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found an ancient speargun

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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dcfreediver

New Member
Jul 23, 2004
19
1
0
hey, im really new to spearfishing, and it never seemed like something i was going to pursue, but as i was rooting around in my attic, i found an old speargun that my dad bought when he was in greece, and used once. it is an "Arrow 70-4L" from BalcoSubs. I have searched on the internet for any information about it, but i have found none. It is of small size, and a little rusted. the waters around where i live (ireland) are filled with coldwater fish, including mullet, gurnard, pollock, and even salmon. some of these fish can become huge, and i was thinking that my gun might be too small. does anyone know anything about this gun, and would i be advised to buy a new one before i go out hunting? thanks in advance, daniel.
 
Daniel

What size is the gun , Length ?
You will find that the size of the gun doesn't really matter, what matters is your breath hold and hunting ability.
Clean the spear, grease it so it doesn't rust replace the rubbers and get started!! One more thing try and make a bungie that will sit between the shooting line and the gun it will help stop fish like pollock pulling off when they run.

Good luck.
Huan
 
Balco is out of business (and we are not talking about the Bay area outfit of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones fame). They used to make cheap snorkeling equipment for summer tourists and I am sure your dad was probably one of them. It used to be very hard to find quality spearfishing gear outside of Athens.
Having said that, my first speargun was a Balco Arrow similar to yours but I knew it was time to upgrade when I had my shaft bounce off a grouper's head (I was 14). you can use it for small game but you will probably need something better soon. BTW, check the bands because if it has been sitting around this long, they may snap the first time you pull them back

Angelos
 
Hey, thanks for the fast reply's. Huan, the gun is around 2 feet, but it just doesnt look that strong. Is there any certain kind of grease needed for the rubbers, or is ordinary grease ok? Frogman, I am almost certain my dad was one of the summer tourists, since all he did was buy it, wade out into waist depth water, shoot at a fish, miss, and give up for life. I am 14 years old as well, so i figured it might be a good starting point. How small is "small game"? 1lb, 2lbs? more? thanks again, Daniel.
 
Daniel
I meant grease the spear or put a little oil on it to stop it from rusting.
The rubber bands will almost certainly need to be replaced with modern rubbers they are probably 14-16mm.
My friend came back from greece with a Lanara Ogress which is around 55cm and he shot some monster pollock with it.
Size ain't everything.
just get in the water and try it.

Huan
 
if you are concerned about performance then just go and get a new gun... just my 2 cents..
 
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