85 cm gun advice needed

[vjanda]

Big Hello to all you spearos out there!

I live in the UK and need to buy a speargun for this summers action in the Adriatic (croatian coast).
I'm after a 85cm or 90cm gun and have up to 150 euros to spend. Ideally 100 only. Thats the 60 - 120 quid range.

Any suggestion for brands and models are very welcome. Bear in mind I'll be buying in the UK because even though the range is not as wide as in Croatia the prices are cheaper on these shores. (Weird I know as their living standars is quite lower)

I have a small Imersion Concept Pro 60cm and am quite happy with it apart from the safety which I never even used cos it's so awkward. Now I need something with more range. I'm tired of eating all those octopus salads and small fried bream Could have nailed some guilthead and amberjack but they were out of range.

Thanks n stay safe in the Big Blue

 

[spaghetti]

Ask Dave at Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment
He deals the best brands and is Deeper Blue friendly

 

[vjanda]

I just saw the wooden Guizzo 80 and fell in love
Are they available in the UK?
I googled it but no joy.

 

[spaghetti]

I just saw the wooden Guizzo 80 and fell in love
Are they available in the UK?
I googled it but no joy.

It's handcrafted, hardly available in shops. I'm quite sure you must order one directly to the manufacturer Fabrizio D'Agnano in Rome. Otherwise, give a look the the Gimansub Labrax 80: handmade, looks sexy and is 100 euro cheaper than the Totem:
Nuova pagina 1
PS: but yet they are above the 150 euro budget...

 

[vjanda]

>>PS: but yet they are above the 150 euro budget...[/quote]

I'll get me a 5euro balaclava and rob a bank.
Gotta be worth it rofl

 

[Mr. X]

You could try Rob Allen Europe, they are based in London too - so you may be able to pick it up in person. They have several models, the Scorpio being the least expensive (but still a quality product). I can personally vouch for the efficacy of the 90cm RA Sparid.

Spearo.co.uk has already been mentioned, always has an interesting range. Apnea.co.uk in Jersey carry a fair range, inc. Omer & Imersion. I believe Portland Oceaneering have carried RA, Cressi & Picasso.

Yup, we discussed safety catches on spearguns last year -- it seemed like nobody involved thought them worthwhile or a good idea, slack bands being the only truly safe state.

 

[vjanda]

their web site is down
thx anyhow

 

[Spaniard]

Rob Allen Europe have no web presence at the moment, have they gone away?

 

[vjanda]

They look like nice, well made guns.
However as I dive in warm watters I don't often wear a suit and I like my guns with butts so I can rest it on my chest when loading. I sometimes spend 6 hours in the water per day and that means a lot of marks and bruises from loading.

 

[spaghetti]

What's so special with Rob Allen?

 

[Mr. X]

Yes, I just noticed the RA site is down too. I emailed Paul to see what's up - but the accounts might be tied together. Try the main Rob Allen site for now: Rob Allen spearguns, railguns and other spearfishing and freediving accessories.

Yeah, I would recommend a chest pad. [BTW RA offer an inexpensive strap on loading pad, if you were so inclined. Alt. an old flip-flop sole works too.]

What's so special with Rob Allen?

In this case, they are (were?) readily available in London...and it's what I happen to use! [We can't all pop over to our local Tuscan artisan in our Ferraris to pick up the latest, custom made, work of fine wooden speargun art ...although with the web, it's getting more practical ]

...but as you asked: the simple, hydrodynamic dyneema wishbone, the stiffening aluminium rail, the substantial 6.6mm spear (varies - bit hefty for some I dare say), the big game float-line clip on the handle, double bulk rubber muzzle, muzzle clip (so you can pull through jammed spears), muzzle bungee, double notch spear (rounded for dyneema/cable wishbones), divefactory support, no snappy offy breaky clippy bits, steel line release option, breakaway option,...did I mention the pretty blue handle .

 

[vjanda]

I never really considered getting a wooden speargun until now.
When I compare the price of the stuning Gimansub Labrax 80 (about 160£) with something like an Omer Omer XXV Gold 90cm £140.00 I am left wondering.
From what I read the woody has evertything going for it, better range, less recoil, build quality and those killer looks .
I wonder how much the shipping is to the uk. Shame the web site is only in italian.

 

[spaghetti]

Vjanda, lets' start from the beginning: first question is what are you going to hunt?
If it's a bass, mullet and sargo job in medium visibility (as I suppose you do in Croatia with such a short gun), just pick a simple, handy, lightweight eurogun (Excalibur 82cm is just 69 euros nowadays): it will perfectly do the job and you really don't need to spend more money. Then if (second option) you want a higher value hi-tech cool looking one, you may pick the Omer XXV 82, the Seatec Gabbiano Open 77cm, et cetera.

Mr. X, forgive me for belated reply, but I couldn't find any parking for my Ferrari ;-).
No doubt RA's are great guns. I just think it's not necessary to spend much money for super-powerful spearguns for our Mediterranean hunting. South african railguns are surely great in the Ocean, no doutb, and I trust you on their quality, but in the Med we don't really need that kind of beefed-up guns. And then, what for? I've been hunting Amberjacks, Bluefish and Leerfish with Excalibur 100cm for years. Go simple, save money.

If anybody G.a.F., these are the guns (and prices paid, mainly from special offers and kick off sales) that I presently have on my rack:
Sporasub Rafal 42 (45 euro)
Seac Sub Crossbow 50 (35 euro)
Cressi Comanche 60 (70 euro)
Mares Medisten 70 (Christmas present 1993)
Cressi Comanche 75 (75 euro)
Sporasub Viper 75 (65 euro)
Sporasub Aspic 75 (40 euro)
Omer XXV 82 (100 euro)
Omer T20 90 (80 euro)
Omer Excalibur Carbonium 100 (85 euro)
Omer T20 Millennium 110 (105 euro)
Seatec Gabbiano 120 (160 euro, my only "capriccio")

 

[vjanda]

Ok, here's the deal:
I spend most spring and summer months diving around Rogoznica in Croatia.
This area is well know for very clear waters/high visability. 20m+

My 60cm Imersion Concept pro was fine to learn with and even now it does the job 50% of the time. However I've had small amberjacks, dentex and the easily spooked guilthead bream in my sights but out of range. I think my curent max range is around 3m. I've read a test of the Labrax 80 in which it was claimed to have a range of aproox 6m.

Here's the site:
Oprema za podvodni lov - H2O team
It's in slovenian but the charts make sense. It also came top in build quality and recoil (lack of)

Now if I was only spending a couple of weeks per year diving I'd just buy a Excalibur 2000 90cm but as I spend 4-6 months on the coast I may as well spash out a bit more dosh. The labrax woody just looks so nice :inlove

 

[strangelove]

The Rob Allen are great guns, but they can be difficult to load, just something else to have in mind.

 

[Mr. X]

Here is a machine-translated version of Spaghetti's link: Translated version of http://www.gimansub.it/pag1.htm

Nice collection Spaghetti...I'd love to try some of those. Big fan of Italian design & craftsmanship (,food, art, fashion, women, wine, vinegar,... I think we might have better cheese though!). I like the look of the Excalibur, Commanche & Seatec Gabbiano. The wooden guns look fantastic although can't help thinking wood is not the ideal material for saltwater (although I guess plenty of boats are made of wood, inc. Victory - and as somebody pointed out recently, talking about window frames, wood is remarkably repairable - much more so that plastic/metal...OMD & Foxfish would know!). Which are your current favourites? (Or are they like children?!) Does the "cuttlefish" profile make a noticeable difference?

I am being more selective about weather conditions these days, consequently my need/desire for a shorter, poor viz gun has diminished somewhat. Still looking though. The weather has been pretty awful here since the end of the Summer though, bar maybe 2 or 3 weekends.

 

[spaghetti]

Cheese? NO!!! Mr. X, you kill me: italian cheese is my pride. The english widely defeat us in music, contemporary arts ad architecture, beer, rugby, finance, military, whatever. I really think that the English are better people than us. But please, don't kill my pride: NOT cheese!

Spearguns: the only one I really love is the Mares Medisten airgun. The others are just fishing gear. The cuttelfish barrel is good for left-right tracking, not so much for up/down. But it gives a gun good balance and ideal floatability.

Range: many people (me included) are skeptical on guns who claim they have a 6 or 7 meters range. Shooting a bass from 7 meters? By the time the shaft gets there, the bass will probably gone somewhere else...I think.

 

[Marwan]

agree with you spago, the c4 is claiming 5-6 meter ranges on some sites, if you look closer at the pool tests, they remove the flopper and the shooting line, so i am also skeptical, unless its a mamba of course
Vianda, you could also consider the beuchat mundial elite carbon in 100 cm. I love this gun, its got the works, carbon fiber barrel, integrated shaft track, elliptical barrel for better side tracking.
it seems the clarity and the species you hunt supports a 100 cm gun maybe more..., checkout the beuchat on scubastore, you'll like it

 

[Dobs]

Ok, here's the deal:
I spend most spring and summer months diving around Rogoznica in Croatia.
This area is well know for very clear waters/high visability. 20m+

My 2 cents...
IMHO in this kind of visibility you need much larger gun than 85 cm. In Black Sea I use 80 cm gun only when the visibility is around 2-3 metres... The effective range of such a short gun is not more than 2-3 metres. If I were you, I would get a proper 100cm or even 110cm gun and keep my 60cm Imersion as a cave gun. The difference between 60 cm and 85 cm is not really that big, while the difference between 85cm and 110 cm is HUGE. With a 110cm you can get any fish in Mediterranean.
As for the brand it is your choice. OMER guns are good, Beuchat, Imersion, Cressi too. Of course if I had the money I would always go for wooden gun not only for the looks, but for the balance and big mass. Big mass = low recoil.
As for Rob Allen guns. I slightly disagree with my friend Spaghetti this time. I don't see how a Rob Allen Sparid gun (90 cm with single 16mm band and 6.6 mm shaft - standard set up) is an overkill for the Mediterranean. Actually this is the standard set up for all Euro-type guns. Even the larger RA guns (Caranx 110 or 120) are also perfect for larger Med Sea species such as AJ or even dentex with a single 20mm band and 6.6mm or even 7mm shaft. Let's not forget that many Med spearos are using double-band wooden guns (Dapiran, Abellan etc.) or even pumped up Mambas that are far more powerful than any euro-type gun...
Also the quality of the RA guns is excellent. They are very well built and very durable. At least this is the general opinion.

Again this is just my 2 cents...

Cheers!

 

[vjanda]

I do like the look of the RA's but the lack of loading butt means I'll pass on them.

Looking at the BEUCHAT, MUNDIAL CARBON ELITE now. Very nice indeed.