M41 Johnson Automatics

[agentcq]

Just wondering how many members have these?

Any good pics?

I put my deposit on one the other day. Stock needs some TLC (laquer finish and small crack behind the magazine). The rest is all there but the bolt is non-matching (is it common for parts not to match?). The other odd thing is the left side of the reciever has an electro penciled serial number which does not match the reciever or bolt? Any idea on post war origin?

I am paying $2500 - I know prime examles in the US go for $5000+ and with M1 Garand values I thought the price was fair even though the rifle has issues. I have only seen 2-3 for sale in recent years in Canada.

Kind of an interesting rifle. Designed to compete against the Garand, ordered but not used by the Danish, utilized by the Marines during WWII and by exhiled Cubans at the Bay of Pigs.

 

[Tanis]

You will never find a 'matching' Johnson, in so far as we usually think of the term as the Johnsons were never matching to begin with.

They were made up of different numbered parts, but what parts went into what guns was recorded. The gents over at the Johnson Automatics forum have most of those records and would likely be able to provide you that information. For example, my Johnson had the information recorded as follows upon production;

Here is the data on #2104
Received from Cranston Arms 11/24/41
Stock # unlisted
Bbl #1262A
Hammer block #4573
Hammer #2921
Bolt #2552
Locking cam #3268
Firing pin #3703
Extractor #2513
Magazine #4625
Transferred to N.P.C. 11/25/41


And currently has the following parts;

Stock: # Unnumbered
Barrel: # 155E
Hammer Block: # 4573
Hammer: # 2921
Bolt: # 2552
Locking Cam: # 3268
Firing Pin: # 3360
Extractor: # 2513
Magazine: # 1329


These rifles were sent to the Dutch (and their colonies) and abused the ever loving snot out of, hence why certain high-wear parts (barrels, etc) got replaced quite often.

 

[Coyote Ugly]

The M1941 Johnson can be addicting, so beware!

Lots of info here:

http://www.johnsonautomatics.com/

Regarding the Electropencil: When the FAC and PAL came out, some hunters were using electropencil to engrave their drivers licence number as ID on their rifles?
Hard to say. I guess it all depends on where it came from.

If you ever find a Johnson with all matching numbers, it's been humped. There were a couple that did show up in the States long ago, but the guy renumbered it to all matching thinking he would get more money for it! Wrong. All Johnson Rifles have mismatched numbers but that is how they left the factory, and some of the log books still exist.

 

[can14]

Century Arms/international Firearms in Montreal brought in the Johnson 41's and sold them for $49.95. All were mismatched, some with poor wood, some with vg wood. I bought some and the barrels were not that great compared to the m1 garands that they sold at the same time for $99.95. All of them came from Southeast Asia and showed it.

 

[Coyote Ugly]

Century Arms/international Firearms in Montreal brought in the Johnson 41's and sold them for $49.95. All were mismatched, some with poor wood, some with vg wood. I bought some and the barrels were not that great compared to the m1 garands that they sold at the same time for $99.95. All of them came from Southeast Asia and showed it.

That sounds like 60's or early 70's pricing. I would even pay those prices today!