Mondragon Rifle (Fusil Mondragon)

Semi-Automatic Service Rifle [ 1900 ]

The Mexican Mondragon Rifle was one of the first self-loading service rifles adopted for frontline military service.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The Mondragon Rifle became one of the first semi-automatic service rifles to be adopted in quantity by a major military force as well as one of the first to see combat service anywhere in the world - this during a period when the standard service rifle was a manually-actuated bolt-action long gun. The rifle received its name from its designer - Manual Mondragon (1859-1952), a general serving in the Mexican Army from 1880-1914. Mondragon began work on a new automatic rifle concept in 1882 and was granted its patent in 1887. The weapon would go into see combat action in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), World War 1 (1914-1918), the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), World War 2 (1939-1945), the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War (1941), the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950), the Korean War (1950-1953), and the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

The driving principle behind the revolutionary Mondragon Rifle was its use of a gas-cylinder operation (tapped from the barrel) which drove a piston and featured a rotating bolt with locking lugs and a grooved receiver. Such a design was ahead of its time in a world where trust was still placed in the proven yet cumbersome manual bolt-action. Another unique facet of the rifle - and this instilled into its design by governing authorities who mistrusted such automated mechanical functions in weaponry - was that the automatic system could be disconnected from the bolt and allow the rifle to be fired as a standard, "straight-pull" bolt-action weapon. The Mondragon Rifle was chambered to fire the 7x57mm Spanish Mauser cartridge to which the base rifle was produced with an eight round box magazine.

Production of the Mondragon Rifle began in 1887 to which some 1,175,400 examples would be ultimately produced. However, early versions were produced overseas as local Mexican factories lacked the ability to manufacturer such a complex weapon and little interest was shown in the neighboring United States. As such, the Swiss firm of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft firm of Switzerland (better known today by its initials of "SIG"), received an initial contract for or some 4,000 production rifles. Deliveries began soon after with the first rifles arriving in Mexico in 1901 under the Mexican Army designation of "Fusil Mondragon Modelo 1900".

Once in practice, the Mondragon Rifle showcased the quality standards common to Swiss-made arms and Mondragon's engineering prowess shown through. The weapon proved a very capable and powerful man-stopper and the automated repeating action was a very advanced concept for a rifle in this period. However, the system as a whole proved rather unwieldy during full-automatic fire no thanks to the inherently violent recoil (common to many early repeating rifles) and, as such, accuracy in this mode was rather poor at distance.

The Mondragon Rifle line was broadened with the development of a light machine gun model. This version introduced a bipod for forward support as well as higher magazine counts (30- and 100-round drums became available). As a light machine gun, the type could be used to suppress enemy movements or assist as a portable infantry squad support light machine gun similar to today's FN Minimi model. The Mondragon Light Machine Gun (LMG) served in this role with the Mexican Army until it was replaced by the Mendoza M1943 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) of 1943.©MilitaryFactory.com

It was not until 1908 that Mexican factories were retooled and ready to produce the rifle as a local product. The wholly Mexican-produced rifles were now designated as the "Fusil Porfirio Diaz Sistema Mondragon Modelo 1908". The key differentiating feature with these models was in their standard 20-round shot capacity. Further production plants came online thereafter and manufacture of the indigenous weapon spanned up until the middle of the Second World War in 1943.

The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) changed several homefront factors across the country. By 1911, the movement keen on removing then-President Diaz and only 400 Mondragon Rifles had been delivered to this point from the initial production order. The subsequent governmental upheaval cancelled the Mexican-SIG contract concerning the Mondragon Rifle. This left SIG with the remaining portion of the 4,000-strong Mondragon order with no buyers. SIG did manage to sell off several hundred of the type to interested parties around the globe and the authorities of the German Empire eventually procured the remaining 3,000 rifles in 1914 - the beginning of World War 1.

These German-own Mondragon Rifles were issued to both infantrymen and aviators and some were passed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the former role, the rifle proved too prone to collecting environmental debris that resulted in frequent jamming. As such, the rifles were eventually removed from frontline service. In the latter role, the weapons were fitted with 30-round helical magazines and designated as the "Fliegerselbstladekarabine Modell 1915" (literally meaning "Pilot's Self-Loading Carbine Model 1915") and issued to scout fighter planes to help off-set the limited supplies of German aerial machine guns. However, once production of machine guns kept up with relative demand, the Mondragon as an aerial implement was altogether dropped. Some Mondragon Rifles were further issued to elements of the German Navy and saw service up until the end of the war in 1918.

After the war, Mondragon supply dictated that Mexican authorities try to sell their unique rifle on the open global market. Customers ultimately ranged from all over the world including both local allies and friendly nations as well as those parties willing to pay for local-license production rights. Post-war and inter-war Germany, the Japanese Empire and Austria all elected to produce the rifle at home. Production was such that the rifle was available in some numbers by the start of World War 2 and some even were fitted with optic sights for the specialized sniper role. Mexico directly supplied their Mondragon Rifles to guerilla forces in the Philippines to stave off the invading Japanese Army. Vichy French forces also fielded the rifle for a time as did the forces of China and the Soviet Union.

The Mondragon saw future actions in several other limited and wide-ranging conflicts including the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Mexico utilized the Mondragon family line of firearms in some form or another up until 1949. Some foreign operators continue to use the type even today.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Basics [+]

Manufacturer(s)

Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) - Switzerland

Operators

Austria-Hungary; Brazil; Chile; China; Vichy French; German Empire; Imperial Japan; Lithuania; Mexico; Nazi Germany; Peru; Philippines; South Korea; Soviet Union; Taiwan; Vietnam

National flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Service Year

1900

National Origin

Mexico

AUTOMATIC FUNCTION
Features a mechanical function to automate the firing action.

ACCURACY / PRECISION
Long-range accuracy / precision capable; suitable for sniping, particularly when equipped with sighting aids.

Overall Length

1,105 mm / 43.50 in

Barrel Length

577 mm / 22.72 in

Weight (Empty)

9.22 lb / 4.18 kg

Action

Gas-Operated; Rotating Bolt; Also Manual Bolt-Action

BOLT-ACTION
Manually-actuated process of managing the bolt lever to eject spent cartridge case, clearing the breech, to introduce fresh catridge into the chamber.

ROTATING BOLT
System utilizes internal mechanism to lock the breech or rear barrel assembly prior to firing.

GAS-OPERATED
Gas-operated system is featured, typically involving a gas cylinder and rear-driven piston directing energy to the bolt component.

Caliber(s)*

7x57mm Mauser
*May not represent an exhuastive list; Calibers may be model-specific dependent; Always consult official manufacturer sources.

Feed

8-, 10-, or 20-round box; 30- or 100-round drum magazine

Sights

Iron Front and Rear; Optional Optics.

Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information.

Max.Effective Range

1,804 ft / 549.9 m | 601.3 yds

Rate-of-Fire

1,000 rpm

Muzzle Velocity

2,300 ft/sec / 701 m/sec

"Mondragon Rifle" - Casual Naming Convention

Fusil Mondragon Modelo 1900 - Initial Production Models; 8-round magazine; production by SIG of Switzerland.

Fusil Porfirio Diaz Sistema Mondragon Modelo 1908 - Local Mexican production version; 20-round magazine; production until 1943.

Modragon LMG - Light Machine Gun Variant; fitted with bipod; available with 30- and 100-round drum magazines.

Fliegerselbstladekarabine Modell 1915 - German Empire aerial gun; fitted with 30-round helical magazine.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon representing special forces

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Images

1 / 2

Image of the Mondragon Rifle (Fusil Mondragon)

Right side view of the Mondragon Rifle

2 / 2

Patent drawing concerning the Mondragon Rifle function

❮ ❯

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)