Omer XXV Gold 90 Speargun & Venom Apnea 90 question

[mundial]

hi mate welcome

for a 3 years diving with XXV gold 90
i can say only good words on it
it is the best gun omer have today
but
for that price you can get a better equipped gun
nice maneuverability aiming shooting distance

take the SEATEC SNAKE 90
2 16 rubber bands
open head
carbon poly body
silent

Fucile gabbiano snake mod. 90 : Tutto Pesca Mare

 

[BruceLee85]

Does anyone know where the difference is between XXV (normal) and XXV Gold?

 

[Old Man Dave]

The gold has a full length track moulded on top of the carbon tube/stock.

Dave

 

[BruceLee85]

Which one would you recommend? Is the Gold a lot better than the "normal" or is the normal still a good choice?

Thanks a lot...

Yann

 

[Old Man Dave]

I'm not much of a gear freek so don't tend to know much except about what I have researched and what works for me. However it is said that in shorter lengths say 75cm and less the rail isn't needed but over that size say 80, 90, 100 cm you need a rail for accuracy. Bear in mind that the XXV uses a thin spear 6.3 mm as oposed to the normal 6.5+mm spear and an 18 mm band not a more common 16mm one. Also the XXV is unusual in having a 25mm diameter stock as compared to nearly all other guns which have 28, 30 or 32mm ali or carbon stocks. This makes the XXV light and quick to aim but not so easy to shootas it has little mass to absorb recoil. That said lots of people really rate the 90cm XXV Gold and that includes me. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a beginners gun but it is a quality item.

Dave

 

[spaghetti]

Same as Dave said. If you use the given in-line bands (the screw in type) there is no real necessity of a rail, and so the basic XXV is OK.
But if you buy the Gold you will receive the gun already kitted with a reel, the very good Omer Match reel. In England they don't need a reel, but in the Mediterranean it is mandatory.
Re. Mundial: agreed the Seatec Snake is a truly EXCELLENT gun.

 

[Mr. X]

OMD's post is spot on. The regular XXV is also a very good gun and, if you think about it, lighter & more hydrodynamic (less inertia, less drag) than the Gold!

I have the regular 75 & 90 XXV. I also have a 90cm RA railgun. The regular XXV comes without rail, without reel & without circular rubber band - you can always buy them afterwards if necessary (you can buy stick on rails). If you add up what you might pay for a rail, reel & circular rubber it is about equal to the price difference between the XXV & XXV Gold. I think if I were fishing mainly the Med., I might go for the Gold because I would want the reel but in the UK we don't tend to use/need reels. I might go for the rail too if I were planning to use a circular band -- haven't tried mine with a circular rubber yet but I wonder if that might work better with a rail(?).

You can get the XXV Gold without a reel too but usually it is sold with. Most folk reckon a rail won't make any difference for guns under 100/110cm & then they become more beneficial the longer you go (e.g. 120,130,140,150). In the past most european guns (often 90-110cm) had no rail, although increasingly they seem to be including rails or partial rails on some longer/more expensive guns -- I suspect it is fashion & marketing more than a real need though. The USA Omer importer, MarkL is quite passionate about this & has posted on the topic several times. Rob Allen tends to concede this point for smaller guns. Folk rarely mention that the rail adds a few mm to the height of your barrel, so that 25mm barrel with rail will probably have an effective 27/28mm side height.

[Can you do one finger push-ups?]

 

[spaghetti]

Re. Rail, necessary or not? Me I agree with what Dave and Mr.X say.
According to the technical dudes, on euroguns a rail is only necessary when the bands work obliquely (that will tend to pull down and bend the shaft in exit if there's void under it), but they have no practical function if the bands are in line (parallel) with the gun barrel and with the shaft itself.
A rail also helps with multi-band guns, because the shaft will have to endure a suden, very strong tramsimission of energy from the bands while still running along the barrell: in this case, the rail helps to keep the trajectory straight in exit (but not necessarily straight after the shaft leaves the gun).
It is demonstrated that we may reject the equation rail=accuracy. A straight shaft in exit does not mean an accuaret shot on the target.
Accuracy depends on many more factors:
-an appropriate proportion of band power/shaft thickness;
-the capability of the gun to absorb recoil (both muzzle whip and back-kick of the gunbutt);
-sensitivity of the trigger (you aim on the fishand pull the trigger, but how long of time will pass between the finger pull and the actual release of the shaft? a micro fraction of second more or less might make you miss, because the fish is not a fixed target, but a mobile one);
-posture: some shots and some guns may require a stiff arm or a relaxed arm.
-spear ballistics: a curled or bulky flopper has a real effect on the shaft trajectory.
blah blah blah.
In any case:
-The + 400 Euros pricey C4 guns have no rail at all, but they're pinpoint accurate.
-The Seatec Gabbiano (snake and trb) only have a halftrack rail (not full lenght) but they regularily win easy the UW target shooting tournaments.
-The older Omer Master Competition only had a half-track too, but they were rated as the most accurate gun in the 2001 Hawaii Skin Diver tests....
-My cheap Comanche 60 has no rail, but it stoned many breams between the eyes where I aimed.
I agree with Mr. X that this recent spread of railguns in the european market is mostly a fashion more than a real technical improvement.