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Neat! Is it a Marine Corps issue? I've always wanted to fire a Johnson.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I’d play with it too! What do you know about it? Very nice

no mil marking, made by Cranston Arms

when you bring it to the range, it's more show and tell than shooting

Very nice.

I had one years ago, but I was offered more money than I could turn down for it.

By the way, if you field strip it, you'll see that the bolt is very M16ish. Apparently COL Johnson was involved in the bolt design of the M16. Funny all of the connections in both the firearms world and in rock and roll.

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Keep your powder dry.

very pricey today .. some fetch $10k

yes, locking lug bolt ... Johnson & Stoner

Held one once at a local gun store. The owner bought it and several other hard to find guns for his personal collection. What a neat gun....his was still "as new", didn't appear that it was ever used, but it did have the US military markings.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

WOW nice rifle! My father had one he bought from George Numrich back in the 60s but sadly he traded it for a HAC7 in the early 80s

When I was a teenager, you could go over to some department stores and buy as many as you wanted for $ 60.00 a piece. AHHHHH, the good old days. I believe the Garands were $ 75.00.

i don't think you can buy a part for these now for $60.OO

Just color me jealous.

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Release the Kraken

A good friend has one and I've shot it. It was made by Cranston Arms and was one of the ones destined for the Netherlands. The sights are regulated in meters. It's a nice shooter and using some Greek ball ammo, it was easy to put hits on the 400 yard steel plates. It was really easy to field strip and clean. I think the barrel moves backwards a small amount when fired, similar to the old Browning A5 shotgun. It felt like it had more recoil than the M1 we were also shooting. It has some other features that were interesting: you can top off the magazine easily, but to release the bolt when it's locked to the rear on an empty magazine, you have to reach into the magazine and push on the follower while pulling back on the bolt in order for it to go forward into battery. They are a very interesting rifle and it was fun to shoot.

Melvin Johnson was a wild man, akin to a Howardhughes type. Smart guy. I have shot the SAW version years ago. In the 1970s they were some sold as sporting rifles...think they were the Danish rifles with a custom stock.

The first weapon IMI produced (1948-9) was the "Tor", an 8x57 version of the Johnson LMG. Numrich bought all of them and the parts when Israel surplused the out.

Ivan

My dad bought one from a hunting buddy in the 1970s. He paid $175 for it. All original except a refinished stock. After my dad died in 2008 I sold my big Johnson for a big pile of $$$. I gave my wife a grand of it. Unlike other guns my dad had the Johnson did not have a sentimental attachment.

I had one in the 90's. Bought for $650,,sold a few yrs later for $2500.
Probably one to have kept,,but you can't pay bills with a rifle in most places.

Fun to shoot, interesting rifle to use and examine.
Always a crowd draw when out and about.
Mine had the common stock crack behind the recv'r that many have.

Neat TD, use a cartridge bullet point to unlatch the bbl.
I could see quickly why some had their front sight protective wings twisted off. I did the same thing the first time I fired mine,,I mistakenly sighted off one of the wings instead of the front sight post itself.

I left my front sight in tact.

Even the Winfield Arms sporters go for some big money these days.

Nice rifle you have,,congrats on a rarity.

Back in the 60s and 70 Numrich guns parts was like Alladins cave of wonders! I remember seeing a crate of Pedersen device magazines marked at 35 cents each.

Did you mean the Dror?

Dror light machine gun - Wikipedia

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Release the Kraken

We are talking about the same weapon. But my sources told me "Tor" which means "Fire" not Dror or "Sparrow". (my source was a biography on Melvin, that I read and forgot the title long ago!)

"Military Small Arm of the World" 7th edition, lists it as Dror. That probably settles it, but why name your most powerful manufactured weapon (at the time) "Sparrow"?

Ivan

To bring fear and confusion to your enemies?

"Blimey! If that's their Sparrow, I don't want to see their Hawk."

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Release the Kraken

LVSteve, isn't there an old English saying about so many sparrows for a farthing?

Ivan

here ya go..

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