My Matador R5 just landed…
Yes. Title says it all. My R5 in .30 cal just landed safely in my hands. I always wanted to go high-power but so far the choice was pretty limited here in EU. Please don’t tell me one brand or another… after owning several PCPs from several manufacturers I simply wanted an EdGun, period! And short R5 (officially named as Standard) seems to be my ‚dream come true’ .30 high power airgun. Well… so far I’m delighted. I’ll play with her a bit in coming days, try couple of pellets, try another 1 or 2 scopes, and (of course) you can expect some photos in this thread soon. And after some time maybe also a review? Who knows… but for now quick and dirty ‚unboxing’ kind of picture of my R5 on my desk. Yeah!
My first scope of choice is Vortex Diamondback Tactical 3-9×40, which is lightweight, compact, good glass, good reticle and very good target turrets. So it fits my small R5 perfectly. Parallax is set at 100m… and well, that’s exactly what I need. It’s not a backyard gun after all! 100m seems to be just right for that sniping machine. Can’t wait to try her out…
It’s a beast! The most beautiful beast I’ve ever handled! And it handles amazingly well!
:4:
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Ed did a masterful job with the R-5
that sweeping buttstock is just phenomenal,……best looking airgun I’ve ever seen the proportions are just spot on.
It’s so special, solid and powerful. :8:
Whatever… anyway, my first attempt to R5 photo in the backyard today:
Here in PL there is no need for a shooting licence to shoot an airgun at any power (you need shooting licence to apply for your own firearm). You just have to register your airgun at local police if it exceeds 17J and it should be done within 5 days after purchase. For the registration you need to present specific documents like clean criminal record, psychological opinion etc. but it can be done within one day. Total cost incl. municipal tax is about $150. BTW, that yellow booklet in the first picture is airgun registration card.
150$ for each air rifle?
Man that sucks!
No wonder why people prefers AKs :rofl:
Polish Aks are excellent! :8:
Hey, no worry, it’s not the first stock I’m playing with. And I’d never cover that beautiful wood with black paint :rofl:
Here in PL there is no need for a shooting licence to shoot an airgun at any power (you need shooting licence to apply for your own firearm). You just have to register your airgun at local police if it exceeds 17J and it should be done within 5 days after purchase. For the registration you need to present specific documents like clean criminal record, psychological opinion etc. but it can be done within one day. Total cost incl. municipal tax is about $150. BTW, that yellow booklet in the first picture is airgun registration card.
After you get the rail on, …..Paint that stock black !!!!!
that would make for the sickest gun ever :biggrinn: :biggrinn:
Damn that’s scary making holes in the beautiful stock. My question is why doesn’t every manufacturer implement a rail or provision to mount one so we don’t have to do it ourselves. Make it removable for those who like to hunt and charge a bit extra for the additional labor to add it. I guess it’s to separate the boys from the men. Be careful Piotr. Please be careful and take your time. That’s some gorgeous wood.
repeating record here! But as I said before What a face-lift for the Matador!!! :biggrinn: Hope she shines for you at the range and looking forward to your updates!
In da shop. Installing obligatory weaver rail for bipod.
If,….and when the R-5 .30 cal. comes out with the mid ship lever it will sell like wildfire :winkn: :winkn: :winkn: ….you do realise that Ed, right ?
There will not be any front cocking .30 R5 to my best knowledge. However, there may be .25 R5 with such a feature. Well, both types of cocking systems have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Congrats,i am shure there will be excellent photos from you :8:
My R5 standard comes in my hand in monday :5:
Thanks guys! And yes, it looks sick indeed! More details during weekend, or just after. Should be fun!
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Thanks guys! Well, it’s not the best season for outdoor photography but I’ll do my best. Just remember, one day spring will come and that R5 is not going anywhere…
OK, what about a quick hands-on? First of all that R5 is completely new design as you can see. There is not much in common with previous one, which was cool as well. After I reworked stock on my R3 a bit it was looking also great but that R5 is a class of it’s own. It’s a bit bigger than my short R3 was and thanks to that oversized moderator it looks much more muscular. What I also like is an overall ‚gun like’ look, without a thin barrel exposed in any part of the gun. Top weaver rail is like Ed’s signature, nice touch.
That Protruding bolt & breech… well, Ed’s out of the box thinking at it’s finest, LOL! Why such a design? First, it makes total length the shortest possible. Second, it moves breech back so cheek weld is way nicer than on most bullpups. And also hooks ove the shoulder, so it helps to handle R5 more steady than R3 when shoooting off hand. Another feature is an attachment point for one point sling.
Electronic pressure gauge works just as in Ed’s youtube video. Simple, very precize. To get maximum utility out of it I need to shoot a bit and make sure that my min pressure is set perfectly to my liking. That way I can get not just pressure (+/- 1 bar) but also number of remaining good shots, which is awesome. No more guessing? I’ll check that very carefully in coming weeks.
Stock is gorgeous and looks like an integral part of R5 and follows the lines (and accents) of R5’s action in details. But, just like R3, it lacks integrated weaver rail. So I purchased a short rail and attached with two screws. The good thing is that there are some weight saving cut-outs in wood so foregrip part is partially hollow. That allows to use not wood screws, but 4mm screws with big nuts on the inside, so that rail is held super strong and is really easy to install if you have access to well equipped shop… and yes, I do have (just take your time).
Bolt operates smoothly (surprisingly smooth for that power level). For this caliber I have nothing against single shot operation. That slows shooting process a bit so I can focus on each shot. Safety catch makes the gun really SAFE as it blocks the hammer in place, not just trigger. So whatever happens – you’re safe. And with potential of .30 cal pellet going airborne at high speed it’s just as it should be done.
First shooting report will follow soon. Tomorrow I’m taking full day off and most of that I’m going to spend on a shooting range nearby. Should be awesome start of the week! I’ll keep you posted..,
All in all it looks awesome. Ok, of course I’m a bit biassed but who wouldn’t be with a new gun like that in his / her hands? My father in law (who used to be competitive sport shooter and manager of a shooting range for years, and now enjoys restoring vintage airguns in his shop) was most impressed as well. He was quite impressed with R3 but he said this one is the first bullpup he could buy just for the sake of owning such a cool looking piece. BTW, we had really good time exploring all details of that R5. So yeah, I checked it a bit also inside. It’s quite easy to work on it if needed, which is what I really like about Ed’s guns, great design from advanced user’s perspective.