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Part II, Riffe MT#0 in the water

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Iyadiver

Mr. Long Post
Apr 22, 2002
998
74
0
Made this unexpected & sudden trip to the Indian Ocean side of my place 125 miles away. Have not been to this favourite place of mine for over a year. This pass one year been very murky water in my close by hunting ground with typical viz of 15 feet or less.
I know everytime I go to a 50 feet viz or better, I feel like a lost child cause my distance perception screw up big time.

Anyway, for those curious of my MT#0 performance in the water, here is some short take.

The 1st dive, I used my MT#0. The water viz was awesome ( for my year 2001 standard :p ), about 50 feet or better. There were some particle in the water but other than that....I was so happy cause I could see real far.

There were many 7 kg barracudas, the yellow tail ones, some in group of 3 and some in group of 20s. So I kept looking and hope to find a bigger one. I was at 70-80 feet ( YEP on scuba:D ). Then I saw a big great barracuda, a black tail one at about 12-15kg. I tried getting closer as what I thought my 81cm gun can do on its thick head. I think it was like 6-7 meters away and did not ever want to get close 5 meter, my tested effective range I can count on for penetration. It was swimming slowly away from me while the smaller ones were ignoring me. When I was about to shoot it, I saw 2 of 10kg Spanish Mackerel far away almost out of sight. So I chased the Spanish, but it spinted away and came a small 2 kg Big Eye Jack / Trevaly. So I shot it from about 2 meter distance and the shaft went thru all the way to the 270 lbs SS cable.

First shot, first kill. A good start for me cause this kind of Jack/Trevaly is rare for me. Hook it on my stringer and seek other fish. That big baracuda appeared again and I tried to get close, when I thought I got close enought, I launched the shaft with 5 bands..............and I missed........... the shaft was pulling the gun away from me. My shooting line set up was already 5.7 meters from muzzle to speartip, what a residual power. Can't believe that Barracuda was actualy a bit further than my expectation. Wasn't surprised a good viz have screwed me up many times.

Load it up again and move on. I was drifting at some 60 feet when a school of yellowfin Tuna came like rain, about 50 of them. On this side of the drop off the water was very clear but the bottom was dark cause I sonar it at about 300 feet. On first pass it was far, way too far and I was lucky cause it was coming back. I tracked my gun ( beautiful, just beautiful ) to follow it, very easy with this mini gun. On the second pass, the school got closer, I look at the last few fishes and it was fat and the anal fin was long, I hope those two fins above and below long antena like are called anal fins ????. I recalled that big yellowfin has long anal fins, so I aimed at one with the long fins, I know it must be in range.......Whacckkk !!!! I hit only water. Must have missed cause it was swimming real fast.

My friend was 20 feet above me at that shot and he later told me that my shaft barely even travelled 3/4 of the way to the fish. The scholing fish were still too far. I thought I was stupid at high viz but how come that stupid ??

My question is, how big does a yellowfin need to get before those nice whip like fins can grow long ?? I know 40 up yellowfin has long whip tails seen them on the market so often during my working days with Tuna. I did not see the eye ball as what my Terry book stated. I personaly thought that the schooling tuna is not bigger than 5kg, the bigger ones........ how how how ?

My conclusion on the MT#0, I will not use it in clear water untill I can get my distance/size perception right. A short gun is no fun in clear water cause this 81 cm mid-handle gun only project about 50 cm off my hand. My eyes been trained to gauge distance based on my 124 cm Riffe #2. That 124 cm, at least project 100 cm from my hand grip cause it is a rear handle. The longer the gun as long as fast tracking is feasible, is much advantage to distance perception cause my eyes position remained the same range to fish but the shaft tip is already so far forward. Technicaly even if my MT#0 has the same effective range as my 124cm #2, the short 81cm is already 50 cm less effective by position. Hwewwww....what an :duh I am. :D :D

Need to realy get close if in good viz water. This MT#0 is one potent murky water gun. One funny thing though, have realized this for sometime. When I shoot plywood target, I can feel the recoil of this gun with 3/8 shaft. When I shoot fish, miss or hit, the excitement cancelled the feeling of recoil. I could single handedly shoot with 5 bands and don't feel a thing. The power of the mind.............:eek: :eek:

Coming soon, the great in water test of my #4. It was used on the 2nd and 3rd dive.............YUMMY !!!!!!!! What a gun !!!
 
Hi Iya , thanks for the short take ...;)
Glad to hear you found some clear water . Listen Boet , I am willing to bet if you had been working on your freediving you'd be able to do 60 ft. + by now . I believe pelagics are easier to approach that way . C'mon Iya , give it a go :D
 
He he he he. I know. Just wish I could touch down to 60 feet, my my...that will be the day. 30 feet is the best I tried and honestly I been trying in murky water so my brain think it is hard to do. In clear water I feel so much more relax but since I go so very rare, can't waste the trip cause most of the fish is in the 70-100 feet range. You know what I mean. If i do the trip often ( which the cost is just too prohibitive ), I am willing to sacrifice some fish for skill improvement.

Hey, I saw some rainbow runners, about 60 cm ones but I passed it cause the Doggie on this dive was INCREDIBLE !!!!!!!!
Saw a jobfish too but small, also 60 cm. Will post another info on that dive spot story and my bigger gun.

This rock on the Indian Ocean is not a beginner freediver place. The swell and wave slam against the rock all the time. By the time I'm done scuba my head already got so much headache from the presure change of the 30 feet to surface. The swell on this trip must be in the 2-3 meter region, so it become 4 meter up down. I could not do a safety stop without having the computer beeping cause it thought I was ascending too fast.

My right ear is my handicap, even on scuba I sometime can not descent fast. My breathhold is also poor but my ear is poorer. I am not good with blowing nose, swallow works better. If my ear acting up on me, I need to blow and swallow. Even have to get the 2nd stage of my mouth to do that, cause can't swallow fast with that reg in my mouth....poor me.

This place on freedive is great, if one skill is average or above. My Aussie friends been nailing plenty of fish. Give me sometime, a few years maybe...he he he. At least now after spending time in DB forum, I can freedive in a more relax mode, already an improvement...slowly Bro...slowly.

At least the scuba bubble and no float is a fair trade off against the ultra stealth and efficiency of freediving, I don't feel like a cheater. If I can stalk fishes with my noisy bubbles, I should already have one less skill to learn when I freedive. Honestly I envy freedivers and I want to head into that direction, eventualy.

Thanks anyway.
 
So you saw yellowfin tunny underwater.....:p:p :p What its looks like???

I am sure you will take one of them with your baja:king
 
Looks like those small 0.5kg bonito which u use for Marlin bait, just beautiful and I always like the way the swim....very unpredictable...elegant....and fast.

I did not get a Yellow Fin Tuna but I got a Spanish Mackerel and a Doogtoth Tuna...wha ha ha ha.

We left the dive spot 1.5 days early because all our three cooler boxes could not handle the storage !!!! We got 4 Dog Tooth Tuna from 4 divers on the last dive. My friend from another group just called and they got 7 doggie out of 8 divers, they just arrived home Sunday. They did not visit that rock pinacle till Saturday late afternoon. I arrived home Saturday morning.....not greedy u see.......:D :D .

I never expect the season is in..........MAN !!!, must return there soonest and they appear at 4 PM upwards, feeding time.

Will post photo and story cause we got them with the #4 Baja.
Some is on video and my friend's digital camera, need to download first.

For ur viewing, this is my baby MT#0.
The bottom picture is the cut out/slot so that the shooting line can go easy to the line release mech.

IYA
 
This is the length of the shooting line which I use for testing. Now I install a bit shorter but the gun pulled away......if I miss:D :D
The 3/8 shaft is at the end of the pier.
 
Originally posted by Iyadiver


We got 4 Dog Tooth Tuna from 4 divers on the last dive. My friend from another group just called and they got 7 doggie out of 8 divers, they just arrived home Sunday.



Will post photo and story cause we got them with the #4 Baja.
Some is on video and my friend's digital camera, need to download first.


IYA


What SIZE????

Taken with scuba of freediving???

Did they use ur Baja?????
 
WHEE !!! . Impressive range for such a tiny thing ...:D No wonder it's called a zero ;)
Hope to hear about the doggies soon .
 
Gee Murat, I am still a scuba guy.:D :D If I can apnea like Abri, the scuba dive shop will have no business from me :eek: :eek:. Give me a break please....... I been to this place like 5-6 years but never realy dive that rock often, perhaps only under 50 dives around it cause I know the shark is just too plenty ( by my standard ) and my old pneu plus my old JBL can do shit over there..........

There is another less violent location close to it and that is where I hang out, sweet 60 feet only. Used to have lots of decent size fish but now........ :waterwork :waterwork

Out of the 4 doggies, 1 of +-30kg, 1 0f +- 23kg, 1 of +- 8kg and 1 of +- 5kg.

My Spanish is about 8-10kg, a third one in my life. I am very conservative in my estimation, no more weighing machine on board but when I grab it I know its weight.

Give me a few days and let me post some tempting picture. I only got the +-8 kg Doggie. My third one in my life too. First was a 3 kg and 5kg, both taken with my 85cm pneu.

Abri, that small ZERO is so cute and fun to use. I think in ur hand it can nail some big ones cause u seems to be a pretty good stalker........... ( not the kinky kind...wha ha ha ). Should be able to compete with 120 cm RA on range and penetration ( at 9.5mm shaft ).

Soon boys...story soon...:t
 
Hell , Iya ;you got me thinking (yeah , yeah ... not my strong suit ):eek:
That zero sure would be more inconspicuous than my 145 when passing customs . Can you disassemble it ?
That's right , Sven ; I might consider buying a chunk of wood ...rofl
Sorry to hear about your ears Iya , must be a spearo's worst nightmare :(
 
Iya - try a hot-pad just under your ears before diving - seems to loosen things up for me when I'm having "one of those days".

that or some grog...

Serious little weapon there. 4 bands or 5? - tried 4 on my JBL NW Special, had to double load one grove - accuracy sucked and I decided it probably wasn't that safe.

if that gun can take it - WOW

are those stab. wings on a metal tech?


Willer
 
Last edited:
ABRI,

The Metal Tec can be dismantled in 4 parts. The aluminum silver muzzle, 1 part. The aluminum barrel, the longest part, 2nd part. The plastic butt which u see there is a hole for the float release, it houses also the trigger (indirectly cause the actual load is taken by two screws on the aluminum barrel ), about 12 cm long when fix on the gun but when u remove it is longer, say about 20 cm.
The pistol grip can come out, leaving only the trigger.

U might want to buy in basic form, no teak floater wing kit and no need aluminum muzzle. You still can take 4 x 9/16 (14mm ) bands with original plastic muzzle. Get the 3/8 (9.5mm ) shaft at 36" which is not standard, keep the original 32" x 8mm shaft and the spearhead can be used on the 9.5mm shaft. Order or do up the shooting line to take 4 of double wrap, which is about 5 meters, line only.............and then u are fine.

In the US it retails for +-US$280 as described in basic form called the MT #0 Standard. 3/8 shaft and extra 1 band to make it 4 bands probably another US$60 or so.



AMP,

This gun with the upgraded aluminum muzzle take 5 x 9/16 (14mm) rubber as designed, with some sneaky skill it take 6. Strength wise, it can take 6 of 14mm Riffe Rubber.

My shaft is custom ordered to have thee wishbone tabs cause I intended to use 6 bands but, I decided 5 is more than enough.

Ur 38 uses 1/2 (12.7mm) correct ?, a few of my friends have it.
As long as I use 9.5mm shaft on my gun accuracy is fine. 8mm can handle accuracy wise up to 4 bands but the momentum is not so good. Read my Part I report on the MT#0, it tells a lot.

The wing kit is a floater wing cause Metal Tech is a sinker up to size #1, I heard #2 to #5 barely float. Since my muzzle is extra heavy, even with a floater wing kit, this baby sinks...but super slow if 5 bands on her.


Thanks for the hot pad. I sometime hide in the boat engine room 5 minutes before jumping into the water, sometime helps...he he he.



IYA
 
If this MT can shhot 5 meter effectively.MT3 with alluminium muzzle (4) 5/8 bands with 9.5mm shaft must shoot at least 10 meter.Can't imagine MT5;)
 
Hu hu, I don't think so.
6-7 meters for that MT3 is possible, if the shaft is 3/8.

I said effective 5 meters for my ZERO is because small gun need to shoot smaller fish....:D :D, say under 20 lbs.....no bone & gill hits.
 
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