Mendoza C-1934
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 630 mm
- Weight, empty
- 8.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1934
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Mendoza C-1934 is a Mexican gas-operated, air-cooled light machine gun designed by Rafael Mendoza and adopted by the Mexican Army in 1933. Chambered in 7x57mm Mauser, it fires from an open bolt using a long-stroke gas piston and a rotary bolt with radial locking lugs, fed from an offset 20-round top-mounted box magazine. Noted for its remarkable lightness and inexpensive construction without sacrificing reliability, it featured a quick-change barrel, folding bipod, and selective-fire capability.
Rafael Mendoza developed a line of indigenous Mexican machine guns prized for being lighter and cheaper to manufacture than imported designs, allowing Mexico to field a domestically produced automatic weapon rather than rely on foreign suppliers.
The offset top-mounted magazine allowed the sights to be positioned over the bore axis. Praised for its simplicity and low parts count compared to contemporary European light machine guns. Later evolved into the .30-06 chambered Model 45 and RM-2 variants.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Productos Mendoza S.A.
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Mexico
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1934 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 630 mm
- Overall length
- 1170 mm
- Weight, empty
- 8.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 805 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3630 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Rate of fire
- 450 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Quick change barrel
Folding bipod
Top mounted magazine
Offset sights
Selective fire
Rotary bolt
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 8.40 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1170 mm | 1156 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 630 mm | 605 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 20 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Mendoza C-1934
How much does the Mendoza C-1934 weigh?
The Mendoza C-1934 weighs 8.40 kg (18.52 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Mendoza C-1934?
The Mendoza C-1934 is chambered in 7x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the Mendoza C-1934 hold?
The Mendoza C-1934 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Mendoza C-1934?
The Mendoza C-1934 is 1170 mm (46.1 in) long overall, with a 630 mm (24.8 in) barrel.
Who makes the Mendoza C-1934?
The Mendoza C-1934 is made by Productos Mendoza S.A. (Mexico). It was designed by Rafael Mendoza.
When was the Mendoza C-1934 introduced?
The Mendoza C-1934 was introduced in 1934 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the Mendoza C-1934 operate?
The Mendoza C-1934 uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Mexican Army
- 1933
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/mendoza-c1934' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mendoza-c1934", "name": "Mendoza C-1934", "manufacturer": { "id": "productos-mendoza", "name": "Productos Mendoza S.A.", "countryCode": "MX", "foundedYear": 1911, "website": "https://www.mendozafa.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "Mexican firearms and air gun manufacturer founded in 1911 by Rafael Mendoza Blanco. Based in Xochimilco, Mexico City. Produces firearms including the HM-3 submachine gun used by Mexican police, semi-automatic rifles, and air guns.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "3a4138b1edd3f2a806f09e6c45c431d7eb2a2b130a11412e2abd4902db13cf90" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "MX", "year_introduced": 1934, "barrel_length_mm": 630, "weight_empty_g": 8400, "action_type": "gas_operated"}