‘Mauser Japonés’ & ‘Remington Ruso’: A History of the Arisaka and Mosin–Nagant Rifles in the Mexican Revolution

Abstract

During periods of arms scarcity, the Mexican army imported several different patterns of bolt-action rifles to address shortages and maintain firepower. During the Mexican Revolution (ca. 1910–1920), the Mexican Army—facing multiple domestic rebellions, European reluctance to supply weapons, and a U.S. arms embargo—turned to Japan to fill the growing gaps in its rifle inventory. Once the U.S. arms embargo was lifted, Mexico purchased numerous bolt-action rifles from the United States, including U.S.-produced Mosin–Nagant rifles. This article seeks to elaborate the historical background of these two unconventional and intriguing arms deals, and examines how a country engulfed in continuous civil wars managed to utilise the purchase and disposition of foreign surplus arms as part of its diplomatic agenda in the 1930s. The author presents a narrative of a twenty-year period of Mexican history as viewed through the histories of two obscure, yet important, rifles.