POTD: The First Military Adopted Semiautomatic Rifle – Mondragon 1908
Sam.S 07.20.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have what is considered to be the world’s first self-loading rifle adopted for standard military use. This is the M1908 Mondragon rifle. Designed by Mexican General Manuel Mondragon and manufactured by SIG in Switzerland, this slick semi-auto boasted a gas-operated piston, rotating bolt, dual locking lugs, and 10-round internal magazine for rapid firepower. When it galloped into battle, Mexican soldiers were mesmerized by its curved walnut stock and futuristic functionality. But the fairytale love affair was short-lived, as the Mondragon demanded high-quality ammunition to operate properly, and Mexico’s supplies were subpar. After the rifles jammed in testing, Mexico canceled the bulk of its order in disappointment.
“As we all know General Manual Mondragon played a significant part in the development and advancement of the weapons of the Mexican Army as well forced all other European countries to rethink the weapons being used by their own armies. Manual Mondragon, was educated at the French Military Academy at St. Cyr, and was eventually trained in the Mexican Military. He developed several new and highly advanced weapons for the Mexican Army to include some field artillery and ultimately the development of the Model 1908 semi-automatic rifle. He chose the Swiss SIG factory because they were the only company in the world at this time was the capable of producing any weapon(s) on a mass production basis with such close tolerances as required in the Mondragon design. In 1908 this gas operated semi-automatic rifle was probably the most advanced rifle in the world at that time, in an era when most countries were just starting to transition to single shot rifles to bolt action or lever action repeating rifles. It was fielded with the Mexican Army in 1908 and was the first country to issue a semi-automatic rifle to its army. The unique aspect of this weapon was the basic design itself in that it had a “10” round internal box magazine and the rifle was a semi automatic weapon. No other weapon in the world could make this claim at this time. At the heart of this rifles design is the gas block/gas port design which is mounted on the end of the barrel. The gas block is attached to an operating rod which is mounted in forend section of the stock, that cycles the bolt mechanism, much the same as on the FN FAL, M1 Garand and M14 rifles of today.”
Lot 1437: Mondragon 1908 Rifle 7 x 57 Mauser – Outstanding One-of-A-Kind Serial Number 1 Swiss Model 1908 Mexican Contract Mondragon Semi-Automatic Rifle. (n.d.-z). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved July 19, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/63/1437/mondragon-1908-rifle-7-x-57-mauser.
