Johnson M1941

Johnson Automatics · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1941

Also known as: Johnson Automatic Rifle, Rifle, Semi-Automatic, Johnson, M1941, Johnson Semi-Automatic Rifle, Cranston M1941

Overview

The Johnson M1941 is a short-recoil operated, semi-automatic rifle designed by U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Captain Melvin Maynard Johnson Jr. in the late 1930s as a competitor to the M1 Garand for U.S. military adoption. Chambered primarily in .30-06 Springfield, the rifle uses a unique recoiling barrel action in which the barrel and bolt travel rearward together for approximately 5mm before the bolt unlocks via a rotating eight-lug head and cycles independently. This system eliminates the need for a gas port in the barrel and permits the use of a quick-detachable barrel, a feature particularly valuable for paratroopers and special operations units. The rifle feeds from a distinctive 10-round rotary magazine that can be topped off at any time with single rounds or standard five-round .30-06 stripper clips, even while the bolt is closed - a significant tactical advantage over the M1 Garand's 8-round en bloc clip, which had to be emptied before reloading. After losing the 1940 U.S. Army service rifle trials to the Garand, Johnson found limited but dedicated military customers. The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) placed a large order for rifles chambered in 7x57mm Mauser, though most were captured in crates by Japanese forces when the Dutch East Indies fell in 1942. Diverted stock was hastily issued to the U.S. Marine Corps Paramarines of the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment and to the joint U.S.-Canadian 1st Special Service Force (the 'Devil's Brigade'), both of whom prized the takedown capability for parachute insertions and rough terrain. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) also fielded the rifle in clandestine operations. Manufactured by Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company and under subcontract by Cranston Arms Company of Rhode Island, roughly 70,000 rifles were built before production ended in 1945.

Specifications

Weight (empty)4309 g (152.0 oz)
Weight (loaded)4625 g (163.1 oz)
Overall Length1156 mm (45.51")
Barrel Length558 mm (21.97")
Action TypeShort Recoil
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity10 rounds
Magazine TypeRotary
Muzzle Velocity808 m/s (2651 fps)
Muzzle Energy3170 J (2338 ft·lbf)
Effective Range500 m (547 yd)
Maximum Range3200 m (3500 yd)
Rate of Fire30 rpm
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Rifling Twist254 mm (10.00")
Number of Grooves4
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Variants

Service history

Operators

Conflicts

Production

Estimated total produced: 70,000 · Production years: 1941-1945

Approximately 70,000 M1941 rifles produced by Johnson Automatics and Cranston Arms Co. combined, plus ~10,000 M1941/M1944 light machine guns. Of the Dutch contract (~50,000 ordered), roughly 30,000 rifles were delivered or in transit before the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies; many were diverted to the USMC.

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Designer: Melvin Maynard Johnson Jr.

Discontinued: 1945

Notes

The Johnson's short-recoil action is extraordinarily rare for a full-power service rifle - most short-recoil designs are used in pistols and medium/heavy machine guns, because the system struggles with the forces of a full rifle cartridge. Johnson's solution used an eight-lug rotating bolt riding inside a barrel extension, with the barrel free to reciprocate within the stock. The quick-detach barrel was a genuine combat advantage: paratroopers could disassemble the rifle into a compact bundle for the jump, and the barrel could be swapped in seconds in the field. However, the reciprocating barrel made the rifle unsuitable for bayonet charges (fixing a bayonet added mass that disrupted cycling), and Johnson developed a lightweight triangular spike bayonet to minimize this issue. The action was also more sensitive to fouling and less robust than the Garand's gas system in sustained combat use. The M1941 Light Machine Gun variant fed from a 20-round side-mounted box magazine (plus rounds in the rotary or on stripper clips loaded separately) and was highly regarded by those who used it; the improved M1944 LMG abandoned the rotary feature entirely for a conventional detachable box. Post-war, Johnson's LMG design philosophy - quick-change barrel, modularity, light weight - directly influenced his protégé Eugene Stoner and is considered a conceptual ancestor of the Stoner 63 modular weapon system. The Dutch contract specified 7x57mm Mauser to match existing KNIL ammunition stocks; around 30,000 rifles were delivered or in transit before the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942.

Background

After losing the 1940 U.S. Army service rifle trials to the M1 Garand, Melvin Johnson salvaged his design by selling it to units the Army had overlooked - the USMC Paramarines and the joint U.S.-Canadian 1st Special Service Force - who adored the quick-detach barrel for parachute drops and jungle patrols. Its greatest legacy came after the war: Johnson's young protégé Eugene Stoner absorbed the modular, light-barrel philosophy and channeled it directly into the Stoner 63 and, by extension, the DNA of the AR-15. The rifle's other claim to fame is the 'ping of disapproval' in reverse - unlike the Garand, a Johnson could be topped off one round at a time with the bolt closed, giving Marines a rare reloading advantage that was sorely missed when they handed the rifles back for Garands.