Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 241

Johnson M1941 & M1944 light machinegun

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗

U.S. Johnson models 1941 and 1944 light machineguns, cal. .30.

ATF lists cal. .30; this is the .30-06 Springfield cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1941–1945.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Johnson Automatics, Inc.¹²
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
.30-06
Made
1941–1945production; ATF states no date³
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. usautoindustryworldwartwo.com ↗, maker: 'Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company was created for the express purpose of producing both the M1941 Johnson rifle and the M1941 Johnson light machine gun' (plants in Cranston and Providence, RI)
  2. auctions.morphyauctions.com ↗, maker: Morphy lot: Model 1941 LMG marked 'LIGHT MACHINE GUN / JOHNSON AUTOMATICS ... MADE IN PROVIDENCE, R.I.', made by Cranston Arms of Providence
  3. Wikipedia, “M1941 Johnson machine gun” ↗, years: infobox production date 1940–1945; versions M1941 and M1944
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
None

Historical context

Johnson M1941 & M1944 light machinegun

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “JOHNSONMG1.jpg” by The original uploader was Fab-pe at Portuguese Wikipedia., Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M1941 Johnson machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun, also known as the Johnson and the Johnny gun, was an American recoil-operated light machine gun designed by Melvin Johnson in the late 1930s. It shared the same operating principle and many parts with his M1941 Johnson rifle and M1947 Johnson auto carbine.