Johnson M1941 LMG
Johnson Automatics, Inc. · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1941
Also known as: Johnson LMG, M1941 Johnson, Johnson Model 1941
Overview
The Johnson M1941 LMG is a recoil-operated, air-cooled light machine gun chambered in .30-06 Springfield, designed by Melvin Johnson Jr. and built by Cranston Arms for Johnson Automatics. Feeding from a curved 20-round single-column magazine mounted on the left side of the receiver, it could fire single shots from a closed bolt and full-automatic bursts from an open bolt, with a rate of fire of roughly 200 to 600 rounds per minute. Light and quick to deploy with a quick-change barrel, it saw limited but notable service with the US Marines, the First Special Service Force, and paramarine units in the Second World War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 5900 g (208.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1100 mm (43.31") |
| Barrel Length | 560 mm (22.05") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 853 m/s (2799 fps) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .30-06 Springfield · primary — also known as 30-06, .30-06 Sprg, 7.62x63mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Quick Change Barrel, Side Mounted Magazine, Single Shot And Full Auto Selector, Magazine Top Off Via Stripper Clip, Bipod
Variants
- Johnson M1944 LMG — Improved
Service history
Operators
- United States Marine Corps · adopted 1942 · as M1941
- First Special Service Force · adopted 1943
- Royal Netherlands Army · adopted 1941
- Canadian Army
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1940-1945
Built by Cranston Arms Company of Providence, Rhode Island; produced only in limited numbers, with an improved M1944 version following.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Melvin Johnson Jr.
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Originally ordered by the Dutch government-in-exile for the Netherlands East Indies; after that route was cut off, many were diverted to US Marine Corps parachute battalions and the joint US-Canadian First Special Service Force (the Devil's Brigade). The unusual side-mounted magazine could be topped off through the ejection port using standard five-round stripper clips without removing it.
Background
Designed by Melvin Johnson Jr., a Boston lawyer and Marine Corps Reserve captain, the Johnson LMG competed against the Browning Automatic Rifle. Though never widely adopted, it became a favored weapon of the First Special Service Force, the elite US-Canadian commando unit known as the Devil's Brigade.