Matador Mat-9 vs Stribog SP9-A3

[MechaDragon]

Im planning on picking up a 9mm PCC/Sub-Gun - whatever you wanna call it.

Feel free to suggest other options around $1000 but I have no experience building firearms so custom build suggestions must be a complete functional upper and a complete functional lower so I can simply put it together like just after a cleaning.

Im pretty much down to my final selection. The CZ scorpion 3+ 7.75" was also a consideration but considering the notoriously horrible 10-lb pull of the factory trigger and the fact that accessories are limited and proprietary, I figure the other 2 options are a better value overall.

Grand Power Stribog SP9-A3: Seems to be a solid option with roller-delayed blowback for a good value, but then I hear it had some reliability issues. Then I heard these issues were mostly resolved with a re-designed magazine, however apparently there are still malfunctions for a lot of people every now and then. Still seems like a solid choice for the money overall though, especially after the redesign fixed most of the issues. Its also a better value than the Mat-9. You can find them for $900 and they come with 3 x 33-round Glock magazines.

STRIBOG SP9 A3G - Grand Power Ltd

www.grandpowerusa.com

Matador Arms Mat-9 8" Version:
Fairly new to the scene, first shots from a customer I can find on YouTube are about June-July 2023. There are some big bonuses to this new firearm design. Its extremely lightweight at 4 lbs even with empty magazine inserted. Both the upper and lower are aluminum, and the design is AR-Based making it more modular. Its also reasonably priced and has fully ambi controls. It also has an upgraded 4.5-5.0lb trigger. I am leaning towards this option but there are a couple negatives. First, while durability testing by a few owners has gone perfectly so far, there isn't enough out there to call it "proven". Second, thanks to the ultra-lightweight build and traditional blowback design, the recoil is quite bad for a 9mm. But it is just 9mm, so not like its unmanageable. But theres one BIG negative to the recoil: apparently this thing likes to kill optics. Ugh... Of course...

The Mat-9 Close Combat Carbine - Matador Arms LLC

Introducing the complete MAT-9: This pistol redefines firearm performance with ambidextrous upper and lower receivers, a 1913 rail for customization, and compatibility with Glock magazines. The Last Round Bolt Hold Open (LRBHO) mechanism enhances efficiency, while the bufferless design and...

matadorarms.com

So, what you guys think? Any other options around $1000? Im not looking to drop $2000+ on a PCC, I would rather save that money for an actual rifle in an actual rifle caliber. Either option will get an aluminum folding pistol brace and Sig Romeo 5.

 

[Frankl03]

I think you left out the most obvious choice: Mp5 clones. Century imported Ap5 in 8 inch or Ap5 P (4inch barrel). These are made by MKE in Turkey on HK tooling. This would by my first choice (for around $1000) . There are other Mp5 clones but they are a little more $.

Another good option for around the same price is either the PSA AK V (9mm AK pistol) or the ArV (9mm Ar pistol)

Hope that helps!

PS I have the PTR 9 CT, the Scorpion 3+ with 7 inch barrel and updated trigger and the PSA ArV.

 

[WestKentucky]

I’m actually looking forward to the cheapest of all of these type of guns, the bufferless AR9 from bear creek arsenal. Sub $400 for a similar layout, but I would not expect nearly the same build quality, but if the gun runs reliably it would be an absolute steal at 1/2 price of the competition…. Well sub 400 at Christmas sales time. 520ish now

 

[Destructo6]

The aftermarket for the Scorpion is is pretty solid. Case in point is that horrible stock trigger. A $10 spring kit from HBi will bring the trigger from a stock of 10.9lbs to a reasonable 5.8lbs. If you want to go further, Timney makes a good trigger. HBi makes a lot of stuff for the Scorpion, as to others. CZ will be in existence for a long time.

Never heard of Matador Arms...

 

[tarosean]

Never heard of Matador either... The other has known issues.. Is there a particular reason why you whittled your choices to these two?

 

[Frankl03]

I would get the Ap5 imported by Century before I got the Stribog.

Google search for Gun deals: Century Ap5 gundeals or whatever firearm you are looking for

I had Bill Springfield do the trigger on my PTR 9CT and oh my is it good. The reason I went for the 9CT is the railed fore end and the optic rail.

 

[MechaDragon]

The aftermarket for the Scorpion is is pretty solid. Case in point is that horrible stock trigger. A $10 spring kit from HBi will bring the trigger from a stock of 10.9lbs to a reasonable 5.8lbs. If you want to go further, Timney makes a good trigger. HBi makes a lot of stuff for the Scorpion, as to others. CZ will be in existence for a long time.

Never heard of Matador Arms...

Never heard of Matador either... The other has known issues.. Is there a particular reason why you whittled your choices to these two?

Matador Arms is brand new to manufacturing full firearms. The Mat-9 is actually there very first offering. They used to produce the Montego-9 Upper. From what I have seen from people who have shot the Mat-9 - the build quality is amazing for the price. It doesn't malfunction whatsoever, the only issue is its a bufferless AR-9 thats extremely lightweight and uses a traditional blowback system. It literally weighs 4.0 lbs with empty mag inserted, combine that with no recoil mitigation and thats why some people have had issues with it killing optics. Its the worst recoiling 9mm out there.

@Destructo6 @Frankl03

The Stribog SP9-A3G is NOT the malfunction-prone Stribog you remember. Stribog's 9mm PCC is now on its third generation and this latest "G" generation just came out a year ago or so and it has basically eliminated all of the issues the last two generations had.

Plenty of people have tested this new generation of Stribog and it basically never malfunctions anymore. Grand power is also releasing an SP10-A3 10mm variant as we speak. As of now, a few people have tested the 10mm variant and it has performed perfectly.

So now you get a high quality, RELIABLE roller-delayed blowback for $1000 ($1200-$1300 for the 10mm as its brand new to market). GunTubers who have tried the newest generation of Stribogs actually state they will be KEEPING them in their collections. Yes, Stribogs are now officially that good, finally.

Here is a pretty funny review of the new SP10-A3, the 10mm variant is the first generation offering 10mm chambering, but being based off the 3rd generation platform, its 100% reliable:

Roller Delayed 10MM AUTO: The Perfect PCC? STRIBOG SP10A3

No joke, this gun has been one of my favorites to review. I was a skeptic going into it but the roller delayed action combined with 10mm makes for a near per...

youtu.be

As for the SP9-A3G, also 100% reliable now, you just have to be careful about what magazines you buy for it. It prefers authentic factory Glock mags over any aftermarket stuff:

Stribog SP9A3G SBR

JOIN THE FIGHT: https://donate.gunowners.org/ga01/Eric shoots and discusses a Stribog SP9A3G from @gunzonedeals3261 that we turned into a handy SBR. For the ...

youtu.be

So ya, these aren't the troublesome Stribogs everyone remembers anymore. Another bonus, I just found the SP9-A3G for under $800 and it comes with 3 x 33-round magazines.

 

[Mot45acp]

My Palmetto AKV has been flawless. It has less recoil than my AR-9s and Ruger PCC despite having the same operating system. Might be due to the "piston" is a huge counter weight, or witchcraft. The $15 35 round mags is a huge bonus as well. Order the configuration you want and be done with it.

But all the above come in at your price point. For AR-9s, checkout Foxtrot Mike, they consistently have sales at Primary Arms. Super cool company, owner answers emails immediately, late at night, on weekends, while at shot show. That's impressive.

I was trying to swap barrels and stripped out screws on handguard. (My fault) Owner (Paul iirc) said no problem send it in. They did barrel swap, put a longer handguard on it and sent me back all my old parts. Only charge was USPS to send it in. Even covered return shipping.