Arms, Armor and Militaria

.30-06. 22" barrel length. SN: A6368. Parkerized and blued metal finish with polished bolt mounting polished walnut semi-pistol grip stock with Pachmayr White-Line recoil pad to butt, front and rear sling swivels, and standard military pattern rear notch with civilian front blade sights. Short-recoil operated rotating bolt locked semi-automatic rifle fed by an internal rotary magazine charged with stripper clips. Top of the receiver is marked with four-line manufacturer mark reading CAL. 30-'06 SEMI-AUTO./"JOHNSON AUTOMATICS"/MODEL OF 1941/MADE IN PROVIDENCE, R.I., U.S.A. along with five-line patent mark reading U.S. PATENT NOS./2,094,156-2,146,743/2,181,131-2,215,470/AND OTHER U.S. AND FOREIGN/PATS. AND PATS. PENDING. Right receiver is struck with the CRANSTON/ARMS/CO within a diamond below a Dutch Acceptance {Star} stamp. Item displays the mixed serial numbers typical of Johnson Model 1941 rifles, and a caliber mark on the body of the barrel reading .30-06. Non-functioning bolt catch. Only approximately 22,000 Johnson Model 1941 rifles were manufactured with scant few seeing service with the United States Marine Corps and the bulk passing into Dutch service. Developed by Melvin Maynard Johnson Jr., what fame this rifle has is owed as much to Johnson's dogged and often mercurial temperament when dealing with the Board of Ordnance as it is to its brief use by the Marines. Passed over in favor of the continued issuance of the M1 Garand rifle, the Johnson's unusual design and rarity make it an attractive secondary military arm of World War II. Owing to the failure to attract large military contracts, Johnson's firm attempted to offer the rifles on the civilian market, a practice that continued after Johnson Automatics went bankrupt in 1948. This particular rifle bears the features commonly found on post-war sporting models of the Johnson, including a highly figured walnut stock and civilian front blade sight.