Asking members with experience on the Edgun R5M

Jump to latest Follow Reply
cj_86

cj_86

Member
Jul 3, 2015
311
41
Illinois, United States
Curious if anyone has any experience with the new Edgun R5M? I am very interested in the standard length in .25 caliber and what really drew my attention is how robust the build appears on the reviews I have watched and just amazed after watching a video of Mr. Edgun himself run it over with a truck.

What I am interested in:

1) How is the build quality compared to FX? 

- Reason I chose FX because I have owned the Bobcat (MK2), Impact, and Royale in the $1,500+ category of PCP's

2) The price tag at $1875 is starting to get up there where as the previous generation, R3M, is now at $1249. Does it seem to have the $625 extra of improvements vs the R3M?

I've listed only the 2 topics of discussion ,but I am interested on any thoughts that you may have. These are just the 2 things that came up to mind.



CJ
 
I own the R5M in 25 caliber in standard length. Mine is set up to shoot the 25.4g JSB Kings at 900 fps. I also own the R5 in 30 caliber, Lelya 2.0 in 25 caliber, and an FX Crown in 25 caliber.

1. Build quality is the same or better - it's more robust and can be literally run over by a car and still shoots accurate. Yes, there is a video from Ed himself doing it.

2. Price tag is $1875 but that includes an adjustable regulator and hammer spring, an included moderator which is very effective in keeping the gun quiet, and so all you need to add is pellets and air. It's also easy to add on a Picatinny rail for under $10 should you need one. It also includes a laminate walnut stock for the same price as the regular walnut stock.

I cannot tell you anything about the R3M vs R5M except that the R5M is very easy to field strip and work up with basic tools should you need to.

This one is mine:



I have yet to hear any bad reviews of the Matadors when it comes to reliability, accuracy, or overall build quality
 
  • Like
Reactions: cj_86
Upvote 0
Wow I haven’t seen a laminated R5M yet and yours looks amazing! Love that red and gray colors. Also that scope is super low which is what I would prefer given that it is still comfortable How’s the R5M feel shooting on the bench on bipod vs your Crown? I am more used to “traditional” rifle and the Bobcat on bipod on the bench felt too tall and awkward for me vs the Royale and I could never find that comfortable bench position. Awesome picture by the way and thanks for sharing!
 
Upvote 0
Here's a link to the post I created a while ago with more pictures:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/edgun-matador-r5m-eye-candy-pics-inside/

As far as bench shooting, the R5M is comfortable to shoot off the bench. It does not feel top heavy but it certainly is a departure from the low profile of the Crown. I prefer to shoot the Crown from the bench much more than the R5M. The R5M is more at home in the field when hunting is the goal. It's compact and much more maneuverable and sturdy for field use. I have the synthetic Crown but still prefer the R5M or Lelya for field use as they're so compact and the handling is so good.

Here's the link to the various laminate stock options for the R5M:

https://www.edgunwest.com/store/p113/Lelya_2.0_Laminate_.25_caliber.html

I also have the Lelya 2.0 25 caliber in laminate as well:



I prefer super low mounts on my scopes. Some guys complain that there is no plastic piece on the gun where to put your cheek, so they mention that in cold weather that would be uncomfortable. Also, some guys have complained that they don't like the "ping" they hear when firing the gun. It's true there is a "ping" when the gun fires since the ear is so close to the action, but there is no ringing of the ears, and it is not uncomfortable at all. I'm also 36 years old so my ears are still good.
 
Upvote 0
I am interested in the .25 cal model and I can't help to wonder how does the Leyla 2.0 have only 5 less shots per fill vs the R5M standard? Was that a mistake? The Leyla is a shorter and more compact rig and having 35 full power shots is pretty amazing. 
1f632.svg
Click to expand...


I'm actually getting 30 with a 210 bar fill, 60 with a 300bar fill.
 
Upvote 0
I have a .25 R5M long and it is well engineered and built tough!

My first priority is that it had to be backyard friendly with my needed hunting accuracy better than .5" at 25 yards and have over 40 FPE. Secondary priorities were weight, length and operational mechanics.

The R5M long with some added foam and felt is super quiet without any add LDC. I haven't tried anything else but a 25 Marauder and it is much quieter than that at a high power level. I don't believe any other gun stock with the same FPE would be as quiet as my R5M. Adding a LDC add cost, weight and length. An LDC isn't needed with the R5M long but I believe any other gun would need one to keep my neighbors happy. It is so quiet I started working on a better pellet trap. Hitting a dirt hillside was too noisy. Hitting a rubber mulch trap with a rubber tile front is much quieter. I have to try some damp card stock as someone on this forum said that was quieter than regular paper.

Does that R5M have any short comings? 

Some has complained about hammer noise or ping. It doesn't bother me at all but my hearing is gone and I'm not expected complete silence for the shooter, only near complete silence for my neighbors.

Some has said the trigger isn't good enough. I believe you cannot reduce the length of the 1st stage pull without increasing the 2nd stage weight. A lighter 2nd stage requires you to accept a longer 1st stage :( However if you can live with that, I got the trigger to be very good between 1 to 1.5 lbs with no over travel. I would say that is pretty good.

Someone complained about the mag ejecting itself during loading cycle. I believe that is caused by not fully seating the pellets flush or below the mag's surface. I 3d printed a tool to do just that. It makes inserted the pellets correctly and no brainer and easy cycling without any damaged pellet skirts.

Accuracy I don't know for sure because I'm still learning how to use it correctly, but I got a few 0.25" five shot groups CTC at 34 yards. Most recently they opened up a bit to maybe .33". So I cleaned the barrel (very easy to do) and will see if that improves the group size. This was with JSB Kings. I tried a bunch of other pellets they all shot well without any tuning except for Grizzlies that maybe were going too slow. I have read that FX barrels can't do that.

Out of the box no air leaks, very small ES and SD, no regulator creep. That seems to be the norm on some other brands having some run to a Huma regulator.

I was thinking of a Wildcat, Impact or Vulcan as well but chose the R5M because the others would have require and LDC to be quiet enough negating the size and weight advantages of those guns and even cost of some of those guns. I have no doubts that some other guns cycle more smoothly and have even better trigger pulls and accuracy. It all about what is more important to you. 
 
Upvote 0


Someone complained about the mag ejecting itself during loading cycle. I believe that is caused by not fully seating the pellets flush or below the mag's surface. I 3d printed a tool to do just that. It makes inserted the pellets correctly and no brainer and easy cycling without any damaged pellet skirts.
Click to expand...

Do you have pictures of the tool you made and do you sell them?
 
Upvote 0
I own the R5M in 25 caliber in standard length. Mine is set up to shoot the 25.4g JSB Kings at 900 fps. I also own the R5 in 30 caliber, Lelya 2.0 in 25 caliber, and an FX Crown in 25 caliber.

1. Build quality is the same or better - it's more robust and can be literally run over by a car and still shoots accurate. Yes, there is a video from Ed himself doing it.

2. Price tag is $1875 but that includes an adjustable regulator and hammer spring, an included moderator which is very effective in keeping the gun quiet, and so all you need to add is pellets and air. It's also easy to add on a Picatinny rail for under $10 should you need one. It also includes a laminate walnut stock for the same price as the regular walnut stock.

I cannot tell you anything about the R3M vs R5M except that the R5M is very easy to field strip and work up with basic tools should you need to.

This one is mine:



I have yet to hear any bad reviews of the Matadors when it comes to reliability, accuracy, or overall build quality
Click to expand...

what rings are you using for the scope?


 
Upvote 0
it has no proper side lever so you will not have the benefits of the leverage so will be harder to cock, difficult to say what are your expectations so dont be surpriced

also i dont think they had the plastic magazine in during the Jeep testing lol

by the way the scope always sits high on a bullpup. that moderator is offset it means the hole is on the bottom so further away from the scope axis than you would have thought.



you cant compare build quality to FX, it is like comparing real weapons to plastic toys lol this may sound harsh but the difference is overwhelming.
 
Upvote 0
it has no proper side lever so you will not have the benefits of the leverage so will be harder to cock, difficult to say what are your expectations so dont be surpriced

also i dont think they had the plastic magazine in during the Jeep testing lol

by the way the scope always sits high on a bullpup. that moderator is offset it means the hole is on the bottom so further away from the scope axis than you would have thought.



you cant compare build quality to FX, it is like comparing real weapons to plastic toys lol this may sound harsh but the difference is overwhelming.
Click to expand...

Do you own a Edgun? If you do, you think it is a difficult to cock? Are all bolt actions difficult for you too? Do you think you really need extra mechanical leverage? Could you do a comparative review on both your FX and your Edgun. Thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: intenseaty22
Upvote 0
CJ,

The Matador R5M has a great side lever cocking arm and carrier. It rides on ball bearings and becomes smoother the more you use it. Best part is that it’s ambidextrous. I shoot right handed and on any other rifle, I’ll take my right hand off the grip to activate the cocking mechanism. The R5M has spoiled me as now I can keep my right hand and finger in the same place and use my support hand (left) to rack the slide and advance the magazine. Once you try it, no matter what hand you use, you’ll love it. 

Sure it doesn’t have the mechanical advantage of the FX side lever, so it’s not as effortless, but the R5M cocking is smooth with no grit or excess force needed. My 4 year old son can cock my Lelya and R5M without issue so don’t listen to those that don’t own these guns. 
 
Upvote 0
I am not to concerned about cocking effort. My first PCP was a Benjamin Marauder in .25 and I remember thinking that thing was hard to cock the bolt, but that is because I was so used to bolt actions on my powder burning rifles which required much less effort sliding back because there is no hammer spring adding resistance. Once I got in the mindset that when I cock the Marauder I am also compressing a hammer spring it was never an issue ever again. As my experience with the rifle grew, I even started to changed my hand position on the bolt and started to press my thumb directly behind the bolt to offer additional support to pull back and reduce the binding.

What I interpreted from Milacik comment regarding the bolt, is that it may not have as much mechanical advantage vs the side lever of a, for example FX Royale, which I don't argue ,but also not concerned about :) The distance of the barrel's bore and scope axis also doesn't concern me because I have a bubble level to show how much my rifle is canted. The quality of all the FX rifles I have owned to date have been excellent ,but I am looking for something a little more robust. 

I am excited to try the ambidextrous bolt too because I can see an advantage of keeping your "strong" hand on the trigger while racking the action for a follow up shot. Of all the research I have done online and all your guy's input, my only problem now is deciding on what color stock and if I need a R5M or Leyla haha!




 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu