Loading spear guns and power loss

[MaxPayne]

I've been reading that bands lose elasticity when the gun has been loaded for a while. I.e. it is best to load just before shooting, but this is quite impractical!!! Also, with the pneumatics, you don't even get to hold the spear in the shaft until it is loaded. So.... you what... swim around with a spear in one hand and the gun in the other until it is safe to load!??!

So the general question here is, both for band and pneumatics... when do most people load these things? a) right after jumping off the boat, b) when you see your target or?????????????

 

[davidbugeja]

I load the speargun (Band) right after in the sea. It is not practical as you said to see a fish and then load.

(Why would they even have safe trigger systems then?!)

Band by time of course will lose elasticity depending on usage of course. This is not a problem just replace it when it does with a new band. (They are quite cheap)

Also make sure you keep it out of the sun, avoid having it loaded on shore (Very dangerous) and if it is going to be stored for a long time put it in a plastic bag and place in the cool place. (Fridge is good). Make sure you risen the band with fresh water after usage to maintan elasticty.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Max, you are right in theory that rubber looses its elastic properties if kept in tension for long periods. However I am not aware that this applies to pneumatics. I can't see any reason why an air gun (provided it isn't defective and leaks) shouldn't hold up its power indefinitely. The only thing that would effect it is temperature as this would alter the pressure (Boyle's law). Also air guns are not as effective at depth because they use a pressure differential (inside to outside) to propel the spear and at depth the outside pressure is greater.

Despite all of this physics it makes very little difference in practice. I've never noticed my band gun being weaker if I haven't fired it for an hour. Maybe if you swim around for six hours and tested your gun at max range on some static target you could measure a minute loss of power and spear drop but this would be an extreme scenario that doesn't relate to practical hunting.

I think Terry Maas has some info on this in his excellent book Bluewater Hunting which deals with extremes, certainly in terms of multi band cannons. Have lent my copy so can't check but maybe someone else will help.

So load your gun when you go in and if you're that worried unload it, rest the rubbers for a few minutes and then reload, every hour. People will laugh at you though, but what the hell, if it makes you happy and helps you catch fish, then you'll have the last laugh.

Dave

 

[Bill McIntyre]

If anyone is curious about exactly how much power is lost when a gun is cocked for a while, here are some numbers.

I buy band rubber from Masahiro Mori, and some time ago I asked him how his 9/16" rubber compared with Riffe's 9/16" rubber. Here is part of his reply.

Mine pulls 92 lbs and drops 5.4% to 87 lbs after an hour
Riffe pulls 94 lbs and drops 7.4% to 87 lbs after an hour

I still cock my gun as soon as I get in the water and leave it cocked until I get out. I'd much rather shoot at a fish with reduced power than be holding an unloaded gun when the fish came by.

 

[spaghetti]

I'd much rather shoot at a fish with reduced power than be holding an unloaded gun when the fish came by.

So remember:
Load your guitar soon as you get into the water.

About pneumatics, you can trust Old Man Dave: if it's not broken, it will keep up its pressure for years.
I could tell funny stories about this subject, but would not annoy you all...

 

[PeteyH]

I Also load my gun as soon as i jump off the boat, I can't think of anytime that i've decided to swim around looking for good fish to shoot with an unloaded gun! (somewhat defeats the point I think!).

Imagine you suddenly see a nice fish, stalk it silently for a while, and then it decides to come closer to you, in an ideal range smiling at you directly infront of your spear. You put you finger on the trigger..... and then realise you have to make a commotion loading the gun giving the fish plenty of time to figure out exactly what your intentions are - and swim off.... :head

The power loss over the course of an hour or so is hardly substantial, I don't believe it's worth kicking up a fuss about!!! I'd rather have the possiblility of shooting a fish thats pops out from nowhere (loaded gun) than almost certainly missing the chance by having to load up!

 

[MaxPayne]

o.k. so today was my first day using my new Mares Cyrano Pneumatic Spearguns 970. I'm 5'6" , so I figured it would be mission impossible to load it.

O.k. taking it off the boat unloaded sucks, because unlike band guns, you can not wrap up the shock cable without loading it. Putting the spear in the gun is in effect loading it.

Loading it in the water was a piece of cake. I am an avid weightlifter / bodybuilder, and can handle some extreme weights... or maybe it was just not pumped up very hard. I put the handle (bottom) on the top of my foot, and put one hand on the shaft to keep it straight, the other on the tip of the spear. The "loader" is just somethign that covers the tip so you can push on it. It is hard to push for the first few inches, then gets much easier.

Nailed a few fish. The gun worked extremely well. :inlove

The spear tip though, is an aluminum piece of crap. One hit against the rocks and it bent. The shockcord also sucks, I replaced it with a $10 one.

 

[Huw]

Hiya MaxPayne,

What type of fish did you shoot and which country do you live in? (sorry, just like to know what people hunt in their own location!) With your pneumatic, what size shafts are you using?

Huw.