Sold for $19,550.
Most people who recognize the name Mondragon know it from Manuel Mondragon’s model 1908 semiauto rifle, the first such rifle to be adopted on a large scale by a military (the Mexican Army, in this case). Well, Mondragon was designing arms for many years before that particular rifle. For example, in 1894 he produced a number of straight-pull bolt action rifles in cooperation with the Swiss firm SIG. Some of them, including this particular example, included a rather unique 3-position selector lever. In addition to the expected “safe” and “fire” modes, this also had an “automatic” setting, which would cause the rifle to fire as soon as the bolt was fully closed, without requiring the shooter to use the trigger. This was, in theory, for firing from the hip while advancing – but it clearly didn’t turn out to be very practical.
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
Items you may have missed...
Book Review: “FN Mauser Rifles” by Anthony Vanderlinden
Takedown: Winchester 1897
Neither Fish nor Fowl: the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer
Top 50 Guns of the September Premier: 40-31
Small Arms of WWI Primer 128: Swiss 1911s
Finnish Brutality 2020 Training with Pascal (SIG Manurhin 540, SIG 510 / Stgw 57, AIA Frankenrifle)