German M1915 Mondragon 7.57mm Rifle

By Crusader1307

The Mondragon Rifle was originally designed by Mexican Artillery Officer Manuel Mondragon in 1883. It's final production prototype was in 1887. The Rifle was a bolt action, straight pull weapon initially. Rugged and reliable, thousands were manufactured for The Mexican Army. So impressed was Germany, that The Schweizerische Industries Company brought licensing rights to built the weapon in Germany.  By 1908, refinements to The Mondragon were made, giving it a spring loaded, auto-feeding mechanism  (the first, in fact). Some 3,600 Mondragons were manufactured by Germany for it's War inventory (1915). It would remain in production until 1945. Weighing 9 pounds, The German version used the Mauser 7.57mm jacketed round. The Mondragon had an effective range of 875 yards with a maximum range of over 2,100 yards.The weapon also served as a multi-purpose weapon as well. A tripod could be fitted on it,as could a bayonet. Finally, a Drum Magazine could also hold 30 rounds for a sustained rate of fire. A common issue for The Mondragon was it jammed far to much. Mud from the trenches if The Western Front would cause the complex mechanisms of the rifle to jam. Still a hearty weapon, many were issued to The Imperial German Air Force.