Omer quitting Pneumatic Spearguns

[popgun pete]

Here are the English pages from the Sporasub "One Air" Manual. The coloured page is stapled into the manual as an afterthought once they realized the big problem if the line release lever is not reset as then the completion of muzzle loading might result in the gun shooting someone as the trigger would be still held depressed!

 

[popgun pete]

The front and rear cover.

 

[popgun pete]

I knocked out the fat transverse pin, which is stainless steel as a magnet sticks to it, and pulled the rear handle off. The long rod inside the grip handle that pushes on the transmission pin stub just pulls straight out of the handle and is also plated brass, it being an item that has been made with a slightly larger diameter section at its rear end and is not just a constant diameter rod. My guess is that any rod with a step in it, i.e. a change in diameter, they decided to make out of brass and any pin that was just a simple rod that could be cut or end ground to length they have used stainless steel. In real Italian pneumatic spearguns these pins are all made of stainless steel, whether they are machined or not.

 

[Diving Gecko]

Could you pull the long pin out without taking the cassette out? I think I have to take the cassette out first and then slide the long pin out the rear - maybe they made the step up in diameter less pronounced on later guns so it can slide out the front, now?


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[popgun pete]

Could you pull the long pin out without taking the cassette out? I think I have to take the cassette out first and then slide the long pin out the rear - maybe they made the step up in diameter less pronounced on later guns so it can slide out the front, now?


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I did not expect it to pull right out, but it did. I will take the other pins out and remove the cassette when I have a chance.

 

[Diving Gecko]

I’ll check mine again today. Maybe it pulls right out, too. I was pretty hazy last time I did it - hence why I messed up and bent it.

Would be interesting if someone with an older Airbalete would check his parts just to see if these plated rods came later...


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[popgun pete]

I’ll check mine again today. Maybe it pulls right out, too. I was pretty hazy last time I did it - hence why I messed up and bent it.

Would be interesting if someone with an older Airbalete would check his parts just to see if these plated rods came later...


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Yes, one of the initial batch which would most likely be made in Italy.

 

[Diving Gecko]

So, without contacts in I could see better and the phone pics do an ok job, too. Sadly, I can confirm that even the transmission stub in the bulkhead is plated (idiotic...):

And the longer pin is, too evidently:

I bought my gun in Dec 2012 so there must be hundreds if not thousands of guns out there with this issue - and they were not cheap back then:-(
The serial prolly doesn’t make much sense but here it is:

(Just lashing the reel to the gun as I don’t have the adapter with me on this prolonged trip).

Maybe it’s a good thing Omer pulled out - it’s obviously too much of a challenge for them to keep on top of small shit like this...

For me, personally, I can fix this by machining two new pins. But a lot of people won’t be able or willing to make or source their own replacement parts and for that reason, I think my recommendation must be to be very wary of these guns - even on a fire sale. You just have no idea how long they’ll last.

Also, Omer told me they don’t have the spare seals so I’ll inquire with STC now. Remember, these seals are not the same size as STC’s own line...


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[popgun pete]

At the original high asking prices it is a disgrace.

 

[Diving Gecko]

At the original high asking prices it is a disgrace.

Yes, It’s harsh but I can only agree 100%.

Some might say, that it’s still working and I got more than seven years on it so far so it’s not too bad. But honestly it’s my least used off the shelf gun. Haven’t shot it for, perhaps, 4-5 years and before then I still only shot it a few weeks each year.

It’s negligence like this that has had me less than impressed with Omer for quite some time. Yes, the Chinese will try to do a run around on you but everyone knows or should know that. I often say that manufacturing in China is not as cheap as you think since to do it properly, you should station some engineering or QC staff there permanently if you have just a bit of sizable production.

I’ll post or perhaps PM on the Italian forum to Omer and see if they are willing to spill any beans on this...


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[Diving Gecko]

I’ll check mine again today. Maybe it pulls right out, too. I was pretty hazy last time I did it - hence why I messed up and bent it.


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Forgot to answer this.
The longer pin does pull out the front in my handle, too. It’s just a bit tight. Tight enough to keep it captive - which is smart. But just loose enough that you can pull it out. Had to use pliers which is not smart since it’s plated but at this point I don’t care - will make a new one at some point. I think in the past I have pulled it out the back.

If your pin fall out by itself I guess they either made the step up smaller or the bore in the handle is bigger - did the mold wear out somehow? The latter is less likely as I would think an internal bore like that would be done with a steel pin inserted into the mold? So, if that wears, the bore should become smaller, not bigger(?).


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[popgun pete]

I pulled the trigger when I grabbed it thinking that it would only come out so far and it came right out.and fell on my work table.

 

[Diving Gecko]

I pulled the trigger when I grabbed it thinking that it would only come out so far and it came right out.and fell on my work table.

Yeah, that’s not cool. I think the design intent was for it to be held captive which makes a lot of sense on a detachable handle. Seems like Omer did drop the ball on a few fronts of QC on these guns.


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[popgun pete]

Just noticed that I missed the fold out, double spread pages inside the rear cover of the manual.

 

[popgun pete]

The firing at the completion of muzzle loading must have given Omer, or more likely the Taiwanese, the heebie-jeebies as not only did you have warnings in the operating manual and red stickers festooning the gun, they also put this hieroglyphic on the muzzle of the gun. I did not notice it at first and was gobsmacked when I saw it. This has to be a first!

The matt black finish on the tank looks more like paint than anodizing, maybe another short cut. If you know what the sign is saying it is kind of funny as it is completely over the top. Omer must have been embarrassed when they saw it as I am sure it was not on earlier models.

 

[popgun pete]

That number 009104 on the side of the gun may be a batch number for when that mold was in production rather than a serial number. The number on my gun is 009595. The difference is 491, but in say 7 years that is not many guns as my gun must have come from a recent batch, it was still heat sealed inside a polythene bag which in turn was in a Sporasub branded cardboard outer box. That means it had not been touched since it left the factory and Scubastore just put it all into a heavy duty shipping box.

 

[Diving Gecko]

That number 009104 on the side of the gun may be a batch number for when that mold was in production rather than a serial number. The number on my gun is 009595. The difference is 491, but in say 7 years that is not many guns as my gun must have come from a recent batch, it was still heat sealed inside a polythene bag which in turn was in a Sporasub branded cardboard outer box. That means it had not been touched since it left the factory and Scubastore just put it all into a heavy duty shipping box.

I guess it is not entirely impossible that your gun is "new old stock" and has been sitting in either Omer's or Scubastore's warehouse for years.
Soon after I got mine, Sporasub sent out two replacement parts. A slightly beefed up rear "connection piece" and a stronger piston.
Since that change happened very early on I would think your gun came with the new newer back piece but you can compare to my pics here:

Sporasub One Air Assembly (and other related stuff)

I just took apart my One Air to change the piston and another part that Spora/Omer had sent to me. And... just to have a look at how it is put together of course:-)Some things are quite nice. Some less so. But we can take that as it comes.First five pix are an introduction to the major...

forums.deeperblue.com

 

[popgun pete]

My gun has all those later parts, I think it is pretty recent as there is that warning sign on the muzzle nose cone that I have never seen before and the cardboard box with its blue and black printed security tape looked very fresh. I have now thrown it into recycling, so the inner and outer boxes are gone.

If other "One Air" owners could post their gun's numbers we could learn more. I never met anyone who used one, or any of these guns for that matter with the detachable rear handle. I don't recall seeing a serial number on the Omer AIR XII, but I never looked at it that closely.

 

[popgun pete]

This "One Air" float nose cone advert has no warning.

 

[Diving Gecko]

This "One Air" float nose cone advert has no warning.
View attachment 56334

"Warning! We made the world's heaviest muzzle so YOU HAVE to buy our larger, uglier, foam nose cone to alleviate wrist pain!".
Just kidding, of course - what's the real warning about?

Actually, the 120 is very well balanced but perhaps the shorter guns are not.