At the beginning of the last century, Mexico unexpectedly entered the ranks of progressive firearms developers - the country's first self-loading rifle Mondragon was patented, which in its characteristics was not inferior to many European types of carbines.
The development of promising
automatic weapons was carried out by the general of artillery troops, Manuel Mondragon. Having visited Europe and familiarized himself with the armament of the advanced countries, he came to the conclusion that the fatherland needed its own automatic weapons. So began the story of the famous Mondragon rifle.
Project development
The development of the project started in 1892. In a short time, the general managed to formulate a general concept, and by 1896 he patented a new design, which was recognized in the USA, Belgium and France. But this project was not stopped - the Mondragon rifle continued to improve.
The main feature of the new firearm was to become automation, which would work on the energy of powder gases. At this time, this technology was considered "unprofitable", since it was almost impossible to create a truly reliable mechanism. The general began to solve this problem.
During the development of the project, the rifle has undergone significant changes. One of these is the change in the type of cartridges from 6.5 x 48 mm to 7 x 57 mm. In addition, the plans of the developer was the idea of creating your own ammunition. But the only direction in which work was constantly carried out was the creation of a reliable automatic reloading mechanism.
Automation mechanism
At that time, the Mondragon rifle was equipped with a fairly reliable automatic reloading mechanism that worked on the energy of powder gases. The main element of the gas engine was the casing tube, inside of which there was a piston and a return spring. The piston had special mounts for connecting with the shutter.
A gas tube-casing was located under the barrel - another feature of the weapon. Together with him she was attached to the receiver. It had special protrusions that were necessary to extract the liners and lock the bore. In addition, special protrusions were located inside the box - abutting against them, the shutter rotated.
The shutter itself was a cylindrical part with protrusions, cutouts and spiral channels that made it rotate when moving. Inside the shutter, the Mondragon self-loading rifle had a small channel in which the drummer was located.
Shutter frame and trigger mechanism
On the side of the receiver there was a special cutout, which was necessary to accommodate a movable cover with a handle. The handle, in turn, was equipped with a rocking key and connected to an internal stupor. The movement of the handle back was the release of the bolt and gas tube. At the same time, the return spring also “unhooked”, which facilitated manual reloading.
The trigger trigger mechanism was located under the rear of the receiver, on a reclining frame. The first versions of the model could shoot only single shots, equipped with slide fuses that blocked the movement of the trigger.
Subsequently, the Mondragon rifle significantly changed, as a result of which it became possible to conduct automatic fire. The fuse was also improved - he got a switch that turned on the burst mode. Before the trigger there was a magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. It was charged with clips.
Automation Action
When you press the trigger, the trigger hit the hammer, exploding the capsule and igniting the powder. Quick-forming powder gases through a special channel in the barrel fell into the gas tube and acted on the piston, forcing it to move backward. During movement, the piston squeezed the return spring and pushed the bolt into the rear position - the sleeve was removed and thrown out.
After reducing the pressure of the powder gases, the return spring straightened, pushing the piston in front of itself and leading the bolt behind itself. He, moving forward and spinning, sent a cartridge into the chamber and locked the bore. Immediately after this, the next shot could be fired.
The Mondragon Mexican rifle was infected by pulling the shutter back. At the same time, a window was opened for the ejection of cartridges, after which the store was filled with clips. Ammunition was sent back to the chamber by the reverse movement of the bolt.
Some features of the rifle
The main feature of the rifle is the reload mechanism. The fact is that its design allowed him to work in manual and automatic mode. This guaranteed the functioning of the weapon even when the gas pipe was dirty. A special key was provided on the bolt frame, which disconnected the return spring from the bolt, thereby putting the rifle in manual reload mode.
Another feature of the rifle is the presence of an improved model known as the Mondragon M1908 self-loading rifle (Switzerland). The thing is that after the development was completed - in 1893 - not one of the countries in the world decided to launch a new automatic weapon. And only after a while Switzerland signed the contract for the production of the first 50 rifles.
The formation of the Swiss rifle Mondragon M1908
As soon as gunsmiths from Switzerland got acquainted with the new automatic weapons, they began to improve it. To begin with, a new cartridge was released - 5.2x48 mm, which differed from standard ammunition (6.5x48 mm) in better barrel sealing and the presence of special washers that gave the bullet the correct position.
After that, with the cooperation of both powers, the development of rifles for Mauser 7.5x55 mm, .30-30 and 7x57 mm cartridges began. The first option attracted the Swiss government. Meccans liked the rifles with a caliber of 7x57 mm - this is how two versions of the first automatic weapon appeared: the Mondragon rifle arr. 1908, operated in Mexico, and the Mondragon M1908 in Switzerland.
Further fate
The further fate of the automatic weapons was not successful. Due to the high cost, the Swiss government was not able to sell all products. Purchases could not be overpowered even by Mexico. Moreover, in 1911, a revolution took place in the exporting country (Switzerland), and several hundred samples remained dusting in the warehouse.
The revolutionary government made attempts to sell weapons. And by the beginning of World War I, a contract was signed for the supply of German rifles. Here they armed the pilots.
Subsequently, after significant transformations, more than 1.7 million weapons were sold. Countries that needed a self-loading rifle M. Mondragon - Mexico, Chile, Peru, China and Japan. The production of automatic carbines stopped in 1950. During its existence, the rifle managed to participate in several major armed conflicts and has become one of the most widespread types of weapons.