Matrix Mauser Kar 98K WWII German Infantry Bolt Action Service Rifle (Model: Faux Wood)

"This rifle is hands-down the best airsoft firearm I have had the pleasure of shooting. I've had it for about a month now, but have not yet had the chance to field it. I do however use it daily to shoot a 5.5" target at about 15/20 feet away, and when shooting in 10 shot groups I find I'm hitting the "black" (score 7+) more and more each time, as a matter of fact this morning I landed 7 out of 10 in the high score area (For reference I am shooting Elite Force .32g BB's). I did have to adjust the hop-up halfway to get it to this point though, I believe anything over or under leads to inconsistencies in the shot but since I seem to have found my sweet spot I haven't really experimented with different levels.

The action is smooth, and once you get the motion of it down to muscle memory you'll be able to fire a whole magazine without a single bolt jam. At first you might not be used to the magazine's empty feature where the bolt will lock in place, but once you've felt it a few times you won't be surprised if you're not counting your shots. If you do keep count and know you've fired your last BB, then my recommendation is to replace the magazine before cocking the bolt, then rack your next shot. That way you don't have to pull the bolt and hit the magazine release at the same time, which does feel awkward to do and I'm not sure how that's going to work out in actual play with the rifle. It's an intended feature, don't try forcing the magazine out without pulling the bolt back and pressing the release at the same time. If you've loaded it with the bolt out, simply pull it back again before pushing it forward to rack your next BB. This first shot has been inconsistent for me, sometimes it lands other times it falls a little short.

There is a known issue with this rifle where the safety will get stuck in the "safe to fire" position, I had this myself a few days ago and found a solution via Reddit: spray a little WD-40 in the safety, let it sit for a minute, then turn it upside down and hold it that way for another minute or so, then the safety should be operable again. I myself have no idea why this happens, but I know how to fix it so that's good enough for me.

This rifle does not ship with any diagrams or manuals, so if you're looking to take it apart or upgrade it you're kind of at the mercy of the internet to find the necessary resources, however it's pretty impeccable as is so I don't see the need to dismantle it, long-term usage notwithstanding as again I've only had my rifle for a month and have not yet fielded it in a match. It does come with one magazine and a speed loader, the rubber ring in my loader got pushed out after my second load so you may be better off using a higher quality one if you don't care about losing a few BB's. The magazines have a 23 round capacity, loading more BB's jams them when cycling and you're likely to dry fire. From what I've read this was originally a Snow Wolf product before being acquired by Matrix/ Evike, so SW magazines are compatible (As a matter of fact those are the brand of magazines that were sent when I bought 2 extra mags.)

All in all I am so happy with this rifle. It's my favorite past-time to plink the target now and it's got me hooked on shooting airsoft. Now I'm looking at MP40's lol.

"This thing is an absolute beast. Bought it for 75 at a local arena, and it plays like a champ. It reaches 100 feet ez with .25s to .32s.

The magazines are a dream- but you have to know how to unhook the mag. To take out the mag, you have to pull a little extra on the bolt and unlock it on the trigger guard. Then you can either keep the bolt back, load in the mag while pulling again to grab the next bb, or you can just shut it, dry fire, load the mag and go.

The iron sights are actually phenomenal. 100% unless wind, will go right where your iron is aiming.

The coating thus far has stayed well, through bramble and falls, and apparently has lots of upgrades.

Get it for the look. Keep it for the performance.

"Inexpensive rifle that is good quality and performance. I only use this to shoot in my backyard, I don't go to airsoft games so cant say to how well it does there. I did have feeding issues in the beginning but it has gone away now and not sure what the issue was. It shoots .28 bbs fast and very hard!

4.5/5