DM5 owners - opinions

[BlackVCG]

Well, I got an itch to get a new gun to mess around with and I've been looking at that DYE Matrices. The DM5 seems like the logical choice since it's "outdated" with the DM6 being out and the price on the DM5 has gone down.

For those of you that have one, what do you think? Are they pretty much an "out-of-the-box" gun or are there some mods you feel are necessary to get the potential out of the gun.

I'm not looking for something to dump money into, but I'd like to pick up something that isn't a Mag and I've worked on Angels, Cockers, Timmies, Shockers, etc. but I haven't got my hands on a Matrix yet so I just thought I'd pick one up to play with and mess around with a bit.

Thanks.

[magman007]

black, im glad you decided to go to the matrix as everyone here knows, i love the spooler. I know your back round, and i think you would have alot of fun with a trix. alot of the more run of the mill mods are the top had mod, the 530 mod, and pollishing the bolt, allof which you could easily do.

allthough nothing really needs to be done to it. i loved mine and i loved my dmc as well. Best of luck and if you need any help, let me know

[zaqwert6]

Out of the box , great marker. Mods intended to have a minor improvement on effieciency over rated and un neccesary IMO.

Put an on/off ASA on it and let 'er rip. (only marker I have more of than Mags. ;)

[slade]

matrices are great markers. from what ive heard though there isnt too much of an advantage to getting a dm5 over a dm4, and im not sure if its worth the price. if you dont want top of the line (dm6) you should consider a dm4 also. ive heard protos are better than dm5s in some ways (different internals, you dont have to deal with the membrane pad) although they do need some upgrades like a clamping feedneck and theyre just plain ugly anyway.

[yakitori]

well a DM5 is a bit lighter and smaller than a DM4. The bolt is smaller too. DM4 is like 3.2 lbs after barrel and everything is on. DM5 is like 2.9, not a huge difference, but a third of a lb. Resale is better if that matters to you. DM5s have a no rise feedneck making for a setup not as tall.

Only thing Id recommend is tuning it properly, and maybe an orange bolt, or evolve bolt. Evolve for efficiency, orange for ultimate smoothness. Dont do the tophat mod. It decreases dumpchamber volume and increase pressure to compensate. I never liked it. 530mod would be okay. That increases dump chamber size and decreases pressure. Its really up to you I guess. Dont do any of them if you dont want, it will be fine w/o.

a chip, a trigger (not needed), and a bolt if desired is really all youll need. Keep it lubed well, and it will treat you right.

I love DMs too. IMO they are the cadillac of paintball guns.

[phantomhitman]

All you need is a chip and maybe an orange bolt. Do not do the homebrew mods (cutting the bolt or taping it). If you are that worried about effenciency get an evolve bolt. Trigger, board, grips, reg, barrel are all good out of the box. Just tune the lpr right and lube the bolt every other time and you should be fine. I would recomend to not ever take the gripframe off if possible (or just let a dye tech do it) because the wires have a tendancy of pulling out. In cold weather remember to turn the lpr just a little (half turn at most) as well as the dwell (around 18-22 range) and everything else is fine. I have never had to deal with warranty and dye problems yet, BUT mine is now in the shop getting teched. I hear that DYEs customer service is about hte best you can get.

[yakitori]

they are easy to tech actually. If you do take the grip frame off, be sure to disconnect the noid and eyes from the board first. Dont overlube the bolt or underlube it either. Also take your LPR out and clean it and relube every once in a while. I do mine like every 2 months or so. Dont use the on/off on the gun, it can start leaking after a while and also doesnt bleed the air from your inline reg.

[Skoad]

yea they are easy to tech, just wish they used a better gauge wire for all their connections. (if its not different in dm5s)

[BlackVCG]

I've been known to tech my own guns so I think I'll be okay when it comes to working on the gun. I'm sure I'll take the thing apart before I take it out and shoot it.

As far as tanks to use on the gun... since operating pressure of the gun is around 130psi - I'm guessing - is everyone using a LP output tank or is anyone getting away with an 800psi preset. I'm doubting it so I think I could just get away with modding one of my Flatlines for LP output... Just checking.

magman007- What gun are you shooting nowadays? You made it sound like you use to have a DM5 and DMC, but what are you shooting now?

[yakitori]

you can use high or low w/ the DM4. Either way is fine. I use a high pressure crossfire. EIther way youll be able to shoot pretty darn deep into the tank. It is more efficient than a mag, but not as efficient as a poppet like a viking, borg, timmy, or angel. Expect around 1200 or so off a 68/4500, w/ evolve, probably around 1700+ on the same fill. I have an orange bolt in my DM4 and a 530 mod, dwell at 14ms, LPR at 2.5 turns or so, and I get around 1350-1400 or so on a full fill.

[Skoad]

HP is fine, though i think yak's efficiency numbers are a little inflated.

[yakitori]

HP is fine, though i think yak's efficiency numbers are a little inflated.

wtf? 1200 or so is avg for stock bolt on a FULL 68/4500. Evolve does get around 1600-1700+ shots. And my orange DOES get around 1350 or so. Its not inflated. Maybe you dont know how to fine tune your trix. Just cause you owned a stock DM4 dont gripe about efficiency.

[nt2004]

wtf? 1200 or so is avg for stock bolt on a FULL 68/4500. Evolve does get around 1600-1700+ shots. And my orange DOES get around 1350 or so. Its not inflated. Maybe you dont know how to fine tune your trix. Just cause you owned a stock DM4 dont gripe about efficiency.
yeah I get around 1000-1200 on my proto with a 68 filled to 4k no problem. His numbers sound pretty accurate to me.

[stop whining buy a mag]

Seeing as the DM4 and DM5 operate exactly the same, you're probably better off getting a DM4 just to mess around with. It'll save you a few hundred bucks so you can look at some aftermarket bolts and boards if you'd like.

There not complex markers at all. Bolt design is excellent as it only takes 5 minutes to take it out and lube it completely. The stock clamping feedneck works great and IMO no other feedneck looks very pleasing on there. Since it comes stock with the Ultralite and Hyper2, you shouldn't even have to think about replacing either. Some people do use Freak Kits or Scepter Kits but the Ultralite does just fine with most medium bore paints. The stock LPR is great and the only aftermarket LPR is the JDS STD LPR. The wiring is a little fragile but as long as you know in advance to be careful you shouldn't run into problems. Some people don't like the feel of the stock trigger but you have plenty of options, the CP Roller being the most common. People complain about going through membrane pads like crazy but I've found that only using your fingernail ruins them. If thinking about playing any tournaments you'd probably want to get the M5 or Virtue chip as they offer some of the best options for the money. Efficiency numbers stated above are pretty close.

The only upgrades I've done to mine so far is a a CP trigger, CP Rail, and Smart Parts on/off. I've considered getting an M5 chip and an Orange Bolt. I've already done the Tophat Tape mod and I'm still considering the 530 mod. For $600 you can easily snag a LNIB DM4 and with less than $100 worth of upgrades you'll have it running exactly how you want it.

[yakitori]

heres my DM4 bolt w/ just the 530 and orange bolt I get better efficiency than stock. ;)
.

530 mod. My version. Instead of cutting off 2 bars, I just made all 4 bigger. Works great.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v188/yakitori/paintball%20pics/IMG_0495.jpg

530 and tophot mod together. I took the tophat mod off cause I dont like it. It increased pressure of dump chamber.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v188/yakitori/paintball%20pics/IMG_0494.jpg

[phantomhitman]

Dont use the on/off on the gun, it can start leaking after a while and also doesnt bleed the air from your inline reg.

I do not use my on-off for the simple fact that they have a tendancy of getting nicked and start leaking. Then again my teammate used his for his dm4 for over a year and didnt have an issue. I would not recomend not using it unless you have time to change that oring if it does go bad.

[zaqwert6]

I've been known to tech my own guns so I think I'll be okay when it comes to working on the gun. I'm sure I'll take the thing apart before I take it out and shoot it.

As far as tanks to use on the gun... since operating pressure of the gun is around 130psi - I'm guessing - is everyone using a LP output tank or is anyone getting away with an 800psi preset. I'm doubting it so I think I could just get away with modding one of my Flatlines for LP output... Just checking.



HP works just fine , don't give it a second thought.

And teching them is a piece of cake , only one moving part , 2 simple regs that rarely need any kind of service and only a couple of o-rings that ever where out and are easily diagnosed. ;)

[phantomhitman]

leaks out the front, bolt or tophat oring
leaks out the back, small #13 oring on the back stem

very easy to maintain, just got to know what to look for. even the trix forum over at pbnation is friendly enough to help you solve problems.