how much power can my RA hold?

[LaJollaFreedvr]

i have an RA standard barrel but with the upgraded stainless steel trigger sear...its time for new bands...currently it has 2x16mm on it, but i want some more power and punch...the 2 16s just feel like they dont have enough power to reach and touch something past about 12 feet...

several questions for you other RA guys...miles, sturgeon, whoever:

a) can my gun handle 2 20mm bands safely...ive heard of the trigger mechs failing but wasnt sure if that was the case with teh steel trigger...no matter how hard to load or recoil i would do this if i could...mean green rubber?

b) what about 2 18s?

would i need to ballast the barrel with foam or something to reduce recoil?

i use this as my bw gun and i want it to be comparable to a riffe island...at least in range

 

[Memo]

the thing is, to make your gun efficient, you have to eleminate kick... so if you power your gun over 2x16s it will loose both accuracy and power imo.

why dont you try shortening your bands?

 

[defofthecrown]

You know, everbody says 2x16's is tops. However thats b/c the notch is a semi-circle. I bet if you could get a squre notch shaft made to fit the mech. you could handle 2x20's. The recoil and accuracy is another question.

An easier solution might be an 8mm shaft thats 50cm longer than the barrrel instead of 40cm. this will give you better punch at range.

 

[Memo]

let me tell you our latest experience on Shane's totemsub tahiti 120...

That gun was loaded with 2X16s + 1 wrap of mono + 7mm shaft... Believe me the first time I used it I was amused! It could shoot anything at the end of its shooting line...

so as greedy, and hungry spearos, we said why not 2X18s at that setup... yes we did it, and accidentally we went for a short setup aswell

His gun is loaded with 2x18s with double wrap, yeah the range and power increased! and I mean it. But it has a kick and if you hold it like a prom lady, you could injure your wrist...

Totem is a gun with a mass, with a perfect balance and I believe (I think Shane too) it is at the limit with 2x18s...

 

[LaJollaFreedvr]

thanks for your quick replys!

i understand recoil is an issue...but have you guys ever shot a riffe with 4 5/8" bands on it?...it has slightly more mass but its not too hard to deal with, but ill give two short 18mm bands a try - are those 9/16th? im going to be making these myself, too, so thats why i wanted some input on mean green rubber - i understand it has higher tensile strength so it sounds interesting for this situation....man this thing is gonna be a beast to load, it already sorta is

 

[LaJollaFreedvr]

oh, i forgot to add...i also use a 7.5 mm shaft (hawaiian), its reasonably thick.

i feel that a 130cm gun of any size should be able to have an effective range out to at least 20 feet...so far i havent seen that, although i do like the guns accuracy. mobility and tracking are reasonably fast, but much more awkward than my riffe (its a rear handle comp1)

i use this gun at the edge of the kelp for white seabass/YT/dorado/big kelp bass - rigged with 3 wraps, breaks away to 100 ft floatline

 

[Shadowkiller]

Where did you get the SS trigger sear? You know if RA distributors stock them? I have a SS line release, wouldn't mind a SS sear.

Defofthecrown is right, the load limit is because of the sear shape. Unless you replace the trigger mech with one that has a 90degree sear, the buy shafts with a 90degree notch, I wouldn't overpower it. Why risk injury just to get an extra metre of range?

 

[Murat]

with my 110cm gun which is powered by OMER 18mm bands and 6.5mm shaft, i regullarly take fishes farther than 12feet...

May be you misjudge the distance while shooting????

 

[aydin]

4mt not bad with Omer barrel Murat.4 mt from the tip of the gun?,is it approximately ??
Murat did you have an experience with double wrap woody,if not try..

 

[Murat]

yes Aydın its from the tip of the gun. I never tried double wrap line on woodie since my wooden gun is not designed to shoot double band

2 band=2 wrap=good!!! 1Band=2wrap=waste & hassle

 

[aydin]

Sorry Murat I want to say double slings,sorry.

 

[Spearingfish]

RA trigger mechanisms use a Picasso trigger mech and is not all that strong. Overall, accurate guns, however. Why would you want 2-20mm bands? A single 20mm band is more than enough, but if you must, put on a 20mm and a 14mm band.

 

[Murat]

two bands should be the same diameter and condition for optimum accuracy...I bet 20 and 14 together will not be accurate at all...

 

[Btrone]

I Used To Have Mean Green Bands On My Metal Tech #2 Dont Make Them Any Shorter Than Youre Originals!! They Have Great Power But The Elasticity Doesn't Seem To Be There ( They Dont Stretch As Far As Bands Of The Same Length) But They Work Great .i Would Love To Get Some More But Havent Gotten Around To Ordering Any

 

[Pablo]

The new Ra have a all SS mechanism and a new handle... check on they web!

I'm using 20 and 16 at *3 with a 7.5 shaft: the recoil and drop in accuracy are more than noticeable in relation to the 7mm/20mm combo

I may try two omer 18: more balance and still plenty of power. I start to get the feeling that different rubber sizes don't add they power properly... they may have different energy release rates!

With 20 you may want wings and a enclosed track to shoot where you aim...

 

[Skindiver]

My experiments confirmed my suspicions about twin 16's vs a single 20 rubber and the findings can be applied to this thread.

The rubber in all cases contracted at the same speed on a 7mm shaft. Ie the shaft is propelled at the same feet per second in all cases reaching the same distance ( 97m shot dry @45 degrees.)

I concluded that the 7mm shaft offers little resistance to either set up of rubbers and they contracted to practically maximum speed in the inches before the shaft was released. ( Maximum being the speed they would attain if shot with no shaft in place)
The addition of another 20mm rubber would therefore in my opinion impart no more energy to the shaft as two rubbers cannot contract any faster than one can if one rubber attains maximum contractile speed with the shaft in place anyway.
All that happens is you get a sense of more power because of the kick and probably a decrease in accuracy or a displaced point of aim at least.

With a heavy shaft of say 9mm however, there is more shaft inertia on the rubbers and then heavier, or multiple rubbers would start performing.

In other words if the 20 mm rubber with 7mm shaft reach near maximum contraction ( as they do ) before the shaft is released from the muzzle, then any additional power in the form of heavier rubber or additional rubbers will not make the shaft any faster, rather dissipating the extra energy into the gun, and water in the form of kick and noise.

The only way to get more speed is with faster contracting rubber mated to a shaft whose weight is tuned to the point that the rubber imparts all its energy to the shaft. ie reaches maximum contractile speed in the moments before release. More power than that is wasted and less will bog the shaft down and speed will decrease.

Skin.