Pelengas Pneumovacuum speargun

[popgun pete]

Just a comment on the Magnum 90 Profi, I removed the Trophy reel as I didn't need all that line and then it was a good floater without it. Full of line it sank the rear end so is a bit much for it, things improved slightly with all the line peeled off with the reel left bare. I have the smaller version on my Z-Linka and it doesn't sink that gun, but it has a heavy nose. Most of the Pelangas guns have small hydroform tanks bulged at the front to add more flotation, except the Z-Linka, that is why the rear biased mid-handle guns float, the Magnum 70 even floats with its reel, the first version of their reel. The gun it competes against in Russia, the Taimen, cannot really carry a reel and float unless you add some buoyancy foam to it. What makes the narrow tank Taimen float is the foam block inside the big rear handle.

 

[popgun pete]

Although it may have been mentioned earlier the quieter shot of the vacuum barrel guns is most likely because the noise radiating out from the anvil strike by the piston is muffled by the absence of the muzzle relief ports which sound could otherwise radiate out from. A quiet gun is of interest where you are in an environment of sound reflections, such as riverbank or lake edge, and you don't want your weapon broadcasting to all the fish in the area that doomsday has arrived. In the ocean we just have the broadcast effect and the contribution of many other noises which will not spook the fish, but it very much depends on where they are and what they are. Some fish hearing a bubble release from a fin pocket will disappear in a flash, or a clink of your equipment. Others will cheerfully stand by as you blow the brains out of one of their neighbours and then line up for the scraps.

 

[popgun pete]

This gadget was in the carry bag with the Magnum 90 Profi, I assume it is a lighter, but not being a smoker I have not seen one like this before. There is a tiny led which lit up for a second or so on moving a white slide button, but the batteries must have given out. For melting cut line ends maybe, the lighter that is?

 

[JonathanT]

Let me take a closer look at the Darksides muzzle. Also I will read what you posted...

That is not right, you need to look at the Salvimar muzzle in cross-section. Later on the shock absorber was replaced by a plastic version
View attachment 59660
The shaft tail is guided by the bore hole in the shock absorber body, as it is just a tiny bit larger than the spear tail stop diameter, in conjunction with the muzzle centralizing ring or stop ring on the shaft.
View attachment 59661

 

[JonathanT]

Although it may have been mentioned earlier the quieter shot of the vacuum barrel guns is most likely because the noise radiating out from the anvil strike by the piston is muffled by the absence of the muzzle relief ports which sound could otherwise radiate out from. A quiet gun is of interest where you are in an environment of sound reflections, such as riverbank or lake edge, and you don't want your weapon broadcasting to all the fish in the area that doomsday has arrived. In the ocean we just have the broadcast effect and the contribution of many other noises which will not spook the fish, but it very much depends on where they are and what they are. Some fish hearing a bubble release from a fin pocket will disappear in a flash, or a clink of your equipment. Others will cheerfully stand by as you blow the brains out of one of their neighbours and then line up for the scraps.

Here in Tonga, the fish have sonic hearing and yes the tiniest bubble sound and they are Mile's away. Have to be way stealth

 

[popgun pete]

Pelengas have updated their handbook to cover more of the models in the Magnum family. These spearguns all use the "see-saw" sear lever common to most pneumatic spearguns from Italy and elsewhere because it is simple and reliable in a gun with internal oil lubrication.

This is the rear handle model parts diagram.

 

[JonathanT]

Yeah I bit the bullet and purchased the Pelengas Magnum 90 profi. I bought some spare parts as well and also the Salimar 85cm vuato with reel....
I'll compare them side by side when I finally get them, maybe 3 months everything is slow to Tonga...

 

[popgun pete]

You could order an 8 mm shaft for the Salvimar 85 cm gun and the matching shock absorber body. At one time the longer Vuoto guns over 100 cm had 8 mm spears from memory, but just checking on the latest 2024 buyer's guide these are now listed with a 7.5 mm shaft. I don't have my old files to check on this computer, but I remember looking at the model size range table. Salvimar use the same size vacuum cuff on all guns and possibly the 8 mm shafts were damaging them too quickly so they have dropped back to 7.5 mm. It will be on one of the Salvimar threads here, just which one.

This may be it https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/salvimar-predathor-vuoto-shafts.119640/
and https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/new-salvimar-predathor-models.117456/

In fact this is the table I was thinking of. Edit. A 2022 table, Salvimar has since replaced the 8 mm Vuoto offering with 7.5 mm shafts

 

[popgun pete]

Something worth remembering when comparing pneumatic spearguns with different tank and inner barrel diameters.

If the inner barrel volume swept by the piston during muzzle loading and subsequent shooting is denoted by Vb and the reservoir volume is denoted by Vr then the total volume of the gun is Vt = Vb + Vr. Vt is also the speargun's initial volume, so the compression ratio for the gun is given by:-

CR = initial volume divided by final volume or (Vb + Vr)/Vr = Vb/Vr + 1

 

[JonathanT]

I see. Well I just checked on web site description and it states for the 85: "
Harpoon diameter: 7 mm;
Trunk diameter: 13 mm;
Harpoon material: stainless steel;"
Now I also order 2 extra harpoons, can I use a 7.5 or 8mm without any modifications? Or will the 8mm harpoon damage easily the rubber vacuum?

 

[popgun pete]

I see. Well I just checked on web site description and it states for the 85: "
Harpoon diameter: 7 mm;
Trunk diameter: 13 mm;
Harpoon material: stainless steel;"
Now I also order 2 extra harpoons, can I use a 7.5 or 8mm without any modifications? Or will the 8mm harpoon damage easily the rubber vacuum?

The table above was in the 2022 catalogue, so Salvimar have now quit the 8 mm option, you can see in that same table they were just introducing the 7.5 mm spears with a 45 degree faced tail stop to better push though the vacuum seal during the shot.

You will need the shock absorber for the 8 mm shaft to let the tail stop through of the 8 mm shaft which is 9 mm diameter. All these part are interchangeable, Salvimar just mix and match them for the models they want to create. As was discussed in the referenced thread on shafts from 2021 the ideal would be a 17-4 ph shaft, but stainless steel would do. In my view, Salvimar for non-European markets would be best to make an 8 mm vacuum cuff and a 45 degree faced spear tail for 8 mm shafts for more heavy duty spearfishing. The Pelengas 8 mm vacuum seal might fit, but I have never tried it as I don't mix brands. I have an 8 mm Taimen which would be good to try using one of its cuffs, but no hope right now of getting anything from Russia while Vladimir Putin is still in charge.

That one size vacuum cuff is a problem, as mentioned many times here Salvimar should offer separate 7 mm, 7.5 mm and 8 mm vacuum cuff seals as thicker shafts damage the seal with successive shots over time.

Taimen, who pioneered this system of nozzle type vacuum seals, had separate seals for 6.5 mm, 7 mm and 8 mm spear diameters and separate guns to shoot them with different size muzzle hubs to match the spears. The Taimen is the most advanced vacuum barrel gun available, but is sized for spearfishing in rivers and lakes where most of their hunting takes place.

 

[popgun pete]

A good idea is to buy the wet barrel muzzle for the Predathor, it is just a straight swap and if you have vacuum seal problems you can convert the vacuum barrel gun to wet barrel operation very quickly, the only downside is letting all the compressed air out to do it. Salvimar just swap paint jobs and parts to create different models using the same basic speargun body.

Testata Salvimar per fucili Predathor e VintAir -

Testata Salvimar di ricambio per fucili Predathor (non Vuoto) e VintAir su Edosub

www.edosub.it

 

[JonathanT]

I see. Well I just checked on web site description and it states for the 85: "
Harpoon diameter: 7 mm;
Trunk diameter: 13 mm;
Harpoon material: stainless steel;"
Now I also order 2 extra harpoons, can I use a 7.5 or 8mm without any modifications? Or will the 8mm harpoon damage easily the rubber vacuum?

 

[JonathanT]

I see, I did text the sales guy in Ukraine about larger dieter spears and he responded :
"7.5 and 8mm will have problems with the elastic band, 7mm is the best harpoon for guns up to 140cm, we tested all variants and 7mm is best, heavier harpoons fly slowly to the target"
I believe when he says elastic bands he means vacuum rubbers.
But I do have a few 8mm spears for the preadathor but 100cm, i also have a spare muzzle for that gun, but not sure if 100cm size spear would be sticking out to much for the 85cm gun...

 

[JonathanT]

I see, I did text the sales guy in Ukraine about larger dieter spears and he responded :
"7.5 and 8mm will have problems with the elastic band, 7mm is the best harpoon for guns up to 140cm, we tested all variants and 7mm is best, heavier harpoons fly slowly to the target"
I believe when he says elastic bands he means vacuum rubbers.
But I do have a few 8mm spears for the preadathor but 100cm, i also have a spare muzzle for that gun, but not sure if 100cm size spear would be sticking out to much for the 85cm gun...

I need to check what size shock absorbers I have as well, I know I have Soares but not sure if for the predator or Darkside

 

[popgun pete]

I see, I did text the sales guy in Ukraine about larger dieter spears and he responded :
"7.5 and 8mm will have problems with the elastic band, 7mm is the best harpoon for guns up to 140cm, we tested all variants and 7mm is best, heavier harpoons fly slowly to the target"
I believe when he says elastic bands he means vacuum rubbers.
But I do have a few 8mm spears for the preadathor but 100cm, i also have a spare muzzle for that gun, but not sure if 100cm size spear would be sticking out to much for the 85cm gun...

Yes, the elastic he refers to is the vacuum cuff, translation errors affect communications. The "best" shaft depends on what you want it to do, and heavier shafts do run slower, but have greater impact on the target as they carry greater momentum. Working back from the fish being targeted I am looking at the best killer with my shots at around 12 feet from the tip of the gun. I have always used 8 mm shafts in my pneumatic guns as originally that was the standard size for rear handle pneumatic guns. Before them the Classic rear tank guns shot 9 mm shafts. Only when the 11 mm inner barrel guns appeared did the smaller 7 mm shafts appear. Niko Brummer did shaft speed during flight tests and found 8 mm shafts maintained more striking power as they passed the 7 mm shaft which slowed more quickly, there was a crossover point during the flight out from the same gun's muzzle.

 

[popgun pete]

In the old days this greater striking effect at long range was referred to as "glide power" and some very powerful guns could send 9 mm shafts out to long distances, but these were not guns most people wanted to carry and were not floaters after the shot. The guns disappeared as their application was very limited. I should add the change came about when spearfishing switched from mainly reef fish to pelagic and transitory fish moving through and the need was for faster shafts in relatively easy to handle underwater weapons. In some places that change was necessitated by shooting up everything on a lot of easily accessible reefs with not many fish left in the short term, however often the fish had gotten better at hiding as divers became a very familiar sight underwater.