EDgun Matador R3, caliber .30, single shot

Here is some information about new EDgun Matador, caliber .30.

1. Length — it became longer for about 50 mm. due to a new moderator (the same thing will be with the long one)
2. Weight — it became a little heavier due to the diameter of the barrel 14 mm instead of 12 as it was before, but not critically.
3. Moderator — new design, eccentric, diameter 38 mm, no thread on the case, just two O-rings.
4. Sound — VERY, VERY comfortable sound, to my opinion sounds quitter then .22, I can hear only the hammer.
5. Pellet — JSB .30 pellet, weight 2.90 grams (44 grain).
6. Speed of the pellet — with the standard regulator (set at 160 bar) — 270 m/sec (886 f/sec).
7. The energy for standard is 105 Joles (77.4 Ft-Lbf) .
8. Accuracy — about 20 mm (0.75 inch) at 50 meters (55 yards). Below you can see the shots to the bear can at 75 and 100 meters.
9. Barrel — made by Lothar Walther, especially for JSB .30, weight 2.9 grams (44 grain) according to my specification, choked, but very lightly.
10. Shot count for standard — 25 shots from 220 to 140 bar.
11. Volume of the reservoir — 270 cm3 (the after regulator space is bigger then at .22 and .25).
12. Length of the barrel for standard — 477 mm.

On October of 10th I went for hunting in the morning. EDgun Matador R3, standard, caliber .30, 44 grain JSB pellet, speed of the pellet 270 m/sec, one shot, distance about 50 meters. This bird:

Very tasty, by the way.

Here is the place where the pellet got in:

Here is the place where pellet went out:

No chances to survive for the bird such a size (about 6 kg.) A lot of blood on the ground. I am impressed…

At the same day I had 15 free minutes, bad mood and was in need to relax. Went for the nearest wood, took EDgun Matador R3, standard, .30 caliber. It was zeroed at 50 meters, the one I use this morning for hunting. I used Ballistic Calculator “Strelok”, made by Russian guy. I put a beer can at 75 meters and even didn’t tried to use paper to “zero” POI at this distance, just took out my IPhone, opened Strelok, changed to EDgun Matador .30, found that at 77 meters it will be second mildot from the cross and made 10 shots. Here is the result:

Then I made a picture of the can, put it vertical, moved back at 100 meters and shot another 5 shots. Here is the result:

There was a light wind from the right to left, about 2-3 m/sec, I didn’t made any calculations to the wind. Strelok told me that 100 meters will be half a mil down from the fourth mil dot at my scope. I put a fourth mildot to the top of the can and got all 5 shots down to the can.

I didn’t use any rests, tables or anything like that. I was sitting in my car, shot from the driver’s window. To my opinion not bad for such a position. The ballistic of the 44 grain JSB .30 pellets is equal to their other pellets so I don’t need to get used to new corrections by the mildot reticle.

I think I would change my Matador for hunting from .25 to .30 🙂

On October of 11th, just at 7:30 I got out home, took a car and went to woods. In 8:15 or something like that I saw a black grouse on the right side of the road. He saw me also, I stopped the car and watched him, taking R3 .30 ready to shoot, but as it was on the other side of the car I couldn’t shoot. The bird slowly moved to the bushes and directed to the thicket. I opened the door of the car, got out and moved back along the road taking the car between me and the bird. When I was about 50 meters out of the car, I took the right side of the road and moved to the place where I expected to find the bird, slowly. I reached the car, which was on the left on me and in few steps saw the silhouette in bushes, took the gun ready, but couldn’t see it in the scope through the branches. I was waiting about a minute or so, then the bird moved, I saw it in the scope through a lot of branched on bushes and shot. It moved quickly then fluttered for few second and that’s it. I loaded another pellet to the gun and moved closer to it. I found him dead.

I like this caliber as I doubt I could reach him with .22 through bushes. The pellet got in the very back side of him, penetrated through all his body and stuck somewhere near the neck. I was home at 9:30 after gutting it in the garage.

Today, on October 13th I decided to calculate how many shots will I have in standard Matador R3 in .30.

Here is the result.

Not bad, I think, 25 shots with average speed of 2.9 gram (44 grain) pellet at 270 m/sec (886 f/sec), from 220 bar to 140 bar. The average air consumption is 7.3 cm3 per one Jole of energy.