Johnson Rifle Pic

[Shiloh]

Friend holding a Johnson rifle. Scarce as hens teeth.




Shiloh

[Triggerfinger]

[QUOTE=Shiloh;4891741]Friend holding a Johnson rifle. Scarce as hens teeth. QUOTE

Friend or rifle?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yes, getting hard to find and expensive. A much valued addition to any collection, but the Garand was a better rifle.

[Adam Helmer]

Shiloh,

In 1982 I was working a case in upstate Maine and was snowed in at a lovely small town. I "milked" the case and visited both gun shops in town while "work fitted the time allotted."

I entered a nice general store/gun shop and spent most of the day shopping for neat stuff when I spotted a Johnson on the rack behind the counter. I asked to see the rifle and got to handle it. The shopkeeper said, "That is sold and the buyer will be by tomorrow." The tag said $700.00.

I chatted with the shop owner and he told me the wife of a recently deceased WWII Marine veteran brought in the rifle to be sold. He said, "I put a $100 price tag on it and raised it up $100 each week until it sold at $700.00." The widow said her husband "liberated" the Johnson that he used in WWII.

I "missed that bus!"

Adam

[FLINTNFIRE]

I went shooting with a friend years ago , he brought his Johnson along , only time I have seen let alone held one , funny thing was his name was Johnson .

He died a few years ago , no idea what happened to the Johnson he had or the Indian .308 enfield I gave him went .

[Shiloh]

[QUOTE=Triggerfinger;4891918]

Friend holding a Johnson rifle. Scarce as hens teeth. QUOTE

Friend or rifle?

BWAHAhahhah!!!
Good one.

Shiloh

[Shiloh]

Shiloh,

In 1982 I was working a case in upstate Maine and was snowed in at a lovely small town. I "milked" the case and visited both gun shops in town while "work fitted the time allotted."

I've never seen one in real life.

I entered a nice general store/gun shop and spent most of the day shopping for neat stuff when I spotted a Johnson on the rack behind the counter. I asked to see the rifle and got to handle it. The shopkeeper said, "That is sold and the buyer will be by tomorrow." The tag said $700.00.

I chatted with the shop owner and he told me the wife of a recently deceased WWII Marine veteran brought in the rifle to be sold. He said, "I put a $100 price tag on it and raised it up $100 each week until it sold at $700.00." The widow said her husband "liberated" the Johnson that he used in WWII.

I "missed that bus!"

Adam

I don't recall ever seeing one.
The guy in the photo saw it being fired. Right place at the right time. Said he was incredibly fortunate to be permitted to hold it.
Rare and very pricey.

Shiloh

[gnoahhh]

A buddy owns a couple. Neat rifles and fun to shoot, but I too feel that the M1 is a better rifle.

[Adam Helmer]

A buddy owns a couple. Neat rifles and fun to shoot, but I too feel that the M1 is a better rifle.

gnoahhh,

Yes, I agree with you, I would prefer the Garand in WWII. If you care to read all the past history of Garand/versus/Johnson, there were Congressional Hearings that settled on the Garand.

The Johnson had nice features, but the recoiling barrel meant a "minature" bayonet was needed to not affect the function of the Johnson. The easy "top off" of a partial magazine was a plus. Somehow I think Melvin Johnson and John Garand should have worked together for the good of the U.S. in the 1930s.

Adam

[jimb16]

I used to have one. Wish I still did. Just didn't care that much for it. Didn't feel right. Moved around too much when I shot it. harder to keep on target.

[roverboy]

I got a great deal on mine but, its a Winfield.

[CastingFool]

I saw one at a local gun show years ago. Can't recall the asking price. I didn't recogize it right away, until I asked the seller about it. I had read about them in a then fairly recent article in the American Rifleman magazine.

[3006guns]

I recall an ad in either 'Guns' or 'Guns and Ammo' back in......oh, man......must have been the early sixties. Johnson rifles were being offered by one of the big mail order houses at something like $150 apiece. A fortune back then, but I sure wish I could have seen the future!

[roverboy]

I've read that the Military requested 70,000 rifles but, only got like 21,000 delivered. A lot went to the Dutch West Indies. There was even supposed to be some used in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.

[sackettboys]

I've got to shoot one that a friend of mine has. Similar to an AR15 as it has the spring in the buttstock. I do like the sights on the Garand better, I thought the Johnson was built somewhat delicate considering it was supposed to be for combat.

[thxmrgarand]

My father ordered two from an outfit I no longer recall (Bannerman's ?), when I was very young, one for himself and one for one of his brothers. They were new or very much like new. I barely recall their arrival, but I do remember it. My father was perhaps 23 or 24 years old at that time, and my mother was still a teen. Years later I asked my father if my recollection is correct that the guns were delivered to the apartment by a police officer, and he said that is correct but he did not recall why that was so. Much later my father bought the second one from his brother. His brother had filed off the ears on the front sight but my father found a replacement. He also found bayonets. The guns came with high quality military slings. I doubt either gun saw 100 rounds from our family, and I may have shot most of those as I had a Johnson phase when I was about 14. My father and I learned reloading together when I was 10 or 11 years old, and I still have the notebook in which my father recorded reloads for his rifle. My father and his brother bought the guns only because there was no other semi-auto 30-06 to be had at that time. Both my father and his brother, as well as a 3rd brother, had been in the European theater. I think it was not legal to own a Garand at that time. Within just a few years the Johnsons were shoved aside for two of the then very new Remington 740s. I am now older than my father ever got to be, and that particular brother is also gone, although he lived into his 80's. The Johnson puts my thumb into my nose if I forget to hold it just so, and while I still shoot Garands I haven't shot either Johnson in quite some time. Where I live the moving and estate sales often have guns, and too often I buy them, but while I do find very interesting guns at those sales I will be surprised if I ever find a 3rd Johnson. On a sad note, the common reason the moving sales offer guns is that the sellers are moving to a state in which the guns would have to be registered or would not be allowed at all.

[popper]

Interesting, Johnson was an employee of Armalite. Worked with Stoner! Move the mag to the bottom and his light machinegun looks like an AR15.

[GONRA]

GONRA got mine for $50 or so from Interarmco back in 1960 or so along with plenty of "Cuban Invasion Ammo" on 5 rd. stripper clips.
Handloaded 165 gn. AP pulls. Lottsa fun with it.
Make SURE cartridges are free chambering!
Haven't checked for years but pretty sure firing pin is always "free-to-go" before the bolt is locked. WATCHOUT!!!!

[Baltimoreed]

There used to be a sporterized Johnson on a sellers rack at the Raleigh NC show many many years ago. Saw it more than once in fact. Hope whoever wound up with it put it back right. Btw, there’s 2 on GB now, an original for 7000.00 and a sporter for half that.

[lrdg]

I used to have one. Wish I still did. Just didn't care that much for it. Didn't feel right. Moved around too much when I shot it. harder to keep on target.

I worked part time in a gun shop in the early 80s and got to handle one. Don't remember the price but is was "doable". I agree, it just didn't "feel" right.