reising), 3 automatic rifles (BAR or JSAR) and 3 rifles ('03). CPT Torgerson of A Co 1st BN actually purchased stillettos and JSARs for his company with his own money!!

[teufelhund]

I would happily put some rounds throu that .

 

Dave.

 

Dave

You just have to cross the Channel and come on the Duke Wellington's playing ground at Waterloo ( Not "Station", the real one).

 

You gave me an idea, tomorrow I will take my Johnson rifle to the shooting range for the first time in 20 years time and will tell you how it perform.

 

BTW the period pics have to be credited to Mark Bando trough Michel Detrez Book ' FIRST AIRBORNE TASK FORCE.

 

Cordial Saludo

Teufelhund

[robinb]

The one and only time I fired my Johnson, I didn't like it. The recoil is a lot harder than the M1 Garand. I fired 10 rounds through it, and hung it up on the wall. That was 19 years ago.

[teufelhund]

The one and only time I fired my Johnson, I didn't like it. The recoil is a lot harder than the M1 Garand. I fired 10 rounds through it, and hung it up on the wall. That was 19 years ago.

 

This morning I went to the shooting range with my Springfield 1903 SN 213XXX, and the Johnson 1941 SN 14XX

The '03 performed, as always, outstandingly (never out of the bullseye or the 9 at 100 mts with reloaded amos and using the standard sight).

Better not to speak about the Johnson, but maybe I 'm not longer used to it..

Will try again , but this time with only the johnson

 

Teufelhund

[USMCRECON]

This morning I went to the shooting range with my Springfield 1903 SN 213XXX, and the Johnson 1941 SN 14XX

The '03 performed, as always, outstandingly (never out of the bullseye or the 9 at 100 mts with reloaded amos and using the standard sight).

Better not to speak about the Johnson, but maybe I 'm not longer used to it..

Will try again , but this time with only the johnson

 

Teufelhund

 

I remember that, back in the late 50s, there were ads in the NRA mag as well as other sporting magazines, and even in the Boy Scout publication "Boy's Life" for firearms and one of them was for Johnson semi-auto rifles. As I remember, the going price was about $35.00 or so. My dad was going to buy one for mo fledgling military rifle collection but I wanted to hold out for a Garand (which I never got anyway).

 

I did end up with an 03A3, though, which I still have. The serial number in the bottom pucture has not been ground off, it has just been fuzzed up in the photo.

 

 

[USMCRECON]

This one didn't fit on the earlier post. It's the stamping on the barrel of my 03-A3.

 

[teufelhund]

And one of my favorite 1903 Springfield

unhearted in a foxhole on HILL 263, Bois de Moncy next to the Montrefagne Hill or Hill 240, together with a mess kit stamped to a First Engineer Doughboy ( Ist DIUS)

 

See history of the first Division AEF page 204

 

The owner of this rifle has probably been KIA or WIA, the bolt is open, and the magasine is still loaded with 5 ammos, but the firing pin assembly has been removed in order to prevent its usage by the ennemy

 

Teufelhund

[bilko *Deceased*]

Francis,

 

i'm guessing your still not happy with the johnson,I'd still be happy to put some rounds throu it still .

 

Interesting dug find,my mate got a m1 carbine bug up and....after abit of cleaning in fired off the action.

 

Dave.

[teufelhund]

By The Way....

Have you noticed that the rear sight of the Johnson LMG is exactly the same one as the FG 42 German paratrooper SMG

57 and.... also similar to the STURMGEWHEER 57 one of the Swiss Army

T

[bob lamoreaux]

Better late than never, I suppose. I can help (as can others using www.johnsonautomatics.com message board) in ID'ing Johnson semiautomatic rifles with no prefix

serial numbers. We are able to tell when made and to whom they were shipped (mostly to NPC -- Netherlands Purchasing Commission). Additionally, I can ID the

date of manufacture (transfer) of Johnson M1941 l.m.g.s for the most part. Most records were destroyed or otherwise lost and I have a number of U.S. Treasury

Dept. "Form 3"s showing the s/ns of JLMGs transfered. Note that a prefix "d" or "D" indicates a rewat or reactivated machine gun.

Bob

[Mr-X]

My Johnson.
I already have the production log info from Bob. The numbers on my rifle match the log. It is not de-activated. I have it stored on a firearms dealers licence so as not to have to de-activate it.

 

[Peace]

A quick question;

 

are bayonets for the Johnson rifle considered as being rare, and what is their approximate value? I have no clue whatsoever.

 

Thx,

 

Stijn

[rayg]

Bayonets are not necessarily rare as I usually see one or maybe two for sale at the larger shows. The avg. prices I see w/ scabbard are about $350-$375 plus. They make repros of them and the scabbards so you need to be careful when purchasing one. Ray

[Peace]

Thx Ray!

[bob lamoreaux]

Bayonets for the JSARs are increasing in price. Hate to show my age, but I can remember these "tent pegs" going for about $1.25 without the scabbard! We have not yet figured out the numbers frequently stamped on the barrel ring of the bayonets, but they are probably due to Netherlands Purchasing Commission contract requirements, as are the numbers stamped on the parts of the rifles. Some original bayonets do not have the numbers stamped on the rings. Watch out for the replicas as some shady folks are passing them off as authentic. Even if purchased as a replica, the metal is extremely brittle and these bayonets are likely to break.

[man860]

Hmm, nice day thought I'd add to this thread. Mine is a B series .30 cal. Took it to the range yesterday...a lot of looks, and even had someone inquire if it was for sale Enjoy...

photobucket.com/albums/dd186/man860/IMG_2440-1.jpg

[korea drab]

Found this picture,two paramarines ,one with the sexiest mg on allied side(for me) and the para M1 carbine!

Beautyfull combination

[korea drab]

Just for showing one LMG ammo magazine,the argentine Navy had them after 1945 in 30.06.Found this one.

[bob lamoreaux]

Interesting that the Argentinian navy was using JLMGs after 1945. Melvin M. Johnson, Jr. and David Dardick (inventor of the triangular ammo called the Tround) were attempting to sell a license to Argentina to produce Johnson rifles (and perhaps l.m.g.s). I know that at least one Johnson semiauto rifle was fabricated in Argentina by -- I might have this wrong -- FAM. This company was purportedly subsidized by the government and produced cars and aircraft (if I recall correctly). One source has the Argentina produced JSAR as being in 7.65-mm caliber and having fluted chambers. The Johnson firm also had on its drawing boards a M1948 model rifle, having a buttstock and trigger group similar to the M1944 l.m.g. and having either provision for the 20-round l.m.g. magazine or having a typical rotary magazine. The unusual feature was a mounting below the barrel for a sword bayonet, similar to the mounting on a prototype of the JSAR c. 1938-39.

 

Any markings on the base of your magazine? Wondering if it was manufactured in Argentina as it looks like a black rather than parkerized finish. US mags were marked N.E. [month-year].

[ksp45]

when my late uncle was on guadelcanel (c-2-5,1st marine div) he saw marine raiders with the johnson,thought it was the neetest thing since sliced bread and also said it could shoot as good or better that the 03.he was a sniper there so he should know, i also own one of mel johnsons postwar custom rifles,made on a 98k action(its a 257roberts caliber) and it will put 5 in one hole at 100 yds

[korea drab]

I have to dig a little bit deeper into this subject.Most friends who had them(the mags)where believing this was a "special" Madsen mag.But after have seen the instructions Craig copied here so kindly i knew it was a LMG.Not only Navy,National Guard and Army had them in very limited numbers.

So far i have found 11 mags.All marked 1 CA 42 or 43,44,45 i think year.

No other markings at all.

A month ago a original scabard was sold here.I couldn´t take pictures(had my camara at home).But was the same as pictured in the manual.

Here a detail of one of those markings.

[Teamski]

How sad hearing words like "deactivate to comply..."

Another beautiful piece of history victim of ignorance of men ruling nations without trusting in their own people.

 

Ahhh, but that said, I had a beautiful deactivated Bren gun with crate I bought in the UK for a whopping $200. I couldn't bring it back with me because it broke US laws with the intact reciever. All it had done to it was a pin inserted in the barrel (not visible), and a corner cut off of the bolt (again, not visible). I could pull back the charging handle and it would click like it should. So, sometimes, it's a reverse of fortune.... In the UK, you don't have to completely destroy a weapon to deactivate it. Most deactivated weapons still function, i.e. throw the bolt back and hear the click, etc. I saw some sweet 100% original guns I could only wish I could of brought back like Schmiessers, MP44's etc..... Unfortunately, in the states, the VAST majority of guns such as the Bren gun have cut recievers requiring resoldering which looks like crap or an aluminum reciever which sux.

 

-Ski

[twobravo]

Pic of my friends rifle. and my M1 Garand, H&R.