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LOT 372
Excellent World War II U.S. Stevens 520-30 Slide Action Trench Shotgun
- Serial no. 66267, 12 gauge, 20 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. A reported
35,306 Stevens Model 520-30 shotguns of all types were manufactured on U.S. contract during
World War II, per page 94 of
“Complete Guide to United
States Military Combat
Shotguns” by Bruce Canfield.
This is an excellent example
of a very desirable World
War II production U.S. Army
contract Stevens Model 520-30 trench shotgun, featuring
the correct bayonet lug adapter and ventilated handguard. A martial variant of a John Browning designed sporting gun, the 520 Trench Gun
was originally developed in response to a World War I request for new fighting shotguns for the American Expeditionary Force. It made a strong
impression on the evaluators but did not make it into the field before the armistice was signed. Seeing potential for the gun on the police market,
Stevens kept production going until 1932, and at the outbreak of World War II, the U.S. government bought every 520 that was still in the warehouse.
Checked back into the arsenals at the end of the war, many were sent back into the field for the Korean War and Vietnam. The right side of the barrel has the three-line Stevens/Savage address, and the left side has the two-line
gauge markings “PROOF TESTED-12 GAUGE/-2 3/4 INCH CHAMBER-”. Choke gauges at cylinder. The left side of the receiver is marked “MOD. 520-30” and “U.S.”, and it has the correct “P” above Ordnance bomb proof stamps on the
barrel and left front edge of the receiver. Two more “P” stamps are located on the upper left breech of the barrel and receiver. The stock and bayonet lug are correctly fitted with sling swivels. 14 inch length of pull.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% plus original blue finish, showing a proper plum patina on the bayonet lug, with some light cycling marks. Wood is also excellent, with minimal handling marks and distinct edges.
Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000
LOT 371
Exceptional World War II U.S. Johnson Automatics Mfg. Co.
Model 1941 Semi-Automatic Rifle with Bayonet - Serial no.
B3659, 30-06 Springfield cal., 22 inch round bbl., parkerized finish,
walnut stock. Approximately 21,400 Johnson Model 1941 semi-automatic rifles
were manufactured c. 1940-1945, per “Johnson’s Rifles and Machine Guns” by Bruce Canfield. The M1941 rifle initially had a large order placed in 1940 by the Netherlands
Purchasing Commission, as service rifles for colonial troops stationed in the Dutch East Indies, but the invasion of the region by Imperial
Japanese forces in early 1942 prevented completion of deliveries. Approximately 750 rifles were also procured by the U.S. Marine Corps, with
some seeing extensive combat use in the hands of U.S.M.C. Raider and Parachute Battalions during the early South Pacific campaigns of 1942
to 1943. Developed by Melvin M. Johnson Jr. (1909-1965) in the 1930s, the design of the Model 1941 rifle features a novel short-recoil operated
action, utilizing a rearward moving barrel assembly and eight-lug rotating bolt design, which Johnson believed to be more reliable than the
at-the-time recently adopted M1 rifle designed by John C. Garand. It also features an internal 10-round rotary magazine, which could be fed
and topped off using standard issue Model 1903 rifle pattern stripper clips. Despite its features and Mr. Johnson’s use of personal connections
to force about an impromptu test of his design versus the M1 Garand, he was unable to persuade the U.S. Army to favor the M1941 Johnson
rifle in place of the already adopted M1 Garand rifle. Features winged blade front and range adjustable rear sights marked “M2” and graduated
from 100 to 900 meters, triangle enclosed “CRANSTON/ARMS/CO.” stamp on the right rear of the receiver along with a five-point Dutch “star”
acceptance mark as seen on nearly all of these rifles, four-line “CAL. 30-’06 SEMI-AUTO./”JOHNSON AUTOMATICS”/MODEL OF 1941/MADE IN
PROVIDENCE, R.I., U.S.A.” marked above the serial number on top of the receiver, and five-line U.S. and foreign patent dates roll marked to
the rear. The bolt is marked with a non-matching “B5280” serial number (it was standard for numbered components on Johnson rifles to not match). Fitted with a smooth oiled walnut forend and buttstock with checkered steel
buttplate. Includes a bayonet, leather scabbard stamped with number “896” and with handwritten “25718”, Boyt M1907 leather sling, and a period Johnson Automatics pamphlet.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% original parkerized finish with some minor freckling on the magazine body, and crisp markings. The bayonet lug is slightly off center. Wood is very fine as re-oiled, with a few light handling marks,
and defined edges. Mechanically excellent. Bayonet and scabbard are exceptionally fine.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000