September 15, 16, & 17, 2026 Firearms & Militaria

All > Firearms > Rifle-Modern > Military > Semi-Auto

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Developed by Manuel Mondragon, who was an officer and later general in the Mexican Army. His developments created some of the most advanced and important military long arms of their day, including cannons, with his invention of the Model 1894 straight pull rifle chambered for the 5.2x68 cartridge that was adopted by Mexico. He continued his arms development and refined a straight pull semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 7x57 Mauser cartridge. The rifle was adapted to the 8x57 and the 7.5x53 cartridges by Germany and the Swiss. This was the Model 1915 (FSK-15) Mondragon rifle. It has a 24" barrel and an 8 round internal magazine fed using a stripper clip. It accepted a unique bayonet that was a shovel style with one edge designed for cutting wood and the other edge for cutting steel. The rifle could be operated either straight pull as a bolt action or as a semi-automatic with a simple lever adjustment. General Mondragon reached out to Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft at Neuhausen (SIG) to manufacture 4000 rifles. The Mexican Government acquired 1000 of the 4000 rifles. These elegant and precise rifles were susceptible to to failure due to the inconsistent quality of the ammunition then being used in Mexico. The Model 1908 Mondragon Rifle has the distinction of being the first semi-automatic rifle adopted by a major military. As time continued on, a 30 round magazine was developed for the Mondragon rifle. It closely resembled the snail drum from the 08 Luger pistol. This is known as the 1915 (FSK-15) Flieger-Selbstlader- Karibiner. Mondragon rifles fitted with these 30 round magazines and a brass catcher were adopted by the German Flying Corps and used in aerial combat until being replaced with the Maxim machine gun. The 1908 Mondragon rifle is by far one of the most important Military arms ever developed. Its gas system, stripper clip fed magazine design, trigger safety system, camming rotating bolt head, and internal extraction system are all utilized today on various weapons systems. These systems have been credited erroneously to the likes of John Garand, John Browning, and Eugene Stoner while in fact they were already patented and in use on the Mondragon Model 1915 FSK-15. This wonderful example is accompanied by a 30 round drum magazine that is for static display use and does not actually operate. It also has all of its original magazine components so that it can be fired and operated using its 8 round stripper clip fed magazine. CONDITION: Rifle number 1122 is extremely fine overall with the barrel and receiver retaining over 97% of their deep blue factory finish. The bolt assembly and operating rails remain in their original bright factory polish. The bore is good with well defined rifling and with oxidation in the grooves from the period of use of corrosive ammunition. The FSK-15 Snail Drum magazine is for static display and is not functioning. It is a contemporary machine shop manufactured copy. The 2 piece wood stocks retain most of their varnish with some minor bruises and impressions. Mechanically excellent. The serial numbers all appear matching. The rifle includes its original internal 8 round magazine and all original components. This wonderful example has not been previously offered for public sale. A rare opportunity to own one of the rarest and most important rifles of military development.

Bidding Current Bidding Minimum Bid: $13,000.00 Current Bid: $13,000.00 Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 Number Bids: 1	Please register or login if you want to bid.

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