My New Mares Cyrano 970 Review

[Britney Spearz]

Well, after debating between getting a Mares Cyrano 1100 or 970, I decided to go with the 970 as I thought it would be a good length for me to load. I recieved the 970 a couple of days ago and my calculations were right, it was just the perfect length to load without needing a loading device or extension of any sort so I was happy indeed!

Cyrano 5.jpg

My initial impressions were that this is a very nice gun with a nice gripping handle, convenient safety switch and my favourite: proper aiming sights with an illuminated, painted yellow front sight for precise aiming. My only gripe was that the line release won't hold the line very well unless you install the provided rubber ring expansion on the line to keep it tight and secure on the release but this is of no problem of course.

Shaft: I have heard many bad things regarding the Cyrano shaft but cannot fault the stainless tahitian shaft that was included with my gun, of course it is maybe not quite as good as Quickshot's Seatec SSS shaft but it does the job none the less. Another thing to question is I have never heard of Europeans getting this shaft with their guns so maybe it is because I purchased from the US? I at least know the loader is at least slightly different in the US model as per a notice and an extra metal insert inside:

Cyrano4.jpg


The other threaded black shaft and tip probably aren't the greatest, but I at least replaced the tip with a stainless steel Cressi one.

Included stainless steel tahitian shaft and harmonic steel shaft (Cressi tip):

Cyrano 6.jpg


Now to get in the water and test it against my buddy, Quickshot's Cyrano 1100 he aquired a month or so earlier.

I quickly noticed one aesthetic difference between our two guns, with mine having a different Mares Cyrano graphic on the side of the gun. Here is my gun:

Cyrano1.jpg

Here is what my mate's gun looks like in the same area:

Cyrano2.JPG

Even though this is just an minor difference in appearance I suspect my gun may be a later model as this is the graphic currently shown on all the Cyranos on the Mares website.

Now we decided to compare our guns (high setting, factory default pressure, tahitian shafts, 3 wraps of dyneema.) beside each other in shooting parallel to the water surface for a rough comparison. The interesting thing was after about 3 shots it seemed both guns shot the exact same distance as our shafts were always lying on top of each other when we retrieved them, all 3 wraps of line came off my gun and pulled tight on each shot. Next we both switched our power regulators to low power, loading it on low each time and had about 3 shots again with identical results. We though it seemed like the guns were shooting the exact same distance as on high power which was strange so Quickshot switched kept his gun on low and I put mine on high. Guess what? the shots were identical in range again and for 3 more tests! Now I don't know what is going on here but I'm guessing maybe we need to pump our guns up more than the default 20-23 BAR to see more of a difference. It was definitely easier for the first half of loading on the low setting so there has to be a translation power wise. (Another thing to note is these tests are definitely not conclusive and were not performed in a controlled environment!)

I'm sorry, but I must stop typing now as this is maybe even more tiring than spearfishing for 5 hours straight!

So that's that and I hope this is an interesting read for those of you on the "Dark Side" and I hope to get back in the water with my new toy again very soon to test the 2 Omer Match 30 reels my mate just received from Subprof! I guess the next step in the near future for us might be MAMBA! But until then I say goodbye.

Cheers,
Britney Spears

[Mongrel454]

Nice Review mate i enjoyed the read

Strange though that both guns shoot identical length, have u checked the pressures or just relied on the manufactures setting them the same?

[Amphibian]

The manufacturer pressure will not be the same in both guns i can almost guarantee it, unless you have checked this with a pressure gauge of course, in which case ignore me!

Did you mean you pumped them up to same pressure?

Also a 110 standard pneumatic will not achieve that much greater velocity or range than a 97, the piston as it pushes out water kinda reaches a 'terminal velocity', ok so the extra 13cm prob adds a few fps but not a lot of difference at these lengths (of course it's totally different comparing a much shorter gun!)

I too own a mares cyrano 970 and very pleased with it, my graphics were as per the second picture and i got the stainless steel shaft and a black one.
Managed to pick up 4 spare shafts (the naff black ones) for about £2 each brand new! (the joys of ebay) i did this because i expect to have a few bent ones in the UK conditions.

[Britney Spearz]

Originally Posted by Mongrel454

Nice Review mate i enjoyed the read

Strange though that both guns shoot identical length, have u checked the pressures or just relied on the manufactures setting them the same?

Yep, both the guns were at factory default pressure. Mares say depending on size, the Cyrano's are pre-charged from 15-23 BAR depending on size so I'm guessing ours are around the 21-23 BAR mark.

I tried pumping the gun up more today but was meeting very, VERY
stiff resistance at the bottom of the pump stoke so only did 100 more pumps without pushing it completely down in fear for breaking something. I did have a similar resistance to this when pumping my Asso 75 but nowhere near as bad so I was always able to push the pump fully down with that though.

The Cyrano can be pumped to a max recommended pressure of 30 BAR but does anyone have a suggestion of perhaps an optimum pressure to try? (Keep in mind I am quite good at the pneumatic loading technique )

Regards,
Thomas or, erm...Britney?

[Amphibian]

Empty the gun and pump it up fully, do not go over 30 BAR, people who overpressurise will damage the gun.

Cyrano 970 10bar=260 15bar=395 20bar=575 25bar=755 30bar=925 pumps

In uk conditions i keep mine to 20 bar to prevent overpenetration/damage to spear.
Obviously a faster spear means a more pentrating and (up to a point) accurate spear, so if you are shooting at longer ranges you'll 'need' 30bar.

[cmburch]

I do not use a rubber line tensioner to keep the line secure with the release on my Mares guns. I tie my line to the right length, so when I insert the shaft in the barrel and wrap the line it is tensioned properly.

My guns were originally set-up at the shop with black latex Polespear tubing as the tensioner with about 6" of line bunched up inside. I figure less knots and bends = less line fatigue. I like a simple clean set-up.

[slingshaft]

I always use a rubber line tensioner, it seems that after repeated stretching with the wet line,I lose the snug,tidy effect. I find that for me, it is easier to hook the last wrap over the line holder. And when I'm far away from a dive shop I can build a tensioner right into the shooting line by stuffing several extra inches of shooting line into a 4 inch length of used sling rubber. Ideally, 1/2 in. diameter. However, every size works. Then, tie big knots in the line right at the ends of the rubber, stuff the knots into the rubber, clinch wrap just like you were making a regular sling. I've tied small plastic beads on to the line in place of the knots.

[azapa]

did you flip the power lever before or after loading the gun? For some reason I remember there is a difference to it actually working or not (as you saw). I will test this weekend.

[Britney Spearz]

Originally Posted by azapa

did you flip the power lever before or after loading the gun? For some reason I remember there is a difference to it actually working or not (as you saw). I will test this weekend.

For the first shot I flipped the switch after but reloaded and shot two more times just to make sure.

I think I know what was going on now, on high power the shaft seems to have a lot more speed and acceleration but on low power the shaft moves slower but glides to roughly the same distance still but I'm not quite sure yet.

[ulysses]

Folks,

it makes no difference, whether you put the power lever on low or high before loading, i.e. there is a difference in the loading effort (somewhat fractioned if you put it on low [it is a non-return valve that separates the two chambers]), but the power of the shot is determined by the power setting after the gun is loaded. For example, you can load the gun on 'low', and still enjoy full power, if subsequently you switch to 'high'.

It goes without saying that I have removed the teflon separator and, hence, the low/high power functionality on my 110cm Sparks/Stealths with Mamba/Poseidon kits.

However, I have also noticed on my smaller guns that the power reducer often does not work properly, because the o-ring on the no-retun valve / plug which seals off the chamber in front of the separator was misplaced or defective.

For those who are unfamiliar with how the power reducer actually works:

YouTube - variatore

Cheers, ulysses

[cmburch]

Ulysses,
What is the range and how loud are your 110cm Sparks/Stealths with Mamba/Poseidon kits. Thanks

[ulysses]

My dry barrel Stealths/Sparks with 120/125cm x 7mm tahitian shafts @ 25bar have an effective range of about 5-6m = three double wraps of line plus some 50cm from the reel.

The noise emission (one "boiiing") is moderate and, although different, comparable to that of a standard arbalete with strong bands.

Cheers, ulysses

[Seahunter56]

I have just ordered a 970 and was very interested in reading all this. Question: With both guns the 970 and 1100 shot with 3 wraps, would not both guns shoot about the same? I would think that the only way to really test them would be to shoot them with out line to hold the shafts back. Am I right or wrong? Another test would be so shoot the 2 guns at a fixed object and see how far they penatrate at the same distance.

[azapa]

i have a 850 stealth now, very smooth and quiet power. the trigger draaaaaaaaaaaaaggggssssssss despite being light though. can't hit much with it compaire to an open muzzled cayman. I will have to get used to it I suppose, and fix that trigger.

[SporaScrub]

Originally Posted by Seahunter56

I have just ordered a 970 and was very interested in reading all this. Question: With both guns the 970 and 1100 shot with 3 wraps, would not both guns shoot about the same? I would think that the only way to really test them would be to shoot them with out line to hold the shafts back. Am I right or wrong? Another test would be so shoot the 2 guns at a fixed object and see how far they penatrate at the same distance.

3 wraps are only necessary if you have a mamba (or similar dry barrel mod) done to your gun. (the gun has more range)

If you just bought a normal Cyrano, then 2 wraps are more than enough.

I don't own a cyrano but I would assume that a (normal or factory) 970 and 1100 shoot the around the same distance.