my 90cm Master America ...

I'm thinking of getting an MA but I have some concerns

I'm thinking of getting a 130 MA that would be the first true bluewater gun I own and load. I figure it would be nice to have since the range on my 3 banded Riffe comp is barely adequate in the bluewater. I figure getting the 130 so I can get more range, speed, and accuracy to catch bigger, more elusive fish which often go outside of the range of my trusty Riffe (about 5m+ with a double loop). Part of the reason I'm also getting it (besides its beauty and uniqueness) is because my friend is selling it to me barely used at a pretty good price.

Still I have some concerns:

1. My biggest concern about the gun is whether the shaft will be very likely to bend if I hit something big. I'll probably keep the hawaiian freeshaft to the side and put a Rob Allen shaft with a Riffe slip tip on it (since I do not like the AB Biller I have) but I just keep worrying about having to go through shafts like crazy. Will the shafts be a problem?
2. This is minor: how difficult is it to change that huge gorrilla band? (Do you need to play with many screws or tools?) And how frequently do you have to replace the main and extra circular bands since they come with those metal ends?
3. Also minor, how streamlined is the gun? (I always freedive.) I ask this because it seems like the two screws in the front are not streamlined. And also, does the main band vibrate a lot like some other Euro guns do?
I am not sure if I am ready to make the move to buying this gun. My impulse is to just do it and find out later--the thing is just so beautiful. Still, we're talking about a few bills, so I would love your feedback.

Hey dude, saw your inquiry and here are a few things I would consider and some answers to your questions,

First, I'm surprised that someone is selling a 130cm used since there were only 50 made in that size so it's a good opportunity. That gun goes for around $650-700 new in stores.

1. Re the shaft, keep in mind the Hawaiian shaft you're talking about is 7mm while the shaft on your Riffe is 8mm most likely. I would not go for a plated shaft, get a stainless steel 7mm or 7.1mm shaft or two for backup that's made for Euro mechanisms like the sharkfin Technosport Hawaiian sharkfin shaft that comes with the Master America. You can see these at www.omerdiving.com Or any stainless steel shaft that's made of 14-4PH stainless steel since it has a very high spring factor which is important so you don't bend them easily. Riffe and Omer, Technosport, Biller, Wong and other high end speargun producers use 17-4ph and you can usually tell by the brown coloration of the steel but they have to be designed for the Euro mechanism. I would not put a Rob Allen shaft with a slip tip on it, since you'll loose considerable accuracy with a slip tip, especially that one, compared to the Hawaiian shafts. Get the sharkfin shafts so you can use soft wishbones with more than one band.

2. The bands if they're new will last you at least six months of serious spearing, simply unscrew them with a pair of pliers or a wrench to the muzzle to change them. If you're going to use only one set keep the 18mm gorilla bands, for two sets of bands you could use 2 pairs of 16mm's, and you can make two sets of circular 16mm bands squeeze in the muzzle loop with a pair of screw in 16mm bands for a total of 3 pairs of bands for bluer water hunting or with a thicker 8mm(5/16") shaft and slip tip. Keep in mind with one set of gorilla bands the 130 gun with Hawaiian shaft is accurate 20ft away but will lack substantial penetration at that range, with two pairs of bands you have the penetration too at the distance, and with three you have the power to push a thicker shaft.

3. I think when you try the gun in the water for yourself you'll see how streamlined and stable it is without any sort of vibrations. There's a DEMO program here in America at participating dealers where you can actually try the gun for free and bring it back. If you're in Florida by any chance let me know what city and I'll point you to the closest or just try your friends to see for yourself.

Good luck Mark

Mark, I really appreciate your tips and information, as well as your kindness to show me to the Florida shops (I still have not been there outside Miami).
It turns out the gun is a 110, but I think I'm going to get it anyway, especially since I probably won't even be able to load a 130 before a week of exercises! hehe.

I'm relieved that the gun is stable and streamlined and that it is a breeze to change the bands, and I guess sharkfins will be a must (hurray for nylon wishbones).

Being the novice to large guns, I am still a little bit confused, about the points you bring up, so I still have a few annoying questions:

First, I think I am buying the gun with a stock 6.5mm hawaiian shaft. Do you still recommend this smaller type of shaft, maybe only as a backup?
Second, are you favoring the 17-4ph over 14-4ph material for any given shaft thickness? Which steel is better or what are the tradeoffs?
(I probably won't be getting the Rob Allen shaft since it does not come with the shark fins. Also, who knows what material it's made out of?)
Third, since the gun is a bit smaller, I wanted to ask you if you know whether I will still be able to use an 8mm shaft and whether I'll still be able to put three bands (total) on the gun.
I guess I would have the following potential configurations:
8mm shaft, three bands
8mm shaft, two bands
7mm (or 7.1mm) shaft, three bands
7mm shaft, two bands
Which of these configurations is best for maximum range or stopping power, and should I actually stay away from any of these configurations?
Also, a friend claims the Riffe ice pick slip tip is very accurate--would you recommend this tip with any of the above potential set up configurations using a 7 mm shaft , or is this tip only advisable with the 8mm shaft/three band set up that you mentioned earlier?
I'd really appreciate just a little further guidance so I can sleep better under the excitement of becoming an MA owner... Maybe I'm just jittery about the big fish I will one day catch with that gun. With many thanks, Jorge

Hi Jorge, so nice to see people’s real names, sometime I feel like I’m replying to Martians with funny names :hmm

First, I think I am buying the gun with a stock 6.5mm hawaiian shaft. Do you still recommend this smaller type of shaft, maybe only as a backup?

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I’m surprised they have the 6.5mm Omer stock shaft in that gun, it should come stock with the high end shark fin shaft. Maybe your buddy did the smart thing and kept the good one and put that back in it. Either way, keep it as a backup for small fish on the reef like or in the shallows where you’re only going to use one band and you can use an art. wishbone. A 6.5mm is ideal for hogfish, mangroves, cero mackerels, yellowtail, small grouper…

Second, are you favoring the 17-4ph over 14-4ph material for any given shaft thickness? Which steel is better or what are the tradeoffs? (I probably won't be getting the Rob Allen shaft since it does not come with the shark fins. Also, who knows what material it's made out of?)

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I’m not familiar with 14-4 sorry. Anyway, Cressi/Seac/Beuchat use a stainless steel (I can’t remember the chemical code derivative I think its 2205) that is stiff with very little of the great spring qualities of 17-4Ph, while the companies that I mentioned before, Riffe, Omer, Biller, Wong, and other high end smaller mfgs primarily use the standard in the industry 17-4PH. The South African companies you mentioned use a high carbon content galvanized shaft that is also adopted in the hand tool industry which obviously doesn’t have the corrosion resistance properties of SS and is also less springy. On the other hand, to some, a less springy shaft is advantageous until it bends, although once it bends it’s bent, and in fairness to those Co’s there are some good reasons for employing a stiffer galvanized shaft material, namely price and the fact that at its core its as strong as 17-4Ph. In any event the optimal mechanical characteristics for 17-4Ph (also known as AISI 630) stainless steel if hardened correctly is a uniform hardness equal to 150 Kg/mm²and a hardness of 44-45HRC which is its Rockwell hardness.

This is obviously a technical run down and probably more than you wanted to know but it gives you a good idea of the advantages of this great stainless.

Third, since the gun is a bit smaller, I wanted to ask you if you know whether I will still be able to use an 8mm shaft and whether I'll still be able to put three bands (total) on the gun.

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Yes you can, but finding an 8mm shaft x 160cm for a 115 with sharkfins with a tail made for an Omer mechanism or any Euro mechanism is unlikely unless custom made.

I guess I would have the following potential configurations:
8mm shaft, three bands
8mm shaft, two bands
7mm (or 7.1mm) shaft, three bands
7mm shaft, two bands
Which of these configurations is best for maximum range or stopping power, and should I actually stay away from any of these configurations?

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I could spend half the day answering this question and it would be fun , but in a nutshell it’s a bit subjective depending on your preference. I would start with two bands 16mm or 18mm if you want to load real bears although you don’t need the extra power so much, and the 7.1mm sharkfin shafts. This is a proven accurate and powerful combination. You’ll have a solid range of 15’ for any fish you shoot and the accuracy will be good.

Also, a friend claims the Riffe ice pick slip tip is very accurate--would you recommend this tip with any of the above potential set up configurations using a 7 mm shaft , or is this tip only advisable with the 8mm shaft/three band set up that you mentioned earlier?

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Sorry but I’m going to shy away from judging or recommending or giving my personal view on a competitors product. It's a very well made product, will say that. Just keep in mind it’s almost impossible to emulate the accuracy of a Hawaiian shaft with any slip tip. :martial

I'd really appreciate just a little further guidance so I can sleep better under the excitement of becoming an MA owner... Maybe I'm just jittery about the big fish I will one day catch with that gun. With many thanks, Jorge

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Consider that the guys at Austins in Miami or Scubas World in Hialeah should have a gun for you to try under the DEMO program. Either way I’m sure you probably could just as easily borrow your friend’s gun with less hassle. If the tip of the gun feels too buoyant just add the lead weight inserts since you can change the buoyancy in the front of the gun depending on the shaft and the extra circular band will add to its buoyancy. Have fun and enjoy it, Mark

i don't have very high technical knowledge about spear steels. But let me tell you that if you care, i trashed many OMER shafts and my cressi shaft is still perfect, it hit rocks more than the total of other OMER shafts i trashed rofl. Now i am using 6.25 eurosub spears which is my favorite up to now. But let me tell you simple fact of physics, no matter whats the quality of your shaft is if you shoot rocky places (reef species) with 110 or larger spear gun, that equal to 150cm spear in standart format, they will bend. My experiance is limited with 6, 6.25, 6.3, 6.5mm spears. Probably its same to for others as well

Hello all. I have never posted to this forum before, but the banter regarding the Master America has drawn me in.

focarequin, take the plunge and buy the gun. It is an incredible gun in all respects except one, you had better be pretty darn strong to pull back that 32cm x 18mm band on a 130cm size Master America.

Think about this. If a single band can send a 7mm shaft right into a bullseye 20 feet away, you had better be able to curl 150lbs and do 50 pull ups in a row.

I use the 32cm x 18mm on my 115 Master America because the original 29cm x 18mm were just darn near impossible.

Ok, thanks a lot guys. (By the way, Murat, the shaft on my 65cm Cressi has yet to bend and I am a mean owner to it!)
I just talked to my friend and I will be buying it with a 7.1mm shaft (it does not have the long shark fins but these smaller ones--I think they are the ones like those on the omer website). I'll try the two band combination, since it seems that anything more "would be uncivilized." I'm a fan of slip tips for blue water so I'll put a Riffe on the shaft. Maybe I'll tell my friend to get the stock 7.1mm hawaiian out of the closet and I'll just buy it off him. I'll probably post again after the excitement of becoming an OMER AM owner--so be aware, and I will definitely post once I catch my first fish (maybe Coronados or Bahia de Los Angeles). With many thanks to Mark and all the other spearos for their comments and insight, Jorge

And as far as the bands, I'll give both the 29 and 32 a try and see if I can manage it!

I have 32cm OMER's power 18mm on my 110cm (band strech length to second notch) wood gun. Its almost ok for 6.25mm shaft but lack of power for 6.5mm shaft. I can not imagine how you load 32cm bands on a 130 :hmm

Exactly my point. The standard 29cm x 18mm band on my 115 was killing me to pull. The 32cm x 18mm now on my 115 works great.

From my calculations, the 32cm x 18mm band on a 130 size gun will be even more difficult (darn near impossible) to pull than the 29cm x 18mm band on a 115 gun.

My recommendation to focarequin is to use the 32cm x 16mm band since dont make a band longer than 32cm in the 18mm diameter.

Better yet: Hey Mark, why not make a 35cm x 18mm for focarequin as long as he agrees to buy it from Matt Turner. :wave

Come on what's wrong with you guys, eat your wheaties!

Essentially the reason the 130cm Master America comes with 32cm bands, which admittedly are pretty hard to load, is because those are the longest 18mm band Omer makes. In all fairness we should probably have just put 16.5mm Top energy bands on them for most people but then a few people would have felt like they got cheated out of the stronger 18's.

Jim - nice to have you on board at DB - I see you have last year's model, glad you like it. For less than $20 in upgrades you can take advantage of the improvements of the 05' with a stainless steel line release to make it easier to accomodate two wraps of line and a "comfy butt" pad to make loading those bands easier these are things I was adamant that Omer needed to install on these guns to make them more enjoyable for blue water hunting. Little things but they make life easier in the water.

But let me tell you that if you care, i trashed many OMER shafts and my cressi shaft is still perfect, it hit rocks more than the total of other OMER shafts i trashed

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Murat - Yes Omer should start thinking about a rock-proof shaft designed to suit your needs rofl Murat just back up a little when you take your shot, there's a sweet point distance - when you shoot a fish where the spear won't have too much inertia left to destroy itself into the rocks. Maybe go down with band size too, 'cause it sounds like you've got too much power for small fish if you're shooting so close, or better yet shoot bigger and thicker fish that will slow the shaft down more...

Jorge - sounds good, try the gun first with a single band 18mm and that thinner 6.75mm shaft with the LP sharkfins, then load two bands on it and go up to a 7/7.1mm shaft with two. These are good combinations since two 16mm bands will throw the slightly heavier shaft well. Lastly, if you use a slip tip make sure its at least as thick as the shaft. In other words don't use a 6.75mm(17/64") LP sharkfin shaft you have with a heavy Riffe slip tip because it won't shoot strait. Use at least a 7mm+ shaft and consider a more low profile and smaller tip.

recommend this tip with any of the above potential set up configurations using a 7 mm shaft , or is this tip only advisable with the 8mm shaft/three band set up that you mentioned earlier?

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That slip-tip is intended to be used with a 5/16" (8mm) or 3/8" (9.5mm) shaft with some weight behind it that wouldn't effect its flight like a thinner shaft. I've learned to only use slip tips with 8mm shafts to maintain decent accuracy.

A funny story about band power and shafts, this summer I was fishing on a wreck 30 miles offshore in 160ft of water for wahoo and blue water fish with three friends. My friend Alex was using a single 18mm band 130cm Alum/carbon gun and he just couldn't get the range he needed to hit the wahoo which although may look 12-15ft away, were give or take at least 5ft farther than they appeared. His gun had always been ideal for pompano, cobia and AJ's but it just lacked the range for long "hail mary shots". This day in particular visibility was 100ft or so adding to the distance percpetion problem for him. We were messing around next to the anchored boat while my other two buddies tossed chunks of butterfish over the side while having lunch. A school of 4-5 wahoo came in and Alex yelled to get my attention, he took the first shot and missed, misjuding their distance again. In the meantime still curious they swept by me and I tried to get them closed in between me and the side of the boat, 30ft or so away, and it worked and the bigger one got within the limit of my gun and I took the shot. I figured it was somewhere around 15-18ft away. I had three 16mm (5/8") bands and the 8mm shaft with a slip tip on my MA 130. I nailed the big wahoo right where I was aiming high on the shoulder behind the gill plate and it proceeded to take off like a bolt of lightning and headed strait down. I knew that was trouble because the gang of barracudas would take advantage of this injured wahoo and tear it apart if I didn;t get him out of barracuda alley fast enough. Needless to say he got destroyed as I pulled as hard as I could to salvage the front half of the wahoo. After getting a 20lb head and front 1/3 of the fish to the boat, I gave Alex my gun. Not two minutes later did he pull the trigger and off his float went too...for barracuda alley. A few minutes after that he came to the surface with only the tail of the wahoo that two amberjacks were playing spit ball with, spitting it out at each other,
as if to say they enjoyed the meal and here's your tail, thanks...Moral of the story, although he didn't get his fish whole at least he saw the difference first hand a few more feet of range can make.

Mark

OK, just got the 115 MA gun. I am excited to go to the kelp beds soon. I got it for a steal since my friend has a load of huge guns and pretty much needed the money and knew that I would really enjoy the gun.

A friend of his tested the gun for him and did a number of modifications. I wanted to describe the different aspects of the gun I got and ask you whether you think they are cool or if I should de-modify my gun to some extent.

1. The bands:
A. There is the screw on pair of gorrilla ruber, each about a foot in length.
B. There is the circular band of 29 inches.
Both are a bitch to pull but I am getting the hang of it very quickly.
My issue is that they have metal wire and metal with screws (a la Omer) wishbones. I've always thought nylon was king, so do you think this should be an issue?

2. The shaft: A 63 inch 7.1mm shaft of 17 stainless steel. My issue is that it does not carry true shark fins. Instead there are two low profile stubs over minor carvings where the wishbones go. They were custom made by National Divers. Also the place where the stainless steel line goes is through a hole in the very back of the shaft. This contasts with the true shark fin design where the line usually goes through one of the shark fins. The end of my shaft also does not carry a square notch, instead it is a curved euro-type notch. Is this set up OK? or should I put in a 7.1 mm square notched shaft fins instead? My experimenting shows that my Riffe 7.1 mm square notched shaft does not fit, but maybe OMER has one that does? Gosh, do I sound naive!

3. The other thing that I am wary about is that he sawed off the metal loop in the bottom of the front that ties to the stainless steel line that then ties to the shaft! He said it was annoying and is pushing me to use a method where the gun parts from the line and the buoy once the shaft has been fired. I kind of like the idea of my gun remaining with the spear so I don't have to worry about fighting the fish and making sure I don't lose my gun. Am I naive and too orthodox to think this, or should I consider having that loop in the front to do the more conventional spear-gun-buoy spearfishing? Are there inherent problems with it? If I decide to put it in, where can I find that metal part? (It is screwed to the top part which accomodates the screw on bands.)

The other thing that I changed, and this is something I feel comfortable with, is the use of a Riffe ice pick slip tip. I've lost quite a few fish to turning motions using a Hawaiian so I just want to avoid being a maimer. Maybe this Riffe thing will improve my luck with not losing fish. I'm still thinking of getting the normal hawaiian shaft for back up.

I love the gun and the trigger is so smooth. Like I said, this is all very exciting and just wondered if I could get some more advice with regards to my current set up. With many, many thanks for past and future help,
Jorge

Mark Laboccetta said:

Murat - Yes Omer should start thinking about a rock-proof shaft designed to suit your needs rofl Murat just back up a little when you take your shot, there's a sweet point distance - when you shoot a fish where the spear won't have too much inertia left to destroy itself into the rocks. Maybe go down with band size too, 'cause it sounds like you've got too much power for small fish if you're shooting so close, or better yet shoot bigger and thicker fish that will slow the shaft down more...


Mark

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Mark, i wish to have this luxury but conditions here in med does not allow me to "choose" my shoots. If its a fish or shaft, i will choose fish. I generally ben t shaft while hunting spinefoots, you know they are small (less than 200gr) fast moving fishes and if you make long shoots there is no way you can get them,when they are moving which is the case when you are making aspetto shoots,they are even invincible to 18mm omer bands and 6.25mm shaft at long range.Thats why i preffer short range shoots to spinefoots which they genreally swim just in fron of the rocks. Sometimes i bent shafts to while shooting sargo in the caves, generally they are sheltered such hard places tham even if you move speargun fe cms back you will shoot blank.

focarequin said:

OK, just got the 115 MA gun.
I love the gun and the trigger is so smooth. Like I said, this is all very exciting and just wondered if I could get some more advice with regards to my current set up. With many, many thanks for past and future help,
Jorge

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Jorge - I skimmed your email quickly, tomorrow I'll answer your questions after I know the answer to these Q's. Here are two pictures, is this the part your friend sawed off ? What a crime by the way, and in the second just confirm if its the part on the Left so I know which to send you? Send me a PM with your address to and I'll mail it to you even if "sawed off" parts don't exactly fall under warranty or manufacturers fault But I agree with you, you need that to make a line anchor for the shaft, breakways are a pain in the ass.

Murat - gosh you crack me up, I gota side with you on that one, if it's fish or shaft I'll choose fish too rofl Hey, this is the time of year for big groupers in the Med, remember that party for the 15+Kg cernia when you spear it.

Mark Laboccetta said:

Murat - gosh you crack me up, I gota side with you on that one, if it's fish or shaft I'll choose fish too rofl Hey, this is the time of year for big groupers in the Med, remember that party for the 15+Kg cernia when you spear it.

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this summer i involved in spearing one but did not got any that big myself. I started to go gym to do anerobic trainings and my bottom times immediatelly dropped to half :waterwork But i guess this training will be good for further achivements. I am still diving few times per week shooting fish for dinner etc..but since i don't have regullar diving buddy nowadays i don't dive more than 20 meters to be safe, and its nearly impossible to shoot such fish at that depth But there be always surprises.

Mark,
You're the best. The part my friend sawed off is indeed the on the left in the right hand picture. I'll send you my address in a pm. I am so obliged.
Plus, I'm glad to know I'm not the only skeptic of the breakaway system but I'll be trying it this weekend just to see what happens.
I spent some morning time shooting in the pool--very compfortable and accurate indeed, even with the ice pick. I'm not used to shots over 18 feet and I had to be careful to not ram my shots at the end of the pool. Just spent some time putting some teak oil (of course after having it dried for a few hours) and building/modifying a bag for the gun and shaft. As you can see, I already have travel on my mind.
Nobody tell the kelp fish I am on my way.
Jorge

Hey Jorge, okay no problem at all, it hurts me too much to know there's a Master with part of the muzzle cut off out there :waterwork

1. The bands:
A. There is the screw on pair of gorrilla ruber, each about a foot in length.
B. There is the circular band of 29 inches.
My issue is that they have metal wire and metal with screws (a la Omer) wishbones. I've always thought nylon was king, so do you think this should be an issue?

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You can take those metal wishbones and simply remove the metal part of the wishbone from the caps and install dyneema or the 1200 spectra like I have in these (pictured). For the loop band you may want to tie your own wishbone from the same stuff and remove (break off) the plastic screw in band ends because they may scratch the stock as they are pulling slightly offset compared to the screw in bands.

The end of my shaft also does not carry a square notch, instead it is a curved euro-type notch. Is this set up OK? or should I put in a 7.1 mm square notched shaft fins instead? My experimenting shows that my Riffe 7.1 mm square notched shaft does not fit, but maybe OMER has one that does?

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No, you have the right shaft in there, National Divers' shafts are fine. Square notch shafts won't work. If you ever need the 7.1mm or the threaded 8mm (5/16")x160cm(63") shafts with the bigger sharkfins we have them, the holes aren't drilled in the front sharkfin but there's room to do it yourself as I've done.

3. The other thing that I am wary about is that he sawed off the metal loop in the bottom of the front that ties to the stainless steel line that then ties to the shaft! He said it was annoying and is pushing me to use a method where the gun parts from the line and the buoy once the shaft has been fired. I kind of like the idea of my gun remaining with the spear so I don't have to worry about fighting the fish and making sure I don't lose my gun. Am I naive and too orthodox to think this, or should I consider having that loop in the front to do the more conventional spear-gun-buoy spearfishing? Are there inherent problems with it?

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You don't have to worry about loosing your loose gun when you're fighting the fish and it's a hassle to go chase after the spear each time you shoot it and pull it up from your float line. I think a breakway is only necessary for wahoo and tuna and 1% of divers actually do that. The other way is more convenient and faster to reload.

I'm still thinking of getting the normal hawaiian shaft for back up.

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Good idea, as I said I like them because they're just one less variable to deal with. But if you're happy with the slip tip go for it and maybe just consider a future purchase of a more low profile slip tip for the thin shaft.

Okay, good luck and I'll get that line anchor sent out to you today. Yes, a regular coat of teak oil after heavy use will keep the gun looking new forever

Mark
ps Murat- I think the best time for dusky grouper in the Med is now through October! Never a good idea to dive for them alone you're right.

Jorge,
Having read a few of your posts, I'm starting to think you might be a guy I met at La Jolla a couple summers ago. My friend and I were there, purely freediving; he had a camera and took some cool footage of you shooting an Opaleye. You were wearing a Sporasub wetsuit. We grabbed a couple tacos afterward and the thing I remember most about you was the funny story you told of your drunken static apnea in the living room at a party... you passed out and fell face first onto a coffe table! :blackeye
If that's you, greetings! If not, please (everybody) disregard this silly post.

Anyway, glad to hear you're enjoying your Omer gun. I've been shooting a Riffe C2 (dead-on accurate) the past couple years and this summer I've been shooting (wildly) a Riffe Hawaiian. I'll figure it out someday, I guess; but as it stands there are two WSB at San Clemente Island alive today because the damn gun shoots low! :vangry

Peter, how can I forget? You've got a great memory, I gotta say. Of course it's me. This site is great! I have yet to go into the ocean with my OMER MA. Funny, I've been shooting a 7.1mm Riffe comp 2x as well. Thought I'd move to the 115 since the limited range on my comp 2x spared a few nice fish in Indonesia just a month ago. (Still the stopping power of three bands is pretty damn good and it is pretty accurate.)
Well, at the party, actually I was going to give a demonstration on breathing as I was getting up and I got a mega head rush that I crashed into the door side. Bloody mess! I look back and laugh! Too damn funny, but definitely not worth repeating! . . . .
I still got the Spora but I actually feel better with newer 3.5mm Cressi in San Diego's warmer waters (I still use Norcal as a benchmark).
It's great to say hi to you, and I always wonder if I could ever get me hands on that video footage. I remember your friend from back east--tell him I said hi.
Hopefully, we'll meet up soon and we can eat fish tacos from our own fish next time. I may be leaving the area in january so I hope we meet up sooner rather than later.
All the best,
Jorge

T-20 and Master America shot Videos!

Well, I thought you guys might like to see this showing off the effectiveness of your guns I thought I would have more videos to document the other shots but the files larger than 4MB we couldn't load onto the site.

Anyhow, these quick videos give a quick glimpse of some shots. The kid who shot this Master America 130 at the target has never even used anything but his T-20 110 and aimed the gun the same way he does his T-20. We liked the idea of capturing some of this stuff on underwater video and in a controlled environment where we had measured the distance from the spear tip to the target.

We set 2 Liter soda bottles u/w suspended 5ft off the bottom at the 10ft depth. We shot from the shallow end with the tip of our spears at the edge of the shallow end.

There were three targets, 10ft, 15ft, 20ft from the tip of our spears in the shallow end.

Used two guns (more later), a stock T-20 open muzzle 110 with a single 18mm rubber and stock shaft and a Master America 130cm with two 16mm bands and a 7mm shaft and the same gun with three 16mm bands and a 5/16" (8mm shaft).

At 10ft the speed precision of the 110 is a given in the first video. In the second, the 15ft shot is just as accurate but the shooting line reaches the end where it connnects to the muzzle of the gun limiting how much farther it can go. (scroll down the linked page to the video links)

http://www.omerdiving.com/product.aspx?product=6

At 20ft Justin shot the Master America 130cm (and again he'd never shot this gun before) and it hits the 2 Liter with precision reaching the end of the short shooting line .

http://www.omerdiving.com/spearfishingvideo.aspx?ID=4

What was even more remarcable was the same gun down grading the power to two bands and a 7mmx170cm shaft shot at the same 20ft target. I will have to make a shorter video to upload but in a nutshell the difference in speed is quite noticeable by the naked eye at normal video playing speed and considerably faster and there is less recoil. That tells me basically that given the higher speed the 7mm still has good penetration at 20ft. At 15ft it's really impressive. It's convincing me that for most of my uses for example, aside from hunting wide bodied tuna specifically, the speed/accuracy/power and simplicity of the two band combination is the best compromise.

What I'm most satisfied about is how with the heavier gun and the additional power the Master America can still be shot instinctively like a single band T-20 with one hand at really long targets accurately and without having to brace the back of the gun to counter-act recoil. This is is a quality in my opinion most other guns don't posess. No wonder my customers are so happy with our gun

In summary the controlled environment of pool shooting really confirms effective hunting distances and accuracy of a given speargun which translates into confident judgement calls of what's doable and what isn't when aiming at a moving target made of scales and meat

Mark
ps- I forgot to mention we use a considerable high drag 400lb test 2mm black mono shooting line attached to the shafts and this didn't cause the accuracy to deviate much either as one might suspect.