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I have to admit I was more than a little surprised when I found out that the first semi-automatic rifle was designed in 1887.; I would have thought that everyone would jump on the opportunity for a rifle like that. However, historically this was not the case for various reasons.
So what effects would it have for a major European army to have a semi-automatic rifle (not necessarely the Mondragon) in the early months of WWI, before the trench warfare had "set in" and the dirt rendered such rifles largely inoperable? More importantly, how do we get a major European power to use a semi-automatic rifle as their main frontline weapon?