The reality is there's just so few of them in private hands. I can remember when a decent one was around $1,500, just seemed steep compared to other milsurps. Now a decent one will run you five times that amount.
Next should be a showcase on the real life context and how many times the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was used in fiction (Doctor Strange and Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail among them).
Here in Kerrville, a Marine vet, T Fred Harvey said they carried the Johnson in the Paramarines. He said he liked it since it could disassemble, convenient for paras, and it was also easy to reload a partially fired magazine, unlike the M1’s clip
It was a good weapon for paratroopers because the barrel could be removed to make it shorter. I like how Johnson LMG and FG42 are similar and were both used as paratrooper weapons, and both of them influenced the design of the AR-15. Neither one was used in significant numbers in WW2, but they are among the most influential WW2 firearms. The Johnson rifle probably wouldn't have beaten the Garand in trials, but likely would have been adopted if the Garand had never existed. Short recoil actions suffer from reliability issues when a bayonet is hung off the barrel and bayonets were pretty important to old school ordinance officers who were likely WW1 vets back then. The rotary magazine is cool as hell, and the the fact that the LMG had that same magazine along with the box magazine is awesome! I think you could also load bullets back into the box mag through the loading port of the rotary magazine.
Considering how many japanese soldiers charged in to close combat i think bayonet was preeeeety important .You would be dead before you reload this rifle in pacific theater .
Johnson lost out to the Garand because of timing, but he got the last laugh in the end. He worked with Stoner and his Johnson design was used for the AR platform, not just the bolt and barrel, but the buffer tube from the MG as well. Not bad for a gun that was considered as good, but not good enough to supplant the Garand.
There is a famous photograph by Time magazine of the Cuban "Brigadistas" of Assault Brigade 2506 training bayonet drill with the Johnson rifle. They used them in training but fought at the Bay of Pigs with the standard infantry weapons. The French garrisoning North Africa also used Johnson rifles and the Chinese Revolutionary Army received some in order to fight the Civil War; hence why some Chinese films have them.
You were the perfect person to review this unique weapon. I’m familiar with a lot of WWII era weapons but this one was new to me. Thanks for another great video!
Hero of Alexandria was a greek-egyptian inventor living in Alexandria in the 1st century CE who invented the Aeolipile, the first known steam engine. It consisted of a bronze boiler with two pipes coming out of the top with a sphere suspended between them with two or more jets along it's axis . When water was boiled in the boiler, steam would spiral out in jets spinning the sphere. The system worked, but it was also inefficiency and cumbersome. Actually useful steam engines would need to wait until the late 17th century and came into their own in the late 18th century as better materials and an understanding of the nature of pressure allowed for more productive systems.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq You always bring these nice old movies and give me something to watch ! And you are so nice to put all names in video description! Thank you !
Really useful stuff Johnny. I finally understand how the mechanism on this rifle works. I also didn't realize that it was produced in the numbers that it was. The M1 was a superb weapon but with a few tweaks the Johnson could have been equally effective.
@@Hellston20a I never watched Chinese civil movies until i married my veteran husband. I feel regretful and sorry for what my people had down to China and Taiwan. I live in the USA and i can never begin to imagine the things my people did in those years.
@@MayumiC-chan9377 I presume you are Japanese? Thank you for your kind words. I agree with the Japanese ideal of promoting peace and healing. But there's one missing link --- has Japan learned the duty to resist a warlike regime to restore peace? Compare Germany, where Col. Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler. I believe learning that is the most valuable. Apologies and reparations to China, Taiwan and Korea are much less important.
i doubt anyone would believe this but i was actually going to comment on one of your videos to make a video about the M1941. Checked yesterday and saw this video, Made my day!
Kinda wild to realize it was Zhang Hanyu's big breakout role. First time he got cast as a major character in a movie after 8 years of playing nameless background extras and now one of China's biggest action stars.
Three examples were manufactured in Argentina under license, as test prototypes. Its caliber is 7.65x54. It is currently on display at the National Weapons Museum.
I've seen a number of them folks bring into gun shows. About two years ago, a man brought one in that was absolutely perfect. It looked unfired. He had the single nicest Johnson I had ever seen 😂😂😂😂. That rifle was beautiful.
How did you find that Chinese footage? I was in China about 15 yrs ago and even though I couldn't understand Chinese, I watched Chinese soap operas that were mainly about WW2 fighting the Japanese. I remembered seeing an actor using a Johnson (I own one) and told others, and they didn't believe me. My research found 2 possible explanations. When the Japanese conquered Indonesia the Dutch had ordered some Johnson rifles. Or when the Japanese fought GI Marines early in the war, they captured Johnson's that the Marines carried....then the Chinese captured the Johnson's from the Japanese. Nonetheless, thanks for proving me right. Do you have another explanation?
ive always liked the Johnny gun , it's a damn shame that the usmc para marines never got to jump into combat , they island hopped along with all of the other jarheads and did damn good work
So, are you named after the gun or is the gun named after you. Make you wonder how different things would be if the Johnson Rifle had been adopted rather than the M1 Garand. For one thing there would have been no M14 and the whole line of rifles after that would have be changed.
Absolutely love the Johnson rifle. Truly an odd piece of hardware that really should've gone further. If I remember right, the Johnson also inspired one of the prototype Japanese semi-automatic rifles. Alongside one made on the Pedersen rifle and another mimicking the Garand. By the by, if you ever need footage of a weapon in Enlisted, feel free to hit me up for it. I've... Played that game too much.
One of the reliability issues was the rotary magazine's construction and location. It's made of sheet metal, and if a soldier or Marine went prone and banged the magazine on a rock or something, it could bend the sheet metal, ruining the magazine. There was a later version of the rifle that used a box magazine to overcome that and the slightly weird handling that the rotary mag caused. Cody Firearms Museum has one, but they have everything. A friend of mine is looking to sell his M1941... Just sayin'.
Just what any American wants a gun named after them😂😂 what a time to be alive❤❤❤ Also as a side note if you load in five rounds you have 10 if you chamber one of those rounds You can load an additional one more round into the gun does making it 11 rounds in total that's 11 rounds of 30 ought 6 The superior rifle cartridge of all rifle cartridges
Almost a year ago a Johnson LMG lower receiver was discovered on Guadalcanal. I wonder if it saw action before the BAR did (in American hands) during the war.
Sorry, the video is a bit brief. It was a struggle to find footage for these rarities.
It's the nature of more obscure firearms, the effort is appreciated. Hope to see more videos on lesser known weaponry pop up!
Indeed, I've seen only 1 in my lifetime.
They are also in the game enlisted as a high tier semi auto rifle for allied troops.
Love to get ny hands around both those Johnsons
At least you said and shown enough.
johnny johnson's gun
Johnny Johnson Johnsons gun
@@clpfox470 good one
Not to be confused with his actual johnson
@@K37-h1z "my johnson" is huge
Came to the comments section to make this joke, but I guess you got the shot off first.
Shame such a solid rifle isn't shown much in media. But at least Johnny did this video showcasing the Johnny Johnson rifle.
I had to! But wow took me forever just to find a few tiny examples.
Forgotten Weapons has a video about it, if you want to see this thing at the range and being disassembled. ua-cam.com/video/aY19tDMDvr4/v-deo.html
those are a nightmare to strip down let alone work on!!!
Yeah and who knows could look into the Springfield 1903 Bolt action as another idea or the M-14 rifle years later.
The reality is there's just so few of them in private hands. I can remember when a decent one was around $1,500, just seemed steep compared to other milsurps. Now a decent one will run you five times that amount.
"This is my Johnson, this my gun. One is for fighting and one is for fun!"🤣🤣
Shut up. The adults are talking.
@@danjones275 What's the matter? Don't like the Corps? Every meal's a banquet, every paycheque a fortune, every formation a parade! I love the Corps.
@@danjones275 real mature
Thank you.
K
The Johnson LMG has a really neat look, kinda feels like an American fg42, especially with the Paramarines using it!
Supposedly the 1st service force traded the para marines for all the Johnson lmgs they had in exchange for plastic explosives.
I'm imagining a grizzled gunny instructing his trainees, "Alright ladies, time to oil your Johnsons!".
Really can only imagine that happening but it fits the time.
Finally a gun named after Johnny Johnson
I was really hoping to make it an extra special long video but boy what a rare gun on film!
Mines more like it's spike bayonet. I'm never crazy about showing it off.
Next should be a showcase on the real life context and how many times the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was used in fiction (Doctor Strange and Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail among them).
Capt. Dunlap earned the MoH while hauling around his Johnson and enormous balls. Respect.
This one deserves far more likes
That’s a big Johnson.
Shake it more than once .......😅😊
The Johnson is so under appreciated in films, it's a cool design.
I honestly love and am fascinated by the trapdoor feeding system. It's probably the best clip loading mechanism I've ever seen in my opinion.
Up there with the FG42 for one of the coolest looking rifles IMO.
Anything with a sideways loading magazine wins extra style points.
Sten vibes are always a plus.
it has a Krag-Jørgensen vibe
@@zumbazumba1 i was talking about the machine gun, darling.
Here in Kerrville, a Marine vet, T Fred Harvey said they carried the Johnson in the Paramarines. He said he liked it since it could disassemble, convenient for paras, and it was also easy to reload a partially fired magazine, unlike the M1’s clip
I have a conceal carry that I call my "Johnson," though I'd get charged for showing it off.
I'm very much looking forward to the comment section for this video
Mines closer to it's spike bayonet.
What guy doesn't want to shoot his Johnson...
5:07: Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny... 🙃
@Daniel4646
Is that a reference to a Sven Johnson video (actors who don’t know how to smoke)
@@cameronkedas3375 Nope. If such a comparison can be drawn, it's purely coincidental.
Great bit of kit.
It was a good weapon for paratroopers because the barrel could be removed to make it shorter. I like how Johnson LMG and FG42 are similar and were both used as paratrooper weapons, and both of them influenced the design of the AR-15. Neither one was used in significant numbers in WW2, but they are among the most influential WW2 firearms. The Johnson rifle probably wouldn't have beaten the Garand in trials, but likely would have been adopted if the Garand had never existed. Short recoil actions suffer from reliability issues when a bayonet is hung off the barrel and bayonets were pretty important to old school ordinance officers who were likely WW1 vets back then. The rotary magazine is cool as hell, and the the fact that the LMG had that same magazine along with the box magazine is awesome! I think you could also load bullets back into the box mag through the loading port of the rotary magazine.
Considering how many japanese soldiers charged in to close combat i think bayonet was preeeeety important .You would be dead before you reload this rifle in pacific theater .
@@zumbazumba1You say that, but thats what your autorifleman are for. The BAR and M1919 were more effective then any bayonet
My father briefly owned one in the 90s! He traded it for a registered M1a1 Thompson, which he then sold in 2012 along with the rest of his NFA items.
Johnson lost out to the Garand because of timing, but he got the last laugh in the end. He worked with Stoner and his Johnson design was used for the AR platform, not just the bolt and barrel, but the buffer tube from the MG as well. Not bad for a gun that was considered as good, but not good enough to supplant the Garand.
An here comes Johnny !.....Thanks JJ for the Johnson Rifle video.....Hope everything is well with you and yours = Old F-4 Shoe🇺🇸
‘Johnny Johnson Got His Johnson Gun’ a classic movie
Had a chance to buy one along with a PIAT, still kicking myself 30 years later..
dang! Would have been a solid investment.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqThanks for reminding me buddy.
Looks like johnny got his gun, got his gun, got his gun.
Donald Sutherland was in it in 1971, he played the Jezus parts.
Nice overview on the Johnson gun Johnny!
Great video again.
I felt that that long 2 second inhale at 0:51
internal feeding ramps and the marine paras loved it
There is a famous photograph by Time magazine of the Cuban "Brigadistas" of Assault Brigade 2506 training bayonet drill with the Johnson rifle. They used them in training but fought at the Bay of Pigs with the standard infantry weapons. The French garrisoning North Africa also used Johnson rifles and the Chinese Revolutionary Army received some in order to fight the Civil War; hence why some Chinese films have them.
You were the perfect person to review this unique weapon. I’m familiar with a lot of WWII era weapons but this one was new to me. Thanks for another great video!
This video is the good version of Johnson on Johnson.
To make sure you have optimal performance, you have to make sure your Johnson is clean.
Hero of Alexandria was a greek-egyptian inventor living in Alexandria in the 1st century CE who invented the Aeolipile, the first known steam engine. It consisted of a bronze boiler with two pipes coming out of the top with a sphere suspended between them with two or more jets along it's axis . When water was boiled in the boiler, steam would spiral out in jets spinning the sphere. The system worked, but it was also inefficiency and cumbersome. Actually useful steam engines would need to wait until the late 17th century and came into their own in the late 18th century as better materials and an understanding of the nature of pressure allowed for more productive systems.
Oh my goodness. He finally did it. Johnny Johnson’s The Johnson gun. It’s been so long since I first mentioned this gun I thought we’d never see it.
I got you!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq You always bring these nice old movies and give me something to watch ! And you are so nice to put all names in video description! Thank you !
Only thing better than a Johnny Rifle is a Johnny pun at the end of the video 😜
Really useful stuff Johnny. I finally understand how the mechanism on this rifle works. I also didn't realize that it was produced in the numbers that it was. The M1 was a superb weapon but with a few tweaks the Johnson could have been equally effective.
johnny johnson talking about johnson johnny gun
damn
what a rollercoaster of emotions XD
Such a cool rifle, it's sad that they didn't all end up as surplus here at home!!
Great video again. Thank you 🫡
the Chinese civil war movie “Assembly” is an interesting movie 0:04
Indeed
Yes. Very balanced portrayal. On the surface, both the Communists and the KMT are shown fighting intelligently using proper infantry tactics.
@@Hellston20a I never watched Chinese civil movies until i married my veteran husband.
I feel regretful and sorry for what my people had down to China and Taiwan. I live in the USA
and i can never begin to imagine the things my people did in those years.
@@MayumiC-chan9377 I presume you are Japanese? Thank you for your kind words. I agree with the Japanese ideal of promoting peace and healing. But there's one missing link --- has Japan learned the duty to resist a warlike regime to restore peace? Compare Germany, where Col. Stauffenberg tried to assassinate Hitler. I believe learning that is the most valuable. Apologies and reparations to China, Taiwan and Korea are much less important.
Great movie free to see on UA-cam if anyone wants
Finally the Gun from the hoi4 Dutch Tech Tree is getting the attention it deserves.
Excellent upload as usual!
As much as I thought I knew about WWII history, I’d actually never heard of this gun before.
i doubt anyone would believe this but i was actually going to comment on one of your videos to make a video about the M1941. Checked yesterday and saw this video, Made my day!
I find that Johnson guns are Underrated weapon from World War 2.
I never heard of these until now, even with 20 years of regularly watching youtube. Cool vid man.
Johnny Got His Gun! :)
I'm so happy to see Assembly showcased. That movie is the best chinese war movie ever made imo.
Kinda wild to realize it was Zhang Hanyu's big breakout role. First time he got cast as a major character in a movie after 8 years of playing nameless background extras and now one of China's biggest action stars.
In this video, Johnny covers Johnsons Johnny
Three examples were manufactured in Argentina under license, as test prototypes. Its caliber is 7.65x54. It is currently on display at the National Weapons Museum.
I've seen a number of them folks bring into gun shows. About two years ago, a man brought one in that was absolutely perfect. It looked unfired. He had the single nicest Johnson I had ever seen 😂😂😂😂. That rifle was beautiful.
Nice video!
Mr. Johnson has quite a few good lectures to watch. Thanks, Johnny. I'll be sure to catch you for another one.
ping
and a ping to you good sir
Man, I can't believe they turned Johnny Johnson into a real thing. Amazing.
Blimey...this was a revelation...you kept that under wraps, Johnny...cheers...E
Never knew about this gun, thank you for your video!
Fair weather Johnson.
I've had the pleasure of firing a Johnson Rifle. Trigger was heavier then on an M1, but the recoil was noticeable less!
How did you find that Chinese footage? I was in China about 15 yrs ago and even though I couldn't understand Chinese, I watched Chinese soap operas that were mainly about WW2 fighting the Japanese. I remembered seeing an actor using a Johnson (I own one) and told others, and they didn't believe me. My research found 2 possible explanations. When the Japanese conquered Indonesia the Dutch had ordered some Johnson rifles. Or when the Japanese fought GI Marines early in the war, they captured Johnson's that the Marines carried....then the Chinese captured the Johnson's from the Japanese. Nonetheless, thanks for proving me right. Do you have another explanation?
Captain America vs The RedSkull
The first avenger was a cool one.
Excellent video fellow Johnson.
💯🎯👍❗
As a Chilean i didnt knew the military had the Johnson Gun 😮
Waw...impressive!
ive always liked the Johnny gun , it's a damn shame that the usmc para marines never got to jump into combat , they island hopped along with all of the other jarheads and did damn good work
M1941 Johnson was used by the Dutch Royal Marines beside the M1 Garand into the 1950s...
So, are you named after the gun or is the gun named after you.
Make you wonder how different things would be if the Johnson Rifle had been adopted rather than the M1 Garand. For one thing there would have been no M14 and the whole line of rifles after that would have be changed.
You can use this weapon in Battlefield V and I assure you it is smooth as butter
Such a cool looking gun especially with the cheese grater over the barrel
Did you crated the rifle or you’re named after the rifle?
Who doesn’t love a big Johnson!
The Johnson and Stoner guns show up in the Russian flash game series “Endless War”.
endless war mentioned (in another timeline, we'd have an 8th game)
Good memories of playing that on a school laptop.
Automatic Johnson 👍
Finally my favorite weapon is here
"This is my gun! It was made for me!"
Absolutely love the Johnson rifle. Truly an odd piece of hardware that really should've gone further.
If I remember right, the Johnson also inspired one of the prototype Japanese semi-automatic rifles. Alongside one made on the Pedersen rifle and another mimicking the Garand.
By the by, if you ever need footage of a weapon in Enlisted, feel free to hit me up for it. I've... Played that game too much.
My low-key favorite gun in enlisted because I like how it looks and the rarity of it. Fun over optimization hahaha
"How many John derivatives can you cram in 1 sentence ?"
Challenge accepted
I give it an A+ for appearance. It looks like it means business!
One is seen in the KNIL museum at Bronbeek in Holland. Check it out.
I remember seeing one at the National Military museum in Soesterberg.
@@Jack-Hands NMM is a great museum! Have you seen Mooyman's Knights cross?!
I didn't know this rifle appeared in the first Captain America movie.
So, the Johnson rotating bolt made it into the M-16/AR-15 platform. Looks like Johnson had the last laugh over Garand, then.
One of the reliability issues was the rotary magazine's construction and location. It's made of sheet metal, and if a soldier or Marine went prone and banged the magazine on a rock or something, it could bend the sheet metal, ruining the magazine.
There was a later version of the rifle that used a box magazine to overcome that and the slightly weird handling that the rotary mag caused. Cody Firearms Museum has one, but they have everything.
A friend of mine is looking to sell his M1941... Just sayin'.
Johnny Johnson's Johnson.
🇺🇸❤️💪
Johnny guns out!
Dude also wrote an interesting book on gun design principles, iirc
Its you
Howdy there
The Cuban exiles in Brigade 2506 that led the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961 were armed with M1941 Johnson rifles.
Ye
Interesting Fact:
The Israelis copied the Johnson LMG as the Dor in 8m Mauser.
I have one in great condition. Semi-auto. I always get funny looks when I offer to show my Johnson!! 😊
A often forgotten weapon 🇺🇸
Just saw a listing for a Johnson Rifle on a gun auction site, now I see this.
God is telling me something.
"JOHNNY....HOSE 'EM WITH YOUR JOHNSON!!!"
4:25 Are we going to skip past the part where the guy in the video game shot one of his own guys in the back of the head?
Thank you! You're the first person to bring it up. I was waiting lol
Hilariously enough, it happens as he's talking about accuracy issues
Rare pieces these days
Johnny stop making me look at your Johnson (video)
Just what any American wants a gun named after them😂😂 what a time to be alive❤❤❤
Also as a side note if you load in five rounds you have 10 if you chamber one of those rounds
You can load an additional one more round into the gun does making it 11 rounds in total that's 11 rounds of 30 ought 6
The superior rifle cartridge of all rifle cartridges
50 BMG: am I a joke to you ? 😅
This gun was made for you Johnny!
Almost a year ago a Johnson LMG lower receiver was discovered on Guadalcanal. I wonder if it saw action before the BAR did (in American hands) during the war.
It's almost unbelievable. This gun is worth $10k !
There's a universe where the Jonshon rifle and M1 Garand have opposite fates.
Johnny Johnson needs to acquire a 10.000$ Johnny Johnson gun as soon as possible! 😅
Way to put yourself in the video, however, I'd better mind my manners, you have the Johnson gun!
Take care, and all the best.