Reviews Sci-Fi Bull-Fighter: Matador Arms Espada Bullpup [REVIEW] Steven Kuo May 21, 2026 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Read our affiliate policy. Find out more about how we test products. In Spanish bullfighting, a matador is the primary bullfighter who fights and kills the bull. “Matar” means “to kill” in Spanish, and the matador is the leader and main performer in a bullfight. The last phase of the fight is called the “tercio de muerte,” or “third of death.” At this point, the matador’s weapon of choice is a sword, or “espada” in Spanish, to deliver a precise killing blow. Matador Arms is known for its 9mm pistol and rifle systems, built around their bufferless MAT-9 upper that works with any Mil-spec AR-9 lower receiver and is self-contained, not needing the usual buffer tube. Since the operating system for the MAT-9 upper is entirely contained within itself, Matador realized that it would be perfect for a bullpup-style weapon. Bullpup configurations locate the action behind the trigger, making for a more compact overall package compared to a conventional gun with the same barrel length. This led to the development of the new Matador Espada bullpup, a specialized and compact 9mm designed to be as nimble and deadly as the matador’s sword. And if ever a gun deserved to be in a sci-fi movie, it’s this one. MAT-9 The MAT-9 is a 9mm AR upper with a recoil and bolt assembly that’s entirely contained within the upper, versus standard ARs that have a bolt carrier group in the upper that travels rearward into the receiver extension, which houses the buffer and action spring. Fieldstripping the Espada is simple and straightforward. The bolt assembly rides over the guide rod and main spring, which terminates at a back plate and buffer pad at the aft end of the upper. The original MAT-9 was a direct blowback design, with a heavy bolt assembly and recoil spring retarding the bolt assembly as the bullet traveled down the barrel. Matador since updated it to a roller-delayed design, with a hardened stainless steel roller bearing now keeping the bolt locked. This also shaves about one-third of a pound from the bolt assembly, bringing it just under a pound. The recoil spring also isn’t as stout as before, making it noticeably easier to cycle. Matador Arms MAT-9 AR-9 9mm 7.825in Roller Delayed Upper Reciever 4150 Lightweight Nitrided Barrel 1-10 Twist 1/2×28 Threads Anodized Black $599.00 $575.00 Optics Planet $575.00 Prices accurate at time of publishing. Affiliate disclosure. The monolithic upper receiver is anodized aluminum with a continuous top Picatinny rail and M-Lok slots on the stubby handguard. Our sample pistol and rifle configurations include Matador’s Extended Rail System that slips over the handguard, providing more real estate for accessories and your support hand. The top rails on our sample didn’t quite align exactly, so we would avoid bridging them. Note that the extended rail on the Espada differs from Matador’s usual unit, as it has a cut out on the bottom to clear overlap with the bullpup lower. The rifle variant of the Espada has a 16-inch barrel but is still very compact. The rifle comes with a 16-inch barrel, while the pistol has an 8-inch barrel with a KAK Industry extended flash can installed underneath the extended rail. Swap it out for a suppressor that’s about 1.375 inches in diameter and at least 5 inches long, and it’ll nest perfectly in there. You can go girthier, up to 1.6 inches, but will lose the ability to attach M-Lok accessories due to lack of clearance for the backing T-nuts. The barrels are nitrided 4150 steel and threaded 1/2×28. The charging handle is non-reciprocating and can be installed on either side during the fieldstripping process. MATADOR ARMS ESPADA BULLPUP PISTOL OR RIFLE Caliber: 9mm Capacity: 32 Weight: 5.7 pounds Barrel length: 8 or 16 inches Overall length: 22 inches (pistol), 26.9 inches (rifle) MSRP: $1,800 Accessories: A3 Industries Modular Rail Riser and Carry Handle – $150 Aimpoint Duty RDS Red Dot Sight – $514 Banish Suppressors Banish 9K – $799 Gideon Omega Red Dot Sight – $230 Holosun DRS-TH Thermal Rifle Sight – $1,882 Scalarworks LEAP/01 Quick Detach Mount – $159 SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro – $369 Aimpoint Duty RDS 1x22mm Reflex Red Dot Sight 2 MOA One-Piece Torsion Nut Mount Black $639.99 $514.00 Optics Planet $514.00 Prices accurate at time of publishing. Affiliate disclosure. BULLPUP CONVERSION THERAPY Since the MAT-9 doesn’t require a receiver extension, it’s perfect to build a bullpup around, and the Espada’s lower receiver is the real star of the show here. A little over 13 inches long, it’s purpose-built, intricate, and certainly not cheap to machine. The purpose-built bullpup lower is thoughtfully designed, with a trigger that’ll surprise you. The trigger guard is serrated and hooked, more important if you get the stripped Espada without the extended rail — it’s like a snubnose, and you’ll need to take extra care to keep your support hand safe. A familiar AR safety selector is right where you expect for good ergonomics and can be placed on safe even when the hammer is down. Interestingly, the pistol grip is raked slightly forward. While it looks odd at first, this provides additional clearance for your firing hand in front of the magazine so Matador could keep the gun as compact as possible. Many shooters have already gravitated toward more vertically oriented pistol grips; Matador just dials it up to 11 here. Between the grip and the mag well behind it, the lower is smoothly and comfortably contoured. Speaking of magazines, the Espada takes Colt-pattern 9mm stick magazines. They’re vertical and straight, reliable, and work well for last round bolt hold open. The magwell is beveled for easier insertion, with ambidextrous mag release buttons on either side as well as a lever on the bottom. Above them is the bolt release, which isn’t ambidextrous due to the trigger linkage on the right side of the lower. That linkage connects the trigger shoe in the front to the actual hammer and sear mechanism in the back. Matador worked with Art Elftmann of Elftmann Tactical to design the trigger, putting to bed one of the biggest complaints about bullpups — lousy triggers. The trigger is adjustable for pull weight and has a secondary sear that functions as a drop safety. Rifle- and pistol-length uppers. Sight line is high, so you’ll need tall optics or a riser. At the rear of the lower are quick-detach sling sockets on either side and a Picatinny rail on the butt. You can purchase pistol, rifle, or SBR configurations. Matador provides either a brace or buttstock to slide onto the back rail, as well as a cheek riser that slips onto the top rail of the upper. Both pieces prevent each other from coming off; if you don’t wish to use a cheek riser, Matador plans to release standalone stocks that will secure in place. Fieldstripping the Espada is straightforward and generally tool-less. First of all, make sure there’s no live ammunition nearby, remove the magazine, and double check that the chamber is empty. Drift the two take-down pins to separate the upper and lower. If you wish to remove the buttstock or brace, carefully tap it upward and off the back rail. As for the upper, slide the cheek rest to the rear and off the top rail. This will expose the rear plate and take down lug with the Matador logo. Hold the upper upright and push in on the logo, and the metal U-shaped locking block may slide down with gravity alone. If it doesn’t, you can slide it down with a finger or a tool. This releases the recoil assembly; just pull it straight out. Then you can slide the bolt assembly out as well. We advise turning the upper exactly upside down so you can see what you’re doing and being gentle so the bolt assembly remains intact; the roller bearing isn’t captured so if not upright it’s easy to drop it, never to be found again amongst your other lost detents, springs, and socks. You can retract the charging handle all the way to the rear and pull it to the side to remove it; reinstall it on the other side if desired. Assembly is the reverse of the above. KITTING UP We tested the Espada in various configurations, one of the joys of a modular system like this. Matador offers it in black, FDE, and gray; we had the privilege of mixing and matching colors with our test gun. A3 Industries Modular Rail Riser Carry Handle Height Length $142.45 Optics Planet $142.45 Prices accurate at time of publishing. Affiliate disclosure. A3 Industries rail riserThe cheek riser, buttstock, and brace are easy to install and remove. The cheek riser puts your sight line higher than going bareback on the top rail (which is already high but isn’t that comfortable), so put on your fins and mount your optics high. An Aimpoint Duty RDS on a Scalarworks LEAP/01 1.93-inch mount was comfortable. So too was an A3 Industries rail riser and carry handle with a Gideon Omega red dot sight. Note that we have the long A3 rail shown here for the vibes, but it interferes with the cheek riser so the short version would work better. Or you could shorten the cheek riser. If you wish to go with an optic with eye relief constraints, keep in mind that you have limited real estate to work with. Pistol grip is raked forward to provide more clearance between it and the magazine. For white light, we attached a SureFire Mini Scout Light Pro. It’s very compact but still puts out 500 lumens, and SureFire’s low profile mount with an M-LOK cleat tucked it in nice and tight to the handguard. Surefire Mini Scout Light Pro 500 Lumen Light With Pic Rail Mount – M340C-BK-PRO $379.99 $341.99 Palmetto State Armory $341.99 Prices accurate at time of publishing. Affiliate disclosure. We don’t show a sling here, but you’d need to add an M-LOK sling socket for the front and can use the built-in sockets in the rear. GOING HOT Our Espada ran everything we fed it, including aluminum-cased CCI Blazer, Igman FMJ, Norma FMJ, Federal Gold Medal Action Pistol, and Speer Gold Dot Carbine defensive ammo. Muzzle velocities out of the 8-inch barrel were just 3 to 4 percent lower than the 16-inch barrel. It ran suppressed and unsuppressed without issue. The only issues we encountered were magazine-related. Some older Metalform magazines with metal followers caused frequent feeding issues. On the other hand, Duramag magazines worked perfectly without any malfunctions and locked back when empty. C Products magazines ran 100-percent but wouldn’t lock back. The Elftmann trigger was excellent, for a bullpup. You can easily adjust it, in situ, via a screw. We maxxed it out on our sample, just short of the trigger no longer functioning. This resulted in a trigger pull that broke a little under 6 pounds, with minimal take-up and some creep. It was clean but just a tad squishy through the break, with a crisp reset. Impressive. Our 16-inch test upper was a pre-production unit, modified to work with the bullpup lower. A recess was added but milled a bit too shallow, crowding the trigger linkage. Production units have the recess programmed in, so this won’t be an issue for them. The forward-raked pistol grip worked well to provide clearance from the magazine while providing a solid shooting experience. It was totally fine while shooting; we really only noticed it during weapon manipulations where you want total control of the weapon with your firing hand, in which case the angle felt a tad awkward. For typical muzzle-down PSD and CQB type use, it was very comfortable. Working the safety was just as ergonomic and natural as a regular AR-15, and the very handy three — count ’em, three — magazine release options made reloads as smooth as you could hope for with a bullpup. Unfortunately, the bolt release isn’t ambidextrous, but since the ejection port is fixed on the right side, lefties are screwed anyway. The roller-delayed action definitely provides a nicer recoil impulse than blowback, but it’s still rougher than a nicely tuned AR. The buttstock and brace work fine, though as the brass starts piling up, you may yearn for a rubber pad. The length of pull is also longer than you might expect for such a compact weapon, in part in the rifle variant to meet the 26-inch overall length requirement to avoid SBR status. The Espada pistol is quite compact at 22 inches long (while accommodating a 5-inch suppressor), though it weighs 5.7 pounds. Running drills and stages, the Espada was a blast. Fully loaded, the weight balance is rear-heavy, close to your body. It snaps quickly and naturally from target to target. Ergonomics are great, and the compact size makes it very nimble and handy when working in tight spaces. Anyone who’s ever shot an AUG will find the trigger to be a revelation. You can take precise shots and also hose a stage with it, though you shouldn’t expect splits like a race gun. We also tested the Espada uppers on AR-9 lowers. Sure enough, like regular MAT-9 uppers, they ran great on our Spikes Tactical Glock lower. And as you might expect, our Colt-pattern lower experienced ejection issues and would need to be tuned for these uppers. LOOSE ROUNDS We really hope the Espada ends up in a sci-fi movie. It’s undoubtedly striking. But it’s also cleverly designed with a lot of thought and care put into it. Matador designed and optimized the Espada specifically for the 9mm bullpup format, and it shows. Bullpup aficionados will love the Espada. The bullpup-curious may also fall victim to its charms. Even those with negative prior experiences with bullpups should give it a try; it might just bring them back around. Why you can trust RECOIL Since our founding in 2012, RECOIL remains the premier firearms lifestyle publication for the modern shooting enthusiast. We deliver cutting-edge coverage of guns, gear, accessories and technology. We go beyond basic reviews, providing no B.S. buyer’s guides, hands-on testing and expert analysis on everything from firearms and survival equipment to watches and vehicles. 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