This is an exceptionally rare, late production experimental type Mondragon Model 1908 rifle with a detachable box magazine, fitted with side mounts for an unknown aerial mounting device or scope. Manuel Mondragon was an officer and later a General in the Mexican Army who designed several weapons that were some of the most technically advanced weapons for the early 1900s. The Model 1890 was the first semi-automatic rifle to be adopted by any nation, and its successor, the Model 1908 was made in Switzerland by SIG at Newhouse as they were one of the few arms makers with the technical capability to manufacture weapons with the tight manufacturing tolerances required by Mondragon. It is estimated that approximately 400 of this model were delivered to Mexico before the Mexican Revolution broke out with the remaining rifles all being sold to Germany prior to WWI. All examples are very rare with very few ever seen in the U.S. These Mondragon rifles employ some unique features such as a barrel mounted gas block located on the front underside of the barrel with two gas settings, (similar to that on the FN/FAL rifles) with a long operating rod mounted on the underside of the barrel that extends from the front of the gas block to the cocking handle with a side mounted cocking handle that is attached to a round and rotating bolt. This bolt is very unique in that it has two race ways machined into the body where the cocking handle fits, which rotates the bolt to lock and unlock the two rows of locking lugs (four at the front and four at the rear, which is similar to the bolt system used on the Swiss K31 rifles) during the cycling operation. Additionally, the cocking handle can actually be disengaged from the operation rod allowing the shooter to hand cycle the action making it like a bolt action rifle, and then reengage the op-rod so that its semi-automatic again. These rifles were also fitted with an extended box magazine. It is fitted with a military style tangent rear sight graduated from 400-2,000 meters with a inverted "V" front sight with a bayonet lug on the underside of the barrel. The rifle action is unmarked except for the serial number (1171) which is stamped on the left side of the action, top of the bolt, top of the cocking handling, trigger guard and the front two-position gas regulator. As noted, this exceptional rifle is fitted with an experimental, detachable 10 round box magazine that is also numbered "1171" (matching) on the rear of the magazine. Additionally the left side of the magazine and the magazine well are stenciled with a large white number "71", ensuring that they remained together. The left side of the stock is also fitted with two brackets, that would appear to have been intended for some type of experimental side mounted or over the bore sniper scope. The brackets are just held on by two screws each into the wood, so they may have been installed on a provisional basis only. Each one of the various parts is stamped with a small "heart" and or "heart inside a circle" proof mark, which is probably an early Swiss acceptance proof. Both the stock and barrel cover/handguard are correctly made from a matching light colored European straight grained walnut with a flat steel buttplate.

Very fine with 90% of the blue finish remaining on the barreled receiver showing minor edge and high spot wear with the complete bolt and cocking mechanism as well as the internal parts still in the white as manufactured by the SIG factory. The trigger guard assembly and magazine are both refinished with pitting visible under the blue. The stock and handguards both have a beautiful matching like honey colored European walnut showing some light handling marks/scratches on the sides in a few places. Correction/Additional Information: This rifle has all matching numbers to include the detachable box magazine which is numbered "1171" on the back side below the catch. Also this rifle is chambered in the standard "7.5 Swiss " cartridge and NOT the 7X57 Mauser cartridge.