127cm (50") Entry level blue water gun...

[Iyadiver]

After 60 days of waiting and 2 extra weeks of being unable to test it, I finally tested it last Saturday.

3 of my gang including myself received the Metal Tech 3 with all the goodies thrown in. Another friend also got one but without the floater wing kit and reel. I was worried the gun will sink with shaft out when the aluminum muzzle and reel installed. Riffe delivered the promise that it will float...it did float, slow and easy.

The weather was on our side. Two of us MT3 owners was on the trip with another guy with #4 Baja. I brought my #4 Baja along and rigged it for breakaway, just in case I need to freedive if we ever get lucky to spot the yellowfin tuna feeding again.

The result is better than expected. Even being a "false" mid handle, the short 127cm MT3 track fast, even better than my lightweight & short #2 at 124cm. It is heavy at about 5kg ( I am guessing ) in air with shaft and all , but in water it balance well but at least a -500 gram with shaft in. The only complaint is the butt not as comfy as teak models and kind of ugly with 2 of the wings, unlike the MT5 with full wing kit. Mine came rigged with 6 x 9/16 bands, 4 wraps of 500# coated cable approx 26-28 feet, 1000# Kevlar on the reel. I hunt only with 5 bands because I am comfortable with a single hand shot at this power level, for the time being. I tried 6 bands shooting my stringer float which is about the size of American baseball's ball. Need 2 hands to shoot from 20-23 feet at 6 bands for the time being, to be accurate. This is a very accurate gun, easy to be accurate even on a single hand hold up to 5 bands.

At 3 wraps of 500# coated cable shooting line which offer approx 23 feet, with 5 bands, shooting at nothing, there is still a decent tug of power left over. At 6 bands, I broke 5 strands of the cable on the shaft tab, when shot at nothing. That was the test result I had with my friend's MT3 a month ago, thus mine get rigged with 4 wraps to maximize range. At 4 wraps and shot with 6 bands at nothing, I did not get any significant tug by the shaft.

I estimated the deadly range of this gun is at 23 feet / 7 meters with 6 bands. If 5 out of 49 strands of the 500# cable can be broken by shaft left over pull energy, I am still getting at least 50 pounds of thrust at 23 feet, shaft length not included. The last penetration test I did from about 16.5 feet / 5 meters ( that's all the viz at that day 3 weeks ago) with my friend's MT3, was shooting a 1 foot thick submerged log. The Ice Pick went in some 4 inches and I needed to tow the 3 footer long log to the boat to have the Ice Pick removed with chizel and machette...DAMN !!

First dive allow me to test shooting a delicous fish that I have not shot in years and biggest to date of this species for me at +-5kg Green Job fish. I was 20 feet on top of it at a small angle. The shaft went from the right shoulder to the left side lower stomach. The fish turned white forward of the shaft entry, stoned. I inspected the wound, I did not realize that I must have been very much on top of it, nearly directly on top of it. The recoil was very minimal at 5 bands.

Then came a school of Rainbow Runners on path directly to me. Now I need to test horizontal long shot. The school changed direction when some 12 feet from me. I aimed at one and waited till it swam away far enough. It was some 23 feet away when I fired while the aim was at the mid body exactly behind the gill. The shot landed mid body but 1/3 away from the tail. Must be the swimming speed of the RR which I did not take into consideration. I pulled the shooting line and grab it close. When I was about to string it, it went mad and only later I realized that the tail was kicking all over the place and the pizza shaped front stabilizer of my gun was a bit damaged by the RR trashing. If it weren't for my gun in front of me, my mask would have been shattered. A part of the teak was chipped of some 3mm deep x 1 cm wide. It takes power to chip a teak with a spearhead, and all coming from a small but fat +-3kg RR. When I was on the boat, I then realized this is my personal best for RR. I was very confident with the gun.

Subsequent dive produces medium size trevaly and a small dog tooth tuna, nothing significant. I just enjoyed the long shots I made for all the fishes. My next target was the King Mackerel, which I saw only twice and it speed off like seeing a ghost. There were quite a number of times I saw +-5kg Dog Tooth Tuna, same size like I shot, none significantly bigger so I let them pass by. The more I dive this shallow sea mount, the more I think this is a Dog Tooth hang out. It will be a matter of time when a bigger one than my +-15kg PB will show. The same thought I have about the King Mackerel. Someday real big one must show up.....when ??

When I boarded the boat at the end of 4th dive, there he was my friend who is also on the "de-virginizing trip" for his MT3 , smiling from ear to ear. He landed a big Mackerel. I thought his 18 pounder Mackerel on Dive2 was good luck, this one is a shocker for me. I never expect a Mackerel this big hang out on this shallow sea mount. The biggest I have seen on my favourite pinnacle, which I thought was far superior than this shallow sea mount, was only some 30 pounder.

He thought the fish was much smaller. He was only on 4 bands and about to ascent when the Mackerel showed up. He fired and the Mackerel took off taking 2/3 of the line of the reel. After fighting it for some 10 minutes and manage to grab the cable shooting line he then surfaced dangling the Mackerel some 20+ feet below him. He asked the crew to grab the gun and he boarded the boat. Undo his gear and pull the fish up. He was shocked to see it at about 40 something pounder !!!! I analized the shot and I understood why he though it was a small fish being quite close. It was a actually a big fish far away, size gives distance perception problem even in not so great viz. He aimed at the regular lateral line but ended up the shaft entered the stomach, must be some 3 inches of drop. If it weren't for the reel, he would have lost the fish. With stomach shots, it will be ripped off. He was really happy and so did I. I purposely have asked all my gang to order the reel like mine because I had Mackerel being torn off when they speed off. It is not about having more line to play with the fish, it is about not putting much load on the flesh during the first initial fast run. Dragging a scuba diver is hell a lot of load for a fish's flesh. The weight of a 3/8" x 55" shaft plus some 100 feet of 1000# Kevlar line have tired this Mackerel.

I think I'll stop my search for a bigger gun. This is good enough. This is a nice small size gun with power to almost match my #4 Baja if 5 bands used and exceed it a bit if 6 bands used. With the swinging advantage I have and the minimal recoil ( even heavier than my#4 Baja), this is a winner. I have always wanted a small size under 130cm but super powerful and a semi mid-handle unlike Riffe teak models with 3" more butt to hit my face. I already found it. I don't know how a basic MT3 will perform but this fully rigged model is just awesome..

If an average freediver rig his MT3 like mine, I am sure he would love the short 127cm size for the tracking and the mass for balance. Me a bubble blower can't ask for more.

[Iyadiver]

Rainbow Runner and Green Job Fish

[Iyadiver]

King Mackerel / Couta / Delicous / Yummy / YUM-YUM

One question to South African, Australian and US hunters.

Do you guys find ur species of this fish delicous? I find it taste great. In my country, Singapore and Malaysia , they love it too. I read Greg Pickering ( Aussie ) mentioned the meat as excellent, so are many books of mine. How come in the USA it is considered trash fish ?? Are they having a different sub species ? We all agree tuna taste great, to me this fish ( those in my water ) can compare with YF Tuna, Doggie, Swordfish and Mahi-Mahi. I tried them all. However the best fish I love most is Salmon any how u cook it and Blue Fin tuna for suhsi.... ...man I am hungry.

Comments of taste please ...... Thank You..... I am very curious.

[rigdvr]

same fish but different peoples I guess. I often laugh about the Aussies disliking cobia but loving kings... It is OK on the grill and that is about it for me. The local Vietnamese shrimpers love them though and I often trade my kings to them for shrimp. What color is the meat when you fillet the macks...an off-white grayish color?

You would have been in mack heaven the other day Iya...acres of them skyrocketing while feeding...we didnt even slow down, but one almost jumped in the boat(about a 30-35# fish missd by less than a foot!)

Glad you like your gun...sure youre not interested in a #4? I am thinking of offing mine to make room for a new aquisition. It has Iya wrote all over it, 3/8 shaft(2), aluminum muzzle, 5/8 bands, 4 wraps of cable, one alexander tip and one icepick......

[Iyadiver]

MT4 is too long for me Kapiten . I like my short MT3. Even this short length I need to hold on to the rubber and thrust the butt to my chest or else I can't reach it for the last rear tab. Man my hands must be very short. Why don't u keep ur MT4, it is not worth selling. Can always use it for back up gun. What are you buying next ?.......pleazzeeee share some info. However, ur Alexander tip maybe a good buy...yes?.... he he he.

Our Spanish Mackerel is not off-white grayish. It is almost pure white like our snapper. I know US love snapper and grouper, same here. There is a small mackerel species with off white meat and the shape resemble mini tuna, something like those people use for Marlin bait, rigged and inserted with hooks and sewn. We probably don't have kings schooling to that kind of quantity you mentioned, they been fished hard. The biggest school I seen so far is 10 of them. Less if bigger fishes of 20# above.

Well maybe it is the tounge thing...........

So how was ur Midnight Lump action so far ?

[icarus pacific]

Thanks for the rundown Iya. That's a sweet looking piece of hardware!

I agree that a shorter length gun with some serious ooomph from additional bands and some careful rigging is often the way to go for an all around gun. But 6 bands?? ouch!

I'm kinda hmming and hawing about off-ing my MT 4 as well. My Island pretty much does the job smoother, but the metal body would sure handle the beating better, should I get down to the Gulf later... My hybrids and my rock guns pretty much round out my package... hmm. Anybody know of anyone looking for a 4, let me know.


sven

[Cingene]

How much are we talking about Sven?

[Dogmatrix]

Iya we get the same mackeral here... we know them as Spanish mackeral... or spaniards is the slang, they grow the same size here as their I guess. I really enjoy eating mackeral... I cook it on a hot plate or pan with a little "mc'cormacks fries" herbs + spices put ontop.. cook it on one side till you see the meat is cooked to just about he middle... flip then cook through again till just about the middle (you now it's cooked cause it turns white ) OK thats about it... great to see you have that gun getting a workout.. seems we both have our sights set on Yellow fin and dogtooth..

Best of luck mate... but if you see em heading towards Kimbe PNG... just hold your fire

Cheers
Rob

On second thoughts mate... I can't really see the side of that fish.. looks like a spaniard... but I cant see the vertical bars.... maybe different species eh?

[unirdna]

Very Cool Iya,

Those MT's are as pretty as they are deadly. 3/8 spear... 5 bands...23 foot range....and the recoil still isn't bad eh?

You'll have every sunken log fearing for its life .

Ted

[andrsn]

Iya,

This is what our mackerel flesh looks like:

[rigdvr]

didnt know mackerals had hairy chests...

[icarus pacific]

Originally posted by andrsn
Iya,

This is what our mackerel flesh looks like:

yeah, but what's that stuff on the table??


sven

[Abriapnea]

Hey Iya ,
Nice fish there boet !
We rate king mackerel , although we prefer queen mackerel/natal snook scomboromorus plurilineatus
Personally think the best eating is rainbow runner and green jobfish ...

BTW ; I am still confused about the names/species of mackerel of SA/Australia/ USA , does yours have a black spot on the caudal peduncle and bars vertically across the body ?

[ivan]

hi Iya

Mackerals are pretty good eating though the bigger ones are not so good, I remember eating a 50lber dad got which was Ok but definetly not as good as the smaller ones. Green Job fish are my favourite eating fish in the ocean.

cheers

[Amphibious]

I bagged a Spanish Mack this winter, not to big, maybe 10kgs. Was soooooo good! I have eaten a steak for a 22kg spanish and it wasn't nearly as tender.

Flesh was an off-white, slightly grey colour.

Willer