Iver Johnson was a U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson (1841–1895).

The name was resold and in 2006 Iver Johnson Arms opened, but does not have any parts or information relating to the pre-1993 company, and represents a continuation of it in name only.^[1]

• 4Iver Johnson firearm models
• 5Assassinations

Model: Champion Serial Number. This is an Iver Johnson Champion single barrel top break shotgun in 410 and these don't come up too often. Please see our pictures.

Iver Johnson[edit]

Iver Johnson was born in Nordfjord in 1841,^[2] in Nordfjord, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway^[3] and later emigrated from Norway to the United States. He was educated as a gunsmith in Bergen in 1857 and had a gun store in Oslo. He married Mary Elizabeth Speirs (born January 1847 ^[4][5][6][7]) on April 9, 1868, in Worcester, with whom he had 3 sons (Frederick Iver, John Lovell, and Walter Olof) and 2 daughters (Mary Louise and Nellie).

Iver Johnson immigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts from Norway in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War. Johnson was a gunsmith by trade at the time, but also worked as an inventor in his spare time, which would come in handy later on as he sought new and creative uses for his partially idle manufacturing equipment, a thought process which would eventually lead him and his heirs to diversify the corporation's businesses. His early work involved not only gunsmithing locally in Fitchburg, MA, but it also included providing designs and work to other firearms companies, notably Allen & Wheelock for whom he made so-called 'pepperbox' pistols.^[8]

Johnson Bye & Company[edit]

In 1871, Johnson joined Martin Bye to form the Johnson Bye & Company, merging his own and Martin Bye's gunsmithing operations. During this period, Johnson and Bye filed for and received several new firearms features and firearms feature improvement patents. Their primary revenues came from the sale of their self designed and manufactured inexpensive models of revolvers. Not much is known about Martin Bye, as there is very little documented information about his life.^[9]

Bye and Johnson filed jointly for and were awarded multiple patents together, mostly related to firearms designs, beginning in 1876. The company's name changed to Iver Johnson & Company in 1883 upon Johnson's purchase of Bye's interest in the firm. Bye continued to work in the firearm industry for the remainder of his life.^[9]

Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works[edit]

The company's name changed again to Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works in 1891, when the company relocated to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, (sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'Fitzburg') in order to have better and larger manufacturing facilities. The company attracted a number of talented immigrant machinists and designers to its ranks, including O.F. Mossberg and Andrew Fyrberg, who would go on to invent the company's top-latching strap mechanism and the Hammer-the-Hammer transfer bar safety system used on the company's popular line of top-break safety revolvers.^[10][11]

Iver Johnson died of tuberculosis in 1895,^[2] and his sons took over the business. Frederick Iver, (born 10/2/1871),^{[5][6][7][12]} John Lovell (born 6/26/1876),^{[5][6][7][13][14]} and Walter Olof (born August 1878),^[5][6][7] each had vastly different levels of involvement in the company ranging from executive leadership to barely any involvement at all. They shepherded the company through a phase of expansion, as bicycle operations grew, then converted to motorcycle manufacturing and sales. They also saw the growth of the firearms business and the eventual restructuring of the company to focus on firearms and related business as they divested non-firearms concerns, such as the motorcycle business, in the face of growing firearms demand, World War I's armaments industry expansion, and other factors. As family ownership waned and outside investment via publicly traded stock and mergers/acquisitions/partnerships took hold, the company changed ownership and moved several times during its operation.^[15]

The company eventually dropped 'Cycle Works' from its moniker when that part of the business was shut down. The business successfully weathered the Great Depression (in part thanks to higher rates of armed robbery, which helped maintain demand for personal firearms) and was buoyed by the dramatic increase in the market for arms leading up to and during World War II.^[15]

After World War II, the company's introduction of new firearms slowed to a trickle. Increasingly, company fortunes depended upon sales of its increasingly outmoded revolvers and single-barrel shotguns. Without new research and development, most firearms changes were limited to cosmetic updates of existing designs.^[15]

As a result of changes in ownership, the company had the first of two major relocations in 1971 when it moved to New Jersey. It moved again to Jacksonville, Arkansas, and was jointly owned by Lynn Lloyd and Lou Imperato, who also owned the Henry brand name, before it finally ceased trading under its own name in 1993, at which time it was owned by American Military Arms Corporation (AMAC).^[16]

Iver Johnson firearm models[edit]

Iver Johnson nomenclature refers to its top-break revolvers as Safety Automatics. These are revolvers, not semi-automatic pistols, which they largely pre-date. The term 'Safety Automatic' refers to Iver Johnson's Hammer-the-Hammer transfer bar safety system ('safety') and the automatic ejection of cartridges upon breaking open the revolvers ('automatic').^[9]

Safety automatic[edit]

Standard models with external hammer:

• First Model (1894–1895), single post latch system
• Second Model (1896–1908), double post latch system
• Third Model (1909–1941), double post latch system, adapted for smokeless powder

Safety automatic hammerless[edit]

• First Model (1895–1896), single post latch
• Second Model (1897–1908), safety lever added to face of trigger
• Third Model a.k.a. New Model (1909–1941), no safety lever on trigger, adapted for smokeless powder

Assassinations[edit]

William McKinley assassination[edit]

Presidential assassin Leon Czolgosz shot and fatally wounded U.S. PresidentWilliam McKinley in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901 with an Iver Johnson .32 caliber Safety Automatic revolver (serial number 463344).^[17][18] (McKinley succumbed to these wounds nearly eight days later, at 2:15 am on the 14th of September). The revolver is currently on display at the Buffalo History Museum in Buffalo.^[19]

Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted assassination[edit]

In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara shot and killed Chicago mayor Anton Cermak at a political event in Miami, in an apparent attempt to assassinate president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Zangara was using a .32 revolver by the United States Revolver Company, a subsidiary of Iver Johnson.^[20]

Robert Kennedy assassination[edit]

Sirhan Sirhan shot and killed Presidential candidate United States SenatorRobert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, California on 5 June 1968 with an eight-shot Iver Johnson .22 caliber Cadet 55-A revolver (serial number H-53725, Trial-People's Exhibit #6, misidentified in trial testimony as S/N H-18602).^[21] The revolver as well as the official police files, reports, interviews, ballistics reports, bullet fragments and other important evidence, related to Kennedy's assassination, is today housed in the California State Archives in Sacramento.^[22]

Bicycles[edit]

Iver Johnson bicycles are classic examples of early American bicycles, and during the bicycle boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company had a very productive bicycle manufacturing and sales line of business. Today, Iver Johnsons are considered to be 'classics' by vintage bicycle collectors, and are considered to be especially pleasing from an aesthetic point of view. O.F. Mossberg worked in the bicycle plant and then started his own firearms factory.^[11]

Even when they were new, I-J's were marketed and had a reputation for being very graceful looking, well built, and engineered for performance. Iver Johnson sponsored the career of bicycle racing champion Major Taylor beginning in 1900.^[23] The most noted I-J model was the truss-bridge frame which featured a curved tube under the top tube to strengthen the frame for use on the rough roads of the early twentieth century.^[24] Bicycle production ceased in 1940 with the buildup of arms production prior to World War II.^[15]

Today, Iver Johnson bicycles are highly collectible, well sought after, and relatively rare compared to most other major manufacturer's products from that time. An Iver Johnson bicycle is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in the America on the Move exhibit.^[25]

Motorcycles[edit]

Launched in Fitchburg, MA in 1907, The Iver Johnson Company motorcycle division was born from the conversion of a line of business that had been manufacturing bicycles for some 23 years prior to that point. Ultimately, the arms division of the business was growing so rapidly to meet demand that management decided to focus on that market and as a result motorcycle operations closed in 1916 (varying sources claim the last year as being 1915, with 1916 seeing only the sales of remaining 1915 produced inventory), bringing to an end 33 years of total cycle operations (23 for bicycles, and another 10 for motorcycle and run-off bicycle business).^[26]

According to Jeffry L'H. Tank'sHistory of the Motorcycle, Iver Johnson advertised their machines as 'Mechanical Perfection,' a boast that was not entirely unbelievable given the number of advanced design features in especially their later models, such as dual crankshafts, nickel-alloy machined parts, chain drive, and a hand-operated three-speed gearbox. Among collectors and researchers who have the benefit of hindsight, Iver-Johnsons, such as the 1915 Model 15-7 along with Scotts, are the finest examples of motorcycle engineering of that era.^[27]

End of Iver Johnson and revival of name[edit]

In 2006 the name was reused as Iver Johnson Arms Incorporated in Florida as manufacturer and importer of firearms (from Philippines, Turkey and Belgium), including 1911-style semi-automatic pistols, but not related to the old Iver Johnson lines.^[28] The new firm was renamed from Squires Bingham International, founded in 1973.^[29]

References[edit]

1. ^Iver Johnson Arms accessed 1 April 2013
2. ^ ^abMassachusetts deaths, 1841-1915, Familysearch, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NW7D-6LF
3. ^National Archives and Records Administration, 1872 October 30.Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, serial M1299, roll 79.
4. ^National Archives and Records Administration, 1870, August 18. 1870 U.S. census, population schedules: Worcester Ward 4, Worcester, Massachusetts, roll M593_658: p. 223B: image 483: lines 13-20.
5. ^ ^abcdNational Archives and Records Administration, 1880, June 8. 1880 U.S. census, population schedules: Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts, roll 567: p. 122D: enumeration district 884: image 0542: lines 22-27.
6. ^ ^abcdNational Archives and Records Administration, 1900, June 6. 1900 U.S. census, population schedules: Fitchburg Ward 2, Worcester, Massachusetts, roll T623_691: p. 9A: enumeration district: 1609: lines 13-14 & 20-23.
7. ^ ^abcdNational Archives and Records Administration, 1910, April 25. 1910 U.S. census, population schedules: Fitchburg Ward 2, Worcester, Massachusetts, roll T624_628: p. 10A: enumeration district 1728: image: 158: lines 70-76.
8. ^The Story of Allen & Wheelock Firearms (H. H. Thomas, author. Pioneer Press, Incorporated. 1991)
9. ^ ^abcHogg, Ian; Walter, John (29 August 2004). Pistols of the World. David & Charles. pp. 183–185. ISBN0-87349-460-1.
10. ^I. Johnson & O. Mossberg, U.S. Patent No. 511,620, Dec. 26, 1893
11. ^ ^ab'The Mossberg Story'. Gun Digest (17 ed.). Chicago: The Gun Digest Co. 1963. pp. 120–124.
12. ^National Archives and Records Administration, 1902, May 27. Passport Applications, 1795–1905: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, roll M1372, application #57156.
13. ^National Archives and Records Administration, 1904, January 18. Passport Applications, 1795–1905: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, roll M1372, application #81238.
14. ^National Archives and Records Administration, 1918, September 12. United States, Selective Service System, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918: Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts, roll 1685193.
15. ^ ^abcdFjestad, S. P. (1 April 2008). Blue Book of Gun Values. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 323. ISBN978-1-886768-75-8.
16. ^Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works Inc. (Direct Investments, Ltd.)
17. ^Taylerson, A. W. F. (1971), The Revolver, 1889-1914, Crown Publishers, p. 60
18. ^Johns, A. Wesley (1970), The man who shot McKinley, A. S. Barnes, p. 97
19. ^'Collections Highlights'. Buffalo History Museum.
20. ^Robert Sherrill (February 1975). The Saturday night special: and other guns with which Americans won the West, protected bootleg franchises, slew wildlife, robbed countless banks, shot husbands purposely and by mistake, and killed presidents--together with the debate over continuing same. Penguin Books. p. 167.
21. ^Moldea, Dan E. (1995). The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive, Means, and Opportunity. W.W. Norton. p. 69. ISBN978-0-393-03791-3.
22. ^LLC, Filiquarian Publishing; Investigation, Federal Bureau of (2007). Robert F. Kennedy Assassination: The FBI Files. Filiquarian Publishing, LLC. p. 1. ISBN978-1-59986-254-5.
23. ^Brill, Marlene Targ (1 September 2007). Marshall 'Major' Taylor: World Champion Bicyclist, 1899-191. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 70. ISBN978-0-8225-6610-6.
24. ^Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation. December 1924. p. 135. ISSN0161-7370.
25. ^School Media Quarterly. 3. American Association of School Librarians. 1974. p. 166.
26. ^Hatfield, Jerry (8 February 2006). Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981: The Only Book to Fully Chronicle Every Bike Ever Built. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 362–363. ISBN0-87349-949-2.
27. ^Tank, J (2004). History of the Motorcycle: From the First Motorized Bicycles to the Powerful and Sophisticated Superbikes of Today. Parragon. ISBN978-1-4054-3952-7.
28. ^http://iverjohnsonarms.com/
29. ^http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_ijd.html

Other sources[edit]

Iver Johnson Manufacture Date List

• Goforth, W.E. Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works Firearms 1871-1993 (Gun Show Books Publishing. 2006) ISBN978-0-9787086-0-3
• Thomas, H. H. The Story of Allen & Wheelock Firearms (Pioneer Press, Incorporated. 1991) ISBN978-0-913150-73-3

External links[edit]

• Iver Johnson firearms - armscollectors.com

The latest edition of Gun Digest's Guns & Prices says $25 inPoor condition (only useful as a parts gun) and $175 in Excellent.410 or 20 gauge may bring a small premium in some markets.

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Location serial number Iver Johnson 16 gauge Champion shotgun?

Probably isn't one if it was manufactured before 1969. I think the Champion was still manufactured into the 1970s. If so, the last ones were required to have a serial number clearly marked on the receiver.

When was your Iver Johnson Champion 16 Ga GCBC made?

There were 3 different models of the champion shotgun in 16 gauge that were produced.The Iver Johnson champion top snap model was made from 1905-1908.The champion model 36 was made from 1909-1922.The champion single barrel was made from 1923-1978.If your shotgun has a serial number and a prefix letter before the serial number,we should be able to identify the year of production.Please include this in your description to help better identify the year of production.

How do you find the age of a 12 gauge that has no markings other than Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works Fitchburg USA the word Champion and the serial number?

The Champion was manufactured from 1909 until 1956. I do not know of any source to find the date of manufacture from the serial number and the company is no longer in business.

Where is the serial number located on an old Iver Johnson Champion shotgun dated April 1902?

If it has one, it would be behind the trigger guard. sales@countrygunsmith.net

Iver Johnson Champion 16 Ga Shotgun

How can you be certain that a 410 Montgomery Ward Hercules breakopen shotgun with no serial number was manufactured by Savage?

It was made by Iver Johnson after their Champion Model for Montgomery Ward

How much is a Iver Johnson champion 12ga and 20 ga worth?

Iver Johnson champion , 20 gage shot gun serial number's , b-g-x-i - date built

Where do you find the serial number on a Iver Johnson 12 gauge champion shotgun?

Type your answer here... Remove the two screws on the butt and you will find a single screw inside that holds the stock on. Remove the screw and the stock can be removed revealing serial number on top.

How old is a Johnson outboard motor serial number J4165445?

The year model for a Johnson outboard is determined by the 'model' number, rather than the serial number.

What is an Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works 410 Champion shotgun worth?

I bought a champion singel shot 410 about 8 years agon for $129. It does not have a serial number on it. The gun is old but I don't know how old. No cracks in the wood.

What is the model number for Johnson v4 140hp with serial number 07906623?

The model number/designation, for a Johnson outboard, cannot be determined by horsepower rating, or serial number. The model number will be displayed on the serial number tag/sticker, affixed to the engine.

How old is a Johnson outboard motor serial number B09032352?

The year model of a Johnson outboard engine is determined by 'model number' rather than the serial number.

What year is Johnson boat motor serial number 262386?

The year model for a Johnson outboard is determined from the engine model number, rather than the serial number.

How old is your Johnson sea horse electric model number rds28b and serial number j2650257?

Iver Johnson Champion Serial Number Dating

can i get a generater for a johnson RDS-28B...serial no..C476429

How old is a Johnson outboard motor serial number boo7200?

Johnson and Evinrude outboards, use the model number, rather than the serial number, to determine the year model. Mercury outboards, uses serial number and horsepower.

How old is a Johnson outboard motor serial number J2659338?

Iver Johnson Champion Serial Number

Johnson and Evinrude outboards use the model number, rather than the serial number, to identify the year model.

What year is a Johnson outboard serial number j0424954?

Iver Johnson Champion Serial Number

Johnson and Evinrude outboards use the engine model number, rather than the serial number, to determine the year of manufacture.

What year is a Johnson outboard motor serial number G5994865?

In order to determine the year model for Johnson or Evinrude outboards, the model number, rather than the serial number is needed. The model number is located on the tag, or sticker that bears the serial number.

Trying to identify Johnson outboard motor Model number plate is gone but you got serial number from freeze plug Serial number is j2556640?

Johnson outboard motor Serial Number J2575938 Question What Year is this Motor and is it possible to get the Model Number

What is Iver Johnson serial number 24474?

Iver Johnson made many different firearms. Serial 24474 is one of them.

What year is a Johnson outboard serial number BB133184?

The year model for a Johnson or Evinrude outboard is discerened from the engine model number, rather than the serial number, as a Mercury would be.

Johnson boat motor 90 hp Serial number G03253460 what year is it?

To find the year of manufacture for a Johnson outboard, the model number, (rather than the serial number), is used.

What year is a Johnson 25 hp serial number A7350237?

Johnson and Evinrude outboards, use the model, rather than the serial number, to determine the year model.

How old is a Johnson outboard motor serial number G7050973?

How old is a Johnson 60 HP outboard motor serial G7050973

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Iver Johnson Champion 20 Gauge Serial Number

The engine model number, rather than the serial number, is required to determine the year model of a Johnson, or Evinrude outboard.

What year is a Johnson 40 HP outboard serial number C 812795?

To determine the year model for a Johnson or Evinrude outboard, the model number, rather than the serial number, is needed.

What is the value of a 28 gauge Iver Johnson Champion choke bore barrel and lug forged in one serial number 75981XH?

I just bought a 28 ga. Champion ,it cost me nearly $400 with shipping and other expenses....looking for the 44 shot now.....Jim

What year is a Johnson 35 hp outboard serial number vj30eleta?

The Johnson outboard part with serial number VJ30ELETA was a 30HP model. This model was manufactured in 1993. The 35HP model serial numbers are J35RETA and J35RLETA.

How old is your Iver Johnson serial?

I have a Iver Johnson US Carbine Cal. 22LR, serial number 009778. How much do you think its worth

Iver Johnson Champion Serial Number Location

What is the value of a Iver Johnson 12 gauge champion serial no.7183xI?

These shotguns range in price from 70-180 dollars.

What year is a Johnson outboard model number aj25ralets serial number g03232110?

A Johnson outboat with a model number AJ25RALETS would be a 1993

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To find the year model of an Johnson outboard, the model number is needed. From the serial number posted above, I can see a 25 hp Johnson, that is all.

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Johnson outboards uses the model number, to determine the age of the engine.

What is the rough value of an Iver Johnson 410 shotgun serial number 001?

The rough value of an Iver Johnson 410 shotgun serial number 001 is about $300. However, this will depend on the condition of the shotgun.

How old is a Johnson outboard motor with a serial number G7795151?

With Johnson outboards, we cannot tell you the age from the serial number. If you tell us the HP of the engine, and it's model number (usually on the clamp bracket), then we can tell you how old it is.