USMC Johnson LMG at the Range
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- Опубліковано 24 жов 2022
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The Johnson LMG was adopted by the US Marine Corps for specialist units like Paramarines and Raiders, and saw use in some of the fiercest island campaign of the Pacific (in addition to use in Europe by the 1st Special Service Force and others). It was a light and hard-hitting weapon that was well-liked by the men who used it. I've been wanting to try one for a while, and this was a great opportunity to do so.
While the Johnson is light and handy compared to similar arms like the BAR, it has substantially more muzzle blast, climb, and felt recoil than other designs that use the same .30-06 cartridge.
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It's remarkable how similar this gun is to the FG-42, given they probably had similar design requirements being both used by paratroopers.
It’s surprising how similar they are given their differences in inception. The Johnson, unlike the FG42, was not designed for paratroopers but nonetheless lended itself well for those troops-to some extent, almost better than the FG42. The Johnson was also designed for full auto with the capability for single fire, while the FG42 was a rifle first and automatic weapon second.
Source: Ian’s first video on the Johnson LMG.
@@RobotN001 And if you switched the FG-42 from semi to full, you could shoot your first round from a closed bolt, but it took a deliberate action (you had to pull the selector lever's knob out to move the selector) to switch from any of the FG-42's three selector's positions (Safe, Semi, and Full).
But the FG-42 was reportedly a "bear" to hold in position when firing Full Auto from the shoulder, where it seems like Ian, after noticeably leaning into the Johnson, could hold it in position to a large degree. Swinging, more or less on the level , to one side was deemed a virtue by some people because it allowed you to "sweep" enemy positions/suspected positions with "walking" fire!
Which was first tho?
@@timengineman2nd714 You right.
@@wealthybone2990 i think johnson LM
Never thought that Ian McCollum would ever film himself playing with his Johnson.
I think it is still someone else's Johnson.
@@gordonhamilton5576 Does that make it even worse 😂
Insert face palm picture. That was bad.
Yes!!!
the johnson lmg (let me grab)
So glad you are documenting the guns from Johnson. - Lou Johnson, Grandson of the inventor.
Sir, you have a lot to be proud of. Your grandfather was a very innovative firearms designer.
there are only 2 of these gun in New Zealand and Im proud to say I own one ,
Lou, I have a US carbine in .22 Spitfire, (.22 Johnson) which is another of your grandfathers creations. Specifically, it is .30 carbine necked to take a 40 grn .22 projectile.
Hey cousin
Your grandfather was a true patriot.
I recently re-read my copy of "The Black Rifle" concerning the development of the AR-15. I was reminded that Melvin Johnson was, for a while, employed by Armalite, working with Eugene Stoner. The multi-lug bolt head of the AR-10, AR-15, and AR-18 was derived from Melvin Johnson's patent. Anyway, in this video, I also noted the very "Armalite-ish" recoil buffer tube on the Johnson LMG.
So maybe Melvin Johnson is due a little more respect than he normally receives.
Great video!
That is true,he only missed the contract that the garand got by a couple weeks, ... his Johnson wasn't ready. the original Johnson automatic had a barrel that articulated back before unlocking the bolt, I didn't see the LMG version doing that. The LMG version was modified from an already manufactured Johnson automatic and may have lost that recoil reduction feature
That multi-lug bolt had been already used on the 1912 Carcano semiauto conversion, for the same reason. To limit the degrees of rotation of the bolt before unlocking in a short recoil action. ua-cam.com/video/jrp7QLSlKD4/v-deo.html
If anyone wanted to design a fixed-mag AR that you could load with stripper clips WITHOUT going through the ejection port, the Johnson would be great starting point.
@@chrisdooley8155 the Johnson automatic I had was so easy to load , you could just "scrunch" a whole handful of ammunition right in , and you can remove the barrel with a round of ammo. Imagine if Johnson had gotten the Garand contract, and EVERYONE got one . No sore thumbs 👍
@@angusmcnaughton4570 The action is a short-recoil operation, so the barrel reciprocates on both the rifle and the LMG (in the slow-mo shots you can see it move ever so slightly back as well)
I don't know why but I like all the side fed guns.
Because they make real good sense for a 2 man crew. It makes mag changes by the second so much faster.
Hate them with a passion. Had to carry a Sterling SMG. No comfortable way to carry it with the pistol grip pointing one way and a 30 round magazine pointed the other. Major PITA getting in and out of vehicles.
@@pdxyyz4327 actually that may be a good point, I've never used one, but they are cool
probably because they're all sick as hell. 😀
How very Bren of you to say that.
30 06 always surprises me when the first couple shots are fired after not shooting very often
😁😁😁
That's funny, im usually surprised at how light the recoil is on the garand considering the cartridges size. But that said i almost always bring out my noveske 10.5" AR with a brake too. Usually i shoot it suppressed so it feels like a quiet and smooth 20" AR. But if someone wants to try it without the suppressor its brain jarring in the extreme. The difference between an unsuppressed 10.5" with a brake and a 16" middy with a FH is pretty extreme. Leave the can on the 16" but take it off the 10.5 and it night and day. I honestly don't know how anyone could use one of those things indoors unsuppressed in a swat team or special forces role (even with everyone wearing hearing pro!).
30-06 is a beast of a round
Best thing about 30-06 is the weight range for the projectiles.
Johnsons are known for wearing down recoil springs. I got a new recoil spring for my Johnson rifle and replaced the original one which was a full inch shorter than the new one. It's much more pleasant to shoot now.
The Johnson kicks hard enough to make up for all the Johnsons that have been kicked.
Seeing the recoil from the first shot in semi auto I said that sumbitch is going to go wild on full auto. It seemed as controllable as a full auto M-14. The stripper clip reload option was cool.
Stripper clip reload kinda like the M-14????
Is it just me or did the hip fire look more controlled than shoulder fire? Hard to be sure without seeing what happened at the target but to my eye there was less muzzle climb and sideways drift from the hip.
@@donnkelley6823 Except the Johnson came first so the M14 is like the Johnson not the other way around.
@@markfergerson2145 It looks as if he was bracing the magazine against his left forearm, so that might have helped.
Unlike the M-14 it does have a bipod though which is somewhat helpful.
Another user of the Johnson was the 1st Special Service Force, an very interesting unit of American and Canadian troops trained for specialized fighting.
I was going to comment the same thing.
ah the famous Devil's Brigade
Have a GI Joe from when I was a kid of one of these soldiers. Came with the Johnson LMG
@@deancarr4507 god, I think I probably had the same one!
interesting.
Unlike the Garand and BAR, which had gas systems, the Johnson used a short recoil action. As I understand it, this means the whole barrel, not just the bolt, recoils back when the action cycles. I expect this means a relatively large moving mass compared to a gas gun, which may be why it kicks hard.
Exactly, short recoil guns all have more severe recoil than gas operated, surprised Ian didn't mention that.
I have a model 8 remington. The thing kicks like a mule, worse than any other firearm I have shot. Even 50 bmg wasn’t as bad. Having the whole barrel forced back into your shoulder fucking hurts.
I shoot Browning A-5 humpbacks. They will kick if the friction rings are set up improperly.
This is much more of a concern for long-recoil guns, because the barrel is part of the reciprocating mass that actually hits the back of the gun. For short-recoil firearms the barrel must necessarily transfer the recoil to the shooter long (in terms of the action of the gun) before the bolt hits the back of the receiver. Also, the bolt is travelling slower than it otherwise would because it''s got to use part of that energy to speed up the barrel, and then cause itself to rotate out of alignment with the lugs. A gas-gun might not even bother using this energy, but if you tune a recoil-gun in the same way it doesn't generate any more recoil than it needs to.
For that same reason, I strongly dislike shooting the SMG 45 from LWRC
It would be interesting to see a side by side from a bipod prone shooting comparison of the Johnson and a BAR. Great video, Ian.
Or better yet, the Johnson and the fg42.
Would it? The BAR would be more accurate, but the guy holding its arms would a lot more tired.
The 1st SSF actually used both guns side by side. It would be interesting to see what the Forcemen thought of the comparison.
I’ve shot both. From a shooting POV, the BAR is the more comfortable gun to shoot. The Johnson kicks a lot and has a much stronger concussive blast. Yeah, the BAR is heavier, but it’s a smoother shooting gun from either the shoulder or bipod.
With the through chamber top-off feature and the way it is setup with a removable barrel it’s amazing that you didn’t see some kind of redesign in a belt fed format
A belt feed would completely change it. Delinkage mechanisms take up a ton of space by their nature, especially if it's for a cloth belt which is most likely what it would be designed for
US Ordnance did experiment postwar with several versions of a belt-fed Johnson (T30, T40, T48) but that never went anywhere.
This gun had a lot of flaws. I would not have liked this if I was using it. If you'd want a belt fed setup on this you'd need a heavier barrel profile which would add to the weight. No idea what they didn't just do a standard 20 round double stack box mag. The single stack mag is ridiculous. And anyone thinking topping it off with stripper clips would be combat effective is an idiot.
Interesting to see the Madsen LMG style of magazine used somewhere other than just the Madsen Family!
even more interesting when you know that the Johnson was initially adopted by the Dutch colonial forces who also used the Madsen
I have a couple Madsen mags, argentine army surplus, painted green. The fact that the Johnson ones are single stack surprises me.
That looks cool, if this saw more action in Europe and with paratroopers it would be just as well known as the BAR
Always love seeing Ian play with his Johnson
The magazine used in Johnson LMG, greatly resembles the used LMG Madsen magazines used on a large scale by the Brazilian Army until the early 1970s and today, seen in some Brazilian police forces.
Still a cool looking gun. Just that retro-futuristic feel. Like the Savage autopistols.
It's a steampunk vibe, for sure.
I've always wanted to see footage of the Johnson LMG in action. Cool!!
It would be nice to see a comparison video between this and the fg42. Very similar platforms, in some ways.
@@smorrow what’s does “Barney Load” mean good sir?
@@smorrow I don't think that matters all that much
@@smorrow ohhhh ok got you… never heard that related to as a Barney load before! Thanks!
Ian is a left handed expert about right handed equipment. 👍
I had one of these with a GI Joe and never knew what it was as a kid even though I was a huge nerd and went well out of my way to research all the usual suspects. Really cool to see this, in action, thanks again Ian.
Maybe a stronger recoil spring and/or redesigned receiver to allow for longer bolt travel, could have made the gun more controllable. I don't necessarily think you'd have to add a lot more weight to it.
A stiffer recoil buffer *would* be a great start, but adding weight is much more reasonable for someone who owns one than redesigning the receiver. And you can add quite a bit. A heavy profile barrel, replacing the stock, forgrip & grip with either heavier material or weighted copies.
You could also try lightening the bolt a hair. This will bump the rof slightly, but the bolt would lose an amount of velocity proportionate to the mass reduction and it would decelerate better.
This is a really good design. Imagine how much better it would've been if it were designed using modern cad & physics animation programs
@@nicholashodges201 lighter bolt would be quicker. I feel like that the harsh recoil was a trade off from having the semi auto closed bolt and fully automic open bolt system...
@@RCP-1136 that's because it is. Open bolt designs like stiffer recoil springs than closed bolt. I imagine the Johnson recoil spring is an unhappy medium.
@@nicholashodges201 Adding weight would not have been reasonable for the paratroopers.
@@colemanmoore9871 Speeding up the rate of fire wouldn't be good either. When you are feeding your LMG with stripper clips, you want a SLOW rate of fire.
When you need to get the job done, send in some Marines with big Johnsons.
The sound of that gun reminds me of the original opening for the channel
Nice to see you adding slow motion shots again.
Thanks for this episode… I’m sure there is an upcoming episode on the Johnson Spitfire and the MMJ 5.7 cartridge.. !
Whenever I see you shoot Ian, it’s always pleasant to see you with your left hand on the trigger; the reason why is I used to be left handed on my rifles or long guns. But now I have a problem with my left arm and hand where I can’t shoot anymore. Thanks for the time and effort you put into making your videos.
Maybe you could use a ...not sure if it's blasphemous but fuck it... a motherfucking THUMB TRIGGER.
Although I don't know the extent of your problem, so it may be useless anyways.
Cheers!
I’m right handed but firing my rifles left handed feels more natural.
@@LARPing_Services_LLC Thanks! Yeah, my left hand is right here; still attached to me, but I had a stroke in early 2019; left side of my body has been paralyzed since; unable to move it at all.
@@Ingsoc75 I was always left handed when shooting my rifles; but naturally used right hand for handguns; but I’m halfway paralyzed, so I don’t shoot much anymore;well, not in the past 4 years anyway. Thanks; have a great day!
@@HalfWarrior Just have to pick what you're shooting based on what you can do now, I would think. As long as at least one hand still works fairly well, you could always enjoy an afternoon plinking away with a small calibre pistol, if nothing else. At least you still get the smell of the powder in your nose. :)
Now go and ice that shoulder...
The M14 included a charger clip guide for the same reason; in fact, they were issued with only two mags for riflemen. Early publications stressed reloading the rifle with stripper clips, similar to the Lee Enfields. This was the case when I was issued an M14 at Marine Corps OCS, in 1975.
AR-men, who used M14s with the selector switch activated, would carry more magazines.
??? That doesn't make sense as the standard loadout for the Army's M-1956 gear was two magazine pouches capable of containing up to 3 M14 magazines each (USMC later adopting more USA standard field gear throughout Vietnam). Even my own copy of the Guidebook for Marines c.1971 shows at least 4 separate single-mag pouches in the garrison 'junk-on-the-bunk' displays.
Only exceptions I'm aware of are for range work or pulling Guard Duty.
@@jamestarbet9608 I wish I could find my 'Guidebook' from the early '70s! IIRC, the photo you mention was for an AR-man. At OCS in '75, I was issued two mags with single-mag pouches along with my M14. We were also issued WWII-era deuce gear.
I didn't know there were triple M14 pouches; the largest I've seen were doubles (I actually have a couple of them)
I'm not disagreeing with you, just sharing what I actually saw and remember myself. 🙂
Quick reference I found stated 3 in the unreinforced M-56 pouches, but I have never personally used an M-14 with that equipment set. I have squeezed up to 4 20-rnd M-16 magazines in those same pouches though.
To quote from my copy of the c. 1971 Guidebook "These displays are designed for a Marine who is issued the standard equipment and minimum clothing allowance, appropriate modifications will be required." The example photos over the next couple of pages show separated components of the helmet, both packs with accompanying straps and suspenders two canteen sets (but only one canteen cup) and 4 M-14 magazines with pouches.
I believe since you were state side, post-Vietnam and OCS, your allotment was modified as special-case.
@@jamestarbet9608 Sorry for not seeing this sooner; I must have missed the notification. The ways of the Marine Corps are often inscrutable. In '77, we got M16A1s, full ALICE (including the 3x30mag pouches) and cammies.
Interesting and original weapon, with its pros and its cons.
Thanks Ian for showing it "at work"'!
Thanks again as always Ian
Very good video learning once again about a very interesting and important gun that we all wanted to know more about.
MMJ’s most innovative breakthroughs were the final development of his rifle/LMG, the ‘Daisy Mae’ carbine, and his 5.7mm, a .223 projectile for a necked down .30 carbine cartridge. The Carbine was a mix of an LMG lower with a rifle upper fed from a BAR round. Short, compact, full barreled and under 10lbs, it predated every modern main battle rifle.
Glory to Elbonia!!!
Glory to Arstotzka!
Way too good for Elbonia.
Viva los Elbonia!
--Henry Kissinger
Now immagine this, but in .276 Pedersen...
That magazine was a surprise, such an old idea.
More great content from Ian, keep it coming good sir!
I've always loved this gun. The Johnson LMG is an underrated gem of a weapon!
Congratulations 🎉
You're one lucky soul🙂
Contact the above to get your (new gun)🔫🔫🔫
3:10
I've noticed that with a lot of guns, actually. If it hits the back of the receiver, there's more kick and barrel climb.
But if the recoil spring stops it from doing that, it's more pleasant to shoot.
congrats, you figured out why the ultimax is very controllable.
That's the principle of constant recoil iirc.
Awesome as always Ian!
such a cool design
Congratulations 🎉
You're one lucky soul🙂
Contact the above to get your (new gun)🔫🔫🔫
I would think that charger reloading feature would be really valuable during those aggressive Japanese attacks. Seems to fulfill all the requirements of the FG42 before the FG42 was a thing.
I remember finding this gun exactly once while playing Medal of Honor Pacific Assault, and then never again. I thought my memories as a kid were lying to me but recently I discovered the name of the gun and found out it only ever drops if a specific allied soldier in a specific mission happens to be killed and drops it.
The report of that gun in full auto--even on computer speakers--is terrifying. And it does look like you are getting quite a shaking too! Great video once again!
It sounds so good. I can't believe how beautiful it sounds.
These Johnson machine guns are just absolutely one of coolest machine guns ever 👍 Super Coo!
Wonderful Ian! Loved this video, would love to see a weapon that is more “friendly”for left handed shooters like Ian and me!
I used to feel so sorry for the left handed shooters when I was in boot camp / M-14's
Really Sweet LMG Ian! Way to take the hits on the full auto recoil. 🙏👍
Ian, his camera, and his Johnson.
I once had the opportunity to shoot an FG42 and a Johnson LMG in the same afternoon.
My assessment was that the FG42 kicked harder but easier to do controlled bursts as the recoil was a bit more straight line.
I very much enjoyed both. Both seemed to be a bit finicky, but either one would do well in battle.
have had the opportunity to shoot a Johnson rifle that belonged to a friend years ago.. the recoil impulse was quite unique.. odd somewhat.. can only imagine that in full-auto... jealous of your range experience..
I really love the sound signature of this weapon. Such a simple yet satisfying, meaty bang.
Glad that the UA-cam issues got worked out an you can bring us these machine gun clips here.
Congratulations 🎉
You're one lucky soul🙂
Contact the above to get your (new gun)🔫🔫🔫
Many years ago I was designing a role playing game. Specifically a cyberpunk RPG. I wanted to make the combat as realistic as possible.
One of my go to research books was a Gun Digest book of Assault Weapons. It had a very good article on the Johnson weapons. It was the first I'd heard of them.
Nice to see one of them in action. Thanks.
That's awesome. If it's not a hassle, may I ask which guns did you end up taking as an inspiration. Also what happened to the RPG project you were working on?
@@ishaandas3006 The main firearms I used as inspiration were the P90 and the Steyr assault rifles. Because they look cyberpunk.
The project, at least the final prototype, is gathering dust in a closet. I got very ill and couldn't continue,
@@robgraham5697 that's amazing. I was also designing a game concept. It was set in an alternate 1930s wherein the Mediterranean (special emphasis on Adriatic) and Red sea was infested with sky pirates, airships and regular gunrunners. Weapons included a lot of Aircraft machine guns in the form of flexible mounted weapons (you could use them from an emplacement or handheld) such as aircraft Lewis guns, breda safats, German mg15s and maxims. Planes ranged from practical real life fighters of 1920s and 30s to Schneider trophy racing planes converted as fighters.
The idea was that you were a ww1 veteran working as a bounty hunter. You had to take down fellow pilots and large airships called ranging from flying airstrips, floating miniature towns etc. You also had a secondary antagonist as the fascist government of Italy sought to end both the pirates and the bounty hunters by their own air armada. Aesthetics were mostly art deco/dieselpunk. The idea sadly ended abruptly. Being an adult takes up a lot of time.
@@ishaandas3006 Very cool idea. Very imaginative.
And yeah, adulting sucks.
The 101st jumped with BARs. A friend of mine carried one in WW II. He went out the door, weighing almost 400 pounds. He dropped the two 60-pound leg packs of ammo before he hit the ground. He was 6' 2" at the upper limit the paratroopers would take. His only combat was a truck ride to Bastone for Christmas.
Made me happy when you did the magazine dump at the end
That’s a Mighty Big Johnson you got there GunJesus
Once again you nailed it Ian! I have always been curious about the Johnson Down here in NZ many good things were said of the Johnson after WW2 . Maybe its attraction with US troops was because the BAR held on too long! Compared to the Bren there are many points it comes second, but it would have been better than the BAR in use! Obviously the tendency to move round due to recoil is a negative , compare to the "pinpoint" accuracy of the Bren it is second. really cute clip loading feature! Great performance Thank you.
Stripper clip reloading definitaly makes sense considering the marines didnt get Garands in large numbers until later in the war. (43 I think - not sure) Anyway, makes sense from a early war logistic standpoint.
Technically the Marines adopted the Garand in 1940, but there was a great amount of pushback from the old salts. It was in very limited numbers through 1941, but the fighting on Guadalcanal showed that the M1903's days were past. In roughly mid-1942, the Corps went to replacement of all M1903 rifles with M1 rifles, and by the battle of Tarawa in November of 43 the entire Marine Corps was armed with the M1. The only exception might be some stateside garrison and guard units and shipboard detachments, essentially support troops as opposed to combat troops. New units being stood up in late 1942 were being issued all Garands. One would sometimes find an old Gunny or Master Sergeant packing an M1903 though. Also the Marines issued the M1 Carbine and M1A! Thompson sub-machine gun in large numbers as well.
That is one of thee most smooth actioned weapons I have ever seen in military action ever. Beautiful .
Now that's a cool weapon! Thanks Ian!
I was so enthused by this machinegun a couple decades ago, I bought several Remington model 8 rifles, semiauto, but using essentially the same long recoil action. I really enjoy shooting them. A good gun collection ought to have quite a few "oddballs" in it. Thanks Ian!
I look at the Johnson and I can't help but think that there was some missed potential. The firing chamber is located above the magazine action. I can't help but think that if the magwell part of the action could have be enlarged enough to use BAR magazines. Then since it used a side mounted magazine they could have developed 40 round magazines for it that would have been about the same overall length as the 20 round single stack magazines.
I also wonder if someone could have come up with a belt fed version that could have looked similar to what would later be seen on the HK-21 machine gun.
What do you think Ian @ForgottenWeapons ?
First of all thank you Morphys Auctions. Also thanks you Ian for showing us this Iconic machine.
Never heard of it, this is why I watch. Thanks mate
Can’t help looking at that weapon, and thinking about a belt fed version 😎
An underfed receiver and chambered in the T65 cartridge too
I always wish you would show the target just for an idea how easy or tough it is to keep on target.
Actually, the group size for a machine gun is not so relative. What good does it really do to send an entire burst through the same hole? The effectiveness of a machine gun is in indirect fire area denial. There's a story of an early British machine gun (Maybe the BREN gun?) that was TOO accurate, and the British army had the mount redesigned so that the gun sort of bounced around a little so as to provide MORE shot dispersion.
Actually I may have heard that here!
@@tpelle2 To be honest I was actually meaning groups with the smg's that he does. Nice to find out if they stay on a man sized target at 50 yards or not. My only experience with full auto at distance was an M2 carbine at 50 yards and even in short bursts it was tough to keep on target.
I'm sold on it. Absolutely beautiful.
Awesome, thanks all !
On the final mag dump - to my ear the rate of fire varied a little bit. Would that be due to the ammo or the gun?
This has to be of the best looking guns of all time.
Very interesting gun design.
That gun has the sweetest sound in full auto.
I really like that weapon. I wonder how much they are? It would be a great investment and fun to shoot. They are rare, $65,000 rare. I'm still going to keep my eyes open. I should do a video on class 3 firearms. Go into the special safe and put some ammunition through them. I just don't like to shoot them that much. Well the old ones and rare ones not that the safe is full but capital wise it is.
What would happen if you selected full auto with a round in the chamber, closed bolt and fired?
Also something I want to know. And how about the change from auto to semi?
Great presentation!
Such a cool MG!
I imagine it was some officer reading through the history of paramarines and the Johnson that led to IAR being a thing.
My first thought when I saw this was like: "Wait isn't this an FG-42?" but I see they have some distinct differences. This is a pretty cool example of convergent design to overcome the same issues for paratroopers.
That was a treat for us too. Thanks
Congratulations 🎉
You're one lucky soul🙂
Contact the above to get your (new gun)🔫🔫🔫
Awesome, thanks for making this video
Fantastic! Just one question: When you changed from semi to full you should have activated the bolt and ejected an active ammunition. In the case of going from full auto to semi, do you have to do any specific action? Greetings from Patagonia Argentina
I'm guessing that when he switches from full- to semi-auto, he would have to pull the bolt handle making the bolt close, loading the first round.
@@Stevarooni I assume the same as you, but I don't know if I should do it slowly to avoid the percussion of the primer. Thank you for your comment and greetings from Patagonia Argentina.
I didn't even know the USMC was using this thing. Thank you.
Thats just awesome! I never heard of this firearm before, but then again, you are kind of my oddity firearm gurus
The Johnson has always been one of my favorites
The ability to top off using a stripper clip is neat. I don't know of another gun that's mag fed but can also take clips like that.
M-14,M1A.
I love this gun. Just by looks and mechanics
What a cool gun. I love it.
Nice. This gun really sounds good. Strong and powerful.
hah. Jeez. The recoil nearly took your hat off man. Bouncy as heck lol. Cheers Ian
My father was a Marine and was a Johnson user in combat. One thing he spoke of was turning the SMG on it's side with the magazine up and using it from the hip that way. He stated that in this configuration it's downward ejection made the SMG "float" and was easier to control. He also stated that he was several times asked to go to the front lines and "let off a clip or two" to stir up the enemy. Seems they were drawn to the sound and assumed that "something" was up" and gathered for combat, which let the line know where they were and where to aim and call in mortars or shelling. He loved the SMG and hated giving it up.
I particularly like the Johnson lmk cause they some at canal. They played a pivotal roll in fire power supremacy defending the airfield. Really cool
I always loved this firearm.
Morphy’s is an excellent auction house and I can vouch for that 100%!!
Great video as always!
Hey, very interesting to hear about machine gun plastic belts!
Thank you.
Forgotten Weapons and War Stories with Mark Felton are all I need in life.
Over 30 years ago I was looking in M&I Surplus in Pomona, Ca and there was this 4x4 creight full of these magazines. They were $10 each, I thought they were Madsen mags but many years later I found out otherwise and watching this video reminded me they were Johnson magazines! I wish I had bought at least one as my great uncle had served in the 1st Special Service Force and no doubtedly were around them in Italy.
Ahhhhhh yes, the famous Johnny Gun! My fav video to date...thankyou Ian!
Great video and content!
It quite reminds me of a breda 30, as far as general set up of the gun, but this time it actually works
Love the idea of topping off with clips.
I didn't realize this thing had such a high rate of fire.
Maybe it was just the ammo or something because it seems like a lower RPM count when you fired it standing.
What a treat to watch!