well here it goes this is the first review i have ever done!! and its on the matrix 1911 carbine.
the matrix 1911 carbine starts off as a WE TECH 1911 Government style, single stack. i purchased the carbine from evike for $140, you can purchase this gun with the 1911 installed or you can just buy the conversion kit if you already own a 1911. the kit its self is made of what seems to be a very strong nylon fiber of some sort, the rails are metal along with the tip of the outer barrel and the threads of the buffer tube. the top rail traverses all along the top of the gun, but unfortunately does not include iron signs so you would have to mount a red dot (as i have done). or mount some iron sights. on the evike's web site it states that it take gbb m4 style stocks and buffer tubes. when purchasing the gun i also ordered a steel buffer tube compatible with we western arms and other brands. to my dismay the buffer tube was too small and fell sort by about two mm.
as you can see in the pic i used a small bit of electrical tape to widen the threads, with a little work it fit and hopefully will hold up in battle. the buffer tube attachment as a small bit of wobble in it and the plastic starts to split apart on the gun when you install the buffer tube, which is why i was placed some electrical tape on the carbine as well hopefully this will hold.
moving forward on the gun you come across the safety and slide release unfortunately both are extremely hard to get too, the safety not so much but the slide release needs to be released with the opposite hand. there is a small bit of plastic that strengthens the hand guard (where the gun attaches to the carbine). so filing it down is out of the question. but i have seen on previous reviews that when the gun starts to wear you can pull the charging handle back and it will release the slide but i have yet to see that.
moving foward to the charging handle. its made of metal but its mechanism is made of plastic so it will be interesting to see if it holds up internaly it is a small bar that runs along the inside of the carbine and has a small notch that pulls the slide of the 1911 back, unfortunatly the the charging handle does not blow back with the slide but im sure that can be fixed
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the rails on the carbine are quite strong and gives you plenty of realistate. you can even mount a grenade launcher on the front if you so choose. i have chosen to mount a reflex sight and a fore grip.
when i purchased the carbine it was recommended that i buy the madbull extended tight bore inner/ outer barrel combo, it is threaded so i though about installing a silencer but when i installed it i came to the sad realisasion that it will never happen because the barrel doesn't sit directly in the middle of the carbine it sits about 2 mm from the top which doesnt leave any room inside for a silencer, you can place an outer barrel and flash hider on the gun that extends out the outer barrel of the carbine, which is what i plan to do.
when i purchased the carbine i also picked up the matrix cqb master upgrade kit, this kit included a hardened loading nozzle strengthened recoil and hammer spring and a new piston. the nozzle piston head and recoil spring made a great difference and i highly recommend this kit if you buy this gun. the hammer spring only made the gas efficiency way worse than it already was. as well as purchasing the madbull inner/ outer barrel combo, this upgrade is a must as it more than doubled range and accuracy. turning this gun into a great cqb gun and if you have the mags, it would make a great primary field rifle.
the pros of this gun are
it has an excellent build quality
lots of rail space allowing you to mount any rail accessory your heart could desire
gives you lots of control and increases accuracy due to having a stock and fore grip
an interesting set up that gives you so many options
a few cons
the stock is bigger than most buffer tubes so modification is required, and has a little wobble to the stock
the barrel sits too high in the gun so you cant mount a silencer :/
it doesnt come with iron sights but thats not a big deal
no sling mounts!!! and with the stock not very secure im worried about mounting a sling to the stock
you can only use single stack 1911s so you can forget about any extended mags. like the hi capa ones.
this is a very cool gun and i would recomend it to anyone, its fun and different.
