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Is a 100+ gun overkill in cornwall?

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Teamchilds

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Jan 11, 2009
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I have been spearing quite successfully with a 75 for the last few years and have bagged plenty of fish. However on the days when things get tough and you only get a few distant glimpses I find I could do with an extra couple of feet range. I'm looking at a 100 thinking it would give me that range but at what cost?
 
I love the accuracy of longer guns BUT.. they are slower to track.

For me I find rather than range being an issue I am often in a situation where the fish appears to my side and i need to track the gun quickly. This was the main reason for my decision to buy the XXV Gold (90cm). It has a smaller dia barrel so IMO tracks quicker. There is a long thread on this gun if you search!

It depends on if you are happy with a rack of guns where certain ones do not get used frequently. Sure I reckon you'd use it but maybe not as frequently as your 90, or your 75.

Its ok to have a Quiver .. but as I have stated before if you stick to the same brand and colour your wife / girlfriend will think you only have 1 rofl .. :friday
 
I've no experience in english waters, but I reckon that 90cm is much popular among english spearos, while 100 + is not as much popular in the UK. There must be a reason, of course: follow the main stream and you can't go wrong.
Out of geography, anyway, you'll realize what a significant increase in shooting range you may get switching from a 75 to a 90.
Try a 90 for good visibility and keep the 75 for short visibility and narrow rocky bottoms. This is my humble suggestion.
 
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Thanks for the speedy reply

I would like to still be able to track sideways quicker. I was looking at the hf2 as well as the xxv, would they in a 100 get the best of both?
 
I haven't tried the HF2, but the XXV gives its best in the 90 length, I can say for sure: perfect mix of decent range and great manouverability.
For a 100 or longer I'd get a gun to be slightly more "massive", to endure recoil and keep stable in favour of long, sniper shots. Seatec Snake 100 comes to mind: massive and stable, but still sweet tracking for such a lengthy and massive gun...
But, again, why not a 90?
 
Just buy a mamba kitted 90 air gun, pretty much the same length as a 75 band gun (air guns are measured in total length band guns in barrel length) you will have the power of a twin band 100 but no recoil.
 
If you like airguns, the Mamba does seem to cover all the bases on paper. But there is more to airguns and Mambas than that. I will say no more

A 90 bandgun would give you 5x 15cm = 75cm (or 70cm for an XXV) more range than a 75cm gun -- about 2.5 feet, the couple of feet of extra range you are looking for. A 100cm gun would give you about 125cm / 4ft more range

My 2 cents: I think a 100cm gun would probably be fine for Cornwall. Your own experience is the important thing though - you know where you dive and what the conditions are like. Although the vis. I had diving on the Lizard was not that great, I know that the sea can often be very clear in Cornwall. I was surprised when Ickledevil said that he used a 110cm gun in Dorset one day. I dived the next day with my new 75 but wished I had my old 90 as vis. was unusually good - certainly anything of 90-120 would have been quite reasonable that day (it wasn't fishy tho').

I'm not sure why Spaghetti has such a thing against the Omer XXV in 100cm, esp. as UK fish are usually not so big. I have the XXV 75 & 90 & would happily get a 100 if diving in the Med. more than a couple of times. Perhaps the more substantial Cayman handle works better on the longer sizes? I'd be happy to use an XXV 100cm in Cornwall, although I think a 90 (or 82) would get more use as an everyday gun.* I've never experienced recoil as an issue on either of my 90cm guns - so would be surprised if the 100 would be much different. Also, the XXV uses a 5cm shorter spear than most spearguns, its overall length would be more like 95cm with the power & range of a 100cm eurogun. With the slim, light barrel & spear (25mm & 6.3mm respectively), I would expect that its turning moment (& power) would be comparable to my 90cm RA railgun.

Personally, I find trying to track with a 90cm barrel frustratingly difficult/slow. There are probably techniques that help reduce drag but I am having a lot more fun with my 75 currently. Perhaps using a longer barrel is less about tracking and more about anticipating the path of a fish and having them come to you/cross your path?

*If I were allowed only one gun for Cornwall, it would be a 90 or 82cm gun. If I were allowed only one gun for Devon it would be an 82cm gun. For Dorset, a 75cm gun (although would be happy enough with a 70 or 80).
 
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Reactions: foxfish
I dont know if there is ever going to be one gun for all occasions - hunting in the weed might not require a long gun but long guns tend to be more powerful. A powerful gun can send the spear clean through a fish at close range, once this happens there is very little chance of the fish escaping. short guns are more maneuverable but have less power & a fish with a spear stuck in its body can easily rip a big hole & escape.
Twin bands on short guns give huge recoil & restrict the tracking, a 90 is a very well established gun for the UK & a 75 very useful - lets face it most of us own more than one gun!
Air guns without a dry barrel system are powerful but not very nice to fire because of the escaping air & recoil. On the other hand dry barrel air guns (mamba) are very very powerful & have very little recoil, in other words are a joy to fire!
Visibility is another issue, in open water a single band 100 is going to be very useful if the water is clear.
So many variables I suggest you start a collection like the rest of us
 
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re. power & piercing. I've had the 6.6mm spear of my RA 90 bounce off two unusually big fish; I was using a 20mm rubber the second time. I wonder if the slimmer 6.3mm spear of the XXV might pierce more easily - less mass but perhaps a finer point & more speed?

Or perhaps the answer is a shot angled from behind, to go under/between the scales/gill plate.

A couple of years ago Spearo Dave mentioned using a 120cm speargun in Cornwall but only at one specific location.
 
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TC i have an HF2 90 which i get on very well with. It's not easy choosing a second gun, justification, etc, but a 100 HF2 sounds pretty good. my first gun for night and low vis is a beuchat 75, for me the 2 guns make a good combi. I suppose how much you need the extra power/length depends on what fish you're hunting and how close you generally get?
must admit i'd have looked into a mamba if i thought i could load it, look after it, etc.
 
I bought a cayman carbon 110cm last year and used it in sussex when the viz was good and the bream were in. Had some great fun with it and shot a lot of fish which would have been out of range otherwise. The cayman carbon is a superb gun and I have been very impressed with it.

It is very difficult choosing a second gun but if like me after spearing for a number of years the buying of guns becomes part of the enjoyment of the sport you end up with an arsenal to choose from. I have guns ranging from 68cm (hole gun with a titanium trident, through a couple of 75, 80, 90 (wooden from totensum, superb gun) to as mentioned 110. Of course all the guns in the world won’t make you a better spearfisherman only practice will do that.
Kev
 
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i also have the hf2, its a great gun. but not anything special when it cones to tracking, i expect an xxv gold to be superior in that area. unless you dont like airguns a mamba 90 will be a dream
 
I use a Mares Cyrano 850 (85cm) airgun for nearly all my hunting, and a Rabitech 100cm for a back-up gun. I find that the Cyrano is way easier to track with, short enough to go poking into holes and through weed etc, and the range is only 2-3" less than the considerably longer Rabitech. The Cyrano packs a heavier punch too, and I don't have a Mamba kit fitted yet. Go on......join the dark side.

View attachment 22394
 
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Thanks for all your help

I have gone for a HF2 100, I really want the extra range and I can always take the 75 when the vis is poor. The HF2 will hopefully deal with the recoil better than the XXV. I will let you know how I get on, although that may be a while looking at the swell this week.
 
rofl I remember getting my first gun. Long before finding the forum!! I bought a 90cm Comanche for no reason other than my mate had just got a 75cm Beuchat and I wanted a longer one :t

I think your first gun influences your position on choice and preference. Even in my local soup if I had only one gun it would be a 90cm not the frequently referenced 75cm.

enjoy the new gun :inlove
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Good choice, it's very easy to handle even in that lenght and so well balanced in water!I would say a stunning gun considering its price!
 
Hi Mr. X

Interesting to hear that a 6.6mm spear bounced off a fish. I use 6.7mm Rabitech stainless spears (basically the same thing) just that I change the tri-cut tip to a bullet shape - I find that the tip remains sharp longer and I have driven that spear through a 14kg black musselcracker (they have scales as hard as a person's nails and the size of a 1 euro coin) using single 18mm Omer Energy rubbers. Those who have shot these fish before will know that they do not swim right up to you!

I personally have never had a spear bounce off a fish! Sometimes I had shot fish too far and all one sees is a pin prick (the spear would have passed through but you feel the jolt of the line running out).

I like the spears with recessed barbs but no-one in SA makes them so I use what we can get! I have an OMER 7mm one and the penetation is really impressive! Perhaps this may be an option if your spears are bouncing of your fish.

Cheers
 
Reactions: Mr. X
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