The Cei-Rigotti Rifle and the Freddi Automatic Rifle: Italian Automatic Weapons from their Origins to the Great War

By Antonino Giorgianni

In Italy, the first automatic rifle ever designed can be attributed to Colonel Gaspare Freddi. It was introduced in 1886, a few years after the emergence of the Maxim and Mannlicher models, presented in 1884 and 1885, respectively. Over fourteen years of continuous research, between 1886 and 1900, the officer of the Royal Army presented various models, all sharing essentially the same operating principle as the original Freddi automatic rifle. Equally notable was Captain Amerigo Cei Rigotti of the Bersaglieri, who, beginning in 1891, started developing his own automatic rifle-significantly more advanced and complex than Freddi's design. The Italian officer introduced several models, and in this work, we will illustrate the historical context in which these rifles were developed, and attempt to clarify and analyze the reasons behind the Royal Army's decision to reject them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FK3CBZVL
• ISBN13: 9798293285464
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.0" x 8.0"