Johnson "Estate" Rifles & LMGs - all

[Ed Johnson 0]

To all Johnson Website users and Team members........    Subject: Weapons from the "Estate" of Melvin M. Johnson, Jr., the inventor

I had a meeting with Team member Walt Liss last Saturday. We discussed the recent postings by Amoskeag in New Hampshire on a Johnson Rifle supposedly being from the Johnson Estate, presumably following the death of my father in January, 1965. Although this "Estate" business has cropped up before and I have clarified it before, Walt felt I should clarify it again to refresh everyone's memory. So here are the facts as I know them.

1) The only Johnson rifle or deactivated lmg products and prototypes that were in my fathers personal collection (less than 20) of the time of his death are now in the legal possession of a few private collectors or museums, or in a storage vault with no easy access. The specific locations are not for public knowledge, with the exception of one rifle that was donated to the newer USMC Museum.

2) While Dad was still alive and the Johnson Automatics factories in Rhode Island were closed after WWII, various Johnson products and parts ended up going to Winchester (where he worked in the early '50's), Numrich, Buffalo/Cody museum, Winfield Arms and other suppliers. Miltech still deals with re-built Johnson Rifles and, from what I hear, produce a nice product. There are also rifles and lmgs in various museums, including Aberdeen (now defunct), Smithsonian, Special Forces and Springfield Armory. In addition, there are some items overseas, such as the Netherlands. Any 5.7mm "Spitfire" carbine products that were in our family's possession after Dad passed on are now in the hands of private collectors or have been otherwise deactivated. When I closed Johnson Arms (the Spitfires) in 1967, that carbine parts inventory was purchased by Sarco.

3) None of the items in paragraph 2 above are part of the "Johnson Estate." Over the years, certain auction houses or dealers have tried to claim they have "Johnson Estate" items for sale, or "special prototypes" with special serial numbers available. These claims should be considered as false. What I have found is that the auction houses themselves want to believe what the sellers tell them so that the guns will sell at a higher price and thus generate more commission for the auction house. This probably explains why a few auction houses don't want to return my E-mails or letters of inquiry on such topics. Naturally, money is involved and so are attorneys to protect the auction houses.

4) One of the more notable items is the "Queen of the Netherlands" rifle # A2913, presented by my father to the Queen in 1942. Only one of these was ever made. I've been told that, years ago, a west coast dealer made up copies of these as an "exclusive" series and sold them at high prices to unsuspecting buyers. If you find one and simply treat it as a "replica" of the real thing, priced at a reasonable level as a current "regular" Johnson Rifle, then it might be worth having one....assuming it shoots well.

In summary, as we always say, buy the gun, not the story. Please pass this info to other collectors and enthusiasts if you have the opportunity. If there is any question, private message me on this Website and I'll answer any questions as best I can.         Happy trails.....   Ed Johnson

Note - I plan to E-mail this announcement to all Johnson Gun Club and related 5.7 Club members. Please excuse any duplication messages.  ej

 

[Yuccacapt343 0]

Hey Ed,

Thanks for the information!! Being that this issue seems to come up from time to time, this might be a good subject to be posted without the ability to respond under the serial number post by Walt. That way it is always available for review by all members.

Just a thought......

Wayne

[Ed Johnson 0]

Wayne, thank you for the suggestion. Are you referring to the "frozen" post at the beginning of this Rifle section? That was posted by Jim Pullen, our Webmaster?   ej

[Yuccacapt343 0]

Ed,

Sorry for the mistake, I was referring to Jim's frozen post in the rifle section.

Wayne

[Ed Johnson 0]

Thank you. No problem. I'll review this with Jim in the next few days. We don't want to "clutter" such announcements with too much detail or folks might not bother to read them.

[Alan1945 0]

Thanks for providing the background on this Ed. 

[ArtR 0]

Hi Ed/Webmaster:

Whenever posting a "permanent" or "pinned" article, it is best to have "an all encompassing" title/subject.

"Important read for anyone  looking for information on XXXXXXXX" vs "XXXXXXXX" and it should always show as "unread" to new users

 

[Ed Johnson 0]

To Art and the rest of you on this topic, Jim Pullen (Webmaster) has modified the "Serial Number" and added the "Estate Sale" announcements at the top of this Johnson Rifle Section. No messages can be left on either of those topics....they are simply announcements. This should simplify things for the future. If anyone wants to comment further, they can do it on this thread. ej

 

[Yuccacapt343 0]

Jim/Ed,

That is perfect! Thank you!

Wayne