Author Topic: Matrix M240 Bravo  (Read 4253 times)

MickeyD

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Matrix M240 Bravo
« on: August 10, 2015, 12:37:09 AM »
Hey guys, Mickey with So Go Airsoft here again. This review will be over the Matrix M240 Bravo, based on the medium machine gun utilized by U.S. armed forces since the late 1970's. The real-steel version has become an iconic firearm for America's military due to it's massive proportions, being over four feet long and weighing almost 30 pounds. There is a lot to cover with this brute, but I will try to keep it brief.



To start off, I would like to clear up some things about past and present M240s in the world of airsoft. I am doing this because there is a massive amount of misinformation (otherwise known as the internet) that leads buyers to believe that almost every airsoft gun is a re-brand of some sort. Aside from the absurdly rare Inokatsu, there are currently four incarnations of the M240 in airsoft today. You can list more than four brands that sell one, but they are all derived from the same four OEM platforms. The first is the original Trigger Happy M240, of which the others share it's design. Next came the Echo 1 (probably the best selling model of the four). S&T and JG (Golden Eagle) are the most recent companies to market their own M240, and are also the ones who actually get re-branded. The S&T is rebranded under names like Lancer Tactical while the JG is re-branded under the name Matrix.





 So there you have it, the Matrix M240 Bravo is made by JG. What does this mean? Simply put, this gun does not have all of the bells and whistles such as a MOSFET or tightbore barrel out of the box. What it does have is a beefy gearbox that is ready to handle tens of thousands of rounds without skipping a beat. It didn't take long for me to get into the gearbox and start poking and prodding, seeing what this gun is really made of. My first impressions were "This looks like a pretty standard JG to me" but it actually has a couple of features that aid in it's role as a machine gun. The gears appear to be Ver. 2/3 in design, but with thicker teeth that are less prone to breaking. To drive these beefy gears is a very high torque motor, meaning you can drop in a heavier spring if you wish to do so.

Out of the box, the gun comes with a M110-M120 spring (I couldn't tell which) and shoots about 400 FPS with a .20 gram BB. The rate of fire is perfect for a support role; at around 15 RPS on a large 9.6V battery, it sends enough plastic downrange to suppress other players without eating through your ammo too quickly. Speaking of which, the box magazine holds somewhere around 5000 BBS and can be removed/installed relatively easily. Simply lift up the feed tray and cover, disconnect the wire that powers the magazine, and lift the magazine up and off of the gun. Honestly the hardest part is connecting the wire and making sure you don't pinch it when closing the cover, which is why I choose to use 7.62 dummy rounds to secure the wire to the feed tray. Overall, I like the magazine design and it seems to feed well, though increasing the rate of fire will likely lead to misfeeds.


Note: The Matrix M240 does not come with dummy 7.62 belt


Next is the hop-up, which has a much better design than other machine guns on the market. It features a rotary dial and does not flip the nub on it's side like a typical M249 or M60 hop-up does. This is great, as it allows you to easily install a flat hop. The housing appears to be constructed from aluminum and locks into place nicely against the gearbox. Out of the box, the Matrix M240 could accurately hit targets between 125 and 150 feet away, but with a flat hop it can now shoot over 200 feet with ease.



Now I'll delve into the external construction of the Matrix M240. Most of the gun is aluminum, with some smaller pieces being steel. It features an iconic metal bipod that can only be described as robust, which can be folded and locked into place when not being used. The polymer parts include the carry handle, stock, pistol grip panels, and heat shield. Because of it's construction and sheer size, the gun weighs in at around 19 pounds fully loaded. For the most part the gun is solid, though there is some wobble on the pistol grip and the heat shield. This isn't really an issue as I've been told that these parts are wobbly on the real M240 as well. Overall the externals are fantastic, though I hear a lot of gripe about the constructions of the magazine. True, it's cardboard appearance is not what you would expect. It's honestly kind of hard to vouch for anything on a firearm being cardboard, but it's not by any means flimsy. With a thick nylon casing and a metal interior, the magazine actually feels pretty hefty and rigid. The real M240 actually has a cardboard magazine as well, though from what I can tell most users will ditch the magazine and wrap an ammo belt around themselves to distribute the weight more evenly. Can't blame them, as the magazine hangs entirely off the left side of the weapon.

Lastly, I will share my complaints with the Matrix M240. Most are minor (such as loose screws being present out of the box) but my biggest point of concern is with the stock. It is somewhat thin towards the middle, forcing me to be more careful with it. It is the only part on the entire gun that I can envision breaking if I took a nasty fall with it. The good news is that Echo 1 sells parts for their M240, meaning I can replace anything that breaks on mine since they are cross-compatible. The only other flaw I have seen with this gun has to do with the magazine. Since it is powered by the same battery that powers the motor, the magazine only winds up while the gun is being fired. This is great from a realism standpoint, as you don't have to manually wind the magazine or wait for it to autowind based on tension. The downside is that after installing the magazine you must dry fire the M240 for 4-5 seconds so that ammo will travel a few inches from the magazine to the hop-up via a feed tube. This can be remedied by using a speed loader to preemptively fill the feed tube with BBS before installing the magazine, though I hope that this can be avoided entirely on future models.


Note: The Matrix M240 comes with a large Tamiya connector, I chose to change it to deans as shown in the picture


In conclusion, I would highly recommend the Matrix M240 to anyone who wants an absolutely over-the-top monstrosity to take with them to their next skirmish. The M240 is... obnoxious in a good way? I look forward to pushing its limits at Operation Rebel Yell III in October, after which I will be sure to post an after action report. Until then, I think I have said all I can say about the Matrix M240, but if you have any questions in the meantime feel free to leave them below. If you are interested in buying on yourself, be sure to get in contact with So Go Airsoft where I purchased mine. Thanks for reading!
« Last Edit: December 18, 2015, 10:51:20 AM by MickeyD »
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