The Johnson rifle was developed in 1939 by Melvin Johnson, who was promoting the weapon design to the U.S. Army prior to World War II. Variants of the rifle were delivered to the U.S. Marines fighting in the Pacific, however, the overall design for a semiautomatic Infantry rifle went to (and stayed with) the M1 Garand Rifle which had been formally adopted in 1937. The Johnson was formally adopted in small numbers in 1941, thus the rifle was then called the M1941 Johnson Rifle. It had a unique rotary 10 round magazine, however the recoil operation (versus the gas operation of the Garand) required a moving barrel, which made it unsuitable for bayonet usage and also made the weapon a bit more fragile than the sturdy Garand. A light machine gun variant was also used and shipped to some client nations abroad as well as used in small numbers by Marines and U.S Special Forces in the 1950s-1960s.
Specifications
Weight: 9.5 lb (4.31 kg)
Length: 45.87 in (1,165 mm)
Barrel length: 22 in (559 mm)
Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield, 7x57mm Mauser
Action: Short-recoil, rotating bolt
Muzzle velocity: 2,840 ft/s (866 m/s)
Feed system: 10 round cylindrical magazine
Sights: Adjustable Iron Sights
The M1941 Johnson rifle or it's variants has been seen in the following:
