This is a very fine example of a Swiss Model 1915 Mondragon semi-automatic rifle chambered in the 7 mm Mauser cartridge. Col. Manuel Mondragon was an officer and later general in the Mexican army who designed several weapons that were some of the most technically advanced in the world in the early 1900s. These Mondragon rifles were all made in Switzerland due to the fact that only the SIG factory had the capability of manufacturing weapons of this type with such close tolerances as required by Mondragon. It is estimated that only 400 of the Model 1908 rifles were ever delivered to Mexico before the Mexican Revolution broke out, with the remaining rifles all being sold to Germany prior to WWI. The Imperial German Flying Corps adopted the rifle, redesignated as the Fl.-S.-K. 15 (Flieger-Selbstladekarabiner, Modell 1915 - Aviator's Selfloading Carbine), modified with a lockout screw on the gas mechanism, a rectangular shaped positive locking device added for prevention of the charging handle from disconnecting from the return spring, an extended magazine catch, and issued two rifles accompanied with these 30-round drum magazines to each aircraft crew. Any example is considered very rare, with very few ever being seen in the U.S. The Mondragon employs an early gas-impingement system that drives an operating rod on the right side of the receiver to cycle the bolt. The rifle has a rotating bolt with four front locking lugs, which is very similar to the Swiss 1891 Schmidt-Rubin and K31 rifles. It is fitted with a military style tangent rear sight marked from "4-2000" (400-2000 meters) with an inverted "V" front sight and a bayonet lug on the underside of the barrel. The rifle action is unmarked except for the serial number which is stamped on the left side of the action, top of the bolt and cocking handle. The back side of the magazine box is unnumbered and so is the buttstock. The stock and hand guard are both correctly made from a light colored European straight grained walnut, lightly marked "81.55" on the left side near the magazine with a flat steel buttplate.

Very fine with 90% plus of the original blue finish still remaining overall with some minor edge and high spot wear. The recoiled stock and handguard are both also very good showing some minor handling marks and gouges on the sides of the sock. Mechanically excellent. A very nice example of a scarce later production Mondragon model 1908 semi-automatic rifle.