EVOL Masterclass video tutorials?

[Bladebum]

Like many here I bought an Evol for many reasons, one of them being its simplicity. I like to maintain and fix my own guns, not ship them out for O rings, relubing, simple repairs. Im hoping Tom can chime in here, but I for one would love to have some "masterclass" tutorial videos on full dissambly and reassembly on the Evol. Details of tricks, dos and dont's, etc. I know there's got to be others here who would really appreciate that??

 

[Woogie_man]

I am working on doing some tuning with mine. I actually have it apart right now waiting on something to try on it.

I am sure between a few of us we would be able to get something together showing how easy these guns are to work on.

 

[pan60]

dosent fx have a video master class?
do other gun makers?
i think it would be a good thing to see

 

[Woogie_man]

dosent fx have a video master class?
do other gun makers?
i think it would be a good thing to see

Fx does with Ernest Rowe.

 

[Bladebum]

Fx does with Ernest Rowe.

dosent fx have a video master class?
do other gun makers?
i think it would be a good thing to see

Yes something like those types of videos would be excellent. The Evol is a very easy gun to work on, but even like recently I was a little confused on how to get the hammer back in without taking the trigger unit off or damaging the sear. It would be nice to just be able to watch a detailed video of the best way to do that. Information available like that would also save AOA and Tom a bunch of time answering questions.

 

[Dairyboy]

Dana had done some videos on them with Tom. Not sure of a Masterclass style though. Do think they went through the reg, the tensioned barrel system, trigger and such before.

 

[Ezana4CE]

If the Evol was easy to work on, we likely would not see so many questions from owners about issues they’re having. Airgun maintenance work is not mechanical engineering, but I wouldn’t say that the Evol is easy to work on, especially for those that are unfamiliar with these guns. For one, the machiningiof parts is done with care and precision. People don’t want to mess up guns they’ve spent thousands of dollars on (and a couple hundred bucks for the tools suggested to work on these guns). A member has messed his up by making a very simple, but costly mistake that many of us have learned from. Several of us have had leaks and it took some searching, posting, and calling around to resolve. Masterclass videos would be great for these very reasons. As with many exercises and tasks, repetition is your friend and teacher, but to say this gun is easy to work on is vague and misleading IMO. Maybe consider qualifying that statement by comparing it to something that you think is difficult to work on. This post is not directed solely at @Bladebum. I don’t think the brand needs a bunch of cheerleaders and I see statements and posts that resembles that at times. The guns are good to go and can speak for themselves. If something is difficult or challenging, tell others. If something is great, share that. If something isn’t, say it. These are suggestions that I’d encourage others to consider.

In conclusion, for those that find working in their Evol easy, please lead these discussions with meaningful direction for the less experienced and less adept members trying to learn their Evols. Or better yet, start making tutorial videos if you have the time and ability to do so. One thing about the American Air Arms brand, the available support is great from the manufacturer, repair centers, and online forums.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

To help each other with maintenance and the like, there was a new Maintenance forum section added for the HAM American Air Arms community. This is a great place to post up knowledge that you have to share or resources that you may have come across from other sources, such as Ezana4CE did over in AGN, and makes finding the answers to questions a little easier. For a maintenance related tutorial or video that you have posted in this forum, it can be moved to the Maintenance forum through the edit function on the title.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Dana had done some videos on them with Tom. Not sure of a Masterclass style though. Do think they went through the reg, the tensioned barrel system, trigger and such before.

Dana and Tom put out some great content. There's a wealth of knowledge there and it's awesome that they take the time and effort to share it with us. For those wanting to watch Dana's videos, it is on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@MountainSportAirguns

 

[Dairyboy]

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[Pumacarl]

For those unfamiliar with these guns, nothing is going to be easy to do until they learn how to work on any airgun, and not particularly this one. The issue is, as stated, these guns are expensive and new owners (and new airgunners) don't want to screw them up. That's not the design of the guns fault. For people who have been working on airguns, these guns (the EVOL) are about as easy as it gets to work on, once, and only if, you have the specialized tools needed. You really do need to get the tools. Other than that they are no more complex than most airguns, the machining and materials and trigger group are top notch quality but no extra level of understanding is needed. If people completely new to the sport, or new to doing their own work, want to start doing so, I would suggest buying a used (and much cheaper) gun and get some practice in, to know which tools and materials you will be needing, for the work, and watch some videos. All the knowledge is transferable. I haven't seen any specific reason to make a "Masterclass" video for a gun this simple and if there was a reason, I never would have bought it in the first place. Don't be scared away from working on your gun, but be ready. This gun is built right but not different. Well this gun is different in that it's simple like a Marauder, and doesn't need a special series of videos to deal with a whole lot of parts, different. That's it. The videos Tom has already made cover the shroud system, tools needed, and the regulator and hammer adjustment. I don't know what you guys are going to make videos about that are going to show more, but I am very interested in watching them and finding out!

 

[Dairyboy]

I've owned quite a few different guns over the years and had them apart and and would argue the Evol as one of the easiest to work on I've owned. Easier than a Taipan, Marauder, Uragan I mean you name it.

2 screws and the safety removed then chassis is removed, and then degas and remove barrel and then you just gotta unscrew the airtube and your inside.

I'd say Edgun R5M is similar also in ease. Just in different ways.

But if you haven't been into airguns before or much at all yeah they all can be quite difficult until you understand what your messing with.

 

[Bladebum]

The Evol is extremely easy to do scheduled maintenance and regular repairs, probably the simplest gun ive ever owned in that regard.

But has anyone here torn into the reg to reseal it? What about the valve, has anyone pulled one out to replace or repair it? Or even simply, what is the correct way to reinstall the hammer past the sear without removing the trigger group? I have seen zero information on any of that type of repair, likely because no ones gun has needed them yet. But as sure as the setting sun, all our guns will need those repairs at some point and I would rather have a detailed instructional done by Tom himself so I can do them confidently myself.

 

[Dairyboy]

I wonder if this is something AOA could do. I mean there the authorized warranty for AAA. I know they've made videos on other guns in a similar kind of way on repairs and such.

 

[Bladebum]

I wonder if this is something AOA could do. I mean there the authorized warranty for AAA. I know they've made videos on other guns in a similar kind of way on repairs and such.

That would excellent

 

[EDventure Outdoors]

The guy who did the BRK Ghost disassembly and assembly is awesome.

 

[AtlasAirguns]

The guy who did the BRK Ghost disassembly and assembly is awesome.

Yeah @Sub 12 airgunners does a good job with narration, lighting, and clarity.

 

[CTAirgunner]

In conclusion, for those that find working in their Evol easy, please lead these discussions with meaningful direction for the less experienced and less adept members trying to learn their Evols. Or better yet, start making tutorial videos if you have the time and ability to do so. One thing about the American Air Arms brand, the available support is great from the manufacturer, repair centers, and online forums.

I don't leave out the rest of your post because I disagree, I agreed with a lot of it. I just want to comment on this portion.

In my humble opinion, I believe the evol is easy to work on, however I have mechanical background. I have also only sent 1 of the airguns out of the 30 or so I've owned in for work and that's because it was brand new under warranty... not my problem... was there's. Otherwise I've worked on them all.

Any time I state it's easy , I will typically offer to do it for them or they're welcome to call and I'll work on mine at the same time they work on theirs, @Bladebum asked me about the installing the sear and honestly it happened so fast when I had that removed I forgot the exact procedure, but am willing to dive back into mine to help, that's how confident I am in them being easy to work on. I've had all 3 evols I've had apart, and the 2 other besides my Paradigm were opened up by the previous owner(s) so I'd say the statement they are easy to work on is fairly valid with the assumption that the person taking them apart is mechanically inclined. I do not recommend anyone who isn't to be working on pressure vessels such as these. That's asking for trouble.

I think it's ok to be a cheerleader for a product you find to be above the rest , but it isn't JUST cheerleaders, it's technical people offering reassurance and often a helping hand to the person needing help isn't comfortable with it.

I struggle to make good , fun videos, due to time, not being that good with technology (recording equipment etc) , and just don't truly enjoy it, I don't think I'd be best candidate for tutorial videos... although have thought about it.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@CTAirgunner I think I understand what you’re communicating, but consider this. There are guys from the PB world getting their feet wet. Others who’ve recently retired and want to have nice toys to occupy some of their time. Then there are guys who want to try everything and haven’t taken much time to learn much of anything about many, if any, of their guns. I’ve seen quite a few newbs come in the airgun community and they desire top-shelf gear. Some have the money for it and find themselves falling down the PCP rabbit hole. Some will FUBAR these guns and sell them to recoup funds. A certain percentage won’t tell you that that gun’s guts are in shambles before or after selling it.

I’m saying that the Evol is not an easy gun to start trying to work on or learn. To me a Benjamin Bulldog is easy to disassemble and perform maintenance on. A few allen wrenches and needle nose pliers to disassemble and reassemble it. A few other guns I have were very easy to learn how to get into. If something got messed up, they weren’t too expensive to repair or get replacement parts for. If you know airguns, I’d imagine that the majority of airguns you get your hands on and have a diagram or schematic for would be relatively easy to work on. I think that’s a small to moderate contingent of the market. If manufacturers are going to increase profits they need their market(s) to grow. I’ve never seen any hard stats on this, but many people come to the forums with questions because they need assistance with their guns or advice in what to buy for a first gun or specific purpose. More forum members (especially new ones) seem to have questions than solutions. The valuable solutions consistently tend to come from a somewhat small circle of respected individuals within our community. For them, a lot of this is easy. It’s really an objective stance. I’m trying to paint a realistic picture for a consumer who isn’t an airgun smith, machinist, or some sort of mechanical tradesman. I believe that once one learns a gun, yes, the process of assembly and reassembly gets easier, but I don’t think that about repairing and tuning.

We obviously have differing opinions on various elements of this conversation and all don’t need to be revisited. I’m ok with that.

 

[Dairyboy]

I can understand the issues one has without having a video to watch and see what exactly needs to be done. I did the same thing when I got into airguns with my Mrod. Learned alot. From there I never really needed help on other guns as I got a good understanding on how they generally worked. But I'm also mechanically inclined as well and have been fixing things on the dairy my whole life. I have 2 BIL on my wife's side of family that are hopeless when it comes to that lol so I understand some people just don't have it. My other BIL on my side though is like me and been a farm boy his whole life.

I would love to do a tutorial video but have no idea how to do so. I'm only 30 but me and technology don't get along. Can you edit videos done on your phone? Lol how does one also hold there phone up while doing things? Do they make stands or something? Can maybe rubber band my phone to arca adapter on my tripod I guess.