Anvil 082: Mateba Unica 6 Conservation and Refurbishment

Dive deep into the abyss that is the Mateba Unica 6. Full teardown to the pins, conserve and reassemble.
Remember, we are showing you what we do, not how to do it. If you do not possess the necessary skills to perform work at this level, do not attempt to replicate what you see here. If you're going to be dumb, you have to be TOUGH.
Please support us on Patreon: / anvil
PhoenixPhart on YT kzbin.info...

[@marknovak8255]

Rundown all of the "a" problems, and eventually "the" problem shows itself and is solvable. Once this unit was cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled correctly it ran hot and straight

[@onpsxmember]

Glad I've found your channel. Great show and tell. Subscribed.

[@marknovak8255]

@@onpsxmember Great to have you aboard. Spread the word please

[@onpsxmember]

@@marknovak8255 I'm on it.

[@sleestalk]

Italians... Just because its unique doesnt mean its usefull! but goddamn do i want one.

[@arturoakaarthur]

This is the first time Ive watched one of your videos, you had me clicking subscribe at 0:24.

[@tazthedevil22]

Gun Jesus: lets not disassemble this any further. I don't want all the springs flying off. Mark: hold my beer and give me that sandwich bag of yours.

[@RyTrapp0]

Short form and long form - field stripped vs complete disassembly

[@noth606]

A tidbit some may miss, the name of the gun is '6 unica' and it's a wordplay in Italian. The number 6 and "you're" are both pronounced 'sei'. So correctly pronounced the name is "sei unica" which is both the name of the gun and "you're unique" in Italian.

[@marknovak8255]

OUTSTANDING

[@tommihommi1]

"So this thing isn't as complicated as it looks. It is far, far worse" This episode is full of great quotes :D

[@marknovak8255]

Murphy, was an optimist!

[@mrking7342]

Oh dang, this gonna be a good one. The technomancer works on a unicorn!

[@marknovak8255]

Adeptus Mechanicus

[@death31313]

@@marknovak8255 Did you remember to anoint this revolver with sacred oils while reciting a prayer to the Omnissiah to appease its machine spirit? That's the most important step.

[@commander31able60]

MATEBA Arms: so will we be making an autoloading pistol or a revolver? Emilio Ghisoni: yes.

[@VladLogimane]

35:03 "So this thing isn't as complicated as it looks... Its far, far worse."

[@sypoth]

Revolver guys: I own a Revolver because it's a simple mechanism, less stuff to break! Mike: Pulls more parts out of a revolvers firing mechanism than exist in most blow back semiautos then moves onto the trigger.

[@uralbob1]

Man, that is one strange bird! I really admire you for having the guts to work on it!

[@marknovak8255]

Once from curiosity, and again out of stupidity!

[@rg8521]

I've never thought to disassemble something with small parts/springs in a plastic bag before! that is a really good idea! definitely going to keep that idea for future use

[@wesleygay8918]

When I used to work on paintball guns, which are just chock full of errant springs, a buddy of mine told me he had a miniature soccer goal with fine webbing he would sit inside while stripping his gun to contain the springs. Frankly I couldn't blame him.

[@philmccuen]

While I absolutely love this device and all its little excentricities... it truly is the essence of, "because we can." Super cool instrument, thanks for the anatomy lesson.

[@mousethefoo1230]

I have such a new appreciation for such long videos after you explained the amount of time required for you to produce such high quality anvils. Thank you Mark and Team.

[@crabbyfrog]

Couple of thoughts on this one. 1)Why does it cost so much to deep clean my firearm? Answered in this video. 2) I’m trying to imagine the specifications meeting at that company. “Ok engineers, marketing wants you to design a semiautomatic handgun, but we don’t want the capacity or rapid reload capabilities of a pistol. Go. 3) The approach the experienced gunsmith takes. Mark demonstrated that while he had no experience with this gun he could take it apart without damaging it or losing irreplaceable parts and figure out the function logic along the way. Well done!

[@stoneblue1795]

I think I would have just made six revolving barrels, an Italian PepperBox

[@0Asterite0]

This was a passion project by Emilio Ghisoni who owned his own conpany. No major company would ever approve something like this haha.

[@jupiterjunk]

I've wanted a Mateba since 1996, when I first saw "Ghost in the Shell" This video was awesome. Thank you for making it.

[@Hansengineering]

JSYK, Togusa shoots a different Mateba than this one. While the 6-Unica is the most common, Mateba first produced a bottom firing revolver without the semi-auto functionality. I believe it was the 2006M? They also made a really cool one where the entire cylinder is in front of the trigger; super low bore axis. Forgotten Weapons has a video on that one.

[@3ducs]

@@Hansengineering Common and Mateba are two words that don't seem to fit together.

[@leorapsonjr7659]

Mark you never cease to amaze. You are the carbon based life form!!!!

[@bunkstagner298]

I am glad to see a professional use a plastic bag to remove something either tiny or spring loaded. Mark you are a brave man to take apart such complex things. Thank you.

[@rmblwgn]

This is a pistol that goes in the glove box of a Lamborghini countach

[@mysterymete]

Your "this is why you keep this stuff" statement, before making the spanner, is an unhealthy reinforcement of my drawer of "broken shit". Though, it does come in handy...

[@lazycyberdog4746]

So cool to see unique stuff like this, you didn’t say weather it still needed the refurbishment after you cleaned it but it looked like it helped a lot

[@marknovak8255]

A good scrubbie dubbie and some oil and we were back up

[@kw9849]

Never thought I'd see a crescent wrench on Mark's bench!

[@jnault6441]

He was an industrial electrician at one time like me. It's the electricians hammer and I bet it's never far.

[@marknovak8255]

@@jnault6441 4 of them in various sizes located just off camera.............

[@aussiebloke609]

Probably got them in metric and imperial sizes, too. :-P

[@m00nraise]

I have been looking at Matebas for a while now, but always from a shooters perspective. The value in this video can not be put into words. Not only is it evidently clear that you have great knowledge of what you are doing, but your approach to identifying the problem and trying to understand how the gun works is exemplary. You are not an expert on this gun, yet you can ask yourself the right questions to work with what is at hand and ultimately you do a better job than probably anyone on the planet right now. Years down the line, the few owners and aficionados of this gun will use this video as a point of reference in taking this gun apart. Thank you for making this

[@Markus-zb5zd]

Yeah and it shows how important regular maintenance and always cleaning is

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

Nice Work. I've been smithing for about 40 years and parts of that gun would have been flushed out with a couple of cans of gunscrubber! I wouldn't have disassembled all you did but you showed the World what's going on in there. I'm counting around 90 parts? Dang it... That gun gets a glass of Johnny Walker before and after the work. Take Care buddy and stay safe, John

[@fdmackey3666]

Briefly, back in the 1980s, the Mateba was the "darling" of gun magazine writers here in the U.S.. As I recall the articles the auto-revolver was created to fill a contract with French and Italian "special police" (anti-terrorism units if the truth be known). By the time writers on this side of the Atlantic got ahold of examples to test for their articles the Mateba had been rejected and/or failed police field trials in Europe and semi-auto pistols purchased by France and Italy for those above mentioned "special police". To make matters worse some of the same gun writers who had earlier sung the praises of the Mateba design suddenly decided it was obsolete before it hit the market, overly complicated (well duh!), and not as accurate as it should have been. How the worm turns! Some of those same writers then fell back in love with more traditional revolvers or became enraptured with whatever "wonder nine" landed on their plate. I have not seen even a "rode hard and put up wet" example in decades so seeing this video on what became a sci-fi movie and video game prop was something of a surprise. Keep up the great work you do!

[@jinhaistorm]

Thankyou for having the patience to show us the full teardown on that Mateba, Mark. Though I have to admit that watching the disassembly of this one was terrifying... so many small parts just waiting to go flying across the room or disappear when you look away.

[@PHURHXD]

i never heard someone call a revolver... *"flaccid"*

[@Mario_bland]

I love how some thought, either I can have a da trigger pull... orrrrrrrr I can jam an entire pocketwatch collection of springs into my revolver. god bless this company.

[@OutOfNamesToChoose]

We've gone from putting a giant metal ball into a tube with powder, to being concerned that we'll never find the tiny clip rings, springs and pins again. What a time to be alive.

[@invisibletosociety8338]

That's a very cool revolver. Over engineered but cool.

[@cbremer83]

This is one strange little gun. Slide action and a revolver in one. Some crazy mad scientist stuff here. Definitely has a lot of cool factor though.

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

nooooo that is so stupid the rube goldberg gun

[@cbremer83]

@@davidjones-vx9ju it may be stupid, but that does not make it not cool.

[@davidjones-vx9ju]

@@cbremer83 i guess

[@ScottKenny1978]

Competition piece. Low muzzle flip, single action trigger pull.

[@john-paulsilke893]

The solution to a problem that simply doesn’t exist. I must have two!!!

[@raymondgill9796]

I am in awe that you got it apart, and truly amazed that you were able to get it back together. I kept thinking that this was like a gun designed by a sewing machine engineer.

[@williamhart4896]

A lot of pics taken by Mark as this video was created to see where the two missing parts came from .well done getting her back and shooting thanks for sharing the experience with us .

[@PhoenixPhart]

You're a real stand up guy, Mark! Thanks a billion! I can't wait to see the other one! ;)

[@antoniavie]

This video needs to be preserved for future generations!

[@barnabyhiles7105]

Outstanding. Just outstanding. The master at work.

[@samuelleahy4780]

The owner is left handed? I didn’t know Ian from forgotten weapons was into Italian revolvers.

[@michaeltempsch5282]

According to another post, French special police / anti terrorism units had them, so there's a French Connection...

[@constancemiller3753]

Test: holds up object Everyone: a broken screwdriver bit? Mark: bespoke gunsmithing spanner for 1980's Italian gun. But you're not wrong. Me: holy. Cow.

[@StonyRC]

Mark, I LOVE the way you narrate as you disassemble the mechanism - I find myself talking to you as I watch! My guess is that you say EXACTLY the same words (possibly to yourself) when you are doing this sort of thing OFF camera. I do the same! Many thanks for such an interesting project.

[@TheSakuraBirb]

This was beautiful. Was amazing to see my dream gun taken down to the bare parts and see some insight into the insanity of the Unica 6.

[@wesleygay8918]

I fee like in some other dimension, this gun makes perfect sense

[@AwfulxAim]

So glad you finally got your hands on and had a chance to shoot some footage of my grail gun. Here's to the day I finally get one for myself!

[@danielmurphree5846]

I’m here for more of my favorite cranky gun smith. Love your stuff y’all

[@NekoWinters]

"Why are we really here?" Marks getting super philosophical today, I guess we're here because we all Love historical and unique firearms and keeping those pieces of history alive and well for future generations to enjoy as well. :)

[@robopam]

It's my dream pistol! Ever since the original Ghost in the Shell movie.

[@notrightmeow3357]

Me too, by the time I decide I needed one...they stopped making them.

[@mikem6468]

@@notrightmeow3357 check out kommandostore, they're apparently trying to get some imported stateside.

[@notrightmeow3357]

Mike M 👍 awesome...thanks

[@CaptainGrief66]

Wasn't the one in Ghot in the Shell an M2006?

[@ShaunShearman]

As always, a great video ! I've been looking for a video on the Mateba Unica for a good while that shows it stripped down. Well done that man !

[@VS-ff4ez]

What a cool oddball little pisto-volver.

[@AnonEMus-cp2mn]

A spicy meatball poca pistola-revotella

[@smc4229]

I love how careful and deliberate you are in your work, compared to me just hitting shit with a hammer.

[@IRMacGuyver]

I hear the owner is left handed, heavily uses a rare obscure guns, and immediately assume it's Ian McCollum.

[@richardturk7162]

Love this channel I learn so much with each episode.

[@sonnygunz9207]

I’d love to have one of these to take apart and reassemble. I love the engineering nightmares, I see them as entertaining. Thanks for taking the time, sir.

[@ChaseMavrick]

That is one hell of a sound signature

[@enikadakine]

Ive never seen a mateba that torn down, I also never comment on youtube. Miraculous effort Mark, identifying the locking order was exciting to watch. Keep it up

[@laserclowns8402]

There's an old Japanese gun magazine that shows the Unica 6 taken apart, I have a copy of it somewhere. Great to see a take down vid, thanks! Mateba has been back in business and they recently got a US importer

[@rodrigodepierola]

It's really "unica". What a machine!

[@alexandersimpson3638]

Beautifully engineered and designed gun.. If it wasn’t for the cost and it’s looks, it would have been far more commercially successful.. They apparently work flawlessly and the 6 O’clock firing does indeed reduce sight lift on discharge versus a traditional 12 noon configuration.. There are some gun manufacturers now copying this style of gun, allowing much larger rounds whilst retaining acceptable handling characteristics..

[@marknovak8255]

This gun was available up to .454 Casull if my info is correct

[@awesomefatBruceLee]

Only people doing 6 o' clock revolvers is chiappa ( the same geniuses who figure selling said revolvers for over $1000, despite caliber only going UP TO 357... real smart)

[@laserclowns8402]

@@awesomefatBruceLee The Chiappa Rhino incidentally is the last design by Ghisoni (he passed away about 10 years back), the same person who created the Unica 6

[@francis8062]

MA.TE.BA. (Macchine Termo-Balistiche), via Villa Serafina, 2/B. 27100 Pavia (Italy)

[@MarkiusFox]

The All/16ths wrench never fails.

[@StonyRC]

"... but my gun doesn't NEED cleaning!". Lesson: "Do the maintenance" ... I seem to remember hearing that somewhere!

[@spudgunn8695]

Am I the only person thinking, "FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GODS, MARK, PUT THE DAMN SET SCREW IN A MAGNETIC BOLT HOLDER!" Probably....

[@jeffreyjefferson536]

That's a Rube Goldberg machine of a gun! Kudos for the guts to take it apart, and the wits to put it back together! Fascinating watch, as always!

[@rhinovirus2225]

It reminds me of the really old cartoons were goofy's car broke down and to fix it he poured a bunch of gears and doodads in it to make it go.

[@troystaten5633]

That is is a pretty wild piece of equipment, I am impressed that you were able to take that apart and put it back together. Thanks for showing us.

[@bjm1219]

Awesome video! I saw the preview blurb in your videos, searched youtube for the full video and didn’t find anything a couple days ago. I was really excited to see this on my feed today. Very interesting gun

[@piperpa4272]

Those 40!minutes flew by, another great episode. Thank you Mark and Bruno.

[@fluffypinkpandas]

Getting your hands on a mateba unica is like getting your hands on a worlds first Luty smg, a Panchor jackhammer prototype, a gyrojet carbine, and a clip fed fixed magazine auto revolver. Its an absolute unicorn of a gun, and basically a myth. And we watched him transform a Polar Star into a Spur

[@electricfil]

I'm gullible af, I was about to goggle search belt fed fixed magazine auto revolver, or whatever you said. I thought, I gotta see this gun.🤦‍♂️

[@fluffypinkpandas]

@@electricfil Forgotton Weapons: Hand made auto revolver. Its design indicates it is to be clip fed. Its not really a revolver, it just has a fixed magazine with a helical spring. it just LOOKS like a revolver cylinder.

[@SW0000A]

@@electricfil The dardick is a magazine fed revolver.

[@johnmollet2637]

Hey Mark and Bruno, Another great video! I always learn a little bit more with each one, but the sandwich bag trick was awesome. You'd think with all of the carburetors I've built over the years I'd have come up with that trick myself. Thanks for the idea! Yours truly, Apprentice Rat in Training

[@Hansengineering]

Thanks so much for making this! I have a 6-Unica I bought in 2006ish. While it's fun, it's been... Italian? Trouble. Barrel shot loose (I hear from other owners that's typical?), and more troubling, the cocking/rotating mechanism would jam! A few months ago, I disassembled the bit of the gun #47 drives, and boy it was troublesome. The two screws on that back plate, according to the manual, were supposed to be lock-tited. They were completely loose and the slightest finger pressure on my driver removed them. I _think_ what was happening was that firing pin block that slides up and down (not present on your example!) was catching on the back plate as it was pressed out by the back of the firing pin. I don't *know* though, because the problem was always intermittent! BUT! This video gives me a view of a well shot Mateba to compare to! My part #47 was all kinds of torn up at the part where the little sprung pawl hinges, and i'm considering ways to replicate it.

[@rudolflehnert9722]

I'd really like to give your more then one thumbs-up. But that's not possible. Thanks for your great work and wise words!

[@tboneihmc2488]

That was interesting, think it raised my blood pressure just watching you take it down! Thanks for the knowledge sir!

[@scottmorgan1016]

I am only half way thru this video and am amazed at your knowledge and talent. So glad I subbed.

[@johnt4060]

To be able to figure out things such as that requires a special kind of person who is born with that talent along with a wealth of knowledge all things considered.

[@Akhazmat907]

I love that gun. Took me almost a year to figure out that gun, without youtube also not being with in 200 miles of a gunsmith.

[@griffm5]

Amazing mechanism Like a watch but larger! tanks for the trip down the rabbit hole

[@DanielESmith-iz7lx]

Insightful and entertaining as all ways! Thanks to all that make these productions possible.

[@alun7006]

Fascinating. Thank you for another excellent episode!

[@3KindsOfGuns]

Always a pleasure watching you work! Thanks for sharing the journey into that unique and interesting firearm!!

[@BD.1996]

Ah yes you know you’re in trouble when your gun is described as ‘flaccid’

[@nytia117]

Tonight on Mateba’s mystery theater: Hard-boiled detective Mark Novak finds himself obsessed with finding the truth. But just how far is he willing to go? Stay tuned !

[@johnsteinbeck4119]

The old plastic trick. I love it. Great video.

[@wilmamcdermott3065]

Do u know why its called a jesus clip ? Jesus where did that go usally while trying to remove when doing carbretor kits

[@jeffbushey9885]

I have never wanted anything as much as the Mateba Unica, the 2008, or the MTR-8. I'll never be able to afford one, but I can fucking dream.

[@acidtreat101]

Very cool. I first saw the Mateba in the Japanese animation "Ghost in the Shell" in which Togusa carries it through most of the series. Really cool to get a good look inside it. Would love to own one some day but it's out of my price range for now!

[@ApurtureSci]

I believe the gun featured in that was a 2006M, and older Mateba model that isn't self-cocking.

[@acidtreat101]

@@ApurtureSci ahh interesting. Didn't know

[@diamondflaw]

@@ApurtureSci Also, it depends of course on which incarnation of GITS you're talking about. In the GITS and GITS2 movies, it definitely looks a lot like a 2006M, but with some differences with the upper section and is called a M-M2007. In Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig it is essentially a Model 6 with a 2006M barrel, called the 2008M. In an episode of Stand Alone Complex he gets his gun confiscated, so he goes to his house to pick up a normal 2006M.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Maybe, if we're really really lucky, Chiappa will make some new ones.

[@death31313]

What a beautiful piece of machinery, good to see some people are actually still regularly shooting these rather than keeping them as safe queens.

[@jasondk5127]

Great video Mark! I really enjoyed it.

[@johnpatrickmcp]

This is amazing. I've always been fascinated by these guns and I've never seen this kind of look at the internal mechanisms.

[@crabmansteve6844]

A real live fuckin' unicorn. I'm glad its in marks hands.

[@gilly3380]

Excellent work on that piece, and also on this video. Thank you for sharing it!

[@riffraff9000]

"...there's a lot of Glock all over the insides of this thing." LOL!

[@chemusvandergeek1209]

I expect that may have been intentional usage, as both an epithet and a descriptor...

[@Miller78rc]

The video I didn't know I needed to watch. Good stuff!

[@1stSgtSoulStealer]

Always did wonder about this piece. Glad to finally see an in-depth video on it! Thanks Mark (and Bruno)!

[@michaellacy8510]

Awesome! I love to take apart (within reason) old guns. But, I wouldn't know where to start on that thing. Thank God for gunsmiths!

[@Demicron]

Well I had plans... guess they can wait.

[@AutumnsArmory]

I never knew this gun existed but now I need it.

[@joe74ta1]

Love the way Mark steps in where others fear to tread good job mate

[@Fastwinstondoom]

Been fascinated by this gun since I saw Ghost in the Shell 20+ years ago and then subsequently had my mind blown when I discovered that this wasn't just something drawn to look scifi.

[@marknovak8255]

Italian SciFi......

[@mosierbuild]

As usual, Bravo and thank you for your time and shared knowledge.

[@sae1095hc]

I was nervous just putting in an SRT sear in my SIG P229. The gizmo-ocity of that thing is daunting!

[@lwilton]

A really interesting gun, and an interesting dive into what makes it tick. But I was really hoping to see what you had to do to tighten it up after all the mung was out of it and you had clean parts to rub together.

[@marknovak8255]

All tugged up and oiled it went back to running as designed. The owner runs this thing HARD and this was the mid flight tune up. We had fun, and just HAD to film this because I have never seen the inside of one.

[@herrskeletal3994]

@@marknovak8255 Oh my god you mean to say he actually shoots his guns? Did hell freeze over?

[@marknovak8255]

@@herrskeletal3994 Frozen SOLID

[@wesleygay8918]

@@herrskeletal3994 why do you think the owner is paying mark to sharpen his ice-skates.

[@therideneverends1697]

the blueing on that gun is art

[@enginshuli1826]

This gun is beautiful , badass and a very clever design.

[@cristian6766]

My god! You sir are so awesome! You are most impressive! I am from Romania which is a latin country and hearing you read distributóre is awesome! Love it! Best regards all the way from Romania!

[@cristian6766]

On another note, that gun is a marvel! It's as cool as it can get!

[@marknovak8255]

Great to have you along, hope you continue enjoying our videos....!

[@monkeyship74401]

So was the final fix for this one "Do the Maintenance?" ??? You gave it a deep clean and there wasn't any major (or minor) repair. It's a neat weapon. Not sure I could get used to one. As always Thank you for sharing your insight and talents.