new OMER pneumatic!!!

[Fondueset]

I've been talking with Mark L about this gun since last July I've already sold a gun to make room for it.

[Mr. X]

Here's the Google translation of the page (mainly jibberish I'm afraid): Translated version of article

[settingsteel]

WOW the waits been long are they even in production yet? I'm contemplation a 110, holding to see this guns review...Spago you heard anything your part of the world?

[popgun pete]

The new Omer "Airbalete" sounds interesting. I note the Omer "Skorpion" with its formed forward conical body has been discontinued, leaving only the Omer "Tempest" which is similar to many other pneumatic spearguns of this type. One of the main limitations on pneumatic speargun power is shaft bending during loading as the spear has to transmit the force to push the piston down the barrel until it can be latched by the trigger mechanism.

I have been using an Aquatech "Black Sea" hydropneumatic speargun charged to 100 Bar (approximately 1,400 psi). The spear is easily pushed down the barrel as no loading action takes place while the gun's hydraulic trigger valve is open. The trigger mechanism consists of a small pilot valve which unbalances an inner barrel plugging main firing valve in order to discharge the gun. Pulling the trigger trips the line release as well as opening the pilot valve as they are interconnected, so no chance of the spear being pulled up by the shooting line not being freed. To load the gun the spear is inserted, the line release lever is reset, thus closing the pilot valve and then you crank a rear lever to force seawater in incremental amounts into the gun. Full power is achieved when enough water has been injected to be the equivalent of the inner barrel volume. The gun can be fired at lower power using less strokes of the lever operated hydro-pump because the spear tail has a relief valve to allow it to exit the barrel even if the water column has stopped pushing it.

The "Black Sea" gun is extremely powerful, accurate and virtually silent, you just hear a soft clink as it shoots. It is more powerful than my old Mares Mirage and that is a gun that can be charged to 40 Bar.

Only problem is feeling comfortable with a gun containing 1,400 psi when transporting it in my car on a very hot day!

[foxfish]

Hey Pete, could you post a pic of your gun?

[Mongrel454]

I agree, Lets see a pic of your cannon Pete

[popgun pete]

Here are some photos of the gun after I first rigged it to try it out.

[Coral Sniper]

Out of curiosity how much affective range do you get from the gun?

[popgun pete]

The gun is currently fitted with 6 metres of shooting line and makes that distance easily. That was the design specification, to shoot fish at 6 metres with high shaft speed at the target. No time for evasive action by the victim! The guns are made to order, so you specify what you want it to do. For shooting Tuna you need the longer 1.3 metre model, this one is only 85 cm. I am lucky to be able to see 6 metres down here! The gun is made of titanium in order to withstand the pressure and has a 9 millimetre barrel shooting an 8 millimetre spear.

[settingsteel]

wow cool innovative gun, interesting as I am awaiting the Omer, do you have some info regarding this gun PGP, if so pm as I wish not to hijack this thread...or perhaps a review on this gun in the farter section is in order.

[armandozx]

that things looks 2 deadly however, I still can't comprehend how u managed to squeeze 1000 + PSI in there or better yet charge & fire such a powerful weapon what kind of HOLES do you PUT ON FISHES BRO! do you EVEN LEAVE MEAT on THEM! lol any ways...

I like it but i was expecting something rather long for the PSI mentioned above. cheers!

[Fondueset]

There was a link to the schematics for these hydropneumatic guns on here awhile back. Basically you use that big lever to use water to compress the piston. As I recall the shaft either seals the barrel - or there is a piston with a one way valve - I've seen another design that uses the shaft as the 'pump'.

[settingsteel]

Interesting!

[Mongrel454]

How much does that lever offset the weight of the gun?
Besides that id love to own one of those they look the part of a killer

[popgun pete]

To answer some questions posed above.

The "Black Sea" gun has been made in barrel lengths from as small as 50 cm up to 150 cm, the operating pressure is not constrained by the length of the gun. The gun is initially charged from an air cylinder as no hand-operated, tube type pumps reach 1,000 psi plus. As the gun is a "non-consumptive" design, it loses no air pressure during shooting. Loading is physically possible because you are using something like a hydraulic car lifting jack; multiple swings on the rear mounted lever move the large diameter annular piston that slides forwards in the air space between the inner barrel and the outer tank in progressive increments.

The longer model Aquatech guns are mainly export-oriented as not much need for them in their home waters. They are shown on http://aquatech1.narod.ru/index1.html where the smallest external hydropump gun (rear lever model) currently on offer is the "Black Sea 1000x9", but they can build whatever size that you want, within reason. Check out the web-site, it has an English language version for most of the web-pages, you need to read them, that is what I did. It is not rocket science! There is a very good description there of how the guns work.

Any fish shot with them display the customary holes, you only use these guns where the situation requires it. I still have and use all my other guns as cycling the "Black Sea" gun for follow-up shots is slow, although you can opt to shoot with less power and hence less lever strokes. An interesting side feature is that it will shoot a shorter shaft than the standard one that came with the gun as the spear is not released when you pull the trigger, instead it unleashes the column of water that drives the shaft from the gun. The gun will need less water injected to propel a shorter shaft, so finisher shots could employ a second short shaft carried just for this purpose.

Shafts have a rear mounted "O" ring, that is what keeps them in the barrel. For that matter a short pencil tip shaft (no flopper, no line) could be fired for the full length of the gun provided you could shove it right down the barrel, sort of like an underwater bullet. You would not want to count on getting it back though!