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63" (160cm) Bluewater STUD gun

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

kjflyfish

Kolt
Jul 24, 2006
104
8
58
42
Here is my latest:

63" Rimu stock - 100yr old wood from a house in Napier
Enclosed track
Neptonic Systems trigger mechanism
5/16" (8mm) shaft
Plamen Kolev slip-tip
Custom CNC handle and trigger slide (Matt888 on Spearboard)
Heinrich release system
Mean Green Powerbands
 

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Reactions: Mr. X
Awesoem gun KJ

I tried a 1200 RA Tuna on my trip, it was powefull but lacked accurracy i think :(
Unless im just used to looking down a Farter and cant im properly with rubber guns?
 
Beautiful gun. What size are the bands, what shaft (maker) are you using, have you shot it yet, and if so was it powerful enough @ range with that heavy shaft and only 3 bands? I am interested because I am looking at a similar setup for bluewater.

spearstudtx
 
Hey Spearstudx,

I'm shooting Ray Odor pinned shafts with Plamen Kolev slip-tips. The bands are 9/16 (14mm) Mean Green, which have the equivalent pull of 16-18mm bands, depending on the make. I've recently ballasted the gun, which took a lot of lead, so I feel good about the gun's ability to absorb recoil and wouldn't hesitate to add a fourth 9/16 band. I'll decide after a test fire.

The inspiration behind this gun is my upcoming trip to Vanuatu. Super clear water, wary fish, and deep dives are the norm and towing around a 6-band log gets tiring during the course of a day, let alone 5. Lots of guys are successful on dogtooth tuna and wahoo with Euro guns, so having the extra range of a multi-band wood gun but the maneuverability of a slimmer gun is the compromise I was going for.
 
not surprised you needed alot of lead kj, rimu's very buoyant. I made a 60" midhandle from rimu a few years ago, ended up with a ton of brass on it to get it balanced. Interestingly enough, a 3 laminate teak gun of slightly larger size required no ballast at all?!
 
Hi Kolt,

Nice gun:inlove. Nice tattoo. What is the dimension of the foot plate of Matt's handle?

Safe diving,
 
Hi Chris, the width is 1/2" and I'm pretty sure it's 6" long. I'll have to check.

Tom, yeah it is very buoyant, which is good for adding ballast. I built a stocky gun from jarrah and it only needed a couple ounces near the handle to get a level sink with the shaft in. I think using the lighter woods can be a real asset if you seal them properly.

In other news, the gun got a serious workout recently - check back because you won't want to miss!
 
WTG Kolt nice build! whats the distance band to pin and what length bands (including WB) did you use respectively?...Fill us in on the trip mate!
 
If I remember correctly, it's 55" from first band to first pin, so that's probably 57-58 to the last pin - the trigger mech is only 1/2" from the butt. I used ~30" bands (did it all in cm using the 3.5:1 stretch formula). I also added a fourth band.
 
Oh, and I think it worked pretty good....
 

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Top marks, Kolt! You're giving me tree-trunk envy, not to mention yellowfin and doggie envy ;)
 
I thougth you siad it worked well???

You couldve shot those fish with a pole spear rofl rofl




J/K mate.........Awesome catch :)
 
Very impressive I wish i could see fish like that around here, my RA would probably do the job!
 
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