Could the M1941 Johnson have been preferred to the M1 Garand?

MrP

Banned
The iconic M1 Garand faced some competition prior to its adoption as the standard service rifle of the US armed forces. Could the also-ran M1941 Johnson have been picked instead?

According to Wikipedia:

Melvin Johnson campaigned heavily for the adoption of the Johnson rifle by the U.S. Army and other service branches. However, after limited testing, the U.S. Army rejected Johnson's rifle in favor of the M1 rifle developed by Springfield Armory. The M1941 was ordered by the Netherlands for issue to the KNIL in the Dutch East Indies, but only a few rifles were shipped to the Dutch East Indies before the Japanese invaded. At this time, the U.S. Marine Corps found itself in need of a modern fast-firing infantry rifle, and acquired some rifles from the Dutch East Indies shipment for issue to its Paramarine battalions then preparing to deploy for action in the Pacific theatre. By all accounts, the M1941 performed acceptably in combat with the Marines in the early days of the Pacific fighting.
Since Johnson had also designed a light machine gun which shared the same operating principle and many parts with the rifle, both guns might have been picked as a package deal.

I rather like its look, personally.

johnson.JPG
 
If memory serves, one of the problems the Johnson had compared to the Garand was a larger number of small internal parts to mess with.

That aside, it did see limited service with U.S. forces, and was overall not a bad rifle.
 
Johnson's weapons ( both the rifle & the LMG ) were susceptible to jamming in dusty conditions as discovered by the Israelis during the 1948 war. It's got a lot of nifty features and if it had been developed earlier it might of had a chance, but by 1941 it's far to late to see wide spread use.
 
Johnson's weapons ( both the rifle & the LMG ) were susceptible to jamming in dusty conditions as discovered by the Israelis during the 1948 war. It's got a lot of nifty features and if it had been developed earlier it might of had a chance, but by 1941 it's far to late to see wide spread use.

Might have made a decent paratroopers rifle, as it used a 'Bullet Button' to disconnect the Barrel from the action. One of the quickest takedown rifles ever made.

And the M14 bolt wasn't dust proof either

check this dust test out
https://www.full30.com/video/6618755f336970e55e6c50c1fe894ff8
 

TinyTartar

Banned
The Johnson was a decent weapon, but it was harder to mass produce, and moreover, with less durability.

There were also traditionalists who expressed the same kind of fears about the Johnson that were once expressed about repeating rifles in general (":they'll shoot all their ammunition too quickly and not hit a damn thing").

While the US was the one nation who possibly could deal with having a weapon with a ton of internal parts being used by the whole armed forces, due to manufacturing strength, in reality, it was probably a Paratrooper's weapon in the best case scenario.
 

MrP

Banned
While the US was the one nation who possibly could deal with having a weapon with a ton of internal parts being used by the whole armed forces, due to manufacturing strength, in reality, it was probably a Paratrooper's weapon in the best case scenario.
This brings to mind the possibility of the Johnson Auto-Carbine being issued to airborne troops.
 
The U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 was adopted in 1936 and by 1941 was well on its way to being mass produced. To stop that process and switch to the Johnson would be unwise. The Johnson was not better than the M1.
 
Personally, I favor a Garand chambered in .276 Pedersen, with a detachable magazine. That idea is just as unlikely as the Johnson though.
 
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