4" Mateba range report

A

AndABeer

New member
The FFL got the 4" Mateba in last Friday but I was also expecting a rifle so I waited until yesterday to get both on one "instant" check. I went to their range while I waited for my "instant" check and, half an hour later, I was approved. I agonized a bit over which barrel length to get as CDNN had the 4" and 6" when I talked to them. I went with the 4" thinking if I liked it I would locate an 8" later. Glad I did as the 4" seems muzzle heavy to me. I did a quick but thorough once over of the pistol. I simply guessed where oil should go because I could not find a manual in my box, then to the range with some fairly potent 158 gr .357. The double action was pretty stiff, guessing 12-15 pounds, but the single action was pretty nice at a crisp 3 pounds or so. Recoil was very pleasant compared to the same load in my 3" 686, almost 9mmish in the Mateba. I am guessing .38s will feel like .22s. Accuracy was OK but I am thinking once I get used to the pistol, that will improve quite a lot. The grip was very comfortable when shooting but if you wish to thumb cock the hammer, the "beavertail" is a bit harsh. The biggest problem was ejecting spent cases. Perhaps after a really good cleaning this will get better but the way that thing was hanging on to empties (on the first six rounds even) I suspect the chambers may need to be polished. One other thing I noticed and this may just be ignorance on my part is that there seems to be no way to decock without pulling the trigger. Not a big deal with a normal revolver as I almost never shoot those single action anyway and if I do they have huge spurs to grab on to. With the Mateba though, the hammer doesn't have a lot of places to get a good grip on it so I am not as comfortable decocking manually. So it seems that if you don't want to decock manually and then you start shooting you gotta empty the thing. I guess it is a good thing it "only" holds 6. It is a fun gun to shoot though, nice big boom, little recoil, and the "What-the-hell-is-that-thing?" factor.

Pros:
caliber(s)
pleasant recoil with stout loads
comfortable grip
just plain fun
great single action trigger

Cons:
ejection of spent rounds is a problem (may improve with thorough cleaning)
slightly muzzle heavy
heavy double action (may improve with thorough cleaning)
no decock (or is there?)
no manual (dunno how I am gonna get that .38 spring in there)

Jury still out:
accuracy


All in all a good purchase especially with that Winchester Super Grade M-70 bought as an accessory :D (as ugly as the Mateba is that rifle is a GD work of art).
 
The manual...

...is in the mail, AndABeer; look for a large brown envelope soon.

Shot another 30 rounds through mine tonight; case extraction got sticky towards the end with the aluminum-hulled 158gr CCI Blazer SJHP's.

Shoots dead to point of aim with the 158gr stuff.

Trigger can take a bit of getting used to: try to ride it like a conventional DA revolver (I'd been shooting my 625 immediately prior) and you get the unique experience of "doubling" with a revolver. The heavy gun comes down out of recoil and, as your trigger finger wonders why the trigger's not coming forward like it expects, *BOOMBOOM!* :o
 
My new Mateba is a BIOTCH to extract when the cylinders get dirty... (so I keep a .40 cal brush in the case with it, to use as a chamber cleaner)

if I keep it clean, it shoots and extracts very well...

it feels very solid to me, it has the feel of a well-built handgun, solid, rugged...

I got the 6" model, and it is a bit barrel heavy, but is managable (no worse than my Dan Wesson .44, with the 8" tube)

Decocking on a live round takes a bit of getting used to, but it is FAR more fun to shoot it empty anyway!

Congrats on your new handgun!
 
The Mateba...

...is a rather beefy-feeling all-steel revolver.

Feels like a L- or N-frame with one more moving part. ;)
 
Can't you just open the cylinder, empty out the ammo, then drop the hammer and reload? Seems simple enough to me unless there is a lock that prevents the cylinder from coming out if the hammer is back. The more you guys talk about them the more I want one. Don't you know there are P-38s, sistemas, M-1 Carbines and SP-1s I need to get!!!! Stop it!! LAter.
 
Jason... I can hear a MAteba calling you... listen, cant you hear that????

it wants to come home and live with you...

it's in need of a good home... can't you hear that?
 
With the revolvers I have, you cannot unload the cylinder when the hammer is cocked. When the hammer is back, the cylinder is locked and cannot be pivotted open. If you want to lower the hammer, you must do so by pulling the trigger and holding the hammer to allow it to go down slowly. If the hammer slips, the revolver fires. With autos, on the other hand, you can remove the mag and cycle the slide to unload the chamber, even when the hammer or striker is cocked--right? And some autos have a decocker which safely lowers the hammer with a round in the chamber.

Drakejake
 
The Mateba...

...works like that; the cylinder can't be opened while the hammer is cocked.

Puzzled the guy that I let shoot it at the range last night.

He really enjoyed it, though. I knew I had to let him shoot it when I heard him talking to lendringser: "That's a Mateba, isn't it? One of those Italian semi-automatic revolvers? I've seen pictures of 'em but never seen one in real life".

Sounded just like me before I bought one. :)
 
A unique expierience.

I believe I was was the person Tamara allowed to fire the Matebe. It was interesting. I had been firing a 3" GP-100 and the single action mode on the Mateba made me think I was about to "double". The grip angle was also unique. It almost made me think of a Bisley.
 
Moander,

Welcome to TFL! :)


Glad you enjoyed shooting it! (Heck, I'm glad I enjoyed shooting it; I bought it sight unseen, just based on its cool looks and third-hand reputation. ;) Then CDNN had the nerve to knock another hundred bucks off the going rate after I bought mine. Ain't that always how it works?)
 
I bought my MAteba because of Tamara's glowing reviews of the gun... (and I am not sorry for a second that I did buy it!)
 
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