Sorry to say that, but I cannot agree on your way of storing the bipod. The circular cutouts as well as the second pin for the reinforcing bar make it look like the bipod should go forward over the barrel. This way one doesn't scratch the wood either... Otherwise an awesome video of a never heard of weapon
There's one at the MUEFA (Museo del Ejercito y Fuerza Aerea) and is not far from here. I should go and check it. Entrance is free. The Mexican Army Platoon (Pelotón) was organized as follows. 2 Squads (Escuadras) 11 men. 1 Sargento Primero o Segundo 1st or 2nd Stg. Platoon Commander. 2 Cabos Corporals 8 Soldados Soldiers 1 corporal and 4 soldiers where the Escuadra de Fusileros Granaderos and 1 corporal and 4 soldiers where the Escuadra del Fusil Ametralladora. Then 3 platoons made a Sección under the command of a 2nd Lieutenant (Subteniente). 3 Secciones made a Company (Compañía) and 3 infantry companies plus one of Support weapons (Armas de apoyo. Heavy MG Mortars ATW and Flamme throwers) made a Batallón. With the introduction of the FN FAL The organization of the Platoon change and the Escuadra del Fusil Ametrallador disappear.
Fun fact. Rafael Mendoza is my great great grandfather. He is the father of my grandmother's father. I learned about him barely a couple of years ago. This is amazing to see.
”We must make our own weapons and ammunition, if we do not want our internal affairs to be decided by those who provide them to us.” Venustiano Carranza, Mexico's president (1917-1920)
@@anzaca1 it does in the context of the time. A country that just came out of a very bloody revolution with a long conflict ridden colonial past with limited development within their borders is just asking for meddling and external influence being exerted on the country if their defense and other industries are outsourced to more developed and industrialized countries adjacent to them. Mexico had even tried to build their own domestically designed tanks around this time.
@@FoxtrotFleet BERRETTA Makes a Rotating Barrel: PX4, Full Size and Mid Size Rotate, Sub Compact is a different mechanism! Twists to Left because of Barrel Rotation, very strange!
@@CeylonMondegreen He's giving awesome facts about firearms so quiet down for goodness sake! Yout better watch close, you better listen in, you better pay attention I'm telling you kid! Gun Jesus released a new vid!
Yep, but our goverment tryed to kill the weapons industry here cuz being "pacifist", I'm happy that at least the FX05 was made recently for our troops, and got pretty big support.
@@30cal23 inter-personal feuding and bureaucratic politics probably did more harm. There's no lack of engineering brilliance in Mexico, and cartels weren't an issue in the early 20th century, but bureaucrats are eternal, and everywhere.
I was thinking the same thing. Like, the bipod could use a redesign, and the magazine/feed system could use some work. But the receiver, the gas system, even the barrel change system were all really solid designs that looked like they would be both high performance and durable.
The reversible pin came as a standard feature in other Mendoza designs such as the RM2 and the HM3 submachine gun. The prefix RM applies to the patterns designed by Rafael Mendoza. After he passed away in 1965, his son Hector took over the Productos Mendoza factory and labeled the products as HM (Hector Mendoza)
@@davidvarnes7708 For 1934 It was simple to make too. The BAR, BREN, MG34 and Type99 (and both the BREN and MG1934 had been selected in 1938, the Type99 in 1939) had more complex machining. Among the most used LMGs of the time, Only the DP28 could be considered simpler to manufacture. But generally, though I like it, it seems like a promising prototype put in production before all the elements had been figured out throughly. Very good and simple operating mechanism, barrel change mechanism, general ergonomy, controls, gas settings… But three sets of lugs? That bipod (I’ve seen better in WWI)… no handle to grab a scorching hot barrel… And that magazine… It could have easily been so MUCH better.
Rafael Mendoza was a mechanic who volunteered to join the ranks of the Revolution under Pancho Villa as a gunsmith. He lacked formal technical education. In many aspects, Mendoza was the other side of the coin compared to Mondragon. Both were contemporary, and their artillery patterns confronted each other on the battlefield (Casas Grandes, Naco, Nogales, Torreon, and Juarez). Years later, the Mexican army used Mendoza LMGs and 75 mm Saint Chamond Mondragon field guns as their standard equipment. To your point, there´s a photo of Rafael Mendoza wearing a belt and suspenders at this workshop in Mexico City ;)
Lots of intricate machining in this weapon, probably fairly expensive to make. Lots of thoughtful bits and safety measures, and a straightforward design, I'd expect it was popular with the troops.
Indeed and a lot of clever engineering, like the takedown stuff and the dual ended firing pin. But it also is a let down like the bipod and the (at first glance clever) magazine retaining system. It all seems prone to the grit and dirt of war. Fascinating to say the least!
If only they had given it a more conventional magazine and magazine release mechanism, plus a better bipod, then it could have been an excellent LMG. From what I've been able to gather just by Googling (don't take my word as gospel) the gun weighed just under 9kg, which is a fair bit lighter than the Bren gun which weighed almost as much as the MG 34 and 42.
@@LUR1FAX if it has seen significant sales outside Mexico, market feedback would have very likely resulted in both those changes. Another change I think would have happened is moving the bipod mount to the stock, making replacement barrels cheaper and lighter.
@@lairdcummings9092 Yeah, that makes sense. Plus if you mount the bipod to the barrel, your zero can change when you use the bipod. Applying upwards pressure to the barrel, even a heavy barrel, can cause your shots to go higher than what you zeroed the gun for. Alternatively the bipod could perhaps have been attached to the gas tube. You could maybe modify the stock a bit if there's not enough of the gas tube exposed to attach the bipod. There are possibilities.
Great video. In the 70s TV show Cannon, in one episode he looked at bullet holes in the tail of a plane suspected of smuggling over the US-Mexican border and declared them to be from a 7mm Mendoza.
@@828enigma6 Back then I knew about the 7mm Mendoza so I guess that's why the detail stuck to me. That, and how could Cannon tell the difference in bullet holes made by a 7mm or a 30-06?
@@828enigma6 The human eye can see a difference of 0.003", which is 0.0762mm. Good eyes and practice can halve that. Of course the TV show was BS, but it could have been possible.
Basically, a very sound design. He might have gone overboard with the extra locking lugs. Two solid lugs and maybe one safety lug set back on the bolt should have sufficed and required less machining.
@@damonthomas8955 true, thats why I like it - 2 is 1 and 1 is none. On the other hand though, if your firing pin breaks in combat, I kinda doubt that someone can field strip this down and swap the firing pin in a timely manner - at that point the gun is out of the fight until you can steal a moment to fix it.
@@DynamicDurge that would be an interesting video, seeing how fast Ian could get the gun from firing condition to firing condition by spinning the pin around.
Loved the mention of the Royal Belgian Military Museum in Brussels. That place is fantastic. Easily accessed, well laid out, and containing lots of rare uniforms and weapons. I never miss a chance to visit when we are in Brussels and always see something I missed on previous visits.
I really like that. The action is beautifully simple. A new bipod and the eventual feed system upgrade and that gun could have been competitive until at least the 60s or 70s.
The Mendoza incorporated the Madsen Bowden tripod and the Chapultepec tripod for an anti-aircraft role. The gun was fitted with 20 and 30 cartridge magazines and kept in service until the late 1960s before being replaced by the US BAR and the Belgian FN MAG.
I just love the 7x57 mauser. I've shot one since high school almost 50 years. A great deer rifle Great video and presentation Love your ability to say, " ooops, I was wrong" ! You're a good man Ian. God bless all here.
The 7mm Mauser was pretty much standard in Mexico, Central and South America. The late, great Ian Hogg, British firearms historian, once said all European and American field tests of cartridges came down to 6.5 and 7mm as superior, but was always overruled by some political wank.
I was always intrigued by the Mendoza machine gun from pictures of it in various books. This is the first time I have ever seen a demonstration of how it functions. This is a very well done video. I am even more impressed by the Mendoza now that I see some of the clever if complicated features. Thank you for a very interesting and informative video.
For 1934 It was simple to make too. The BAR, BREN, MG34 and Type99 (and both the BREN and MG1934 had been selected in 1938, the Type99 in 1939) had more complex machining. Among the most used LMGs of the time, Only the DP28 could be considered simpler to manufacture. But generally, though I like it, it seems like a promising prototype put in production before all the elements had been figured out throughly. Very good and simple operating mechanism, barrel change mechanism, general ergonomy, controls, gas settings… But three sets of lugs (it's a nightmare to match bolts and receivers)? That bipod (I’ve seen better in WWI)… no handle to grab a scorching hot barrel… And that magazine… It could have easily been so MUCH better.
I wiss someday you can make a video on a FX 05, i think we the mexicans used to have a very promising future in arms development but we where way to dependent in foreign designs that we couldn't see how great designers we used to have, and we don't make credit enough to our own arms designers. Mondragon a true national hero that we don't read about in the books
I save a lot of your videos as workout videos but watched this one now. I'm not particularly mechanically minded buy your videos are so well made that anyone can enjoy them. Even though I love all your videos, my favourite are the ones with a deep story behind the gun. My favourites are still the Pancor Jackhammer, the PTRD and the 'Green meanie.' Stunning work as always.
This has some of the more interesting ideas i've seen that actually have some merit. The idea of not having a magazine catch in the traditional sense for a top fed box fed lmg is actually pretty intriguing. If they ditched the weird feed lips for something more traditional then made sure the mag wouldnt unlock backwards under recoil would make for a really really quick mag change for the assistant gunner/loader. Also the bipod mechanism while a little silly is also an example of the designers thinking a little outside of the box. Yeah its a questionable implementation on this gun, but with some time and tweaking it may have been the precursor to something would have taken for granted 100 years later. Interesting gun, interesting ideas that I dont totally hate and can see value in, with a bit more testing and refinement needed.
The push forward to lock in magazine design makes me think that during operation, it would ensure that the magazing would never come loose due to its inertia reseating it under recoil and by having it so firmly seated and not rattling around it helps mitigate misfeeds. Would be interesting to watch a 3D cutaway of the feeding cycle to see how smoothly the rounds enter the chamber.
I’ve seen those top loading magazines in many historical films. I always wondered how the sights worked with those. I never saw one close enough to notice the magazine was offset from the center of the barrel. I wonder how many weapons used that design. It seems strange, but I guess gravity is working with you in that mode.
Madsen was the first to be adopted by a military a lot where loosely modeled after but at least the Madsen had sights going straight down the bore and an offset mag.
Most guns with top-mounted magazines have to offset the sights because the magazine obscures the centerline. If you search for a picture of a Bren LMG, you can see that the front sight tower puts the sights up and to the left of the gun which lines up with the rear sights.
Really nice gun, great thing with the magazine offset. It has all advantages of top mounting and no need to offset the sights. If only they improve magazine, improve bipod and put it on lower assembly (to make quick change barrels cheaper and easier to replace) it would be the best prewar LMG, forget BAR or Bren.
I'd like for you to look at the Mendoza HM-3 submachine gun. It's a little-known Mexican submachine gun, and information about it on the internet is seemingly scarce.
HM3 is a derivate product from the RM3. Currently, Mendoza keeps manufacturing a portfolio of Submachine guns for the Mexican Navy and Law enforcement agencies. I also covered the Mendoza SMGs in the book, including pictures of prototypes.
A mix of good and bad features. The rotating bolt mechanism seems pretty solid and reliable, and the 8-lug lock is all but bulletproof. The bipod could have been better, but the magazine and feed system are a real Achilles' heel. If they went with a conventional double-stack, double-feed magazine, this thing could have ran circles around the likes of ZB-26 or Bren. The weight of just 14 lbs is quite remarkable too.
If I am not mistaken some of these guns arrived to Spain during the Civil War. However Ian says that actual production started in 1939 (13:39) making a bit difficult (if not impossible) for the Mexicans to supply the Republicans at that late stage of the war (by then only a tiny fraction of the Mediterranean coast was open to the Republic and the Nationalist fleet, despite its tiny size was pretty effective at blockading sea traffic), so there are three options here: 1) I'm mistaken. (I will check my sources) 2) Production started earlier than mentioned. 3) The Mendozas sent to Spain were from a pre-production batch. This could be a plausible explanation, in any case the quantity should be very small. EDIT; I was not mistaken, according to the unvaluable reference book 'Armas de la Guerra Civil' by José María Manrique García and Lucas Molina Franco (Esfera de los Libros) the Nationalist Army edited various catalogs of captured weapons during the war (i.e. the 1937 Kursaal exhibition of 'captured war materials to the enemy') or immediatly after the war (like the 1939 catalog of the Central Region Recovery Service which listed no less than 18 different LMGs); among these there was a 'Mendoza Model 14' (sic) in 7 mm x 57 Mauser of Mexican origin. No quantity is given but this catalog proves that at least a bunch of them made their way into the Spanish Civil War. There is even a drawing with the 18 LMGs and no.16 is unmistakebly a Mendoza 34. BTW, the book lists as far as 28 different types of LMGs only in the Republican side!
The design of the firing pin, bolt and op rod all strike me as being very clever. Sure the bipod is lackluster, but it's not alone in that regard for the time period.
Curious fact: Mendoza currently are more known in Mexico for their airsoft/sporting rifles (which because weapons laws in Mexico limit only to .22 Long Rifle (I think)) and are sold as far as I remember in supermarkets. Me and my buddies used to shoot in the backyard of one of my pals with steel munition, air rifles back when I was a teenager.
I can kinda see what they were going for. That wedge progressively aligns the barrel as you push it in. The charging handle and ejection port are on the left side because that's what you're going to see if you're a righty and you've got the thing shouldered and on a bipod. The mag lock makes sense if you imagine you're loading and unloading with the pistol grip in your right hand, and was probably intended to be at least a little faster than the traditional nose in, rock back style with a mag catch. (Don't know how well that worked in practice, but it was an interesting idea.) The offset magwell and asymmetrical magazine leave the sights centered and unobstructed. These weren't bad ideas in 1934. The bipod is unforgiveable, though. And the anti-aircraft sight isn't great, either. The gas port is neat, but probably too many options for field use. And I'm scratching my head at why they didn't just use a tangent rear sight, although it still seems functional.
I made the material available both in Spanish & English (Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Soft & Hardcover). Mendoza´s factory provided me with access to their collection and unpublished photos. The book covers earlier Mendoza´s designs during the Mexican revolution, such as the 37 mm cannon, a double-barrelled, belt-fed, manual-operated machine gun, and the Mexico rifle. Also, the submachine guns built by Mendoza.
I love how because the designer, getting screwed out of compensation for the gun, made bank on the magazines instead. 70 mags per gun is crazy. It's also cool that the offset top-mounted magazine allows for the user to still use centered sights. And that is the strangest firing pin I've ever seen.
The mag retention system must work fine in the real world because it would be really easy to add a catch to the backside that would hold it forward and locked, even as a retrofit. Seeing has how it was in service for so long, and they never did, I assume it stays put well enough. Recoil would keep it seated but I would be worried about while I was just lugging it around though!
For a design coming from a guy who wasnt a conventional engineer, its surprisingly well made, i can see it has madsen and nambu ADN, proabably a mix mash of LMGs that saw usage in the Mexican Revolution
4:00 Clearly Mendoza got a sneaky sort of revenge in the form of an uncouth little "bon mot" stamped on each and every one of the gun's 70 magazines...
I can’t think of another LMG that field strips forward. Reminds me of the STEN or M3. An excellent design, with the possible exception of the magazines. Another oddity is that it looks like the bolt locks into the receiver instead of the barrel. This is inherited from the Lewis undoubtedly, along with its op-rod and firing pin arrangement. One thing I really like is the locking wedge. Compared to something like the SG43 which requires a tool to get the wedge out this design has a lot of leverage. I do wonder, does the wedge design effects headspace? The bolt locks into the receiver and the receiver is locked to the barrel via the wedge. Maybe the wedge compensates for headspace differences automatically by it’s nature?
Great video, as always. My only knowledge of this LMG is its mention in the spectacular period novel “Havana” by Stephen Hunter, wielded by the sadistic secret policeman nicknamed “Ojos Bellos”
Mendoza went to produce some really nice compressed air rifles and pistols for serious target competition, I believe he also made some cap percussion pistols that fired .22 bb's and anyone could buy them at most major Mexican retail stores...they must me someone somewhere that still have them
Influenced by the civil unrest experienced during the late 1960s, the Mexican President, Luis Echeverría, ordered the modification of Constitutional article # 10 that regulated the right to bear arms and issued a decree in 1971 to restrict the manufacturing, commercialization, and ownership of firearms in Mexico. Productos Mendoza oriented its business towards producing and selling air rifles and office supplies. In 1997, Productos Mendoza resumed producing and selling firearms for the military and police forces.
Never Knew That my country had developed such beautiful pieces of weaponry in the early years of the republica, and now its following that forgotten path of developing new military technology again. Its cool to know this pieces of arte.
love that bolt and the firing pin design, the only drawback is the mag/bipod, I can see it with a sling as a heavy assault/support rifle, ditch the AA sights and put a flip over scope on the receiver, love to see it fired, looks comfy!
Those guns camed in Costa Rica during the "Revolución de 1948" (Costa Rican civil war of 1948) from Guatemala, they're on 7x57 mauser, entered the country through air using captured civilian DC-3 planes as military aid for the rebel "Ejército de liberación nacional" (National Liberation Army). Those guns saw intense use as support weapons during the war specially during the siege of San Isidro, where the government of Costa Rica constantly sents Wave after Wave of soldiers and communist militias to take the airfield where those guns (and lots of others too) camed to aid the rebels. As support weapons they're well liked by the troops cos the other automatic guns were Lewis guns, maxims and Breda PG1935 Burst fire carbines... Finally after the war they're were sent into cuba to aid Castro and his revolución...
Yes, the Costa Rican government purchased a limited number of Mendoza guns during the Figueres War. The Mendoza gun was a proud product of exportation to Central America and the Caribean. The Mexican diplomatic offices became sales points for the War Secretariat and offered Mendoza guns, Mexican-made Mausers, and 7 mm ammunition.
RM2 utilized a squared magazine. However, only 2 lots were produced for trial purposes (60 units). Mexico moved to the US and Belgian-made weapons by the late 1960s.
I would like to see more guns or designers from Mexico, Central & South America, even if they're country specific variations of foreign guns I enjoy their history and unique specifics as much as actual gun
According to "Small Arms of the World," Mendoza produced the Model RM-2 in .30-06 in 1945. I have read elsewhere that the U.S. was preparing to purchase these to supplement the BAR, but the war ended.
Mendoza prototyped the A-48 model in 1948. The RM2 prototype stage started in 1949 and continued till 1950. As Mexico decided to purchase M1 Garands for its Parachute Brigade and several thousands of M1-A1 carbines, Mendoza understood that his company needed to explore other products such as Submachine guns. The US surplus disincentivized any need to invest in domestic projects.
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms So the supposedly authoritative "Small Arms of the World" is significantly incorrect? May I ask the source of your information?
I took into account information from published sources such as a thesis and not a fact. Then visited Mendoza's factory to consult for their product's roadmaps to check the product's release and trial dates and cross-check with the annual Mexican secretariat war reports to validate purchased volumes, even as a product introduction or prototypes, as the Army is not self-funded and required either approval from the President or the Treasure department. All the purchases are reflected in their records, and the sources are reciprocally reflected in the Presidential State of the Union and the Treasure department memoirs. It helped to create the timeline and volumes from documented sources. I found that foreign authors lacked access to Mexican documented sources. My friend James Hughes lived in Mexico when he wrote his book on Mexican military firearms and had the chance to meet Mexican officials. He was able to check for specimens and documents.
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms In his book "Machine Guns," Ian V. Hogg briefly mentions 3 Mendoza machine gun designs, the Models of 1933, 1945, and 1955, with the 1945 chambered in .30-36. Obviously, you have far better sources of information, not surprising given the limited distribution of Mexican firearms.
@@666toysoldier Indeed. The M-1933 is actually the M-1934 in the video. The Mexican government gave this designation to the 7 mm LMG. At the end of WWII, Mendoza experimented using the 30-06 caliber. In 1948 he prototyped the A-48 replacing the walnut woodstock with stamped steel and the finned barrel with a perforated barrel shroud. Mendoza ceased production of the M-1934 in 1950 and kept producing spare parts and magazines with no replacement products. Still, the LGM 1934 kept in service till 1968.
Sorry to say that, but I cannot agree on your way of storing the bipod. The circular cutouts as well as the second pin for the reinforcing bar make it look like the bipod should go forward over the barrel. This way one doesn't scratch the wood either...
Otherwise an awesome video of a never heard of weapon
Yeah, you are correct, and I'm rather annoyed that I didn't realize that while filming.
@@ForgottenWeapons this is why you’re one of the best on the platform
There's one at the MUEFA (Museo del Ejercito y Fuerza Aerea) and is not far from here. I should go and check it. Entrance is free.
The Mexican Army Platoon (Pelotón) was organized as follows. 2 Squads (Escuadras) 11 men.
1 Sargento Primero o Segundo 1st or 2nd Stg. Platoon Commander.
2 Cabos Corporals
8 Soldados Soldiers
1 corporal and 4 soldiers where the Escuadra de Fusileros Granaderos and
1 corporal and 4 soldiers where the Escuadra del Fusil Ametralladora.
Then 3 platoons made a Sección under the command of a 2nd Lieutenant (Subteniente).
3 Secciones made a Company (Compañía) and 3 infantry companies plus one of Support weapons (Armas de apoyo. Heavy MG Mortars ATW and Flamme throwers) made a Batallón.
With the introduction of the FN FAL The organization of the Platoon change and the Escuadra del Fusil Ametrallador disappear.
@@ForgottenWeapons class act.
@@lairdcummings9092 absolutely!!
Fun fact. Rafael Mendoza is my great great grandfather. He is the father of my grandmother's father. I learned about him barely a couple of years ago. This is amazing to see.
Tremendo honor
Fuente: creeme we
Si si claro amiguito y yo también soy pariente suyo, es mas todos los seguidores en este canal, hasta los no Mexicanos son bisnietos de el.
@@obedmorton5246te m@“aste loco jajaja 🤙🏼
”We must make our own weapons and ammunition, if we do not want our internal affairs to be decided by those who provide them to us.”
Venustiano Carranza, Mexico's president (1917-1920)
He must be rolling in his grave rn
That doesn't even make sense.
@@anzaca1 look at all the 3rd world countries that are funded by 1st world countries and tell me it ain't true
@@anzaca1 it does in the context of the time. A country that just came out of a very bloody revolution with a long conflict ridden colonial past with limited development within their borders is just asking for meddling and external influence being exerted on the country if their defense and other industries are outsourced to more developed and industrialized countries adjacent to them. Mexico had even tried to build their own domestically designed tanks around this time.
@@anzaca1 Learn Mexican history, particularly late 1800'S AND EARLY 1900'S and you will realize that it makes a lot of sense.
The Mexican arms designers (Mendoza, Mondragon, Obergon etc) are very much under appreciated.
Yeah, they and Nambu from Japan don't really get the respect they deserve. There are really interesting weapons coming from both.
The Obregon pistol is a very interesting design, I really should pick up a rotating barrel pistol someday.
@@FoxtrotFleet BERRETTA Makes a Rotating Barrel: PX4, Full Size and Mid Size Rotate, Sub Compact is a different mechanism! Twists to Left because of Barrel Rotation, very strange!
It's a Mexican Bren?
Don't forget the FX-05. We were sued by H&K and won!
Let's take a moment to appreciate the *bloop* noise the op-rod made when it was removed at 10:15.
I noticed that too. A good sliding fit.
Makes me wonder if it got a good giggle out of mexican soldiers back in the day
Ian: "Action cycles..."
Mendoza: *Bloop!
Love me a good bloop
Not quite at that point in the video yet. I'm excited to hear a good bloop.
Can't sleep, and Ian drops another gem for something I never knew existed. Legendary.
It seems to be never ending, and I hope it is!
He sees you when you're sleeping. He know when you're awake.
@@CeylonMondegreen He's giving awesome facts about firearms so quiet down for goodness sake!
Yout better watch close, you better listen in, you better pay attention I'm telling you kid!
Gun Jesus released a new vid!
Gun nut asmr lol
Looks like a wild crossover between a Bren, a Hotchkiss and a BAR... coupled with the best possible name for this gun... MEENDOOOZAAAAAA!!!
_Just do one thing for me…get…Mendoza…_
Glad I’m not the only one to have immediately thought of that sketch.
I see Bren and M14E2 myself, at least in aesthetics.
My first thought was of Mendoza from The Mysterious Cities of Gold, which might not make sense unless you grew up in the UK in the 1980s.
Was literally about to write that name in block capitals but you got there first lol
I don't wanna hear it, McBain. That... that CANNON of yours is against regulation! In this department, we go by the book.
From what I’ve seen, domestically designed Mexican rifles are few, but tend to be surprisingly good
The Mondragon was also a very nice piece of engineering.
Yep, but our goverment tryed to kill the weapons industry here cuz being "pacifist", I'm happy that at least the FX05 was made recently for our troops, and got pretty big support.
Racist.
makes me wonder if they werent overrun with corruption and cartels if they'd be one of the largest and best arms producers in the world
@@30cal23 inter-personal feuding and bureaucratic politics probably did more harm. There's no lack of engineering brilliance in Mexico, and cartels weren't an issue in the early 20th century, but bureaucrats are eternal, and everywhere.
For the era it came from, this was a fairly nice piece of work. The reversible firing pin was a good touch.
I was thinking the same thing. Like, the bipod could use a redesign, and the magazine/feed system could use some work. But the receiver, the gas system, even the barrel change system were all really solid designs that looked like they would be both high performance and durable.
The reversible pin came as a standard feature in other Mendoza designs such as the RM2 and the HM3 submachine gun. The prefix RM applies to the patterns designed by Rafael Mendoza. After he passed away in 1965, his son Hector took over the Productos Mendoza factory and labeled the products as HM (Hector Mendoza)
@@davidvarnes7708 For 1934 It was simple to make too. The BAR, BREN, MG34 and Type99 (and both the BREN and MG1934 had been selected in 1938, the Type99 in 1939) had more complex machining. Among the most used LMGs of the time, Only the DP28 could be considered simpler to manufacture.
But generally, though I like it, it seems like a promising prototype put in production before all the elements had been figured out throughly.
Very good and simple operating mechanism, barrel change mechanism, general ergonomy, controls, gas settings…
But three sets of lugs? That bipod (I’ve seen better in WWI)… no handle to grab a scorching hot barrel… And that magazine…
It could have easily been so MUCH better.
The machining and finish looks really nice too. It reminds me of the Thompson.
Based on his design choices, I'm left with the impression that Mendoza was the kind of engineer who wore both a belt and suspenders
And kept his hands in his pockets.
Rafael Mendoza was a mechanic who volunteered to join the ranks of the Revolution under Pancho Villa as a gunsmith. He lacked formal technical education. In many aspects, Mendoza was the other side of the coin compared to Mondragon. Both were contemporary, and their artillery patterns confronted each other on the battlefield (Casas Grandes, Naco, Nogales, Torreon, and Juarez). Years later, the Mexican army used Mendoza LMGs and 75 mm Saint Chamond Mondragon field guns as their standard equipment. To your point, there´s a photo of Rafael Mendoza wearing a belt and suspenders at this workshop in Mexico City ;)
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms You made my week
Thank you for this Ian. Im from Mexico and i've been watching your videos for 5 years now. I've learned a lot!!
My pleasure!
Lots of intricate machining in this weapon, probably fairly expensive to make. Lots of thoughtful bits and safety measures, and a straightforward design, I'd expect it was popular with the troops.
Indeed and a lot of clever engineering, like the takedown stuff and the dual ended firing pin. But it also is a let down like the bipod and the (at first glance clever) magazine retaining system. It all seems prone to the grit and dirt of war. Fascinating to say the least!
If only they had given it a more conventional magazine and magazine release mechanism, plus a better bipod, then it could have been an excellent LMG. From what I've been able to gather just by Googling (don't take my word as gospel) the gun weighed just under 9kg, which is a fair bit lighter than the Bren gun which weighed almost as much as the MG 34 and 42.
@@LUR1FAX if it has seen significant sales outside Mexico, market feedback would have very likely resulted in both those changes.
Another change I think would have happened is moving the bipod mount to the stock, making replacement barrels cheaper and lighter.
@@lairdcummings9092 Yeah, that makes sense. Plus if you mount the bipod to the barrel, your zero can change when you use the bipod. Applying upwards pressure to the barrel, even a heavy barrel, can cause your shots to go higher than what you zeroed the gun for. Alternatively the bipod could perhaps have been attached to the gas tube. You could maybe modify the stock a bit if there's not enough of the gas tube exposed to attach the bipod. There are possibilities.
@@LUR1FAX "what might have been."
No older phrase, in any language, anywhere.
Those Mexican fire arms are so beautiful and rare. Oh man that coat of arms on the firearm brings a tear to my eye. Never seen a firearm so beautiful
Great video. In the 70s TV show Cannon, in one episode he looked at bullet holes in the tail of a plane suspected of smuggling over the US-Mexican border and declared them to be from a 7mm Mendoza.
Wow. You have an excellent memory. I remember the show, but not the episode. Seem to recall he carried a 38 Chiefs Special.
@@828enigma6 Back then I knew about the 7mm Mendoza so I guess that's why the detail stuck to me. That, and how could Cannon tell the difference in bullet holes made by a 7mm or a 30-06?
@@marioacevedo5077 May he had calibrated eyeballs, to 0.62mm.
@@828enigma6 The human eye can see a difference of 0.003", which is 0.0762mm. Good eyes and practice can halve that. Of course the TV show was BS, but it could have been possible.
I'm really impressed with the design of the bolt/carrier assembly on this.
Basically, a very sound design. He might have gone overboard with the extra locking lugs. Two solid lugs and maybe one safety lug set back on the bolt should have sufficed and required less machining.
I actually really like the idea of a double sided firing pin/ spare firing pin. Super unnecessary but still cool
@@DynamicDurge it's only unnecessary until you actually need it.
@@damonthomas8955 true, thats why I like it - 2 is 1 and 1 is none. On the other hand though, if your firing pin breaks in combat, I kinda doubt that someone can field strip this down and swap the firing pin in a timely manner - at that point the gun is out of the fight until you can steal a moment to fix it.
@@DynamicDurge that would be an interesting video, seeing how fast Ian could get the gun from firing condition to firing condition by spinning the pin around.
_"MENDOOOOOZA!!!!"_ - McBain (as played by Rainier Wolfcastle)
I was curious if anyone else would go there.
Dammit, you beat me to it.
😂😂
That was my literal first thought when I saw this.
Thank you for not disappointing
That has got to be the first light machine gun with a full wood stock that I've ever seen. Nice video.
How much lighter it could have been with a stamped sheet steel one?
Um.. the BAR?
The Swiss LMG25 also has a full wood stock similar to the Mendoza.
BREN
@@anzaca1 not a full wood stock. It’s two pieces of furniture not a monolithic stock
Loved the mention of the Royal Belgian Military Museum in Brussels. That place is fantastic. Easily accessed, well laid out, and containing lots of rare uniforms and weapons. I never miss a chance to visit when we are in Brussels and always see something I missed on previous visits.
I really like that. The action is beautifully simple.
A new bipod and the eventual feed system upgrade and that gun could have been competitive until at least the 60s or 70s.
The Mendoza incorporated the Madsen Bowden tripod and the Chapultepec tripod for an anti-aircraft role. The gun was fitted with 20 and 30 cartridge magazines and kept in service until the late 1960s before being replaced by the US BAR and the Belgian FN MAG.
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms neat
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms Than you for the continued and elaborated history lesson!
I just love the 7x57 mauser. I've shot one since high school almost 50 years. A great deer rifle
Great video and presentation
Love your ability to say, " ooops, I was wrong" ! You're a good man Ian.
God bless all here.
One of my favorite cartridges as well...
The 7mm Mauser was pretty much standard in Mexico, Central and South America. The late, great Ian Hogg, British firearms historian, once said all European and American field tests of cartridges came down to 6.5 and 7mm as superior, but was always overruled by some political wank.
Even the US trialed 7mm mausers captured from the Spanish American War of 1898
7mm Mauser is an excellent cartridge. Soft recoil and very accurate. I've had several rifles in 7mm and loved firing them...
Yeah the 7mm and 6.5 mauser cartridges are amazingly pleasant to shoot and pretty flat trajectory.
Been watching Ian’s channel for a few years and Mexico 🇲🇽 has a kick ass firearms history a lot unique stuff. Wish they participated in more wars..
I was always intrigued by the Mendoza machine gun from pictures of it in various books. This is the first time I have ever seen a demonstration of how it functions. This is a very well done video. I am even more impressed by the Mendoza now that I see some of the clever if complicated features. Thank you for a very interesting and informative video.
I like your last name
gotta say it looks good in a wood and blued steel sort of way
id have been happy to be issued it.
Right up until you have to deal with all 70 of it's magazines
@@EvanDickersonM81 And at least 5 guys to carry all of the magazines.
Seems like a contender for a WW2 best-of LMG if it had better mags and a better bipod. Centerline aiming on a top loader, and solid controls.
So like everything?
@@kintustis Mag and bipod is everything?
I would take a Chauchat over this heap of shit. In no way is this even close to being “one of the best” LMGs of WW2
For 1934 It was simple to make too. The BAR, BREN, MG34 and Type99 (and both the BREN and MG1934 had been selected in 1938, the Type99 in 1939) had more complex machining. Among the most used LMGs of the time, Only the DP28 could be considered simpler to manufacture.
But generally, though I like it, it seems like a promising prototype put in production before all the elements had been figured out throughly.
Very good and simple operating mechanism, barrel change mechanism, general ergonomy, controls, gas settings…
But three sets of lugs (it's a nightmare to match bolts and receivers)? That bipod (I’ve seen better in WWI)… no handle to grab a scorching hot barrel… And that magazine…
It could have easily been so MUCH better.
That bolt and firing pin design is so elegant. I love it.
I wiss someday you can make a video on a FX 05, i think we the mexicans used to have a very promising future in arms development but we where way to dependent in foreign designs that we couldn't see how great designers we used to have, and we don't make credit enough to our own arms designers.
Mondragon a true national hero that we don't read about in the books
10:15 HOLY JESUS that BLOOP is MUSIC to my ears
been wanting to see a video on this LMG for years now! thank you for finally making it happen! sooooooo cool!
I save a lot of your videos as workout videos but watched this one now. I'm not particularly mechanically minded buy your videos are so well made that anyone can enjoy them. Even though I love all your videos, my favourite are the ones with a deep story behind the gun. My favourites are still the Pancor Jackhammer, the PTRD and the 'Green meanie.' Stunning work as always.
I'm always awed by the craftsmanship of firearms from this era. Beautiful machine work on every cut. Well done.
This has some of the more interesting ideas i've seen that actually have some merit. The idea of not having a magazine catch in the traditional sense for a top fed box fed lmg is actually pretty intriguing. If they ditched the weird feed lips for something more traditional then made sure the mag wouldnt unlock backwards under recoil would make for a really really quick mag change for the assistant gunner/loader. Also the bipod mechanism while a little silly is also an example of the designers thinking a little outside of the box. Yeah its a questionable implementation on this gun, but with some time and tweaking it may have been the precursor to something would have taken for granted 100 years later. Interesting gun, interesting ideas that I dont totally hate and can see value in, with a bit more testing and refinement needed.
I would really love to see a Forgotten Weapons episode on the Mendoza RM2 machine gun. That seems to have been a really interesting design.
Quite a piece of equipment, I'd like to have one of those in my collection.
Another weapon I've wanted you to cover. Awesome work as usual!
The push forward to lock in magazine design makes me think that during operation, it would ensure that the magazing would never come loose due to its inertia reseating it under recoil and by having it so firmly seated and not rattling around it helps mitigate misfeeds. Would be interesting to watch a 3D cutaway of the feeding cycle to see how smoothly the rounds enter the chamber.
What a cool piece of gear, the built-in spare firing pin is an especially nifty little idea.
MENDOZAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just do one thing for me... get Mendoza
Swank-y
Knew this would be here.
To human misery!
I’ve seen those top loading magazines in many historical films. I always wondered how the sights worked with those. I never saw one close enough to notice the magazine was offset from the center of the barrel. I wonder how many weapons used that design. It seems strange, but I guess gravity is working with you in that mode.
Madsen was the first to be adopted by a military a lot where loosely modeled after but at least the Madsen had sights going straight down the bore and an offset mag.
Most guns with top-mounted magazines have to offset the sights because the magazine obscures the centerline. If you search for a picture of a Bren LMG, you can see that the front sight tower puts the sights up and to the left of the gun which lines up with the rear sights.
Really nice gun, great thing with the magazine offset. It has all advantages of top mounting and no need to offset the sights. If only they improve magazine, improve bipod and put it on lower assembly (to make quick change barrels cheaper and easier to replace) it would be the best prewar LMG, forget BAR or Bren.
If you watch the 1950's Scifi movie "The Black Scorpion" with Richard Demmings and Marla Corday, they show this same weapon in the cavern scene.
I'd like for you to look at the Mendoza HM-3 submachine gun. It's a little-known Mexican submachine gun, and information about it on the internet is seemingly scarce.
HM3 is a derivate product from the RM3. Currently, Mendoza keeps manufacturing a portfolio of Submachine guns for the Mexican Navy and Law enforcement agencies. I also covered the Mendoza SMGs in the book, including pictures of prototypes.
A mix of good and bad features. The rotating bolt mechanism seems pretty solid and reliable, and the 8-lug lock is all but bulletproof. The bipod could have been better, but the magazine and feed system are a real Achilles' heel. If they went with a conventional double-stack, double-feed magazine, this thing could have ran circles around the likes of ZB-26 or Bren. The weight of just 14 lbs is quite remarkable too.
If I am not mistaken some of these guns arrived to Spain during the Civil War. However Ian says that actual production started in 1939 (13:39) making a bit difficult (if not impossible) for the Mexicans to supply the Republicans at that late stage of the war (by then only a tiny fraction of the Mediterranean coast was open to the Republic and the Nationalist fleet, despite its tiny size was pretty effective at blockading sea traffic), so there are three options here:
1) I'm mistaken. (I will check my sources)
2) Production started earlier than mentioned.
3) The Mendozas sent to Spain were from a pre-production batch. This could be a plausible explanation, in any case the quantity should be very small.
EDIT; I was not mistaken, according to the unvaluable reference book 'Armas de la Guerra Civil' by José María Manrique García and Lucas Molina Franco (Esfera de los Libros) the Nationalist Army edited various catalogs of captured weapons during the war (i.e. the 1937 Kursaal exhibition of 'captured war materials to the enemy') or immediatly after the war (like the 1939 catalog of the Central Region Recovery Service which listed no less than 18 different LMGs); among these there was a 'Mendoza Model 14' (sic) in 7 mm x 57 Mauser of Mexican origin. No quantity is given but this catalog proves that at least a bunch of them made their way into the Spanish Civil War. There is even a drawing with the 18 LMGs and no.16 is unmistakebly a Mendoza 34. BTW, the book lists as far as 28 different types of LMGs only in the Republican side!
es gratificante ver como por fin la espera llegara a su fin y la historia de esta arma de origen mexicano se haga publica en youtube
Very interesting features. With some design changes and a change to .308, this would be a very nice machine gun.
Thank you Ian, that was a treat. Now to find out more about it.
Ian, thanks for the opportunity to share some information listed in my book. Regards. Luis Eduardo Gonzalez.
I will buy it on amazon
Thank you for showing a rare weapon that appears in a book I'm currently reading: Havana by Stephen Hunter.
Interesting aesthetics on this thing. Like the illicit love-child of an M14E2 and a Bren gun.
Other than magazine and bipod, a very nice design on this. I particularly like the bolt carrier and firing pin setup
Would like to see more Mexican Arms
crazy genuine weapons that just come out of know where
Wow. I like your channel, this is history and for sure educative also for young gunsmith apprentices.
The design of the firing pin, bolt and op rod all strike me as being very clever. Sure the bipod is lackluster, but it's not alone in that regard for the time period.
This was as always a really good and interesting episode of a TRUE Forgotten Weapon from the XX Century. Thanks ian so much
Curious fact: Mendoza currently are more known in Mexico for their airsoft/sporting rifles (which because weapons laws in Mexico limit only to .22 Long Rifle (I think)) and are sold as far as I remember in supermarkets. Me and my buddies used to shoot in the backyard of one of my pals with steel munition, air rifles back when I was a teenager.
They dont make airsoft rifles, they make airguns tho
As usual I learned something about a weapon I have never heard of. Great video
I can kinda see what they were going for. That wedge progressively aligns the barrel as you push it in. The charging handle and ejection port are on the left side because that's what you're going to see if you're a righty and you've got the thing shouldered and on a bipod. The mag lock makes sense if you imagine you're loading and unloading with the pistol grip in your right hand, and was probably intended to be at least a little faster than the traditional nose in, rock back style with a mag catch. (Don't know how well that worked in practice, but it was an interesting idea.) The offset magwell and asymmetrical magazine leave the sights centered and unobstructed. These weren't bad ideas in 1934. The bipod is unforgiveable, though. And the anti-aircraft sight isn't great, either. The gas port is neat, but probably too many options for field use. And I'm scratching my head at why they didn't just use a tangent rear sight, although it still seems functional.
That's really neat piece! And it looks pretty good too
Looks like when a game developer decided to be creative using references from a Bren and a Thompson
And lewis
@Forgotten Weapons help
Greetings from México, Thanks for this review
This interesting lmg made a Hollywood appearance in the classic film "The Black Scorpion", about 1hr in to the entertainment.
Gonzalez’s book is also available in both hardback and paperback from Amazon now.
I made the material available both in Spanish & English (Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Soft & Hardcover). Mendoza´s factory provided me with access to their collection and unpublished photos. The book covers earlier Mendoza´s designs during the Mexican revolution, such as the 37 mm cannon, a double-barrelled, belt-fed, manual-operated machine gun, and the Mexico rifle. Also, the submachine guns built by Mendoza.
The book covers the international sales and the Mendoza gun appearance in movies
Double ended firing pin seems like a very solid concept for a MG.
I love topfed magazine LMGs.
Really like the firing pin mechanism. Very clever.
I love how because the designer, getting screwed out of compensation for the gun, made bank on the magazines instead. 70 mags per gun is crazy.
It's also cool that the offset top-mounted magazine allows for the user to still use centered sights. And that is the strangest firing pin I've ever seen.
I see Mexico and Forgotten Weapons and I click. It's that simple.
The mag retention system must work fine in the real world because it would be really easy to add a catch to the backside that would hold it forward and locked, even as a retrofit. Seeing has how it was in service for so long, and they never did, I assume it stays put well enough. Recoil would keep it seated but I would be worried about while I was just lugging it around though!
Ian! Look for this one. I’ll like to see your thoughts. FX-05 Xiuhcoatl. It’s a Mexican assault rifle.
For a design coming from a guy who wasnt a conventional engineer, its surprisingly well made, i can see it has madsen and nambu ADN, proabably a mix mash of LMGs that saw usage in the Mexican Revolution
I'm assuming for it's era (Trench Warfare)
Was the reason for the top magazine feed system.
4:00 Clearly Mendoza got a sneaky sort of revenge in the form of an uncouth little "bon mot" stamped on each and every one of the gun's 70 magazines...
Mendoza - "I'm only going to be paid for the magazines? You're going to need 70 per gun."
Besides a few quirks already mentioned, it looks excellent.
I can’t think of another LMG that field strips forward. Reminds me of the STEN or M3. An excellent design, with the possible exception of the magazines.
Another oddity is that it looks like the bolt locks into the receiver instead of the barrel. This is inherited from the Lewis undoubtedly, along with its op-rod and firing pin arrangement.
One thing I really like is the locking wedge. Compared to something like the SG43 which requires a tool to get the wedge out this design has a lot of leverage. I do wonder, does the wedge design effects headspace? The bolt locks into the receiver and the receiver is locked to the barrel via the wedge. Maybe the wedge compensates for headspace differences automatically by it’s nature?
I think this is the weapon that pirate uses in gravity rainbow. Very cool to see a video about ir
that elevation system on the rear sight is very cool
Mendoza company still makes airrifles to this day, as well as many other things im nit aware of.
Great video, as always. My only knowledge of this LMG is its mention in the spectacular period novel “Havana” by Stephen Hunter, wielded by the sadistic secret policeman nicknamed “Ojos Bellos”
It also appears in movie The Black Scorpion
Barrel and bipod and gas regulator look like they were borrowed from the 1926 Hotchkiss
I imagine that I would be rather unhappy going from being issued a Mendoza 1934 to an American WWII BAR.
You should do some more videos on Mexican fire arms and history of countries who aren't in the mainstream of history
I like it definitely should be talked about more
The black scorpion 1957 stop motion animation monster movie features Mendoza lmg
Traveled to Belgium to make a video on a Mexican gun to mostly be viewed in America. Talk about breaking the barriers.
Mendoza went to produce some really nice compressed air rifles and pistols for serious target competition, I believe he also made some cap percussion pistols that fired .22 bb's and anyone could buy them at most major Mexican retail stores...they must me someone somewhere that still have them
Influenced by the civil unrest experienced during the late 1960s, the Mexican President, Luis Echeverría, ordered the modification of Constitutional article # 10 that regulated the right to
bear arms and issued a decree in 1971 to restrict the manufacturing, commercialization, and ownership of firearms in Mexico. Productos Mendoza oriented its business towards producing and selling air rifles and office supplies. In 1997, Productos Mendoza resumed producing and selling firearms for the military and police forces.
Another arm I had no idea existed. Thanks Ian.
Gotta say that's an awesome looking lmg
Whatever this thing is I need it. It's the most beautiful lmg I've ever seen. Shit I think I finally found love
Never Knew That my country had developed such beautiful pieces of weaponry in the early years of the republica, and now its following that forgotten path of developing new military technology again.
Its cool to know this pieces of arte.
love that bolt and the firing pin design, the only drawback is the mag/bipod, I can see it with a sling as a heavy assault/support rifle, ditch the AA sights and put a flip over scope on the receiver, love to see it fired, looks comfy!
Very well made weapon but it seems to me something is missing from the charging "handle". It looks as if a knob is supposed to be there.
Yes, the charging handle had an insulating knob but is missing in most of the specimens.
Those guns camed in Costa Rica during the "Revolución de 1948" (Costa Rican civil war of 1948) from Guatemala, they're on 7x57 mauser, entered the country through air using captured civilian DC-3 planes as military aid for the rebel "Ejército de liberación nacional" (National Liberation Army).
Those guns saw intense use as support weapons during the war specially during the siege of San Isidro, where the government of Costa Rica constantly sents Wave after Wave of soldiers and communist militias to take the airfield where those guns (and lots of others too) camed to aid the rebels.
As support weapons they're well liked by the troops cos the other automatic guns were Lewis guns, maxims and Breda PG1935 Burst fire carbines...
Finally after the war they're were sent into cuba to aid Castro and his revolución...
Yes, the Costa Rican government purchased a limited number of Mendoza guns during the Figueres War. The Mendoza gun was a proud product of exportation to Central America and the Caribean. The Mexican diplomatic offices became sales points for the War Secretariat and offered Mendoza guns, Mexican-made Mausers, and 7 mm ammunition.
fun guns and Amazing beers,
I wonder how many airplanes have been shot down by the Mendoza 1934. Was surprised it had a anti aircraft sight produced for it.
I wonder if the later RM2 Mendoza also used Madsen style magazines... never realized the original Mendoza used them.
RM2 utilized a squared magazine. However, only 2 lots were produced for trial purposes (60 units). Mexico moved to the US and Belgian-made weapons by the late 1960s.
70 mags for every gun!! 😳
Hail to the Mexican fire-power!!
:)
I would like to see more guns or designers from Mexico, Central & South America, even if they're country specific variations of foreign guns
I enjoy their history and unique specifics as much as actual gun
According to "Small Arms of the World," Mendoza produced the Model RM-2 in .30-06 in 1945. I have read elsewhere that the U.S. was preparing to purchase these to supplement the BAR, but the war ended.
Mendoza prototyped the A-48 model in 1948. The RM2 prototype stage started in 1949 and continued till 1950. As Mexico decided to purchase M1 Garands for its Parachute Brigade and several thousands of M1-A1 carbines, Mendoza understood that his company needed to explore other products such as Submachine guns. The US surplus disincentivized any need to invest in domestic projects.
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms So the supposedly authoritative "Small Arms of the World" is significantly incorrect? May I ask the source of your information?
I took into account information from published sources such as a thesis and not a fact. Then visited Mendoza's factory to consult for their product's roadmaps to check the product's release and trial dates and cross-check with the annual Mexican secretariat war reports to validate purchased volumes, even as a product introduction or prototypes, as the Army is not self-funded and required either approval from the President or the Treasure department. All the purchases are reflected in their records, and the sources are reciprocally reflected in the Presidential State of the Union and the Treasure department memoirs. It helped to create the timeline and volumes from documented sources. I found that foreign authors lacked access to Mexican documented sources. My friend James Hughes lived in Mexico when he wrote his book on Mexican military firearms and had the chance to meet Mexican officials. He was able to check for specimens and documents.
@@MexicanMilitaryFirearms In his book "Machine Guns," Ian V. Hogg briefly mentions 3 Mendoza machine gun designs, the Models of 1933, 1945, and 1955, with the 1945 chambered in .30-36. Obviously, you have far better sources of information, not surprising given the limited distribution of Mexican firearms.
@@666toysoldier Indeed. The M-1933 is actually the M-1934 in the video. The Mexican government gave this designation to the 7 mm LMG. At the end of WWII, Mendoza experimented using the 30-06 caliber. In 1948 he prototyped the A-48 replacing the walnut woodstock with stamped steel and the finned barrel with a perforated barrel shroud. Mendoza ceased production of the M-1934 in 1950 and kept producing spare parts and magazines with no replacement products. Still, the LGM 1934 kept in service till 1968.