T
Teonanacatl
Guest
Received my 110 hf ages ago but thought Id better get some use from it before posting a review.
Firstly up until now Ive only really used a 40cm pneumatic gun with which Ive shot my share of fish. The vis here is generally 5m or less. Ive used a few friends railguns and shot some good fish with them. I actually got this pneumatic gun as Ive always been familiar and happy with pneumatic guns and it were comparable in cost to a lot of railguns when I was looking.
First re the 110 vs the 90, when the 110 gun is in the water its light and tracks well. The 90 would track better but I dont see the need for it. For most conditions where I dive this gun will be fine and I dont see the need to buy a 90 as well. If I had both guns I would no doubt pick and choose but I think really if one bought either the 90 or 110 they would be happy.
Ive tried a few different pressures, at 15 bar I can easily load the gun without placing it on my foot just by holding the spear by the shaft. At 20 bar I can load it without the extended loader using just my hands on the spear shaft but the extended loader is safer and easier. Im 181cm tall and of light build and I have no trouble loading it. I have been using the extended loader even though I dont need it as it makes it easier. Ive settled on just over 20 bar for now though when I get home from this trip I will be pumping it up to 25+. Loading it to me seems like a dangerous exercise- probably one of the most legitimate concerns I have with a pneumatic vs rail gun.
The safety on the gun is great, as is the power reducer. Both are easy to use. Mares has made the trigger user adjustable in a few ways and I have made the trigger less sensitive as I dont mind giving the trigger a good pull.
I fired it whilst my friend was nearby, he is a railgun user and he commented on how loud it was, my thoughts on the sound were that its on par with a railgun maybe a little louder but the sound is very different, more of a boink sound. The sound is reduced at reduced pressure and I dont consider it to be a problem, after all a shot and frantically swimming fish is sending out way more warning signs to other fish then a random boink sound.
Ive used the gun on a few fish up to 60cm and on a lot of them the spear went all the way through leaving the fish on the line. Ive also had one deflection which surprised me. The gun is powerful and hits @5m with some power though there is a bit of spear drop over this range. The spear seems to go very slowly though the water but still much faster then any fish Ive aimed at.
The power reducer is excellent!!!! As is the guns production in general.
Now the dislikes! The line holder doesnt click back into place after a shot very well so one must insure it clicks back before trying to load it. The gun goes off underwater if it gets bumped on things (say coral) in a way that causes the spear to go back into the gun at all. For example poking a shark with a loaded gun would result in it going off. The trigger in the gun has been made very light and I dont like it. Ive also had it go off when trying to remove the extended loader from the spear. Now I havent tried poking things with the safety on to see if that stops it. Overall I find Im mostly worried about safety with this thing.
I was much happier with my purchase then I am now, Im now considering buying a rail gun (probably a rob allen tuna) and keeping which ever of the two I like the most.
Pros:
- Powerful
- Compact and light in the water
- Easy to aim and shoot
- Easy to load even at 20bar
- Not particularly loud
Cons:
- Fires when you bump the spear end.
- Feels unsafe.
- Lots of internal moving bits (though it is very well made).
Not sure how power compares to an equivalent railgun.
Firstly up until now Ive only really used a 40cm pneumatic gun with which Ive shot my share of fish. The vis here is generally 5m or less. Ive used a few friends railguns and shot some good fish with them. I actually got this pneumatic gun as Ive always been familiar and happy with pneumatic guns and it were comparable in cost to a lot of railguns when I was looking.
First re the 110 vs the 90, when the 110 gun is in the water its light and tracks well. The 90 would track better but I dont see the need for it. For most conditions where I dive this gun will be fine and I dont see the need to buy a 90 as well. If I had both guns I would no doubt pick and choose but I think really if one bought either the 90 or 110 they would be happy.
Ive tried a few different pressures, at 15 bar I can easily load the gun without placing it on my foot just by holding the spear by the shaft. At 20 bar I can load it without the extended loader using just my hands on the spear shaft but the extended loader is safer and easier. Im 181cm tall and of light build and I have no trouble loading it. I have been using the extended loader even though I dont need it as it makes it easier. Ive settled on just over 20 bar for now though when I get home from this trip I will be pumping it up to 25+. Loading it to me seems like a dangerous exercise- probably one of the most legitimate concerns I have with a pneumatic vs rail gun.
The safety on the gun is great, as is the power reducer. Both are easy to use. Mares has made the trigger user adjustable in a few ways and I have made the trigger less sensitive as I dont mind giving the trigger a good pull.
I fired it whilst my friend was nearby, he is a railgun user and he commented on how loud it was, my thoughts on the sound were that its on par with a railgun maybe a little louder but the sound is very different, more of a boink sound. The sound is reduced at reduced pressure and I dont consider it to be a problem, after all a shot and frantically swimming fish is sending out way more warning signs to other fish then a random boink sound.
Ive used the gun on a few fish up to 60cm and on a lot of them the spear went all the way through leaving the fish on the line. Ive also had one deflection which surprised me. The gun is powerful and hits @5m with some power though there is a bit of spear drop over this range. The spear seems to go very slowly though the water but still much faster then any fish Ive aimed at.
The power reducer is excellent!!!! As is the guns production in general.
Now the dislikes! The line holder doesnt click back into place after a shot very well so one must insure it clicks back before trying to load it. The gun goes off underwater if it gets bumped on things (say coral) in a way that causes the spear to go back into the gun at all. For example poking a shark with a loaded gun would result in it going off. The trigger in the gun has been made very light and I dont like it. Ive also had it go off when trying to remove the extended loader from the spear. Now I havent tried poking things with the safety on to see if that stops it. Overall I find Im mostly worried about safety with this thing.
I was much happier with my purchase then I am now, Im now considering buying a rail gun (probably a rob allen tuna) and keeping which ever of the two I like the most.
Pros:
- Powerful
- Compact and light in the water
- Easy to aim and shoot
- Easy to load even at 20bar
- Not particularly loud
Cons:
- Fires when you bump the spear end.
- Feels unsafe.
- Lots of internal moving bits (though it is very well made).
Not sure how power compares to an equivalent railgun.