The 2005 Proto Matrix is a high end tournament marker produced by Proto. It's a very good gun for any tournament player, although I wouldn't recommend it for those just getting into the sport.

There are many great qualities in this gun. To start with, It is light, low profile, and comfortable to the hand. It has break beam eyes and an adjustable trigger, and a high quality stock regulator, the Hyper 2. This gun is very fast and accurate; it will keep up with your rate of fire no matter how fast you are. There is a large market of upgrades available for this marker, from ramping boards to clamping feednecks and on/off asa's. Other upgrades include, but are not limited to, new bolts, a new barrel system, better grips, although the stock grips are very sticky and comfy. I thought this gun to be well balanced and easy to tuck and snap shoot with. This gun has a fairly decent resale value; its value has not dropped much in the past year to two years.

This gun does have a few weaknesses. It can be difficult to clean in a hurry, but if you have the time to take and clean it, it's not too difficult. One part that I was not too happy with is the lack of an LCD screen, all it has is a multiple color LED. So unless you have the color patterns memorized, you will have to have a manual handy to change the board settings. The patterns are not too difficult to learn though. One other thing that I didn't like was the stock feedneck, it is not a clamping feedneck and it didn't fit my hopper, so I had to buy a clamping one before I could use the gun. My last complaint was the stock barrel. It is a one piece barrel, and the accuracy is not the greatest. You can play with the stock barrel and be just fine, but I would recommend an upgrade (Smart Parts Freak System, Dye Ultralite, etc...) system if you plan to play serious tournament game.

I have owned and used this gun for about a year. I have played many tournaments with it and have had much experience in the use and care of it. I think it is a very well rounded gun, displaying all the properties a player would need to be an aggressive player. I have had little trouble with it breaking or going down in a game, other than a battery dying. It is very easy to play with, its thin and light so snap shooting is a breeze, and it is well balanced so running and shooting does not pose a problem either. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent with this gun. I paid $550 for it one year ago, and the resale has only dropped $50 to $100 since that time, even though there are new models of it out.

All in all, I think this is a great gun for its price. It's priced at around $600 new or used for $450-$500. I would recommend this gun for any player looking to purchase a good, reliable tournament marker, or add a great backup gun to their collection. It is definitely worth the price to add this beast to your bag.