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Mini-Pneumatic Comparison?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
E

efattah

Well-Known Member
Mar 2, 2001
3,294
491
173
I am looking at pneumatic guns (< 45cm), and I was hoping someone could give me some feedback and compare guns in that range, for example:

- Omer Tempest 40
- Tigullio RAS 30, 40
- Cress-Sub Star SL 40
- Seac-Sub Asso 30, 40
- Mares Mini Mini Sten (?42cm?)


Any reason to pick one over the other?
 
the very thing I've looking into - except I'm looking at longer guns- mares cyrano - and mamba kits. This should be interesting
 

i dont see why you would ever need anything smaller than 70cm. A 70cm pneumatic is very easy to maneuver.

Mares 70cm sten or cyrano will go through anything. I dont recommend mamba kits on small guns because they are only good for short distances and they have plenty of power at short range.

Go with mares though. Pay extra for a nicer gun.

All i own is airguns. DARKSIDE FOR LIFE!
 
harry theres a controversy there, enzo (owner of maorisub, the makers of mamba) seems to be quite fond of mambas on 70 guns, he made some very interesting tests with a cressi sl70, range was around 4 meters and you still get the added manouverability...
eric, im not the expret on pneumaics but i know that the mares ministen is quite the popular option in that range
 

Since he is selling them, im sure he is quite fond of mambas on any size gun

The reason i said its not needed is because when you buy a 70cm gun, you dont plan on shooting long shots. Its used for a close range gun for bad vis or caves. Since most of the shots are close range, the standard pneumatic has plenty of power. The only advantage would be to adding the mamba kit is balancing the gun better. I use mamba kits on my long guns and they are fantastic. I could afford it for my smaller guns but its just a waste if you ask me.


my 2 cents
 
I need to strap the gun to my leg, and be able to remove it, and fire it, with one hand only. This is why I need 30cm or 40cm.

Comments about 70cm guns are useful to some people too, but I am only interested in experiences with 30 or 40cm guns.

Range doesn't matter, I can get within 60cm of the fish I'm trying to catch.
 
It all comes down to which guns shape you prefer, all of those guns are identical mechanically (indeed most of the parts are interchangeable)
If you are wearing thick gloves you may have trouble reaching the trigger on the Tigullio as the trigger guard is very small.
The range of very short pneumatics is very, very limited, mainly due to the low mass of the spear. If this is for shooting big halibut, you would probably need to be actually touching the fish with the tip to get sufficient penetration. I would advise doing some testing before shooting a fish with one
Fondueset- the Cyrano with Mamba kit is a lovely combination, pm me or start anotheer thread if you need any more info
cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment
 
Reactions: Fondueset and Erik
dave said:
The range of very short pneumatics is very, very limited, mainly due to the low mass of the spear.
Click to expand...

Is range on other spearguns ever limited by the mass of the spear?

Has anyone ever tried using a spear made of a heavier material? Stainless steel is really not that heavy compared with other strong alloys (such as beryllium copper and certain high lead or nickel alloys, monel for example).

Such a spear could have a mass two to three times the equivalent stainless steel spear, and therefore two to three times the momentum, without increasing the drag (i.e. same diameter of the shaft). The shaft would be much more expensive, but it would also be so unbelievably strong that bending would be almost impossible (i.e. you wouldn't need to buy very many).
 
Looking on mcmaster-carr (www.mcmaster.com), I see you can buy a 5/16" (7.93mm) tungsten alloy shaft 12" in length, for $73.67 USD.

The mass of this shaft is 2.6 times greater than stainless steel. For a mini-gun it might make a huge difference. Obviously the shaft would need to be modified to fit the gun.
 
The Pneumatics I used when I was a kid had 3/8 shafts - you could use them as clubs. Another option would be just to use a longer shaft. I'm not the expert dave is but I am picking up a mares cyrano. It shoots a thinner shaft than the others and is built more for range and speed. It has a thinner diameter piston which means a smaller column of water to push - hence more speed. I also like the grip better. You can also still find the sporasub stealth here and there - it's basically a camo cyrano. It's been discontinued but I'm sure the parts are interchangeable.

The primary gun I used as a kid was probably equivalent to a 70cm Sten - but with a heavier shaft and some design flaws. The sear caught at the muzzle - so the shaft had a ring around it about 2/3 down it's length with a large slide ring. This caused the shaft to veer as it lost speed. Within 4 or 5 feet however this gun would nearly allways blow clear through the very heavy- scaled and massive carp we have here, then turn sideways on the other side. Short range - very much power. If you wanted a heavier shaft for say a sten - you can get thicker shafts made from spring steel and pneumatic shafts are relatively cheap. If you are hunting mostly ling, rockfish I think you'll be okay with a 5/16 or even a 9/32 shaft. I don't know about Halibut - not that familiar with them.
 
Last edited:
efattah said:
Such a spear could have a mass two to three times the equivalent stainless steel spear, and therefore two to three times the momentum, without increasing the drag (i.e. same diameter of the shaft). .
Click to expand...

But to get 2 or 3 times the momentum you would need to apply 2 or 3 times as much force to it, therefore 2 or 3 times the loading effort, you can't get something for nothing!
The other big problem with tiny airguns is the very short distance loading effort can be applied over. A 70cm air gun has a loading length of about 50cm, by contrast a 40cm air gun has a loading length of only 20cm, meaning that for the same loading effort, it is only storing 40% of the energy of the 70cm gun

cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment
 
Eric,

if you could get away with a 70cm mares sten or cyrano, it would go thru anything at close range. Ive shot a 78 lb cobia with my mine and it penetrated the head.

Dave,

I emailed you about ordering the sealing kit that goes on the spear for the mamba kit. Im in need of one. Do you have them available?
 
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