[azapa]

you want to know the truth? a dark little secret? When I got my first "modern" gun, a pnuematic, i too had read the labels and such, and had read here, but never understood the "never load and fire out of the water" thing.

the never fire thing is one law of physics alone: "water resistance"

so i'm sitting on the steps in the garden, my 4 year old sitting next to me, I load and fire (of course, downrange), spear whacks out a 10000000km/hr and (of course, now i can say) bounces back on the line at about 1000000Km/hr, missing my sons head by 10cm.

i am going white now at the thought...................

(if you really must fire on land, take off the line, have a safe backdrop, and plan for busted bands, pistons and spears)