Let's talk about the EDgun R3 in .30 and consolidate some info.

Me again. In my continuing addiction to airguns and especially EDgun products, I added an R3 in .30 to the group. I didn't need to be convinced to buy one, I just wanted to tinker and a used one popped on another forum, so now I have it in my clutches.

Here is my reason for starting this thread. I started studying what was out there for info on these and it's a confused, scattered mess. V1, V2, differing hammer designs, valve stem diameters, regulators/plenum styles, different fill ports, etc... I would like to nail down a timeline of the evolution of these and try to consolidate what the final optimized incarnation of these was before the relase of the R5. 

In a nutshell from what I have found, the "V1" was essentially a .25 with a beefed up hammer spring, open fill port on the air cylinder and a heavier hammer (some released with a thicker 3mm valve stem as opposed to the earlier 2mm???).

The "V2", some rework to the hammer???, a 3mm valve stem, and the fill port had a sliding cover. That is what I think covers the changes.

I may be completely wrong about any of this and with the nature of tinkering that goes on, any example may be hybridized with newer/improved parts that no one documented such change before a sale to a current owner. Mine was identified to me as a V2, but I haven't stripped it down to see what bits it has inside. It does have the later sliding fill port cover.

I will welcome any info to help track the progression of the design. Ed has stated in the past that he doesn't necessarily consider some of the changes on any of his guns to be a "new" version, rather that they are design changes that filter into production as he improves things. Obviously, there isn't a huge number of the .30 cal. R3's and many owners may not frequent this forum so I don't expect a huge number of replies, but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks

Mark
 
hey Mark, There's a great FB forum for just the Matador where I think you'll find access to info you want/need... and much easier to find than searching a forum.

It's funny you ask about design progression... I was talking with Brian about the evolution of the design of the Matador and how it's shaped the market. it turned into a fascinating (for me at least) long conversation. My thought was to organize it a bit, and make it available for others to read there was interest.

Cheers,

Tim
 
Just took it down to parade rest. Looks like the one I have has all of the late features. The valve is 3mm, hammer is the all steel heavy, has the plenum extender and the shorter regulator. At minimum, I need a new fill port seal, as the current one looks formed to the screw and seat area. Otherwise, internally everything looks good. This gun is so straightforward to disassemble, you just can't beat the simplicity. Having had my R5M apart several times, it's fascinating how Ed was able to continue simplifying disassembly and add more features. As expected, this post will probably be a slow topic.

Mark
 
hey Mark, There's a great FB forum for just the Matador where I think you'll find access to info you want/need... and much easier to find than searching a forum.

It's funny you ask about design progression... I was talking with Brian about the evolution of the design of the Matador and how it's shaped the market. it turned into a fascinating (for me at least) long conversation. My thought was to organize it a bit, and make it available for others to read there was interest.

Cheers,

Tim

Boy that would be great to see information on this design progression. FB has no appeal for some, including this person. Still it would be nice to see the wheat without the chaff.