Matador R3M v/s R3 single shot

While the R3M has not yet hit the shores of all countries there is a lot of talk and excitement amongst customers awaiting their new Xmas presies…
The first batch of .22 R3M’s have however been dispersed around the greater Europe, the middle east, Asia and pacific countries, and there are a few now in the hands of forum members willing to share their gripes and joys in relation to the new multi shot action.

The R3M has the same inherent accuracy as the R3 and shows no better or worse accuracy than the single shot R3 at long and short range grouping tests I have done. This is where the comparison should stop as they are the same rifle but different in nature. The Multi shot will suit some peoples needs but others like myself will always prefer the single shot.

There have been remarks about the action feeling “Much rougher than the single shot action” this however is not entirely correct.
Cycling the Multi shot action with the mag removed is very smooth, it cocks the hammer with the same amount of exertion as the single shot breech. It is not until you fit the magazine that you will feel the added friction caused by the indexing parts of the action which is only to be expected.
So indexing the mag may feel rougher than cocking the single shot but it can not be compared as the single shot does not have this feature. If you are comparing the two actions cocking just the hammer they feel the same.
The R3M’s bolt however sits further back and has a slightly longer draw to the single shot which takes a little getting a custom to if you are used to a single shot with the shorter draw.

In some cases (like my own) you will have to change your technique of cycling the multi shot as it is a very different machine. With my Single shot R3, I cock it by hooking my index finger over the bolt and placing my thumb on the rear of the action I draw the bolt back by squeezing my index finger closed.

To close the breach I just press the bolt in the centre with my thumb and then roll it off to the right to lock the bolt down all in one smooth motion. It is fast and effortless. The bolt handle on my early model R3 has less of a curve in it and extends outward a little further which I also prefer to the newer one but again that just personal preference.

With the R3M it takes a good grip (two fingers) on the bolt handle and while holding the rifle firmly with one hand it requires the usual smooth draw to cock the hammer but needs and additional ¼” sharper snappy movement to index the magazine to index the next pellet.
The draw is a little too long for me to use my thumb as an anchor on the back of the action for leverage unlike the single shot action.

I wouldn’t say this action is rougher than any other multishot PCP action it just requires a longer draw and a little more inertia at the end of its stroke to index the mag which feels foreign and a little forceful if you have got used to a single shot action. After a day or so behind the R3M like anything else it becomes more familiar and its little quirks become second nature.
Comparing the multishot R3M action to the R3 single shot is a mistake. They are very different beasts, some would say it’s like comparing are apples and oranges.

The internals of the new R3M are as smooth as silk and well polished on all the contacting friction points, they come shipped with a healthy coating of Russian grease on all moving parts but to be honest is not great grease. There is absolutely no need to polish or file anything in this action as I have seen some people doing on a brand new action…Like a new engine the action will have a run in period where all contact areas will eventually wear against each other until the are square with the opposing surface and as long as the metals don’t “pick up or mar” they will remain smooth and polished. It is a good idea to leave the sub standard factory grease in the action for at least 1500 shots (like running in oil in a new engine) to let the metals run in before a full strip, clean and replace the grease with a good quality Moly paste with at least 50% moly content which will make this action feel 100% better than it ever has previously.

There are far more friction inducing points in the R3M Multishot breech than the single shot R3 which only has the bolt slipping within its bore and the hammer cocking sliding wedge block which has a small side loading (longitudinal) as the hammer is dragged into the cocked rearward position.

The R3M has a different hammer cocking setup which comes with one advantage of the cocking pin attached to the bolt is actually a free spinning bearing surface which aids toward a smoother feel while cocking the hammer.

There is however multiple other side loadings related to the indexing of the magazine.
There are four different metals used in the production of these parts, stainless steel, duralium, brass and high carbon steel, (probably 4130 or 4140). All of these materials have their place but all have varying grades of frictional properties and respond to lubes very differently.
The first generation of the single shot R3s had the steel breach and a steel and eventually a stainless steel bolt which although had a rough machined bore for the bolt to ride in it responded VERY well to Moly paste and it is still by far my preferred action.
My early moly laden single shot breach cocks like a brisk jog on an ice rink and requires almost no effort at all, easily achieved with just my thumb and index finger.
I really hope Ed continues to offer the single shot action and manages to fit a few into future production schedules as its clear there will always be a demand in the market for them.

The R3M action is a very different animal, alloy (no matter what grade) is a little more “sticky” when combined with a harder steel and with the stainless steel bolt running in an alloy bore it will never be as slippery as steel on steel with burnished in moly.
Moly paste is the best way to prevent marring and get the best out of this situation even in the later single shot R3 alloy breeches.

The strip down:
Most of you have already seen the odd pic floating around the web of the R3M breech but I will attempt to describe it in a little more detail here.

I will start with the mag..

First question asked was “will it fit the Polymags?” Yes it will, with plenty of room to spare..

In my opinion the .22 16gr Polys are too light for the matador and don’t shoot well unless the reg pressure is dropped and hammer spring tuned to get their velocity around the 850-890fps, but there is no real reason to stray from the 18.13gr JSB pellet that the twist rate in the Matador barrel was designed for.
The polys will never be as accurate but still fit a niche for a close range hunting pellet I suppose.
However in the .25cal the weight of the Polymags is 26gr which is nearer to the 25.4gr of JSB Kings so it is a welcomed alternate diverse diet for the quarter bore Matador that generally shoots very well to 50-60 meters and is a devastating g hunting pellet at those ranges.

The mag itself aids in pellet consistency by sizing all the pellets skirts to the same uniform size as the pass through it, the heads all fit loosely in it but are held in place with the two surrounding O rings.

I tested the action for pellet deformation and damage by cycling them into the chamber then pushing them back out the way they went in with a braising rod from the muzzle end and even with some very vigorous cycling there was no notable damage other than a very small dimple in the rear of the pellet from the pellet probe which will not and hasn’t had any effect accuracy.
The small ball bearings that hold the mag in place and locate it on the indexing detent are very tightly sprung requiring a firm shove to fit and remove so there is no chance of one falling out and getting lost.
They hold 10 pellets in .22cal and 9 in .25cal

The pellet probe no longer has the tiny dual O rings fitted to it, instead it is smooth and tapered to assist proper mag to bore alignment and concentric pellet feeding.

The Breach sealing O ring is now located in the breach block like the Air arms design only its captured behind a brass bush held in place small grub screw on the underside.
The O ring is substantially thicker and should last longer than the ones fitted on the R3 probes.

The mag indexing cam is steel and the inside edges are polished like a mirror which in turn run on a rolling brass bearing on the hammer cocking pin, all these parts glide very well and like I said earlier the only resistance comes from the mag itself when the cam is engaging it, it just takes a little sharp pull at the end of the stroke to index the next shot. (Uncle Hoot will add an intelligent quotation of self pleasure on that sentence Im sure 😉 )

I wont go on about the workings of the mechanism itself as there is plenty of pics and vids now available on how it functions but I will add I am very fond of its simplicity.
It could very easily be stripped in the field with a couple of Allen wrenches if you ever needed with the lack of small parts and springs etc present in most other makes of multishot PCPs, there is no fear of any small spring loaded parts vacating at 100mph on disassembly never to be seen again..

Well done Ed and congrats on another very well thought out functional piece of engineering to be released from the Edgun factory… the simplicity and rugged nature of this product yet again follows true with your Russian weapon makers spirit. :thumb:

“All that is complex is not useful. All that is useful is simple.” – Mikhail Kalashnikov