Johnson LMG

[Vincent]

The video shows the locking system and the open-bolt-auto/closed-bolt-semi FCG.

Does anyone know if this was the first use of this type of bolt lock or did Johnson copy it from somewhere? It’s pretty clear Stoner used it later. I am wondering where it came from originally.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Yup, looks like AR. I had the rifle and considered it more an oddity than a service rifle candidate. When I demoed it to a group of long trained Canadian Infantry along with an M1 rifle, they chose the M1 hands down stating that "The Johnston had too many small parts and was too complex for the field"... They'd never seen either rifle before. I'd love to wring out the LMG but that's about it.

[MGMike]

Johnson might well have been the first to focus on the open/closed bolt system, unless it was Louis Stange at Rheinmetall who incorporated it in the FG42. The two developments were very close in proximity, and probably conducted without knowledge of what the other was doing.

M

[limpetmine]

At the Louisville show a few weeks ago, there was a display of the Johnson's that were made in Quebec for the Israelis in 1946-7-8 in .303. Really quite interesting story the fellow told. They were a heavily modified Johnson.

[browningautorifle]

there was a display of the Johnson's that were made in Quebec for the Israelis

The Israeli Dror, a curved mag like a banana...