Mares Frontiersman Speargun

[malderking]

So I'm just getting into spearfishing & a guy I know has a Mares Frontiersman Pneumatic Speargun that has been used twice. He says it was $300 new but apparently that was a while ago.

After a bit of research it seems like it would be very hard to get parts for this thing & that it will likely need new O-Rings. (Please correct me if I'm wrong)

So I have the option to make an offer on this thing. I really only have about $100 to spend. Is it worth that? I haven't looked at it yet but he assures me it looks brand new. I'm not sure if it's leaking air, but having been stored for a bunch of years I would assume it's likely.

Would love some feed back.

Thanks so much,

Michael

 

[cmburch]

I have a Mares Frontiersman $180US new 1989. It is not worth $100 Canadian unless collecting for some unknown reason. Mares pneumatics are for close up and dirty work. I rarely use mine and it is actually on loan to my buddy for almost a year. I use a shorter pneumatic for NorCal less than 15 foot VIS mainly California groundfish on rocks, under ledges, in between boulders. SCUBASWorld has parts. If someone gave it away for free or $35 I may take it. Good for halibut, lingcod. Maybe too small for your halibut and lingcod. It may be better to start off with a railgun. Mako Spearguns. Post SpearBoard in the section for your area to see what others are using in your area.

 

[cmburch]

A frontiersman is a Mares STEN. Check online prices for a new one.

If leaking due to poor maintenance or storage, probably not worth the time to replace piston, o-rings, fork oil unless getting it close to free.

 

[malderking]

Thanks for the feed back cmburch really appreciate it. I'll see if he's willing to just let it go. Otherwise I'll just save my cash for something newer.

Really appreciate the help!

Thanks!
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[popgun pete]

A pneumatic gun that has only been used twice will not be in much different condition to a new one. I would not call a "Sten" (90 cm model) a gun for close up work, but it depends on what you call "close-up" if for example you routinely speared in 100 foot visibility. You should seek more than one opinion and I suggest that you search the various threads here. Mares rear handle pneumatic spearguns sold in the USA have different model names, so you are more likely to find info on the "Sten" under that name, although I would be surprised if there was not any discussion on the "Frontiersman" as such.

Pneumatic spearguns may lose some pressure over a long period of years as nothing is absolutely pressure tight, however just because it is old I would not assume that it leaks. Check eBay for used prices, these pneumatic spearguns appear reasonably regularly as divers quit the sport or estates are sold off getting rid of some deceased relative's sporting goods.

If the gun comes with all accessories and instructions then it could be a good buy, maybe $100 to $150 for one in excellent condition (no oil leaks, no scuffs or scratches, no tank dents and a shiny straight shaft with undamaged tip). Best way to know is to go and check it out in person.

 

[cmburch]

I am biased. As are many in California on pneumatic spearguns. I do not like the Frontiersman for kelp diving due to its length, but my buddy does that is why he is using it. I use the snubnose for kelp diving 15' VIS or a Mares carbon phantom for 30'+ VIS.

Very few on on the west coast would recommend pneumatics anymore. It may have to do with accuracy, parts, service, etc.

A band gun is the way to go. Easy to service. Forgiving if not good on maintenance.

I have had my pneumatics for over 20 years. If you decide to get it. The painted shaft is poor quality as is the spearpoint. I got a couple of extra shafts from Ray Odor. I think SCUBA.com also has some deals on spearpoints and strong rust free shafts. I can give you the shaft lengths.

I soak mine in warm water after each use while I am taking a shower. Make sure no sand left in nose. Put a couple of drops of fork oil and hang nose down.

 

[spaghetti]

Mares Frontiersman....in Italy where it's made that's called the Sten Competition L series.

I have one of those guns (Medisten Competition L) that I bought back in 1992. Still shooting. Never leaked. Never needed any service except the basic refill and change of o-rings, only twice in 19 years.

Not the latest technology, but you can still kill fish with it (if everything is okay).

Here's two pics of myself with the gun:

 

[malderking]

I'm probably gonna check it out tomorrow or wednesday. What should I look for and how do you test for leaks? Should I fire it, how would I test it on land?

Thanks

M

 

[spaghetti]

No you can't fire-test it on land. It's very dangerous.
Out of the water, if you shoot it with the shaft tied to a line, the shaft will bounce back to you and, eventually, kill you. If you shoot it out of water with no line tied to the shaft, it will skyrocket some 50 meters away and, eventually, kill somebody else.

One thing you can do is get the air out, recharge with air (some 150/200 pump strokes should do good for only leak-testing), put in a tub full of water, and see if bubbles get out.

 

[spaghetti]

A quick test to see if any pressure. Put a couple of drops of oil in nose. Click butt of shaft in place. Place point of shaft in corner of concrete garage floor, so point will not slip when putting pressure on gun. Carefully push down firmly about 1/4-1/2 of shaft length. Do not push all the way and lock shaft. Flip pressure lever and repeat. Should have a lot of resistance to pushing down, but should also slide easily without any sticking or roughness.

A shaft can also be released this way if know how to do it safely. By placing the spearpoint in the corner of the concrete garage floor pushing down then slowly releasing the shaft.

+1

just be very careful.

 

[cmburch]

A quick test to see if any pressure. Put a couple of drops of oil in nose. Click butt of shaft in place. Place point of shaft in corner of concrete garage floor, so point will not slip when putting pressure on gun. Carefully push down firmly about 1/4-1/2 of shaft length. Do not push all the way and lock shaft. Flip pressure lever and repeat. Should have a lot of resistance to pushing down, but should also slide easily without any sticking or roughness.

A shaft can also be released this way if know how to do it safely. By placing the spearpoint in the corner of the concrete garage floor pushing down then slowly releasing the shaft.

Be very careful with the cheap shaft. It can bend when doing this. A new spring steel shaft is much tougher.

Old gun laying around on its side without oil in nose or pointed down to keep o-ring lubed will probably stick and be unable to compress easily. Or it may compress very easily.

 

[malderking]

cool thanks. I wasn't planning on shooting it on land & I don't feel up to killing anyone least of all myself.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

M

 

[popgun pete]

Having bought and repaired many secondhand pneumatic spearguns I can say that guns that look in excellent shape usually have no problems. A very easy way to check for existing air pressure in the gun is to operate the power regulator lever. If there is pressure in the gun then the power regulator lever will fly back to the rearmost (high power) position once the lever's knob is raised from the angled down or forward position in the selector gate (which is the low power position). Guns that have no air pressure inside them usually have the selector lever knob slightly forwards in the gate and situated between the two power positions due to a biasing spring inside the gun pulling the lever forwards, not back. If that is the case then you do not have to even push the power regulator lever, you can tell at a glance that the gun contains no air pressure.

Air pressure and hence oil leaks usually put an oily bloom on the gun around where the leak is, even if the leak is very slow. Faster leaks that cause problems will result in oil accumulating in a noticeable film on the surrounding area and you will see it replenished fairly quickly even if you wipe it away with a cloth. If the gun is depressurized ask to see it with some pressure added as it is only then that you will see if it leaks. But before doing so ask for a few drops of oil to be added on the various moving items for the following reason.

Any secondhand gun that I received in the mail I depressurized (if it had air pressure in it) and then added oil drops to lubricate up inside the trigger area and inside the power regulator gate and down the muzzle and any one of the muzzle relief ports (there are four of them) to help with any sticking that may have occurred over time in these locations. Oil inside the gun keeps the internal surfaces of all rubber seals lubricated, but the external and thus exposed surfaces eventually dry out. Most affected areas are the "O" rings on the trigger transmission pin and the power regulator control shaft. Operating these on a long stored gun (for many years) can create small tears in the "O" rings if the rubber has lost lubrication and started to stick to the sliding metal shaft or pin. Despite these precautions such damage can still occur, but at least you improve the chances of it not happening.