Welcome everyone to the sixth edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you missed any one of our other articles, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this a sweet deal or does this only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

In our last edition, our poll showed that you, the readers, found the Gilded 1911 to be nothing but gilded fudd crap.

 It is no surprise then that this overpriced 1911 still remains for sale on GunBroker while it awaits a new home.

In this week’s edition, we look at what happens when you sporterize a piece of history.  As always, this gun is currently up for sale on GunBroker with a starting bid of $4,999 and No Reserve.  

Thank you to one of our readers Jake G. for tipping us off on this weeks offering. If you spot anything you think we should feature in Hot Gat/Fudd Crap hit us up at tips@thefirearmblog.com  

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP?  Abused, mutilated Johnson looking for new home with responsible parents

Let’s see what the Staff had to say about this week’s offering:

“Better Forgotten Than Ruined Weapons” -Giorgio O.

“This whole thing is an abomination unto the lord but honestly I just can’t help but wonder why the pistol grip is black” – Benjamin F.

Melvin Johnson should rise from the grave and knife hand this abomination to pieces. – Rusty S.

“What in the monkey&%$@ is THAT” – Mike R.

“The weird paint job and AR grip makes it look like it was 3D printed. Someone needs to put this poor thing out of its misery.” – Matt M.

Selling this heavily modified 1941 Johnson Rifle is seller alaska_custom, located in Anchorage Alaska. Let’s see if they can give us a some further insight into this very strange take on history.  

I have never seen one of these. Built on a Johnson 1941 ACTION, 24″ fluted barrel bore is excellent, fixed tubular stock, custom winter type paint job, AR 15 pistol grip and IRON SIGHTS! PLEASE LOOK AT PICS and ask questions.

Note: There are additional details about the auction, but no further insights into the firearm.  

Looking at this firearm seems to raise more questions than answers.  Before looking into those questions it’s important to address the original configuration of the 1941 Johnson rifle.  

Designated the M1941, the Johnson Rifle was Short-Recoil semi-automatic rifle designed by Melvin Johnson. Prior to the start of WWII, the .30-06 chambered M1941 would unsuccessfully compete with the M1 Garand rifle. While it would not be adopted by the U.S. military the Johnson was ahead of its time. Features like an eight lug rotating bolt would prove to be invaluable in future rifle designs. Other features like the 10-round rotary magazine were decades ahead of their time.

So what are the origins this over the top Johnson Rifle?  Looking over the details of the auction seems to provide more questions than answers. First of these seems to be the strange re-chambering of the rifle.

While the original Johnson Rifle was chambered in .30-06 Springfield this one has strangely been rechambered in .338-06.  The seller of the firearm was able to confirm this detail.  

Stranger than even the re-chambering of this rifle is the over the top accessories package.  It seems the creator of this rifle was more of a fan of Eugene Stoner than Melvin Johnson.  While the two famously worked together on more than one project, some of Johnson’s ideas would end up in Stoner’s infamous AR-15.  

I could spend weeks or even months trying to understand the seemingly endless questions presented by this rifle. The strange over the top desert storm style camo presents even more questions. While the M1941 may have been good enough for WWII trials, I doubt it would have come in handy during Desert Storm. Or maybe I’m misinterpreting the paint scheme.

All the custom features aside, there is a certain “But Why?” question that remains.  Whoever created this rifle did so after putting a lot of time and thought into the project. A vast majority of the rifle’s parts seem to be custom, and makes you to wonder if the gun really does work.  This or maybe the creator simply ran into too many issues, and decided to pass the project on to someone else.

Either way, I think it’s safe to assume that there is little hope in this Johnson returning to its former glory.  I can only hope that someone has deep enough pockets to buy this rifle, and attempt such a feat.

So what do you think?  Is this M1941 a Hot Gat no matter what or something you wish a Fudd had forgot?  Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to cast your vote and let us know if this Abused, Mutilated Johnson is Hot Gat or Fudd Crap: