Mares Cyrano Evo HF

[popgun pete]

Mares now have a metal line release lever for the "Evo", if you fit it then make sure the trigger adjustment is wound out or you will bust some other part of the gun.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/spearfishing-speargun-MARES-SS-LINE-RELEASE-FOR-CYRANO-EVO-HF/263944983573?_trkparms=aid=333200&algo=COMP.MBE&ao=2&asc=56586&meid=bd32ca8230214f8f8eea23792a6dae4f&pid=100008&rk=2&rkt=12&sd=132997261042&itm=263944983573&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

This is the plastic version https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mares-Line-release-for-Cyrano-Evo-HF-Spearfishing-Spearguns-Accesorries/264094860963?_trkparms=aid=333200&algo=COMP.MBE&ao=1&asc=20190129125700&meid=8dbc0a6b5e314f0596712fa126e605fe&pid=100752&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=263944983573&itm=264094860963&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

 

[popgun pete]

As readers accessing this thread may be facing the task of dismantling their "Evo", here is the exploded parts diagram for it. Mares don't routinely issue this diagram which is a big mistake as owners should be able to fix their guns and have an idea of the parts that they will need. Also the part code numbers should be provided and perhaps spearfishermen should now petition Mares for the release of this information as requests from individuals seem to fall on deaf ears.

 

[popgun pete]

Some photos here of the front bulkhead of a Cyrano 1.3 70 cm cylindrical tank model from both inside and out.

Mares Cyrano 1.3 70 pneumatic speargun analyzed completely

X-Rays of Mares Cyrano 1.3 70 pneumatic speargun analyzed completely in design, materials, technical solutions, weights and dimensions

www.apneapassion.com

I note that resellers are offering the metal trigger and line release lever as an upgrade for the "Cyrano Evo" (orange trim) which is contrary to the advice by Edosub shown earlier on this thread that they cannot be substituted. It sounds like they do fit, but anyone doing this modification needs to check the line release operating sequence as Mares may have changed something else and you don’t want to find out when squeezing off your first shot as while the new metal parts are unlikely to break something else might! Slightly shortening the trigger transmission pin may help to allow some free play before the gun is pressurised. A check of the length of these pins in both versions may shed some light on this aspect.

Mares Stainless Steel Trigger Spare Part For Pneumatic Underwater Spearguns | eBay

Trigger fits for pneumatic underwater spearguns: Mares cyrano evo and cyrano evo HF. Mares Stainless Steel Trigger. Perfect for replacing your plastic trigger. Replacing a trigger you have to replace line releaser also.

www.ebay.com

spearfishing speargun MARES SS LINE RELEASE FOR CYRANO EVO/ HF 1.1 1.3 | eBay

Mares stainless steel line releaser for Cyrano Evo/HF. Line release for Cyrano Evo / HF. We also have a high-standard team, qualified by authorized organizations to ensure products are of the highest quality.

www.ebay.com

 

[popgun pete]

"O" Ring kits for the Sten/Jet and Cyrano (original)/Spark are relatively easy to find, but here is a kit for the Evo. Whether the 1.1 or 1.3 version it does not say unfortunately.

Mares service o-rings kit for pneumatic spearguns cyrano EVO series | eBay

This o ring kit fits for most mares cyrano evo, cyrano evo HF, sten 11 pneumatic pearguns. The Mares o-ring evo is for use when servicing mares cyrano evo series Pneumatic Spearguns. Pneumatic spearguns need to be serviced regularly to ensure that they are in correct working order.

www.ebay.com

Looks like this kit is for the Evo HF 1.1 as we now have the part number list for that model. I ordered one to check it out, but my Cyrano is the 1.3 which is the cylindrical tank version.

 

[popgun pete]

One problem with the HF model is that as the nose cone is an integral part of the hydroformed tank tube it will not be so easy to change all the oil in the gun. On most pneumatic guns the muzzle holds the plastic nose cone on and once the muzzle is unscrewed and removed you can then pull the nose cone off. Doing this and with the piston removed fully exposes the front end of the gun's interior and with the gun inverted all the oil will drain from the gun.

To achieve the same result on the HF model you would need to pull the tank off as "O" ring OR 3062 is the inner barrel tube to nose cone sealing ring and that seals off pressurized air and oil in the gun. Pulling the tank off for an oil change is no small job and only removing the piston will leave some oil trapped in the tank so an alternate method is needed. This requires using air pressure in the gun to blow oil out through the inlet valve with the gun held vertical and the muzzle pointing upwards. To do this you depressurise the gun in the usual way, remove the muzzle in order to pull the piston out and drain as much oil as you can via the inner barrel and then reinsert the piston and replace the muzzle screwing it on until it is snug but not tight as you will want to remove it later. Now pressurise the gun with about a dozen pump strokes and then push it down onto a rod that will open the inlet valve and the air presume in the gun will drive the oil out. Repeat until no oil comes out and then you are ready to remove the muzzle and add new oil in the usual way. This can be a messy procedure but a simple gadget could be made to collect the old oil as shown here. It is always worth checking the old oil for any signs of moisture or the presence of particles that may indicate problems elsewhere in the gun.

It is possible that oil can run out of the tank with the muzzle removed as it carries two "O" rings that look like they seal in the necked down end of the tank tube and "O" ring OR 3062 seals in the back of the muzzle, it being a mini nose cone, but the annular gap will be small. For oil to run out air needs to get in, like pouring water out of a narrow necked bottle.

 

[popgun pete]

Note for those thinking that oil changes could be made without ever having to use a tool on their gun bear in mind that oil changes are partly done to regrease the muzzle threads. As mentioned elsewhere the inner barrel to muzzle thread is exposed to seawater at the front end and this water can wick in along the threads eventually leading to corrosion which can seize the threads. Manufacturers place an anti-seize compound on these threads when assembling the gun, but this stuff does not last forever. You can use a light dab of marine lithium based grease on the threads instead. Guns that are regularly used in the spearfishing season should have the oil changed every two years, guns used all year round need an oil change each year.

 

[popgun pete]

This is the first diagram that I saw of the then new "Cyrano Evo", I discarded the Italian labels and because English equivalents were sometimes longer I moved the arrows/lines around that pointed to various parts.
View attachment 53534
One glance at the sear lever angle and I knew that there would be problems and I wondered how this arrangement got the nod to be produced.

The diagram below is how the gun should have looked in the first place.
View attachment 53535
It is possible this was the original intention, but then they found that the horizontal tip on the trigger front arm extension did not clear the line release lever sufficiently, so they lengthened the trigger transmission pin to increase the downward sweep of the trigger front arm extension's travel arc when the piston was released and then the world fell in on them. This is because when single-piece triggers tilt the force acting on the trigger coming through contact with the mushroom head moves the force vector up towards the sear lever pivot pin, which is also the trigger which in a sense is flattened out and the closing torque therefore reduces. That closing torque is all that keeps a single piece trigger "locked", lower it too much in magnitude and the gun goes into auto-shoot mode with no need for you to pull the trigger.

I had thought Mares may have used a different sear lever with a changed tooth angle for the Evo to cope with the sear lever tilted as shown in their cross section diagram, but now the parts list is available (thanks to someone putting it up in a form which then needed to be rejigged) the part number shows it is exactly the same one used in the previous guns. So using it on an angle was whistling in the dark and hoping it would still work was a foolish thing to do. As the tooth tilts it becomes much easier for it to tip under the forces being applied by the mushroom tail on the piston.

 

[popgun pete]

Some photos here of the front bulkhead of a Cyrano 1.3 70 cm cylindrical tank model from both inside and out.

Mares Cyrano 1.3 70 pneumatic speargun analyzed completely

X-Rays of Mares Cyrano 1.3 70 pneumatic speargun analyzed completely in design, materials, technical solutions, weights and dimensions

www.apneapassion.com

I note that resellers are offering the metal trigger and line release lever as an upgrade for the "Cyrano Evo" (orange trim) which is contrary to the advice by Edosub shown earlier on this thread that they cannot be substituted. It sounds like they do fit, but anyone doing this modification needs to check the line release operating sequence as Mares may have changed something else and you don’t want to find out when squeezing off your first shot as while the new metal parts are unlikely to break something else might! Slightly shortening the trigger transmission pin may help to allow some free play before the gun is pressurised. A check of the length of these pins in both versions may shed some light on this aspect.

Mares Stainless Steel Trigger Spare Part For Pneumatic Underwater Spearguns | eBay

Trigger fits for pneumatic underwater spearguns: Mares cyrano evo and cyrano evo HF. Mares Stainless Steel Trigger. Perfect for replacing your plastic trigger. Replacing a trigger you have to replace line releaser also.

www.ebay.com

spearfishing speargun MARES SS LINE RELEASE FOR CYRANO EVO/ HF 1.1 1.3 | eBay

Mares stainless steel line releaser for Cyrano Evo/HF. Line release for Cyrano Evo / HF. We also have a high-standard team, qualified by authorized organizations to ensure products are of the highest quality.

www.ebay.com

Having finally gained access to the parts list for the Cyrano 1.3 (thanks to a friendly dealer) I think we finally have the answer to the problems in the Cyrano Evo and their solution in the blue handled later Cyrano guns. It may also explain why advice was given that the new metal trigger and line release lever could not simply be swapped for the plastic items in the orange trim Evo guns. The reason would appear to be that the trigger transmission pins are different! In the Evo this item (the connection piston) part number 23 has Mares part reference number 43201192, in the blue trim Cyrano this is still part number 23, but the part reference number is now 43201429. Although the dimensions are not shown I suspect the trigger transmission pin is shorter in the later guns. So if you do replace your plastic Evo trigger and line release lever make sure you change the trigger transmission pin as well.

 

[popgun pete]

Note that the inner barrel diameter seems to make no change to the trigger transmission pin used in the guns. If we look at the handle used in the original Cyrano 11 mm and the Sten 2001 13 mm model they both use transmission pin part number 43164282. They also use the same sear lever (catch hook) part number 43163313.

 

[popgun pete]

The Cyrano 1.3 diagram and parts list, a photo rather than a scan, but better than nothing. Hopefully Mares issue this info themselves now "the cat is out of the bag" as the old saying goes. Although the handle moulding part 1 has no Mares part number shown here, I think the power regulator versions of the handle are the same except that there are 11 mm and 13 mm in the later guns, whereas the Evo was only produced as an 11 mm gun.

HF tank models don't need the third body "O" ring (part 28) as it is replaced by two smaller "O" rings on the mini-nose cone rather than the full diameter nose cone of the cylindrical tank versions. The gun that started the fad for the hydroformed tank was the Omer “Airbalete”, if we discount the earlier conical nosed "Skorpion", but these guns are no longer produced. LG-Sub have a conical nosed tank, but it is not as tapered as that used on the "Skorpion". Too much front taper and lack of buoyancy makes the loaded gun nose heavy in the water. The bigger OD 13 mm inner barrel probably precludes the use of the hydroformed tank in the later Cyrano due to the nose cone dimensions required, but there is still an 11 mm version.
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The HF 11 mini nose cone, this is the only image I have of it as you can buy it as a spare part.

 

[popgun pete]

A comparison of the triggers, the fore-aft adjustable plastic trigger has three positions, but in my view is of no real advantage. When Mares first used it on the “Competition Line Sten” gun from 1987 I soon moved it to the rearmost position and at the next rejig of the gun Mares replaced it with a one piece trigger. It might be useful if you had big hands so as not to cramp your grip.

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[popgun pete]

Although Mares refer to it as the Cyrano 1.3 the gun should really be called the Sten 2017. The original Cyrano introduced the swivelling frame type safety bar and that handle was later adapted with a new lower white grip shell to become the Sten 2001 with a full length tank. I suspect that the reason for not doing so is traditionally the Sten is a gun with a concentric barrel and tank. The Sten 2001 is still produced, but the longer tank versions are not available these days, however this situation could change at any time depending on demand.

 

[popgun pete]

The "O" ring kit arrived today and it has the same part number on the Cyrano 1.3 parts list as it does on the Evo HF parts list, so I assume the rings supplied cover all the models. I will check that out once I open the bag up and see what the "O" ring chart inside says in terms of the individual ring part numbers.

 

[popgun pete]

Here is the "O" ring chart and the rings supplied are for the Cyrano Evo HF, although they provide 3 body rings, hence the third large ring can serve as the front seal used in the cylindrical tank gun's full diameter nose cone. That means the kit can be used for both tank versions of the Evo. The Cyrano 1.3 would need a 13 mm piston ring and different rings required by its larger OD inner barrel, namely the barrel to nose cone and the barrel to power regulator block (pre-chamber bulkhead) "O" rings. To aid identification I have added the small gun diagram and red ID letters to the original chart, plus the short descriptions included alongside each ring.

Note that the kit does have a 13 mm piston ring, but this is used as a friction ring on the safety lever control switch. Apparently the Cyrano 1.3 now uses a new piston ring as it is shown on the parts list as OR 9 X 2, Mares part number 43201402. This may indicate why the Evo has a new ring in the kit labelled as part number 46200299 on the chart which by process of elimination must be the piston ring. Formerly this 11 mm piston ring was OR 2031, part number 46110107. A kit of 10 of these OR 2031 rings is listed for the original Evo as part number 46201255, however it looks like Mares have changed their piston rings in the latest version of these guns. Slight dimensional or compound changes may be involved, but currently I don’t have that information. Judging by the chart silhouette the new 11 mm piston ring is a little smaller in OD than the previous ring, but there is next to nothing in it. The charts are for sorting which ring is which in a pack, but they are not necessarily true to size.