Crazy Talk: Trigun Mateba?

[Tribal]

I've always had a lust after Vash the Stampede's pistol in Trigun. I've also got a blued Mateba Auto-Revolver with the 8" barrel. What I'd like to do is have the whole thing nickled and polished, have the grip coated with something durable and black, and (gulp), have the compensator and threading trimmed so that it's flush with the front of the gun. I'm thinking this should run around $400-500.

Thoughts? Opinions? Abuse?

I don't think that altering the barrel length would harm (or even seriously affect) accuracy. I suppose the resale value would be diminished if I ever sold it (which I don't intend to do). Other than that, are there any drawbacks I'm missing?

 

[Cosmoline]

Trigun? No no. If you're going to geek out on anime, it's bebopu or nothin' A show where the bad guy whips out a perfectly detailed Strayer-Voight gets mojo gun cred. Plus it has minimal googly anime expressions.

Besides, isn't the Trigun revolver a break top? And you'd be very foolish to hack a Mateba. The company went belly up and I suspect they will have pretty significant long term collector's interest.

 

[hexidismal]

Normally I'm in the "It's your gun, do what you want to it" camp .. but in this case.. just no. Good lord, No. I'm begging you here to not butcher a Mateba.

 

[jameslovesjammie]

Trigun...isn't that a 3 gun competition where one uses rifle, shotgun, and pistol? Had no idea there was a cartoon about it too!

 

[spiroxlii]

I don't watch much Trigun. Wasn't aware that Vash shot a Mateba. Didn't one of the members of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell carry a Mateba too?

 

[Bezoar]

Triguns Vash, does not use a Mateba, repeat, does NOT.

The closet you can get to what vash uses it to put a 6-8 inch barrel on a nosorog, while putting sw 686 grips on it with a nickel finish, after removing the gas system, and putting weight panels on top of the barrel.

Spend some time on Cosplay boards and the like, and youll find links to a company that produces an airsoft revolver that only needs 30 minutes and 20 dollars worth of parts to become a true replica of vashs gun. THere is or was a guy back in 2002, who was selling conversions of that airsoft gun for like 200 bucks.
And there is also an officially liscened plastic/metal replica that even includes fake ammo. Back in 2002 it was around 300 dollars in america. But they had a 120 dollar version that was a single cast peice of plastic.

 

[TheGrouch]

I had to Google this "Trigun" business to see what you guys were talking about.


Here's a replica of the gun. It goes for $169 US.

http://www.sidkit.com/vashgun_img/vash_revolver.htm


Great Caesar's Ghost, man! Leave that Mateba be.

 

[herohog]

Pictures! We must have pictures!

 

[inherentical]

Didn't one of the members of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell carry a Mateba too?

Togusa does.

I wouldn't hack up a Mateba for Vash's gun, though. Togusa's gun would do me just fine.

 

[White Horseradish]

I could never figure out WTH that show was about. The gun is nifty, though. A sort of a mutant Webley firing from bottom chamber.

 

[Tribal]

I appreciate y'all's input; the idea of screwing with a Mateba isn't an easy decision. On the other hand, the Mateba has detachable barrels and I'm sure having the gun nickled isn't a bad thing. If I have a second barrel trimmed and a second grip dyed/painted black, that should just about do it.

Of course Vash's gun isn't actually a Mateba, but I'm not aware of any other large guns which fire from the six o'clock position. This has been an idea in my head for a while now and if Mateba hadn't gone out of business it'd probably stay that way. I figure this is my last chance to get spare parts so if I don't act now I won't have a chance again.

Do you think most gunsmiths would be able to trim the barrel without rendering the gun unable to fire?

 

[John C]

It sounds like you're going to spend $500 to turn a $1500 gun into a $500 gun.

Also, you have to remember that a gun is like a clock. All parts need to be timed perfectly to work. When messing with one aspect, you need to think what offsetting change you'll have to make it work.

Finally, this is America and it's your gun, so knock yourself out.

-John

 

[skud_dusty]

Please please please don't ruin an already hard to find weapon! Do it to a taurus

 

[Beatnik]

I'm sure having the gun nickled isn't a bad thing.

See the bit about spending $500 to turn a $1500 gun into a $500 gun.

Doing anything to the finish is going to destroy its value. Period.

Do everyone a favor and sell the Mateba to someone who appreciates it, and use that money plus all the money you were going to spend tricking it out to just build the working Vash gun from scratch.

 

[Tribal]

Oh well, it was an interesting idea. I may still look into modifying the spare parts, but if changing the finish is so depreciating I'll hold off on that.

Thanks for all the input; I really appreciate it.

Of course, now I need to start daydreaming about how to build a working 6 o'clock large-frame revolver in .45 Colt. One more thing on the the list of "like-to-owns."

 

[Deer Hunter]

I never understood why a company doesn't start making modern break-open revolvers. It's not a strength issue, because .357 mag ones have been made.

 

[Tribal]

Deer Hunter,

I was wondering that, too. Vash's gun is supposedly modeled after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schofield_Model_3">Schofield Model 3</a>, which is in .45 (although Schofield, not Colt). Why couldn't a 6 o'clock barrel be put on such a weapon?

(Yes, for extra accuracy and pointlessness, you could try and rig a tiny tactical light in the top part of the frame)

 

[mrmeval]

Actually the pistol in Trigun is a mismash of a break top and a mateba. I've watched the series and cannot remember if it's loaded as a breaktop.

 

[GunTech]

The Mateba has an aluminum barrel shroud, so chrome is pretty much out.

 

[Hugo]

Don't be foolish and mess with a good thing. Be happy to have Togusa's pistol from Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Zundfolge]

Looking at how the replica is put together, it looks like it would be a rather simple revolver to build if you had access to a CNC machine. Start with the plans for a S&W Double Action First Model and beef it up a bit.

Difficult part is going to be developing the trigger mechanism. The transfer bar is going to have to be way down by the fulcrum of the hammer so its going to take a pretty heavy trigger spring to bring down the hammer hard and fast enough (so the trigger is going to suffer a bit).

I'd think a big bore revolver shooting from the bottom cylinder would be nice ... wouldn't twist the wrist as much.

 

[Matt304]

Tribal,

I have just recently been trying to purchase a Mateba in 454 Casull. The problem is that I will not buy the thing with that goofy looking muzzle brake which is blued, and on a nickle gun.

A guy from GunBroker said he can get me what I want, the 8" barrel without comp, in nickel. This is exactly what you want, nothing protruding the end. The problem is that he cannot get them right at this moment, but sometime shortly I hope.

So, if they already make the exact gun that you want minus the grips, why don't you simply sell yours and buy it?

 

[Tribal]

Matt304,

Sadly, there are two reasons why I can't do that (it'd be completely reasonable otherwise). Firstly, AWA is the only importer I know of, and they're out of .454. Secondly, the problem isn't the compensator but the barrel itself: it extends for about 3/4 of an inch past the front of the shroud (it has a piece that can screw on to protect the threading), so even removing the compensator still leaves me with a barrel protruding past the front of my gun.

On the other hand, a lot of the publicity photos for the Mateba have a barrel that is basically flush with the front of the gun, so it seems to be possible. I'm sure the compensated version is better for hunting, but the flush version for display.

 

[SDC]

The same guy that designed the Mateba (Emile Ghisoni) has a new design out, but I don't think it's in full production yet; he calls it the "Rhino", and it has the same "cartridge fires from the bottom chamber in the cylinder" layout.

 

[Tribal]

SDC,

That looks like a beefed-up version of the Nosorog (Russian for "Rhino") Bezoar mentioned before. If they made a long-barreled version that didn't cost an arm and a leg I'd be all over it.