This 1941 Johnson rifle gives way to shoot 30-06 without undue recoil. It does require a steady stance to avoid short-stroking. Loading the rotary magazine with two stripper clips is interesting, a bit like Enfield but quicker thanks to rimless ammo. The rear sight is an aperture with range-adjusting slider like the later FN49. The balance is definitely better than M1 Garand, so even a lightly built 15 year old girl can hold it off-hand easily.
This particular rifle is for sale, for details ask Paul Stuhrenberg (bwana@bellsouth.net).
Yeh well… An expensive collectors toy, that saw less than two years service. ALL Johnson rifles and LMG’s were pulled from service in 1943 (pacific) and 1944 (Italy). Most after less than 90 days in the field. Although they worked well on the range’s stateside they were found to jam badly under combat conditions. It was later determined that the multi lug bolt & extractor / ejector (copied by Eugene Stoner for the AR-15 / M-16) was at fault.
I’ve been curious about the Johnson’s fixed rotary magazine. How well does it seem to work in practice, and how mechanically complicated is it? How did topping off from 5-round stripper clips go? I wonder if it could see a second life in rifle designs intended for New York or other jurisdictions with particularly onerous and bizarre magazine restrictions.
That aspect of the rifle worked perfectly.