riffe euro dimensions

[Sbuoncristiani]

Hello all,

I stopped spearfishing about 4 years ago and I'm looking to get back into it. I did however continue as a carpenter since and so I've decided to take on the task of making a nice speargun for myself. I've done my reading on machining a stock but to save some time and possible accidents I've decided to simply copy a Riffe Euro 100cm stock. I was wondering if anyone that had access to one would post the dimensions of the stock.

Thanks a lot

sbuoncristiani

[portinfer]

Not sure about the Riffe but the Totemsub Pelagos 100cm is about 42mm wide and 35mm deep ... length of stock is about 1200mm ? maybe slightly less

Double band guns may need more mass - so you could go as much as 75mm wide in the tail and 65mm in the nose but still about 35mm deep - like the Abellan Denton guns....
Hope that helps - can't really go too far wrong with making a gun - just shape balance and try - (but pay attention to band and shaft combination) ... alot of myth making about guns but no doubt I will get lynched by the commercial ones for saying that - good on you for having a go
Ed

[Old Man Dave]

One of the things about making your own gun is that you don’t have to stick to exact sizes. If you are making your own rubbers from bulk then you can adjust them to suit the gun,

However as a rough guide a 100cm euro gun is about 120cm overall length including the handle. The 100cm is from the trigger end of the spear to the front of the rubbers (screw in) or the back of the rubbers (loop). Wood guns usually have a stock and separate handle jointed and glued together.

Tube euros are 25mm diameter minimum but usually 28mm diameter. They don’t float with the spear in. Most wood guns are designed to be neutral buoyant with a small amount of lead ballast with the spear in. As wood is denser than Ali tube you need a section greater than 28mm diameter when using wood plus a bit extra for buoyancy.

As a guide 30mm height x 40mm width should do. However if you are machining a rail into the top of the gun you need another 5mm on the height. Once you have a blank you can start machining. Most people laminate a blank (not essential) and if you do you need a bit of extra wood for cleaning up after gluing the laminates.

I would recommend Portinfer’s “Teak 80” as a good thread to look at as it shows all the steps required (plus I helped him). http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=63452

I see Ed's already posted a helpful reply while I typed up mine. Still, great minds think alike.

To get e different perspective you could look at my "test gun" project http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=66796

Dave

[Sbuoncristiani]

Would a stock with width of 45mm and a height of 35mm be sufficient for a 1200mm stock for two 9/16” bands? My major concern is flex of the stock when loaded.

[Old Man Dave]

You absolutely won't flex a hardwood stock that size, they're massively strong and stiff. Use mahogany or better still teak if you have the matetials, including special glues and machines. The original blue water "cannons" were 150cm long and 42mm square section. They used 3 bands for 300lb total draw weight and they didn't flex. However as Ed says more mass is good. It's not for strength it's to stop excessive recoil. It's one of Newton's laws, action and reaction. Basically the more mass your stock has the less it moves when you shoot the spear. Ed mentioned the Abellan guns and that's where current trends on double band guns is going. They are wide for extra mass but not too high so you can track them sidewards.

Dave

[portinfer]

Right on Dave - Abellan is also mass producing high mass guns now - some kind of moulded plastic with an ali. tube in the centre - more details over on Medfish

Good luck sbuoncristiani - mahoghany is easier to work than teak but as a carpenter I am sure you know that - don't forget to weigh up the pros and cons of 'trackability' vs recoil handling - ie thin for tracking but fat for low recoil.

What is a 9/16" band ? is that about 17mm ? A gun that you describe is typically a bit longer in terms of stock - more like 105 to 107cm (Abellan / Totem / Giman sub - not sure of the US pedigree equivalent) with twin 18mm bands. Recently there has been a thread on medfish where some guys have been experimenting with cressi G20 (20mm) twin rubbers but a little longer than usual to give a powerful but punchy shot (from what I remember) - have fun !

[Sbuoncristiani]

Thanks for all the help guys. A 9/16" band is about 14mm or a little over I believe. I'm sure I'll be back for advice later on and I'll be sure to post some pictures when I complete the stock.