Paintball x3

The PM8

Manufactured by Proto

Dye’s sister product line, Proto, has evolved from what many viewed early-on as a bargain brand into a successful clothing and product manufacturer with gear used by serious competitors on every level of the game. Proto’s flagship paintball gun, the Proto Matrix 8 (or PM8) is the result of implementing into gun design and construction the years of experience derived from either employing or sponsoring some of the best players at the highest levels of the game.

Light and small, the spool-valve PM8 fits very comfortably in the hand and simply looks like it’s moving fast thanks to swooping, swept milling. Rich dust anodizing in attractive stock colors and special editions helps give the gun an individual identity and the aggressive shape of its receiver turns heads. Features include a locking, low-rise feed neck with a thumb screw, a two-piece Autococker-threaded barrel, self-cleaning anti-chop eyes, an on/off bottle adapter, high and low-pressure regulators and the ultra-comfortable Dye Ultralite grip frame. The Ultralite frame itself is a huge bonus, thanks to its smooth-pulling double trigger, hourglass-shaped frame that fits perfectly in almost any hand and all the necessary firing modes for any league. A standard nine-volt battery provides electric power to the PM8.

The PM8 performs well-enough for professional player Mikko Huttunen of the Los Angeles Ironmen, the 2007 and 2008 PSP World Cup champions. If it’s good enough for him, everyone else ought to be able to make-do with it. Thanks to its low pressure operation, the PM8 is quiet, reasonably air-efficient and translates very little recoil to the shooter. Its anti-chop eyes work well and during testing the PM8 did not chop or break a single paintball. The gun’s two-piece, inline-ported barrel is fourteen inches in length and further reduces the sound of the firing gun; over all ranges the gun shot tight, predictable groups. Over the chronograph, the PM8 performed well, delivering consistency well within eight feet per second from shot-to-shot, results that should tighten up even further once the gun “breaks in.”

The PM8’s trigger pull is smooth and the feel is refined, allowing users to quickly produce high rates of fire in semiautomatic mode. Thanks in no small part to the hourglass shape of the Ultralite grip frame and the small size of the Hyper-3 inline regulator fore-grip, the PM8 is very comfortable to hold, point and shoot. While the on/off bottle adapter’s knob is relatively small, the adapter functions well and allows the user to mount the macro-line fitting on either the left or right side. The buttons at the rear of the grip frame are very simple to use and the gun’s “heads-up display” at the top of the grip frame keeps the user informed as to the gun’s status during play. Dismantling the PM8 for cleaning or maintenance is simple, accomplished by removing the rear section of the bolt from the receiver with an Allen wrench.  

Small, light, fast, accurate and attractive, the Proto Matrix 8 is the complete package and a fitting flagship gun for Proto. Its operating system is proven and effective, if not the most air efficient in the world, the gun is rich with accessories and for the price the gun is an excellent choice for serious tournament players or hard core scenario operators looking for a quiet, high-end electronic paintball gun that won’t break the bank.