Does any body where can I find 1941 Johnson semi-automatic rifle? the big belly unique design 30-06 semi-auto rifle, I have seen one on CGN, but it was sold very quickly. I have checked some US webs, they are so expensive, around 5000+. However, the one that was on CGN was about 2000+.
1941 Johnson semi-automatic rifle 30-06???
- Thread starter shawn is alive
- Start date
I've only seen two in my life. One was in a museum and the other was Dutch contract rifle at a gun show that was over $3000US and was marked, branded into the wood stock, "UNSAFE TO FIRE". Why, I don't know, the seller didn't know.
I remember seeing a "Mail Call" show with R Lee E Ermmy where he held one and said that they were not going to fire it for safety reasons.
All that said, I'd like to have one to go with the M-1 and the No4mkI.
I remember seeing a "Mail Call" show with R Lee E Ermmy where he held one and said that they were not going to fire it for safety reasons.
All that said, I'd like to have one to go with the M-1 and the No4mkI.
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
You see them for 2000-3500$ usually in Canada. In regards to where to get one, gunshows, auctions, the EE, its a waiting game as its not like they are being surplused anymore.
Travis Bickle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Upper Lower Middle Alberta
I know a guy that had one.
He may have it still. His was pretty badly beat. The bore was very rough.
I believe he had it restored. I held it/fondled it.
Interesting little rifle.
They are stupid expensive and even the $3K ones are usually beat to s**t. Solid firing examples go upwards of $4K when they do pop up.
There is also an even more rare Johnson Auto Carbine. You want to see some ridiculous price tags, try tracking one of those guys down...
He may have it still. His was pretty badly beat. The bore was very rough.
I believe he had it restored. I held it/fondled it.
Interesting little rifle.
They are stupid expensive and even the $3K ones are usually beat to s**t. Solid firing examples go upwards of $4K when they do pop up.
There is also an even more rare Johnson Auto Carbine. You want to see some ridiculous price tags, try tracking one of those guys down...
SIR had them in their catalog back in the 60's. $49.99 if memory serves. - dan
The interesting thing is that they weren't even a particularly good rifle. Aside from the mag holding 10 rounds there wasn't much else to recommend them. Because of the reciprocating barrel they had to use as skinny little bayonet so the action wouldn't be impeded. No forend wood meant the barrel could be more easily damaged. If memory serves me they were first issued to the marines who quickly dumped them as soon as Garands became commonly available.
I have two friends who have them but I don't know if they ever fired them. I remember seeing them in barrels in war surplus stores in the 50's for about $19.95 each.
I have two friends who have them but I don't know if they ever fired them. I remember seeing them in barrels in war surplus stores in the 50's for about $19.95 each.
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
I wouldn't say they were a bad rifle, just that the M1 Garand was probally a better rifle. They have advantages, and disadvantages just like anything else. Yes they do malfunction with a bayonet attached (like every short-recoil rifle ever), however other than that they tend to be a pretty reliable system. A bigger factor in the short service life of the rifle was that it wasn't the M1 Garand. What I mean by that is that the M1 was already adapted and unless the rifle was significantly better (which the M1941 wasn't, it was comparable or slightly better or worse) it won't be replacing it (for example you wouldn't replace the M1 with a Johnson, however you would replace it with a M14 because there was some significant advantages with the M14 over the M1). If Johnson had his rifle made back in 1936 maybe the US might have adopted it over the M1 Garand, who knows.
Some Marines held on to them for a long time, here is a link to one that was held by a Medal of Honor recipient who used it all the way though WWII (even to Iwo Jima).
http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-305...recipient-captain-robert-h-dunlap-usmc-48279/
The marine who carried this Johnson rifle would have to have access to 03 Springfield stripper clips, as i understand thats how it was loaded, it does have the advantage of "topping " up the magazine, something that is difficult under a stressful situation,with the Garand rifle, the marines did use the 03 Springfield when they first landed on Guadacanal, but i believe they soon were issued Garands after the campaign on Guadacanal ended
Too bad this wasn't in milsurp, I believe coyote ugly has like half a dozen.
Had one offered to me for trade only a few years back, I think after the marines sold it this particular one served in the Dutch East Indies. Pretty rough idiot recall .
Had one offered to me for trade only a few years back, I think after the marines sold it this particular one served in the Dutch East Indies. Pretty rough idiot recall .
There always seem to be one or two at the Calgary spring show. This year one there appeared mint (or more likely restored) and another one looked genuine and was priced at around $2,600.00. I have one in well used condition and have found some spare parts to be in short supply although Numrich in the US still has quite a pile. For some strange reason they won't sell Johnson parts directly to a private Canadian buyer. The book about the Johnson (is it Canfield?) is an interesting read and what surprises me is how effective and functional the Johnson was given the short timeline of its development and the background of Melvin Johnson (lawyer!). It far surpassed the original challengers to the Garand. If it played a serious role it was possibly that if the Garand had failed the Johnson could have been manufactured in large numbers quite easily as it could, apparently, be manufactured by any large machine shop.
IIRC there were only 5 ever made by Johnson (at least according to an article I read. Can't recall exactly what surplus magazine I read it in) and one was issued to then Captain Harry Torgerson USMC for testing and combat use. He carried it throughout most of WWII and thought it was a good rifle.
There were never that many Johnson Auto Rifles (or machine guns or carbines) made. Again IIRC there were some 20,000 rifles and several hundred machine guns ordered by the Netherlands East Indies colonial government in '40-'41. Thanks to Japan's entry into WWII the order was never shipped and some rifles were acquired by the USMC before the Guadalcanal invasion, as the M1 Garand was in VERY short supply at the time.
An interesting little side note is that the First Special Service Force (yes, the Devil's Brigade) received about 125 Johnson LMG's in late '42 from the initial stock ordered by the Netherlands East Indies colonial government. I'm not sure if they ever used them in combat.
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
^I read a book on them that said they did in fact use them.
They are around, I've seen many available over the years.
The reason I've never bought one is that most of the ones in Canada are in terrible shape. Lots of pitting, mismatched parts, bad stocks, just generally rotten. I seem to recall the ones in Canada were surplus'd from somewhere tropical.
Despite the awful condition of these guns, a lot of sellers see the US prices and think that's what they are worth here. Personally I don't think they are worth all that much in the typical shape they are encountered in up here.
Just my thoughts on it...
-Steve
The reason I've never bought one is that most of the ones in Canada are in terrible shape. Lots of pitting, mismatched parts, bad stocks, just generally rotten. I seem to recall the ones in Canada were surplus'd from somewhere tropical.
Despite the awful condition of these guns, a lot of sellers see the US prices and think that's what they are worth here. Personally I don't think they are worth all that much in the typical shape they are encountered in up here.
Just my thoughts on it...
-Steve
Coyote Ugly
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have Johnson-itis. They are addicting! No known cure.
A book worth reading, The Johnson, better than the M1 Garand...Politics, Attitudes, The Old Boys Club and Favoritism got in the way.
http://www.brucecanfield.com/johnson-rifles.html
A book worth reading, The Johnson, better than the M1 Garand...Politics, Attitudes, The Old Boys Club and Favoritism got in the way.
http://www.brucecanfield.com/johnson-rifles.html
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