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Cyrano Inner Barrels replacements

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

popgun pete

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2008
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Some time ago someone here was looking for an inner barrel. Here are 970 and 1100 inner barrels that are out of new guns. The same site is selling Cyrano tanks that are also from dismantled new guns. Possibly someone is undertaking a project to change guns to stainless steel inner barrels and titanium tanks for river and lake use where guns operate in turbid water full of grit.



The tanks in a wider range of sizes are here. Remember that the long snouts on the original Cyrano guns mean slighter shorter tanks.

 
The same seller is offering these Cyrano trigger parts which are the 1.5 mm trigger transmission pin, the "top hat" guide for the 1.5 mm diameter pin and the threaded bush that fastens this assembly into the plastic rear handgrip. The original Cyrano was offered in an "Apnea System" version with the 1.5 mm pin and a standard version with the thicker Mares transmission pin, but at a certain point in their production all Cyrano guns were released with the 1.5 mm pin and that pin size has since been installed in their other pneumatic gun models. The "top hat" spacer keeps the slimmer pin from being bent by supporting the pin except for the small section protruding above it and pushing on the bottom rear of the sear lever. It protects the pin during normal use, but not against turning the inner barrel in the gun or pulling it out without removing the pin first as otherwise you will bend the pin.
Apnea System 1.5 mm dia pin guide.jpg
trigger transmission pin 1.5 mm.jpg
piston bushing trigger transmission pin.jpg
 
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Hi Pete, that may have been me who was looking for the inner barrel. I bought one from an Italian site called https://neossub.it/
Still haven't got round to replacing it yet, last time I dismantled the gun I couldn't unscrew the transfer valve.
There is an Italian on facebook called Duccio Lippolis who supplies and fits 12mm stainless steel barrels for the Cyrano.
 
Stainless steel inner barrels need to be turned down along their length where there are no screw threads in order to reduce the wall thickness of the inner barrel so that the revamped gun is not too heavy. Alloy barrels work fine in normal underwater conditions, but any suspended grit in the water can enter the barrel and wear it out over time as it cuts into the hard anodized surface. Diving in rivers and lakes with current can whip stuff up from the bottom which we don't often encounter in the ocean except in the wave breaking zone.
 
Well I finally put the new barrel in and a new piston, nice to have the gun leak free again. I think as you said I got a piece of grit in the barrel when loading, there are some long scratches on the inner surface. Would a vacuum muzzle reduce the chances of that happening again?
P1030821.JPG
 
A vacuum muzzle may minimize the risk as there are no muzzle relief ports, but stuff can still get in through the muzzle opening. Generally if a gun is not loaded then it will be floating, so should stay away from the bottom, however sand and grit can be in the water column under turbulent conditions.
 
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After some further reading I found some comments about the mares barrel on an Italian forum, they suggested either the type of aluminium or the quality of the anodizing was not great and its common for them to corrode at the end above the piston seals as this area doesn't get lubricated. Recommended to depress the piston and spray in CRC marine 66
 
On guns with muzzle relief ports if you put the gun muzzle down into a tub of water that will remove saltwater from the front end of the piston. On vacuum muzzle guns you have to push the piston back slightly with something that doesn't seal on the vacuum seal in order to flood it with freshwater for a short travel distance. It is the salt which causes the problems.
 
Hi Pete, I've always cleaned my guns like you say, well rinsed and soaked muzzle end in freshwater. This is the head of the cyrano barrel I replaced, I think that is corrosion? I've seen other users online with much worse corrosion in the same place.

97826559_613940479204210_3332260508429451264_n.jpg
 
Between parts made of different aluminum there will always be a galvanic pair in salt water! How much more time is needed for the evolution of the brain of designers to put stainless steel trunks? You buy bad goods and reward bad producers with your money!
 
That corrosion is where the clear anodizing has been displaced by damage due to impacts or wear and is nothing to worry about. When the running surface for the seals gets damaged then you worry, but it can take years or even decades to happen. Although the inner barrels are not coloured, they are in fact anodized. If kept free of grit the inner barrels can last for a very long time.
 
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Between parts made of different aluminum there will always be a galvanic pair in salt water! How much more time is needed for the evolution of the brain of designers to put stainless steel trunks? You buy bad goods and reward bad producers with your money!
If you spear in turbid water with grit or sand swirling around then you need stainless steel inner barrels as sooner or later some will go down the barrel as you load the gun. Unless you spear in the wave zone in saltwater this suspended grit is rarely a problem, but if your loaded gun hits the bottom then it is best to shake it up and down with the muzzle pointed downwards to rinse it out. Avoiding grease in the muzzle area keeps it free of sand grains sticking.
 
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If you spear in turbid water with grit or sand swirling around then you need stainless steel inner barrels as sooner or later some will go down the barrel as you load the gun. Unless you spear in the wave zone in saltwater this suspended grit is rarely a problem, but if your loaded gun hits the bottom then it is best to shake it up and down with the muzzle pointed downwards to rinse it out. Avoiding grease in the muzzle area keeps it free of sand grains sticking.

that’s my situation, strong tidal currents, low visibility. Sediment. Sometimes I leave the gun at the bottom to mark a spot
Is the vuoto/dry muzzle better for this kind of environment? As in another thread I wrote that I found some grit on the piston, in front of the o rings. One brown spot and thin scratches on the inner barrel, no air leaks.
I saw a video from salvimar regarding the vuoto, they suggest unscrewing the muzzle tip and rinse it in fresh water. English subtitles.
 
I used my old “Sten” in gritty conditions and it is still working, it is the original model with a metal piston. Sand cannot embed in metal, but it can in plastic. I stopped using the “Sten” because the low power switch stopped working as the cup seal that model used on the brass transfer port piston is no longer available. Then I switched to a Scubapro “Magnum” 95, it too has a metal piston. As I said earlier in this thread the vacuum muzzle guns don’t have muzzle ports, but I would not rely on their design to keep grit out. If you check the surface of your spears they collect lots of fine scratches, some of this is due to grit in the line slide. As vacuum barrel guns rely on very smooth shafts (some fine scratching of the shaft can be tolerated) I would still rather use an open sided muzzle gun to shake stuff out under gritty conditions. Unfortunately plastic pistons can turn to sandpaper, but periodic inspection can keep problems in check and pistons are much easier to replace than inner barrels.
 
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I used my old “Sten” in gritty conditions and it is still working, it is the original model with a metal piston. Sand cannot embed in metal, but it can in plastic. I stopped using the “Sten” because the low power switch stopped working as the cup seal that model used on the brass transfer port piston is no longer available. Then I switched to a Scubapro “Magnum” 95, it too has a metal piston. As I said earlier in this thread the vacuum muzzle guns don’t have muzzle ports, but I would not rely on their design to keep grit out. If you check the surface of your spears they collect lots of fine scratches, some of this is due to grit in the line slide. As vacuum barrel guns rely on very smooth shafts (some fine scratching of the shaft can be tolerated) I would still rather use an open sided muzzle gun to shake stuff out under gritty conditions. Unfortunately plastic pistons can turn to sandpaper, but periodic inspection can keep problems in check and pistons are much easier to replace than inner barrels.

if i spend 2 / 3 hours in the water in strong current and sand, I imagine sand would accumulate. Even if a dry muzzle would not guarantee preventing accumulation of debris, it may likely reduce the amount.
It would be great if there were replacement pistons made of metal.
 
I think many people would like metal pistons and matching metal shock absorbers, but bean counters got rid of them decades ago as plastic pistons are cheap to make.
 
I think many people would like metal pistons and matching metal shock absorbers, but bean counters got rid of them decades ago as plastic pistons are cheap to make.
And probably they make guns fail and many upgrade.
 
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