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Revo Matrix Camo

Revo Matrix Camo

The other day I was criticised for being the champion of cheap shotgunning. My answer was contradictory - as you might expect - instead pointing out to my critic that I am the advocate of affordable shotgunning. In other words whilst expensive shotguns are all well and good, our current financial plight means hard earned cash usually needs directing towards other more important items. That of course doesn’t mean that there aren’t some good new shotguns out there for the cash conscious shooter… and Revo’s Matrix Camo from the Sportsmans Gun Centre a glowing example.

At just £424-99p for the Mossy Oak Duck Blind Camo version as tested, the same price as the Deluxe blued receiver and walnut stock and forend version or £50 less for the black synthetic version, after you’ve shot one of these inertia driven semi-autos you start to wonder why other manufacturers charge what they do. The brand new price of this Matrix is around half of the second hand cost of many Italian semis.

Turkey Trot

Manufactured in Turkey by one of the usual proprietary makers, the Matrix and the rest of the Revo range more or less echo the English gun trade. For many years especially in the muzzle loading, black powder era, certain makers made guns with whatever name you wanted stamped on them. Interesting to a degree I once saw a 10 – bore made by ‘The Black Bull’, one of a short run of smoothbores made for said pub’s landlord for him and his regular customers. So the Revo range brings this old tradition bang up to date.

That said though it certainly isn’t to the detriment of the Matrix; this energy driven single-barrel 12 bore is an extremely capable and effective shotgun. As already stated the Matrix is available in three different finishes with a choice of barrel lengths and for those with the paperwork, there’s also a 5 shot FAC model.

In The Bag

Just because you’re parting with far less cash than you might have expected it doesn’t mean you don’t get everything you need. The Matrix comes complete with a fitted travelling case and a small case that contains the additional ‘Primo’ chokes and key. Flush-fit extended which means the muzzle flare’s ever so slightly, the set is made up of the usual restrictions namely ¼, ½ and full, although for most purposes especially non-toxic the ½ is as much as any shooter is likely to need, the ¼ noticeably useful for clays, crows and other species of vermin.

Unless you opt for the Deluxe version that comes with wooden furniture, the Composite and Camo both feature synthetic stocks and forends. A thick, soft recoil pad finishes off a well sized sporter-style stock with moulded chequered panels on either side of the grip and long, slender forend, this in turn held in place by an extended, easy to grip magazine cap.

Completely swathed in Duck Blind camouflage, the 28” barrel has a vented 7mm cross-cut rib featuring a bright green hi-viz bead, the 3” chamber and barrel extension feed into the alloy receiver and around the rotating head bolt.

Now one vital piece of information must be mentioned at this point. When you’re assembling the Matrix first ensure the bolt is locked in the rearward position and that you hold the forend in place on the barrel with the barrel ring firmly located inside the forend before offering the barrel - forend up to the receiver. Reason being, the forend doesn’t fit in the usual fashion which is to say it doesn’t slide down over the mag tube once the barrel has been fitted.

Hook and Eye

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The receiver is like many semi-autos dovetailed for those who might wish to fit some form of scope, not a particularly English trait put popular with many European hunters. Apart from the black bolt and trigger-blade, the only other components to escape the Mossy Oak presence is the extended, hook shaped bolt handle and bolt release. Only slightly longer than usual it makes the bolt far easier to operate when wearing gloves and allows the shooter’s finger to find the bolt quickly even without looking whilst the bolt release extends just that fraction more, once again increasing speed of operation.

Located in the forward span of the trigger-guard, a large cross-bolt safety sits just to the rear of the bolt latch, both of which fall quickly beneath the tip of the shooter’s trigger finger without having to remove the hand. Loading wise the ejection port facilitates the first round whilst a long shell lifter allows the following pair of cartridges unimpeded access to the magazine tube. So in other words, the layout of the Matrix is exactly what you’d expect from any semi-auto, it’s the over sizing of certain items that improve the basic design. 

Hours Away

Arriving just a few hours before I was due to take part in a fifty bird sporting competition, it transpired that taking the Matrix was a wise move.  A moment or two with the Arrow Laser Shot confirmed that the Matrix was a flat shooter and that the dimensions were as they should be. Weighing in at 7lbs 2oz, a goodly bulk for any inertia semi, given the nature of the cyclic system, the overall length is 49 3/8” which means the gun doesn’t feel overly long. 

Drops at comb and heel are 1 9/16” and 2 7/16” whilst the length of pull is a comfortable 14½” mated to a crisp, creep free although a tad heavy trigger release weight of 7lbs 5oz, an amount of pressure that the Matrix would benefit from having lowered even by a couple of pounds. A physicality that does seem a little strange at first is the rather open curvature of the pistol grip that either forces the hand further up the grip than usual or means the shooter has to stretch their finger to located and pull the non-adjustable blade. Whilst it’s not especially uncomfortable to start with it feels unusual for the first few shots.

These two small concerns aside, loaded up with 28 gram Eley VIP Sporting fibre loads and choked up with the ¼ tube, the Matrix performed flawlessly delivering a forty plus score on a fifty bird layout, the clays missed down to me and not the gun. Felt recoil is kept to a minimum courtesy of the butt pad, the efficiency of the action and the well thought out dimensional angles whilst the slim forend allows the Matrix to be redirected in an instant, the gun almost malleable in the leading hand.

Duck Down

The other benefit of having taken the Matrix was the fact I’d been invited to do a little duck flighting on the way home which also gave me a chance to try Eley’s new 3” 32 gram Lightening Steel loads. A confirmed steel shot sceptic my views have changed after using these cartridges, their speed and ability to pluck mallard out of the sky seriously impressive as was the performance of the Matrix. It worked well with 28 gram loads but with the 32’s it seemed to come alive, the lore powerful loads driving the inertia action with enthusiasm my having left the ¼ choke fitted meaning the restriction had increased to ½ courtesy of the steel shot characteristics.

Normally after a couple of outings I tend to call my testing of any shotgun at an end. But the chance to take out a few squirrels, woodies and crows meant the Matrix came out again this time with 32 gram Eley game load. Once again this Revo semi did the business with ease whilst certain of my companions intrigued as to exactly what the gun was had to be shown the Gunmart advert to convince them of the price.

How Do They Do It?

No matter how you stack it you have to ask yourself one question namely how do the manufacturers of the Revo Matrix do it for the price? The Matrix was on the money straight out of its case, it performed and handled competently, is well finished and displays levels of versatility that will satisfy most shooters. Granted, if I was asked would there be anything I’d change, the answer is yes. I’d tighten up the curvature of the stock’s grip and I’d lighten the trigger release weight by around a pound. But that’s all I’d do on a shotgun that cost a lump less than £500 or to put it another way, a fraction of the Matrix’s Italian counterparts.

It breaks clay with 28 gram loads, drops ducks, pigeons and crows with ease when loaded up with 32 gram shells and when chambered up with Eley’s new steel loads pulls ducks out of the sky with the best of them. Likewise, where it really counts is that it did everything I asked of it without exception and with total efficiency and reliability. The only thing the Matrix won’t break is the bank and that’s something few shotguns can lay claim to these days.

Unless I’m missing something, there’s nothing whatsoever wrong with Revo’s Matrix. Granted the Mossy Oak camo isn’t to everyone’s taste but the gun is available in two alternative finishes. For myself I like the Duck Blind surface coating, it matches my new hunting suit from Rivers West and I do like things to match!

  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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  • Revo Matrix Camo - image {image:count}

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gun
features

  • Name: Revo Matrix Camo
  • Calibre: 12 bore
  • Capacity: 3
  • Barrels: 28”
  • Action: Inertia semi-automatic
  • Stock: Synthetic sporter
  • Weight: 7lbs 2oz
  • Chokes: 3 x flush-fit multi-chokes
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