Difficulty in Evenly Reaching Slings on Rob Allen 90cm

[Blesum]

I've been diving the past four days and while I've been managing to load up both slings each time, I find that my biggest challenge now is to get both slings evenly into my hands. It used to be just getting one of them loaded.

I believe my arms are of average length, but I can't QUITE grasp both sides of the sling easily or evenly if the gun is up aganist my chest. If I press the gun aganist my upper abs, then no problem (except for the pain and bruising there).

The rearmost sling is a touch easier, but I cheat. I pull it to the foward notch on the spear, then reposition the gun on my chest, and pull it again to the rearmost notch where it belongs.

Many times, the slings (the front one especially) end up loaded up unevenly, more rubber on one side than the other. Does that affect anything?

Should I change anything? Slightly longer rubber at 18 or 20mm maybe?

-Blesum

[JPPLAY]

This is off the Rob Allen website:


1. Position yourself comfortably in the water, get a good grip on the handle of the gun with your left hand as you prepare to load.


2. With your right hand, reach for the right elastic, pushing with your left hand.


3. With a straight right arm, wedge the gun handle against your chest with your left hand.


4. Once the gun handle is pushed firmly against your chest, release it and use your left hand to grab the left elastic.


If you don't understand anything feel free to ask.

[Blesum]

When I do it this way, I find it a bit hard, but not impossible to get the gun butt on my chest (photo 3). My right arm is stretched out at this point (gripping the middle of the line portion of the band), and I can only reach the line portion with my left. I'm supposed to reach the rubber portion on both sides evenly right? Or are you guys pulling on the line portion of the sling? The line cuts into my fingers too much when I try that, even with gloves (3mm).

Are you guys gripping it on the rubber part or the line part of the sling? From what I understand from the instructions, one is supposed to grip the rubber sling. If I do that, the sling moves sideways a bit in the muzzle and I end up with too much rubber on the right side and no chance in hell of getting the rubber part on the left...

Am I even making sense?

-Blesum

[JPPLAY]

Well the idea is to get a pull started on one side so the other side slightly streched so you can grab it after you get the gun on your chest. I grab the rubbers.

[spaghetti]

Never tried a Rob Allen, but:
why the chest? just try to load them with the gun butt lower, just one inch or two over your belt, using you adbdomen muscles: this way you can more easily load the speargun to the first notch. Then, after done this, you may place the gun butt higher on your chest to load second notch.

[Blesum]

Originally Posted by spaghetti

Never tried a Rob Allen, but...

Go and try to load one up at a store. I've challenged two other guy friends (one who is a very fit triathlete) to just load one of the bands to the nearest notch. Both failed, and complained of chest and/or abdomen pain afterwards. The chest is bony, hard and you get a more direct pull on the slings this way. That's why the chest.

I really think there's over 50 lbs of pressure being transmited into wherever you have the butt of the gun when pulling the slings back.

With my JBL Sawed Off, I thought it was hard, but now I realize it was cake - I used my hip/upper thight for that. That won't work at all with the RA gun.

-Blesum

[Blesum]

Originally Posted by JPPLAY

Well the idea is to get a pull started on one side so the other side slightly streched so you can grab it after you get the gun on your chest. I grab the rubbers.

When you have the slightly stretched rubber in both hands are you still able to adjust it to even it out , or do you just pull it into the notch unevenly? Does having it cocked unevenly affect performance at all?

Keep your mind out of the gutter, guys.

-Blesum

[Griff]

hey there blesum

not sure if there would be any serious effect considering the small difference in lenght that the unevenness makes compared to the overall length. still, i like it be even.

anyway, you asked about adjusting when holding in both hands? i do this every time: grab the rubber with left hand, put gun in place on my chest, grab with the other (right) hand, close to the wishbone, move the left hand close to the wishbone so its even, and then heave ho.
if i have a bad load and its uneven, i even it out after loading. grab the rubbers again, as if you were going to unload the gun, and pull back slightly, then reset the position. if you try to move them without pulling back you'll cut the wishbone up.

if you switch to a 20mm rubber you should be able to reach the rubber with both hands cause the 20's are longer. this is if you are having trouble with the technique. but i wouldnt recommend it. i dont think that a 20 will have the drive length on a 90. maybe an 18mm would be ok. but thats speculation. still, it would be better to learn it properly for the time you are in the blue stuff with a 150 canon or something.

i am curious about something. why two rubbers on a RA 90? i wouldnt use double rubbers on anything shorter than a 1.4. and it sounds like your rubbers are already decently short. i'm sure that 1 would do the trick. much less admin, and pain. what fish are you after?

[Jez]

The difficulty with the illustrated technique is that I really worry about how it works with an articulated wishbone (it gets seriously strained with a sideways pull). I'm sure it works fine with a mono thread to catch the spear though. I've never tried it with my gun because I worry it will just break the articulated wishbone.

[Griff]

jez, how would you load a gun when you cant reach the rubbers with both hands? grab the wishbone?

[Jez]

Hmm, need an illustration really. If you grab one rubber only as illustrated and pull it, the other rubber will resist your pull in the oppostie direction. Therefore the articulated wishbone swings perpendicular to the direction of the force being applied and it bends it outwards. Imagine pulling the wishbone on a roast chicken. If you pull one side and your friend pulls the other what happens?

(c'mon, there's a joke there somewhere!)

[Griff]

hey jez.
i think you misunderstood my question. i was wondering, how do you ever manage to load a long gun with an articulated wishbone if you dont use the method shown above?

[Huan]

Originally Posted by spaghetti

Never tried a Rob Allen, but:
why the chest? just try to load them with the gun butt lower, just one inch or two over your belt, using you adbdomen muscles: this way you can more easily load the speargun to the first notch. Then, after done this, you may place the gun butt higher on your chest to load second notch.

Spaghetti
Not all RA spears have 2 notches, some have only one.
Thats where the fun starts, I couldn't load the RA the first time I had my 140 out with single 20mm bands.
I just tried and tried and I am not the weakest kid on the block either!
After a while my muscles just got weak from unfamilar pressure and I couldn't get anywhere near loading it.
I tried again and I managed it so my muscles probably got used to the pull required.
Another thing that RA's don't have is a broad loading pad on the butt, I have a Picasso century and it has a nice wide pad the RA should have these. it would make life easier.

[Blesum]

Originally Posted by Griff

what fish are you after?

Halibut is my primary target. For relief, I will also go after monster Calicos and Sheepheads. For the first time I ever shot this gun, I got a 28# yellowtail but I think that was just a fluke.

Good to hear that the rubber will still slide in the nozzle with pressure on them. I don't think I ever tried since I had assumed that once there was pressure, there would be too much friction to adjust and center the wishbones when I had both sides in my hands. I'll try it out this afternoon.

Huan,

Big butts slow things down. That's why the RA is so slim and doesn't have a pad I reckon.

-Blesum

[Griff]

hunting halibut you'll put that spear halfway to australia. i hope you've got a double wrap and thick spear so you can at least take advantage of all the power. still, imho, drop the second rubber.

and i have to agree that a loading pad isnt a good idea. we are trying to cultivate the hardcore image here.

huan, one dive i got properly mapped swimming through the surf. when i finally got out i just couldnt load the gun. eventually you are so stuffed from trying to load and missing, you cant even load a stapler. embarrasing when you ask your buddy and they do it no problem.