Proto Matrix History?

[mikew]

Can someone fill me in on the history of the Proto Matrix?

I've just recommissioned a couple of early '05 models and was curious about their origin. Apart from their rather chunky looks they appear to be nicely put together and look like quality markers.

All they needed were new urethane o-rings in the HP regulator and bolt assembly. Apart from that there are no signs of wear so I suspect that neither marker has seen much use.

[ChuckLove]

These were Dye Matrix markers at a cheaper price point. They had 4 model years and we're discontinued (most likely) because they cannibalized the sales of the high end Dye Matrix guns. They used the same bolt system as well as many of the same parts of the higher end models.

I'm a big fan of both the PM7 & PM8 models as they were more slimmed down and still hold up well against today's offerings. Dye really put the nail in the coffin with the PM8 which came with the Ultralight frame that was used on their DM line as well.

[Trbo323]

These were Dye Matrix markers at a cheaper price point. They had 4 model years and we're discontinued (most likely) because they cannibalized the sales of the high end Dye Matrix guns. They used the same bolt system as well as many of the same parts of the higher end models.

I'm a big fan of both the PM7 & PM8 models as they were more slimmed down and still hold up well against today's offerings. Dye really put the nail on the coffin with the PM8 which came with the Ultralight frame that was used on their DM line as well.

Kind of

The proto line was more often a test bed for the dye matrix line. This is why you would often see innovations come into the proto line a year ahead of the dye line. Some of them got innovated into the dye line, others, when used on a mass scale turned out to not be good ideas so they were dropped

That 05 you have there, go compare it to the dm6. You can even see it in the body styling.

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[MrBarraclough]

Yup, hence the name Proto as in "prototype."

[dano_____]

The PM8 was peak spoolie. It was such a good design that the same bolt was used in the DM for a few years after it's release. The vertical lpr was quite nice to slim up the front and if it wasn't for the eye pipe I would have nothing to complain about it compared to other DMs.

[nadrepadre]

The dye matrix fuse bolts had a larger dump chamber than their proto counterparts. This gave them lower operating pressures. Example pm6-230 psi, dm6-145 psi. They are decent markers though.

[Trbo323]

The dye matrix fuse bolts had a larger dump chamber than their proto counterparts. This gave them lower operating pressures. Example pm6-230 psi, dm6-145 psi. They are decent markers though.

Sure but one of the more common mods was the top hat mods to decrease the dump chamber volume of the dms. I still have one in my dm6. It was so common that a lot of aftermarket bolts came with parts to do it

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[mikew]

Many thanks everyone for the info...

I hope you all have a great Christmas

Cheers!
Mike

[nadrepadre]

Sure but one of the more common mods was the top hat mods to decrease the dump chamber volume of the dms. I still have one in my dm6. It was so common that a lot of aftermarket bolts came with parts to do it

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Yeah you might gain an immeasurable amount of efficiency, but you have to increase the hpr to get velocity up and then it sounds like an ego and you are missing out on the point of shooting a trix to begin with.

[Trbo323]

Yeah you might gain an immeasurable amount of efficiency, but you have to increase the hpr to get velocity up and then it sounds like an ego and you are missing out on the point of shooting a trix to begin with.

I'll go ahead and disagree with that. I have a dm6 with a top hat mod and it is nothing even close to sounding/feeling like a poppet

Properly done the top hat mods increased efficiency over anything else because dye made the dump chamber too large to begin with

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[Brokeass_baller]

I agree with turbo. I've had DMs in the past that took a considerable amount of tape wrap before I even got velocity drop. There's a lot of extra space that isn't needed at all.

[glaman5266]

A number of locals back in the day bought these. Then they all complained when they would blow an o-ring or simply not function. You can't skip their maintenance or beat the snot out of them like everyone else did with their Tippmanns. lol

But these are still great shooters. Aside from some parts that aren't made anymore, the chonk is really their only drawback, which itself is subjective. Don't turn your nose up at these.

[mikew]

I'll go ahead and disagree with that. I have a dm6 with a top hat mod and it is nothing even close to sounding/feeling like a poppet

Properly done the top hat mods increased efficiency over anything else because dye made the dump chamber too large to begin with

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Love this sort of info

What did the mod entail, was it a spacer like on the EOS?

[Trbo323]

A number of locals back in the day bought these. Then they all complained when they would blow an o-ring or simply not function. You can't skip their maintenance or beat the snot out of them like everyone else did with their Tippmanns. lol

But these are still great shooters. Aside from some parts that aren't made anymore, the chonk is really their only drawback, which itself is subjective. Don't turn your nose up at these.

Really depends on the year. I have a 6 that I bought in 08, I'll argue that the 6 was one of the best years. 07 is when the eye pipe came in. But mine has sat in my bag for almost a year before, I put a new battery in and it worked just fine

Love this sort of info

What did the mod entail, was it a spacer like on the EOS?

I'm not sure what the EOS one was like but sounds like it. Literally anything that took up space in the dump chamber that didn't interfere with the bolt movement. Some people used tape, I've heard of garden hose, a lot of aftermarket bolts came with plastic spacers

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[mikew]

I'm not sure what the EOS one was like but sounds like it. Literally anything that took up space in the dump chamber that didn't interfere with the bolt movement. Some people used tape, I've heard of garden hose, a lot of aftermarket bolts came with plastic spacers

The EOS has a removable carrier that holds one of three supplied spacers. It's very Freak like which is understandable given the parent company.

[Trbo323]

The EOS has a removable carrier that holds one of three supplied spacers. It's very Freak like which is understandable given the parent company.

Yeah it's pretty much the same idea then.

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