Johnny Guest
Moderator In Memoriam
More on the Mondragon Rifle
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(With apologies to jsalcdedo for this thread veer. Jesse, I can't consider it thread highjacking, because I'd truly like to be able to say I've fired one of these rifles . . . . )
Detritus - - -
My Google search turned up this reference:
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/QA18.html
From Gunwriters On The Web, a Finnish board, with better-than-average translations into English. ‘Way down at the bottom of the page, there’s an item entitled, “IT MAY BE A MONDRAGON RIFLE!†A lot of information here, and a pretty good drawing of the rifle action.
The text includes much of the same info you gave about production figures of the 1908 model and the 400 sent to Mexico. There is a biographical sketch of the inventor, with a photograph.
Other odds & ends of data - -
The ambush took place in July 1923 in Parral. Villa and several others were in a Dodge touring car, returing to Villa's hacienda after spending the night in the city. It is said there were seven or eight shoters, firing from an upper floor of a building on the route.
Best,
Johnny
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(With apologies to jsalcdedo for this thread veer. Jesse, I can't consider it thread highjacking, because I'd truly like to be able to say I've fired one of these rifles . . . . )
Detritus - - -
My Google search turned up this reference:
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/QA18.html
From Gunwriters On The Web, a Finnish board, with better-than-average translations into English. ‘Way down at the bottom of the page, there’s an item entitled, “IT MAY BE A MONDRAGON RIFLE!†A lot of information here, and a pretty good drawing of the rifle action.
The text includes much of the same info you gave about production figures of the 1908 model and the 400 sent to Mexico. There is a biographical sketch of the inventor, with a photograph.
I am glad to have verification that I wasn’t imagining the Villa/Mondragon connection. There are many pages of Villa references in Google and I don’t have time to check the rest.General Manuel Mondragon; a pioneer of firepower. Born in 1855. Deceased in 1922. One year later deceased another Mexican "general", Doroteo Arango, better known as "Pancho Villa". He was slain by a hailstorm of 7 mm bullets, shot from Mondragon rifles Model 1908. "The revolution shall always eat it's own children - sooner or later". It is unknown to me, whether general Mondragon returned from Europe to Mexico before his death. While "Pancho Villa" is well-known all'round the World by books and movies, Manuel Mondragon is almost forgotten. Just we, the "hard core" of firearms experts, know him and his innovations.
Other odds & ends of data - -
The ambush took place in July 1923 in Parral. Villa and several others were in a Dodge touring car, returing to Villa's hacienda after spending the night in the city. It is said there were seven or eight shoters, firing from an upper floor of a building on the route.
Best,
Johnny