Ed Johnson

Is the above photo actually from 1941?

To all users of this site...... Some of you may already be aware that any remarks made on this site can sometimes be found by anyone using Google, etc. who may be trying to follow a particular topic. I was reminded of this recently when doing a search on the MMJ 5.7 mm Spitfire subject (Dad's last official project, with me as well). Some of my remarks made on this site, such as my memo to new 5.7 Club members, were displayed and quoted verbatim. While I was not writing that info for public consumption, but just for folks in the club or users of this site, I am not bothered by other folks reading it. Nevertheless, this serves as a reminder that we do live in a very public world these days and any time we write on an internet site, we should expect "outsiders" being also able to see it. Some years back, we had some message board issues which our Webmaster had to control and delete. His instructions not to "flame" others are posted on the site. I have seen no such problems recently on this board, but note that other boards may not be as well controlled. Best wishes to all of you......and thanks for your continued interest in this site. Ed J

To all users of this site...... Some of you may already be aware that any remarks made on this site can sometimes be found by anyone using Google, etc. who may be trying to follow a particular topic. I was reminded of this recently when doing a search on the MMJ 5.7 mm Spitfire subject (Dad's last official project, with me as well). Some of my remarks made on this site, such as my memo to new 5.7 Club members, were displayed and quoted verbatim. While I was not writing that info for public consumption, but just for folks in the club or users of this site, I am not bothered by other folks reading it. Nevertheless, this serves as a reminder that we do live in a very public world these days and any time we write on an internet site, we should expect "outsiders" being also able to see it. Some years back, we had some message board issues which our Webmaster had to control and delete. His instructions not to "flame" others are posted on the site. I have seen no such problems recently on this board, but note that other boards may not be as well controlled. Best wishes to all of you......and thanks for your continued interest in this site. Ed J

To all users of this site...... Some of you may already be aware that any remarks made on this site can sometimes be found by anyone using Google, etc. who may be trying to follow a particular topic. I was reminded of this recently when doing a search on the MMJ 5.7 mm Spitfire subject (Dad's last official project, with me as well). Some of my remarks made on this site, such as my memo to new 5.7 Club members, were displayed and quoted verbatim. While I was not writing that info for public consumption, but just for folks in the club or users of this site, I am not bothered by other folks reading it. Nevertheless, this serves as a reminder that we do live in a very public world these days and any time we write on an internet site, we should expect "outsiders" being also able to see it. Some years back, we had some message board issues which our Webmaster had to control and delete. His instructions not to "flame" others are posted on the site. I have seen no such problems recently on this board, but note that other boards may not be as well controlled. Best wishes to all of you......and thanks for your continued interest in this site. Ed J

To all users of this site...... Some of you may already be aware that any remarks made on this site can sometimes be found by anyone using Google, etc. who may be trying to follow a particular topic. I was reminded of this recently when doing a search on the MMJ 5.7 mm Spitfire subject (Dad's last official project, with me as well). Some of my remarks made on this site, such as my memo to new 5.7 Club members, were displayed and quoted verbatim. While I was not writing that info for public consumption, but just for folks in the club or users of this site, I am not bothered by other folks reading it. Nevertheless, this serves as a reminder that we do live in a very public world these days and any time we write on an internet site, we should expect "outsiders" being also able to see it. Some years back, we had some message board issues which our Webmaster had to control and delete. His instructions not to "flame" others are posted on the site. I have seen no such problems recently on this board, but note that other boards may not be as well controlled. Best wishes to all of you......and thanks for your continued interest in this site. Ed J

EB, thank you very much for this info. Much appreciated. Primers would be size #6. ej

To Ed in Oregon....thank you for the photos and info. Thus far, I have measured bullet versus my rifle bore, and have manually chambered & extracted a couple of rounds. No problems. Will test fire when range re-opens with improved weather. Let me know how you make out with shooting if you beat me to it. ej

Art, thank you. I did suspect it might have been a Winfield unit.

Not to detract from the above, but there is/was also a '41 JSAR (don't know serial number) at Gunslinger Auctions starting at 12 PM Pacific Time. gunslingerauctions@yahoo.com www.gunslingerauctions.com They advertised in the Gun and Sword Collector Magazine p.46 in the February edition. They also show a 1927 Ohio Ordinance water-cooled tripod mounted MG. ej

OK. You have one of two possibilities with that Carbine. a ) If it was one of our conversions of an existing .30 M1 Carbine, the serial number would be on the top of the receiver, which would still be parkerized. The blued barrel would be one of ours with the Williams Front sight. There might be some build-up material on the feedramp or actually have a new feedramp to adjust for the smaller .2235 bullet ogive. The rear sight would still be the M1 Carbine version....as you indicate. b ) If it was one of our new guns, refitted into a GI wood stock, everything would be blued and you would have a Williams front sight and a Williams rear ramp sight. The receiver might also have "Johnson Arms" stamped near the serial number on top. What type of ammo box is holding the cartridges? These factors would affect the price. Let me know, and photos would help. Ed J

Is that USMC Museum the newer one that was recently built? I know that one of our Website Team former members donated a Johnson '41 Rifle to that new museum....but not a JLMG.

So if we DO keep a copy of the video, we would need to include Joe's post above. Otherwise.....don't keep a copy.....to avoid being involved in causing an error by someone using this site.

I do know that there is a WWII 1941 Johnson LMG in the Special Forces Museum at Fort Bragg. I would assume there would be photos and possible battle use info there. I mention this because museums tend to make occasional changes in their inventory. The most disturbing aspect of this can occur if a museum actually closes down, usually for budget purposes. A classic example is the closure of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum. There goes a real monument to miliatary history. So, the moral of the story......strike while the iron is hot.

OK. Art, if the subject comes up and the info would be helpful you can guide folks accordingly. That works.

Do we need to record any of this, or somehow have it on file?

I believe there is one other person, and i have also pursued this a bit. We'll see what transpires.

Dad did not like the Garand gas take-off system at the time and was trying to avoid it completely so he went with recoil operation. He used gas system on a later LMG design.

The Johnson Rifle was designed for 30:06 and .270. There are existing variations to those calibers involving bullet weight and types of powder burning speed, as long as these variations do not impede the cycling operation of the recoil unlocking and extraction process. What would be the point of modifying it to other calibers?

I agree with Joe. I think the entire collection might be of interest to a neophyte who has no collection material. But, as also mentioned, for $50 you can buy the book that describes the whole story.....which is one of the reasons we did a book in the first place. ej

Might be a tad overpriced. And a vague answer does not help the cause.

Glad to finally know SOMEONE who is getting a vaccine. We seem to be in very short supply in SE CT.

Contact the Webmaster of this site for question on this.

Amen. And thank you, Art. Same to you.

Brian's explanation is reasonable. It is also quite possible that USMC had "borrowed" some JLMG's from Dad as a form of loan. If actually intact, it may have been used for "show" purposes, as his ties with the USMC were very strong. In any case, no matter how you slice it, #0068 is entered twice in the Canfield-Johnson book as being allocated/related directly to USMC provenance as well as being directly connected with property of MMJ, Jr via Cody Museum....currently purchased at a low price. You really can't beat that combination ! Merry Christmas ! ej

Saw the photo. Definitely not one of ours but looks like an IAI unit for sure and the description confirms that.