The Mendoza M1934 and RM2 Light Machine Gun,A light machine gun design created by the Mexican arms d
The Mendoza M1934 and RM2 Light Machine Gun,A light machine gun design created by the Mexican arms designer Rafael Mendoza, the Mendoza light machine gun was the machine gun of choice for the Mexican Army from the 1930’s up to the 1950’s. From the outside the Mendoza appeared similar to the popular British Bren gun, however the Mendoza was an unique design that stood on its own. Its most noticeable featured was the vertical feeding 32 round magazine, similar to that of the Bren. Mendoza created his design where the magazine was offset to the right, allowing the sights to be mounted directly over the bore, whereas the Bren had sight mounted offset to the left of the bore. The Mendoza also included a bipod for better controlled firing while prone, and a quick change barrel in case the barrel overheated.The Mendoza utilized a gas operated open bolt action that was based on the mechanism of the earlier Lewis light machine gun. This ensured a a reliable action that was resistant to dirt, dust, and moisture. The hallmarks of the Mendoza design was that it was light (less than 14 pounds), compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, yet did not sacrifice reliability and performance. The Mendoza was originally chambered for 7mm Mauser, however as Mexico became an ally of the United States it was rechambered for .30-06. The design was also further simplified, made lighter and more compact, and dispensed with the detachable barrel as the design rarely suffered from overheating issues. The new .30-06 model was called the RM2Neither the M1934 or RM2 would see used outside of Mexico. While Mexico was a member of the Allied Powers who provided financial, merchant, and economic support, Mexico itself never sent an expeditionary ground force overseas. -- source link
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