David Slam

I've just finished reading Bruce Canfield's Book, Johnson's Rifles and Machine Guns. The reader will find this book to be a comprehensive and thorough discussion of Johnson's weapons, life, and personality. Like Bruce's other books, it's written in a snappy, familiar style that is easy to read and lends itself well to serious research or casual, "for fun" reading alike. I was particularly pleased with all the emphasis on Johnson's life. I think a proper understanding of his weapons is possible only if you know what sort of man spawned them, and the descriptions of his personal triumphs and tragedies left me feeling a little more personally attached to my rifle. The photographs are excellent and very entertaining. I realize that several other people contributed significantly to this book, including several people on this message board. Thanks, from one reader at least, for all of this effort. It's made me much more interested in Johnson's weapons, and I think instead of having a "representative" example of the '41 rifle, I might just keep my eye open for more of them, and some of the things that go along with them, too. Great book, great read, and great resource for anyone; from the reader with a casual interest in history up to the serious collector. You can order the book from http://www.brucecanfield.com/

I agree that the first number "6" appears to have a double stamp, and a couple of the other numbers have deeper stamps on the lower ends. I don't know much about these rifles, but in my research over the last week or so, I've seen several pictures of serial numbers that are similar. Having been a machinist myself a long time ago, I can see how this would happen, assuming the numbering was being done by hand.

Here you can see the black paint on the rear sight chipping away, revealing parkerizing underneath. Once again, thanks for your information so far, and anything else you can add based on these new pictures. I can certainly take more if there's something you're not seeing. Thanks!

I've finally gotten a chance to take some proper pictures, as seen below: Here are a couple of the lettering on the receiver. Hopefully they are clear enough to give some evidence either for or against reparkerizing. This one shows a what appears to be an "M" in a circle. Anyone know what this symbol signifies? This appears to show the number "3" stamped into the underside of the stock. Proof mark?

Walt and Bruce, Thank you both for your replies. Bruce, you and I have been corresponding via e-mail regarding your book, and this is the rifle I was talking about. I decided after reading the last message you sent to me to buy the rifle, thinking that even with the refinished stock it was worth the asking price of $3500. They only go up in value, right? I've never sold a gun anyway, so that's a theoretical side-issue... I look forward to receiving the book so that I can go through the rifle in detail. I'll take some better pictures with a proper camera and post them here after I get a chance to do that. Thanks again, both of you!

I've been reading this site for the last couple of days, and first I'd like to say thanks to all the admins and users who have kept such good content coming. Newbies such as myself appreciate it! Yesterday I happened across a Johnson that caught my eye. I took some pictures with a cheap camera phone, so I apologize for them not being more clear. Any information anyone here can give me on this rifle's collectibility, worth, or history would be fantastic. My questions are thus: 1.) The stock is obviously refinished. But is it the original stock? 2.) It has a "B-series" serial number. Is the B series less desirable or historical? 3.) What would the approximate worth of this rifle be? Not necessarily what you'd pay, but what you'd expect to see it go for via gunbroker, et. al. 4.) Has the metal been re-parkerized? Sorry once again if the pictures aren't clear enough. 5.) Any idea whether the sling is original? I'm guessing no, but it certainly looks old enough. Thanks in advance for your help! Feel free to go beyond the scope of my questions, too!