The DeeperBlue.net Gun Building Extravaganza - The Build

[BatRay]

Beautiful job there, GITS. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

[ILDiver]

What is the progress on my gun? Pastor and Podge... Back off man.... I'll cut ya!

[foxfish]

Originally Posted by southern_spearo

Very interesting. I have a series of questions (which I will do one at a time
But that is not what I want to ask about. My question is "Do you really need to hand plane the laminates if they have been run over by a thicknesser, or is that complicating the matter unduly?" I have successfully laminated wood that has only been cut on a bench saw. The joins are not perfect hair-lines, but nobody but a professional joiner would notice, and the epoxy fills all gaps.

Ric

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Ric, the ansaw is no but if your are a perfectionist then yes!
There are various thickening additives that can be added to epoxy glue, you can sucssesfully glue up with a 1mm adhesive thickness & in fact the glue will add stiffness to the stock.

[southern_spearo]

Thanks for your reply. I must admit I do admire clean hair-line joints - even if they are not absolutely essential. I have been looking at jointing planes and, depending on finances, may purchase one soon.

Next question

The gun is quite short (by the standards around here in southern/eastern Australia).

Victoria, where I currently live, is not the best place for spearfishing in the country (though it has its positive aspects). Even though there are not many large fish here, when I fish in the ocean, I still like to use a gun with about 1.1 metre rubber stretch (and with another 250 mm of spear release mechanism and butt as well). Further north along the east coast of Australia, most spearfishers prefer longer guns still (which might be something to do with the clearer water and larger fish).

If you move the handle forward (as was discussed), your gun is even shorter still, and will lose a little more effective range.

So, what is your reason for having a gun that is so short?

Ric
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Ric Fallu started spearfishing on the southern shores of Australia in the 1960s, and never really stopped. His other passion is crafting wooden spearguns

[ILDiver]

The gun would not have lost any range. The spear shaft would have been the same length, the band stretch the same as well. The trigger would have been forward and the release would have been to the back still.

The discussion was only to move the handle slightly forward. I *think* midhandle guns give you range and power without having the muzzle a long distance out in front of you. So in lower vis the fish don't see the gun before you see the fish. In the slight move forward, it would help to pivot and swing the gun around.

That's my take on it.

[southern_spearo]

I hoped to indicate that if you move the handle forward 300 mm, you lose 300 mm range. (Not that the spear will go any less distance from the tip of the gun). In clear water, all the extra range you get is a bonus (fish are always further away than they seem).

(I also find mid-handles/forward handles harder to aim correctly. In clear water, for long distance shots, good aim becomes very important. )

In dirty water, manoeuvrability becomes more important, and that is where mid-handles seem to come into their own (in my opinion anyway).

The reason I posted the question was that I was wondering if the choice of a forward handle and shorter length indicated something about the intended use of the gun. Will it be used in dirty water? Or perhaps in kelp jungles, or maybe in caves? Or is there some factor that I am not aware of/taking into account?

One of the great advantages of building your own gun is that you can tailor it to special conditions. If you purchase something off the shelf, it will be a gun that is generalised in design, to cover as many contingencies as possible.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing on the southern shores of Australia in the 1960s and never really stopped. His other passion is crafting wooden spearguns.

[foxfish]

The idea of the slightly forward set handle would not effect the range, if anything it might of increased the power slightly? The trigger mech would of been set as far back as possible & the actual trigger linked to a forward set handle. This system allows for a full length band draw right to the very butt of the gun. The idea is to increase manoeuvrability without loss of power.

[foxfish]

The concept of a cyber built gun with open polls for any member to vote on, should result in someones ideal gun but as we dont know who is voting for what, I cant tell you what conditions the gun will be used in?
However a 90 single band gun could have its benefits anywhere in the world.

[southern_spearo]

I ask about conditions as your posting suggests you live on Guernsey - and my great great grandfather left his home in the Channel Islands and sailed away to Australia.

I was wondering if the gun reflected diving conditions in the area.

More questions soon

Ric

[BatRay]

Hi Ric, the gun doesn't reflect Guernsey conditions necessarily. It is being built according to the specs that the forum members choose via a series of polls. The 90cm was the most popular choice, so that's what's being built.

[deeperthanblu]

Suppose you lock your trigger elbow on the grip - aligned with your dominant eye, and lock your off hand elbow behind the stock. This would minimize recoil/muzzle jump. How far behind your grip hand is your off hand - 8" or so?
Thus you build a speargun with 8" behind the grip to accomodate your off hand.
What's the difference?

[foxfish]

Originally Posted by southern_spearo

I ask about conditions as your posting suggests you live on Guernsey - and my great great grandfather left his home in the Channel Islands and sailed away to Australia.

I was wondering if the gun reflected diving conditions in the area.

More questions soon

Ric

Interesting, you might be a relative?
We have very mixed conditions in the CI, vis from 1 - 15mts, deep water, shallow water, big fish small fish, no one gun could cover our needs but I use a custom mamba kitted airgun. (as in my avatar).
Have you seen all the post relating to the db gun - The Spearo Board - DeeperBlue Forums

[southern_spearo]

I think my family name "Fallu" is extinct in the islands (but quite alive in Canada and Australia) - still, if you meet any Fallus, they would be undoubtedly relatives.

I hear you have massive tides there. Maybe one day I will find out first hand.

Anyway, back to questions. I should qualify my comments by stating that I have never made, owned, held or shot an enclosed track gun. But there is something I would like to learn about, and get opinions from the forum.

I once built a speargun with a deep channel. It wasn’t an enclosed track, but the spear was well buried, and only the tabs extended above the top of the stock. After a couple of days on the water, I found that the spear started to jam in the gun. On inspection, it seems that there was a minor bend in the spear and it was jamming on the walls of the channel. I corrected the problem, but after another day’s use, the spear jammed again.

I usually use 8 mm (5/16 inch) 17-4 stainless steel spears but if there is good day’s fishing and the action is on, spears will often be bent, even if the fish are not much more than 5 kilos. I can straighten spears, but this is in the workshop and not on the boat, and I can rarely get the spears as straight as new. Over a season it is almost certain that a spear will get at least one small kink in it, if not several.

Even if the spear is straight enough to avoid a total freeze, the increased pressure on the side of the channels will steal power.

Since my experience with the jammed spear, I address the problem by making the spear channels about half the depth of the spear. If the spear is no longer straight, it sits higher in/on the channel. The bent spear won’t work as well as a dead straight spear, but it can continue to be used, and I can keep on fishing on the day.

Is bent spears a problem with enclosed track guns?
Will a minor kink in a spear mean that the spear has to be abandoned on the day, and maybe forever? Are there design approaches that can compensate?

Ric


Ric Fallu started spearfishing on the southern shores of Australia in the 1960s, and never really stopped. His other passion is crafting wooden spearguns.

[Newbie_spearo]

Hey Ric,

Jono here from the southern freedivers forum. have you tried using spring steel spears? they are supposed to stay pretty straight, only issue is when the teflon coating wears off the tips rust a little. I've hit a few rocks, haven't shot any big fish but no bends in my spear so far?

[ILDiver]

I'm not trying to rush my perfect gun....but what is the next step? What are "we" waiting on? I'm looking forward to sending Podge and Pastor pictures of it with my fish I get with it!

Last I knew we had the handle choice of wood. What is the shape of the barrel going to be??