Help needed-a convert in the making...

[e.m.p!]

Hi Guys,

Hope you can give me some advice on pneumatic spearguns. I'm not new to spearfishing and working myself around our local reefs (Wellington,NZ) with a 90 Omer Excalibur eurogun. Now I'm in the market for something with a bit more power and especially range. I've had some discussion on what to get on another forum and already made my mind up to go for a RA Caranx 110 with a single 20 band... Well, circumstances changed and my old man is up for a visit - he (!) convinced me to go for a pneumatic gun - (interlude: My dad used to spearfish A LOT in the 60ies in the mediteranian sea and remembers his envy when his mate showed up with the first pneumatic gun he's seen - and outfished him...). He is happy to source it and bring along from Europe in a month time.
Well, I'm not asking on our local forums what to get, as a) you won't (its NZ...) and b) some people rather scoff than admit they've never tried one. Now here are some questions I hope to find an answer for:
For me it's reasonable easy (hope so) to score a Omer Airbalete - most of my gear is from that company and never missed a beat, but happy to try new things. What length do I go for if I want a similar power/range as the Caranx I was mentioning?
How good are the Airbalete? Would love to find a unbiased review... (no offense)
What spare parts (shaft aside) should I import? Can I shoot standard RA shafts too? (If worse comes to worse)
What the heck is "nude" Tahitian stainless steel? (Marketing lingo gone bonkers?) and is it just good old-fashioned Chinese stainless like everything else or at least spring stainless steel?
...almost there...
Is Omer and Sporasub the same company or is just SCT the supplier for both? And last but not least: Just in case your reviews are ripping the Airbalete to bits, - here's for someone in the know - how are my chances to get hold of a Sporasub One Air if it's getting picked up in Milan/Italy? (the mentioned ol' man's dive buddy is driving down there very soon).

Thanks for your help,lads!

 

[popgun pete]

My advice is to buy a gun that you can load with your individual arm stretch as you muzzle load pneumatics with the rear handle placed on your foot. So that is the length of the gun plus the spear with tip sticking out of the muzzle which you then have to span with your limb length to force the spear into the gun. Maybe that is a dimension for pneumatic guns that the companies should quote in their specification sheets, but I have never seen it mentioned.

Omer acquired Sporasub, so they are the same company these days. A "nude" shaft has no tail stop or increase in diameter of the shaft butt, which means that it is either a freeshaft, a front tied shooting line or the line slide is pulled up short of the shaft tail by a tether to the front of the shaft. If the tether stretches then the line slide pulls off the shaft tail, I know because I have had it happen. Pneumatic guns use their own shafts dictated by the shape of the tail, a number of tapers are used to inspire "brand loyalty" as there is no universal size. The taper is what jams the shaft tail in the face of the sliding piston in the inner barrel, the spear jerks free of the piston when the latter slams into the muzzle mounted shock absorber.

Someone else will have to tell you about the "Airbalete" as I do not own one. As for the "One Air" that appears to be a few months off in terms of guns being delivered.

 

[e.m.p!]

Thanks for your quick reply,Pete. Regarding your recommendation of gun length, do you think measuring from my hip to the floor would be good indicator? And is there a table that (roughly) compares pneumatics with their equivalent in band guns? I'm looking for a powerful enough gun to shoot midsize Kingfish but still usable for horizontal shots around the reef (I try to avoid the bottom, unless it's a real, real tasty fish)

Thanks, K

 

[popgun pete]

I don't know of any table comparing band guns to their pneumatic equivalent, generally a pneumatic with the same distance for the shaft being propelled is shorter than a band gun as the bands when slack in the latter require extra length in the gun barrel and that means that its spear is also longer. That additional length in the band gun is handy for aiming on long range shots and the spear tip is that much closer to the fish, but it does not make a lot of difference as pneumatic guns are very accurate due to the shaft being tightly controlled as it is pushed out of the gun, whereas for the band gun it depends on how smoothly the shaft progresses down the guide track.

Why I mentioned the loading length is that say you wanted a 110 cm pneumatic gun then it would not be much use if you could not load it due to the span required from your foot to outstretched arm if you were not tall enough. What complicates matters in making gun to gun comparisons is that manufacturers often use different dimensions in sizing their guns. On band guns it can be the spear length or the barrel length between the handle and the muzzle or the overall length of the gun. On pneumatics it is usually the length of the gun from the rear of the cylindrical receiver to the tip of the muzzle, but it can be to the back of the angled grip handle. On an "Airbalete" the rear handle adds to the gun length because it is detachable and sits to the rear of the air chamber as it is not actually part of it, unlike most other pneumatics, so guns that have the same model designation length, e.g. 90 cm, are not necessarily the same length in terms of spear propulsion distance inside the guns, which is technically the "working course" of the piston or spear. If band guns were rated on the "working course" of the spear their model numbers would all have to be reduced by about a quarter to a third depending on the band stretch used.

I measured the loading length of a 85 cm Sporasub "Stealth" at 1.68 meters. That is the distance from the spear tip to the curve in the rear of the handle that fits on top of the foot for loading the gun. The spear plus tip is 90 cm in overall length while the gun is 83.5 cm from the front of the muzzle to the curve in the rear of the handle which is 1.5 cm inwards from the rear of the receiver. The difference in combined length of spear and gun is down to the section of spear that inserts into the muzzle and jams into the piston before loading commences. For longer guns the loading length will be 1.68 meters plus double the extra length in the other guns provided they all have the same overhang of the spear from the muzzle when loaded. I selected the "Stealth" as it is completely stock and still has its original spear and tip from the factory. Perhaps an "Airbalete" owner could conduct similar measurements, unlike the Mares guns (the "Stealth" is a rebadged Mares gun) they do not have simple tubular tanks which can be cut off to different lengths at the factory, or so I have been told.

 

[foxfish]

There is very little negative info about the Airbalete on this forum & most folk just love them especially when they are customised with a dry barrel kit.
I would think that a 110 would fit your bill but, take note of Pete as loading can be difficult for some.
Personally I use an Asso 115 & have no problem loading it at 25 bar, I am about 5,10 tall.

 

[e.m.p!]

Thanks for your help guys, guess I'll go for the 110 then. I should be able to get this thing loaded. Just to get you right, the dry barrel kit is called Mamba kit, right? Have to order too then.

K

 

[foxfish]

Talk to our best friend Tromic about supplying you a beautifully made custom kit http://forums.deeperblue.com/pneumatic-spearguns/81791-tomba-all-one-barrel-sealing.html

 

[Don Paul]

Loading length 110 Airbalete.
Handle and a few other things are not stock.

Cheers, Don Paul

 

[e.m.p!]

Hi Don,

Thanks for that - this picture says it all… If the handle would be stock, I would be even faster in buying it. Well, but here's another update. It is very unlikely to get the Airbalete in time before my Dad's coming over, so I've decided to become a guinea pig for the Sporasub One Air once it hits the market. Will hope to sneak it into my partner's luggage when she's returning from her Eurotrip in June. This season has to work with my little Excalibur, but there are new 18mm rubbers on their way, so I'm sorted for now…
Thank you for your help, guys!

K