Melvin Johnson worked with Eugene Stoner to create the AR. That is just beyond awesome. His Johnson rifles and MGs never had the success he wanted but his work led to the longest serving combat rifle in US history. The AR. He is immortal in firearm history.

Wow. What an amazing man buried under the mounds and mounds of history. He is someone to be celebrated.

The Johnson rifle has always been one of favorites, he was definitely a brilliant man.

A true genius of firearms design. If not for the NFA that light machine gun might have seen civilian sales.

Rifle also saw service on Iwo Jima. Carried by Capt Robt Dunlap CMH recipient.

I would love to fire this wonderful rifle, and the Light Machine gun. It looks to be a very fine weapons system. Also the stock going straight back. HIs spitfire carbine was a very fine idea also. Melvin Johnson's other weapons would go on to today. I have flown in Specter Gun Ships and worked with them on the ground and seen the fire power of those onboard weapons that include the multi-barrel vulcun. It's too bad that more Johnson rifles and LMG's. were not used in WW-2. However the M-1 Garand and the BAR did work very well. However I would have loved to have seen more Johnsons for the Paratroopers, rather than the M-1, and BAR.

When I perform my customized magic, every so often other magicians would ask where I get my ideas from. I believe I get my creativity from our Johnson Lineage, especially from my grandfather. I never met him but I as I learned more about his ideas that solve problems, I truly believe there is a lot of him in me. Lou Johnson, Melvin M. Johnson Jr.'s Grandson

I want a Johnson Light Machine Gun so badly

I am grateful to the youtube peoples for really discussing Melvin Johnson's firearms. I knew they existed but I did not know many details about them, or the fact that they were used by the ParaMarines.

What a superb and beautiful firearm. Rivals my favorite in the FG42 1st pattern in a classy silhouette.

Don't like my rifle? Dad, call the senators!

One of my favorite rifles.

Ok the amount of information I just learned was staggering. I had heard of the johnson and new of its limited use. Didnt know about the man. We know Browning,Stoner,Garand Melvin Johnson should be spoken of in the same crowd. With the same reverence.

WHY AM I JUST NOW LEARNING ABOUT THIS MAN!

The best firearms The US Army never had in WW2.

He was a visionary and his inventions are still relevant today in the quarter of the century

Thank you for the information about this great man.

The first time l ever saw the Johnson rifle was in an episode of Dr Who would you believe! Always liked the look of it.

This is hands down the BEST video of the man and hands down the best video of the Johnson 1941 rifle and LMG actually being fired! BUT, BUT - no one is finding it because the video title is missing the keywords to show up in normal Goggle searches!!! This thing should be way up in views and likes by now! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADD "Johnson 1941 Rifle" and "Johnson LMG" somewhere in an updated title and let the world find this video!!!

This was very educational, I learnt a ton about his work and his designs. Thanks

I had no idea this mans designs had been stolen by Stoner to make the AR10 and all AR variants!! This is the first time I've ever heard of these firearms and I consider myself a very good historian in regards to firearms designs. Obviously I don't know anywhere near what i thought I did!! So happy to see this video!! Now I've finished this video I'm so sad to hear when he died!! this man was clearly a visionary and I think all weapons designers should pay this man tribute, especially those who make the now famous Vulcan cannons and mini guns!! RIP sir, you may not have changed firearms designs the way you wanted whilst alive but in your death your legacy will always live on!!

Glad to see his design of the bolt continued into the armature rifle.

GREAT Video - Johnson was amazing - Great Gun

Wow! Such a good documentary!

Love the video, you learn something new everyday, I know I did.

The recoil is crazy on that thing

Once they explained the recoil system of the johnson rifle I understood why the military passed on it.

Looks like the fg42 and stg 44 put together by an m 1 garand

love the look of this rifle

Excellent video

This was an interesting watch. I didn't know he was such a forward thinker. That Johnson Carbine kicks like a mule.

The gun looks good, sleek

Oh and on the spitfire ..more info this is something I've heard of but haven't found much on it.thanks .for all you do n know

Man i love these guns

amazing guns from an amazing man

5.7? Electric Gatling guns? This dude was in the 2000s while the rest of the world was in the 1940s

Soldiers loved shooting their Johnsons' at the enemy... Especially when they could get close and do it in their faces.

Definitely ahead of his time.

excellent work. Never know he designed a carbine and muti-barrels mg.

Wow.....Captain Johnson did a lot more than I knew! Kind of like the Tesla of firearms. Imagine if he had access to double & triple stack mags for the LMG!!??

some times i am astounded

wish you guys mentioned the Dror. the isrealis took the Johnson LMG and improved it in 2 iterations. wasn't too great in the sand, however, and was replaced fairly quickly

Wow 12 pounds compared to 20 pounds is really impressive... i wonder how he deigned the LMG to be so light...

you can single load m1 garands you just need to hold the bolt back with your hand

Wow, so there's a little bit of Johnson's DNA in all sorts of places; it's a shame he didn't get the credit he deserved, much less the recognition!

Never heard of him. Amazing man and inventions. Sounds like not much has changed with the way gubment does business.

Some misinformation in the video on the limited number of places where the rifle saw combat service in the Pacific. Captain Robert Dunlap (USMC) carried a Johnson Rifle on Iwo Jima during actions which earned him the CMH.

With the exception of the missing gas operation tube on top of the bolt carrier, it looks very similar in design and function to the M16 bolt and carrier

Legend just like Browning.

I constantly ponder the effects on the US military during WWII if they had replaced the BAR and M1 Garand rifles with the M41 and M41 Auto Rifle. My only issue is the issues that come with the M41 Auto Rifle's feed system, mine doesn't always like to cycle the next round for some odd reason.

0:53 m1941 Johnson rifle I know a gun shop I go to that has two of them on the wall but they are not for sale

that Johnson Carbine looks like it has a MUCH more snappy recoil than even the Johnson Rifle. Could just be the shooter, but i believe Gun Jesus has said the Rifle itself is overly snappy, and i think hes even called it "unpleasant to shoot" compared to the Garand. that kinda hurt to hear, lol

Melvin Johnson's designs look as though they are from the early cold-war era

I think the US Army airborne should have used the Johnson lmg instead of the heavy BAR... Just like how the Paramarines in the Pacific used the Johnson and how the German paratroopers used the FG 42..

Really never understood ..why put the mag vertical....this seems to be honestly a real nice piece of kit FOLKS..just think if they would of r and d .some more thru it's use ..we today would have a super platform ..although this is close

Johnson Rifle kinda looks cool

Full auto 30.06? That's scary.

in other words he was the Eugene Stoner of WW2..

A most awesome rifle I was lucky enough to own one of his latest rifles that had a 20 shot magazine instead of using the stripper clip unbelievable gun no need for a bayonet cuz it was too easy to reload out of the 20 shot magazine God bless you Melvin Johnson you can watch a video I put together of me running 40 rounds through the gun and never stopped or missed a beat a lot of lives would have been saved if they had this gun for protection a far superior gun over its competitor

in line stock to barrel , buffer tube .. 30 rd mag .. sounds like a ar-10 / 15

Very cool! As usual the Government wouldn't listen! Nothing changes!

The problem with the johnson lmg was that it wasn't a step forward from the old BAR.

How many cartridges are left in the gun if the magazine is removed while it is full?

Why does everyone say that you cannot top off the Garand? I know I'm splitting hairs here but you can actually top off a Garand. It's just not easy or practical to do so. Best to either shoot out the whole clip or press the button on the side to eject a partial clip and load a new one.

His automatic rifle looks like an FG42

I know this gun from battlefield 1942

Swedes know about this gun due to it being the weapon used by the sniper killing cops in the swedish 1976 crime/drama movie "Man on the roof"

that single stack magazine in a machine gun really looks absurd

You can top off a garand

The M1 was the quickest to reload. I think that is a major advantage and I'd rather have a good rifle that reloads quickly than a good rifle that isn't quick to reload.

7:51 I think the US won the war because of something else entirely and not just a specific boomstick, not to dismiss the Daisy Mae and the Spitfire carbine, it looks great

5:01 The hell is that on the bottom? Don't think I've seen that before

Kinda like the American version of the FG42?

Price?

256 Petersen in Johnson

Division Johnson m1941 lmg it like fg 42 german paratroops rifle

Besides the issues with a Bayonet on a Johnson rifle if the Johnson would have been in trial with the M1 Garand at the same time before its adoption there's a high probability would have won the contract. I am shocked we did not adopt the Johnson light machine gun as a replacement to the BAR us not replacing that weapon bit us in ass all the way until the very early days when we first started police action into Vietnam were the first few years we were still having to use BAR’s and 1919’s because the second we seem to finish a war Congress and the military just all of a sudden decided that I guess there will never be another war with the Soviet threat looming what's not upgrade any of our s*** and it wasn't until Vietnam that we realized oh s*** the Russians have AKs, PKPs, RPD’s and a slew of other Squad level weapons that we're both individual and crew serve that far surpassed us in functionality which is kind of the point of us adopting the M16 and M60 If Only They had listened to a man like Johnson we might have been ahead of the curb the whole time.

Looks like FG-42

The m1941 would considered to be an american assault rifle of ww2

Looks like it kicks like a mule in the slo-mo.

If only the politicians were not such greedy and menipilated.The US forces would have had a very good weapon available. And saved a lot of lives in the process. Any one who knows weapons can recognize a winner .I personally owned and hunted with a M1 Garand and found it to be cumbersome and in practical. The big question is why did General George Patton recommend it? I am waiting for a debate on the issue.

lmg rock

Very very interesting. It seems like Johnson almost presaged the 5.7 x28 FN

*WHERE DID THEY GET THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN'T TOP OFF AN M1!! SINCE WHEN!!! I TOP MINE OFF ALL THE TIME. JUST PULL THE BOLT BACK AND PUSH LOOSE CARTRIDGES DOWN ON THE FOLLOWER!* It's not hard at all and most certainly not impossible. Hell I know if you type in top off an M1 rifle in KZfaq there will be a bunch of videos showing this! On completely different note those 5.7 M1 carbines shoot really nice. If you ever get a chance to shoot one DO IT LOL.

20 rounds detachable magazine..

Big recoil....... We need low recoil.....

I don't think that carbine was such a good idea judging by that kick.

U can "top" off a garand

1:14 that guy doesnt know How to shoulder a rifle, he atleast doesnt do it right

So glad the Garand was picked instead of this thing

Look likes they kick like a mule…

FG 42 crap copy