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First speargun
- Thread starterflandersander
- Start date
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.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
A word of caution here, I only found this thread while searching for something else. The security of a trigger mechanism depends on the geometry of the levers for the locking action and that geometry has to remain constant. Wear will gradually change it, but it takes a very long time when the levers are made from stainless steel, brass or bronze, unlike aluminium. Another problem with aluminium is the alloys are often relatively soft and can bend under load which will slowly change the geometry even though you may not notice it with everything hidden inside the gun. Also aluminium can become brittle with a repeated number of bending cycles to the point where it just snaps in two, especially in a highly loaded item like a trigger mechanism's sear lever. What works OK now may not work later and with no warning of failure, so be very careful as speargun trigger mechanisms levers are usually thin, e.g. 1/8", 3/16" and maybe 1/4" or just under (such as the Kitto M3 and M5). In aluminum, unless using specialist alloys and forgings, this thickness will not be strong enough for the job and corrosion may also gradually weaken the material. Spearguns certainly use aluminum for handgrip and muzzle castings, but service life in the role of highly loaded levers is unpredictable and probably dangerous. Maybe OK as a trigger, after all some guns use molded plastic (you will not find me using one) which is load bearing, but not as a sear lever. Aluminium corrodes in the marine environment, just look at corrosion in alloy gun handles and muzzles where stainless steel pins and screws are in direct contact. In the Riffe "Metatech" most of the metal screws are isolated by plastic parts to stop this occurring in the aluminum stock, but it is very difficult to eliminate even with marine grade aluminium alloys employed in the barrel.
One wayward shot which injures someone, no matter how unlikely, and things could turn very nasty as police, lawyers and courts become involved.
If you want to make a trigger mechanism by hand then use brass, or ideally bronze, for the levers and then test it thoroughly. But liability issues will not disappear.
One wayward shot which injures someone, no matter how unlikely, and things could turn very nasty as police, lawyers and courts become involved.
If you want to make a trigger mechanism by hand then use brass, or ideally bronze, for the levers and then test it thoroughly. But liability issues will not disappear.
I appreciate your words of warning. The gun is now a wall hanger. Used it for a bit, then shelfed it. The novelty wore off.