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The Mateba "auto revolver"- Does anyone actually one one?

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IIRC, Tamara has one. A search on THR might yield a thread where it has been discussed. I do remember one a ways back.

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Oops - beaten by the Preacherguy (again!!) ......... :p
 
I happen to know Justin bought his from Tamara. I've seen it, handled it, and shot it at a Colorado High Road gathering.

It's an interesting design, and appeared to be well made. The cylinder is semi-cylinderical, semi-hexagonal, a design touch I especially liked. The gun's a bit of a Rube Goldberg affair, but definitely a lively departure from the average.
 
I wish they had put the prototype 207 into production instead. A low-barrel 9mm SA/DA makes more sense to me. Nifty gadget though. I'd like a 6" 357 w/ the .38 Spl spring for target shooting since I can't get the 207.
 
I might buy it, because it is so unique. Why indeed would you need to make an auto out of a wheelgun. As long as it's not a POS, finicky or prone to jamming, I'll put it on the list of to-buys. I was able to find that .38 special and light .357 loads cause it to jam because they don't generate enough recoil force.

It seems somewhat like the Desert Eagle. A neat toy with no practical purpose. They cost about the same too.
 
I was able to find that .38 special and light .357 loads cause it to jam
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They don't make it jam, they just don't cycle the action to cock the hammer, leaving it to function like a normal DA revolver.
 
I took a look at the pics and have too things to say.

Cool!!

and.

why?
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I don't own one, but i'm pretty sure the only answer to "Why?" is "'cuz." :D It strikes me as a fun, novelty gun, nothing more.

Please note, that'd not a slam. Not a durn thing wrong with owning a gun for the sheer fun of it. It only gets tiring when somone tries to come up with some logically painful justification for owning what is obviously a fun-gun, based upon perceived utility and/or tacticality. Dude, you have it because its fun. Press on. ;)

Mike
 
Hello Tamara,

Having owned one, would you recommend the purchase? I would just be shooting for enjoyment. So if they aren't a treat I will venture no further.
 
Owning and shooting a gun that not one other person on the firing line has ever seen in the steel before is plenty fun. One can get a wonderful feeling of noblesse oblige by asking the guy at the next station "Ever seen an Eye-talian semiautomatic revolver? No? Wanna shoot mine?" To me, that alone was worth the price of admission.

Ask Justin; I sold him mine. :)
 
I've shot Justin's (formerly Tamara's) Mateba ... My response was "I want one" :p

Hella accurate little pistol, and a hoot. We were shooting .38spec in it and it recoiled like a .22.

Although to be fair, I wouldn't want to rely on it for self defense ... its a quirky little devil and reloading it under stress ... well I'd probably break it :uhoh:

I took a look at the pics and have too things to say.

Cool!!

and.

why?
Click to expand...
Cool IS why :D
 
There is a nice review thread on here if you search for it.

it will be the first gun that I am buying when I move out of this horrid state (CA).
 
Considering they've been on close-out places like CDNN and KY Imports for the last few years and have finally dried up I'm guessing they're no longer in production.
 
Matebas are kind of like the Italian custom maker who made a double-barreled magazine fed bolt action rifle. That's right.

One bolt handle, two barrels, two magazines, and two bolts (operated by the same handle). So it's a magazine fed, bolt action double. Weird eh?


Why did he make it? Because he could.


Bang Bang. Work bolt. Bang Bang. Work bolt. Bang Bang.

Don't know what he was smoking when he thought that one up, but some really rich African hunter (it was chambered in one of the large African calibers) was probably responsible.... a mix of the classic dangerous game double barrel, and the magazine rifle which supplanted it.
 
I did indeed buy Tamara's Mateba. A few months ago I did a writeup with some pics. More info here---> http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=93134&highlight=Mateba

The gun's a bit of a Rube Goldberg affair, but definitely a lively departure from the average.
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I couldn't have said it better myself.

Really, the only reason for having one of these is the neato factor. The thing is practically useless for any defensive applications, and I have serious doubts as to whether or not it would be allowed in any of the NRA revolver competitions. (Though it may be such an obscure model that they haven't written a rule forbidding it. :))

It is indeed a very accurate pistol, with a light SA trigger pull. In DA pull it is very easy to stage the trigger. The pistol is heavy, about three pounds. As a result, with .38 loads the felt recoil is light, nearly .22 levels.

As for reliability, I have found that if the pistol isn't spotlessly clean and lubed liberally it can fail to go into battery with Winchester Whitebox .38 Spl. I would assume heavier loads would alleviate this as I've never had any functioning problems using the .357 spring with commercial .357 ammo.
 
The Webley-Forseby semi-automatic revolver was also known as an accurate target gun, but shortly after WW1 started, British officers who carried them into combat soon realized that the weapon had to be kept spotless or it wouldn't function properly. Historical footnote - when the British anti-gun movement started up shortly before WW1 they pointed to the Webley as being only useful for criminals. Why does a gunowner require such a weapon? The more things change the more they stay the same.
 
Thanks for the link, Justin. Yeah, I think I do need one of these. Something to make my Desert Eagle feel less oddball. It's actually lighter than the DE, which is 5lbs empty. From your review, both guns must be kept quite clean. When I let people try the DE, not everyone can hang on to it so it cycles. This doesn't sound like an issue with the Mateba.

I'd get a .454 casull one, but I'm not interested in the caliber. I'll prolly go .357. I've got 3 barrels for the DE, and an Annaconda. Plenty of ways to throw .44.

This will throw off my planned purchase of a Python Elite.

P.S. the fellow with the auction I posted has a website, I emailed him and he stocks several flavors, and you can order different barrel lengths, and a scope mount. It looks sweet with an aimpoint on it.
 
Owning and shooting a gun that not one other person on the firing line has ever seen in the steel before is plenty fun. One can get a wonderful feeling of noblesse oblige
Click to expand...

Tamara are you sure we aren't related? I now I have bought more that one gun for the gee no one else has one of these factor.
 
Desert Eagle

Insofar as the Desert Eagle is gas operated rather than recoil operated I would think that it would not be susceptible to the limp wrist syndrome. But then I used to say the same thing about blow backs and every body claims you can limp wrist a blow back.
 
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