Mondragón FMM
Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft (SIG) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1893
Also known as: Fusil Mondragón Modelo 1893, Mondragón M1893, SIG Mondragón Straight-Pull, FMM
Overview
The Mondragón FMM (Fusil Mondragón Modelo) is a straight-pull, bolt-action rifle chambered in 7x57mm Mauser, designed by Mexican Army General Manuel Mondragón and built in small numbers by Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft (SIG) of Neuhausen, Switzerland. The earliest of Mondragón's military rifles, it was ordered for Mexican Army trials in 1893 under the patronage of President Porfirio Díaz. Its straight-pull bolt rode on multiple radial rows of small locking lugs, allowing the shooter to cycle the action with a single fore-and-aft motion of the handle rather than the lift-pull-push of a turn-bolt rifle. Notably, the design carried a three-position selector - safe, conventional fire, and a rapid-fire position - making it one of the very first select-fire bolt-action rifles ever produced. Loaded from an en-bloc clip into an internal box magazine, the rifle anticipated many of the ideas Mondragón would later carry into his gas-operated, semi-automatic M1908. Only a few hundred FMM rifles were built before the program shifted toward the 5.2mm Rubin-chambered M1894, leaving the 7x57mm Mauser straight-pull a rare and historically significant footnote in the evolution of self-loading military arms.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4200 g (148.2 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4450 g (157.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1180 mm (46.46") |
| Barrel Length | 620 mm (24.41") |
| Height | 175 mm (6.89") |
| Width | 55 mm (2.17") |
| Sight Radius | 640 mm (25.20") |
| Action Type | Straight Pull |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Trigger Pull | 24 N (5.4 lbf) |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2744 J (2024 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 220 mm (8.66") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 7mm Mauser, .275 Rigby, 7x57
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Internal Box Magazine 8 Round, En Bloc Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Three Position Selector, Multi Lug Bolt Lock
- Features: Straight Pull Bolt, Multiple Rows Of Locking Lugs, Three Position Fire Selector, En Bloc Clip Loading, Internal Box Magazine, Tangent Leaf Rear Sight
Variants
- Mondragón M1894 — Caliber Variant
- Mondragón M1908 — Self Loading
Service history
Operators
- Mexican Army (Trials) · adopted 1893 · as Fusil Mondragón Modelo 1893
Production
Estimated total produced: 250 · Production years: 1893-1895
SIG built roughly 250 straight-pull Mondragón rifles across the 7x57mm Mauser Modelo 1893 (FMM) and the 5.2x68mm Rubin Modelo 1894; the initial 1893 contract was for about 50 rifles, with a further order of 200 following in 1894. The program never reached significant production and was superseded by Mondragón's gas-operated M1908.
Origin
Country of origin: Mexico
Designer: General Manuel Mondragón
Discontinued: 1895
Notes
The Mondragón straight-pull family was produced by SIG in two distinct chamberings: the 7x57mm Mauser Modelo 1893 (the FMM) and the 5.2x68mm Rubin Modelo 1894. Total straight-pull production across both models was only around 250 rifles. The three-position selector ('A' safe, 'L' conventional fire, 'R' rapid fire that drops the firing pin when the bolt locks in battery) makes the design a notable early experiment in select-fire small arms.
Background
Before the famous semi-automatic M1908, General Manuel Mondragón first tried to give the Mexican Army a faster-firing rifle through a straight-pull bolt action chambered in 7x57mm Mauser. Built in Switzerland by SIG and fitted with an unusual three-position selector that even included a rapid-fire setting, the FMM was a select-fire bolt-action rifle decades ahead of its time - yet it was made in only a few hundred examples and is now one of the rarest of all Mondragón designs.