Pelengas Pneumovacuum speargun

[popgun pete]

Interesting extended reach loader made of stainless steel has cutaway on one side of the tube which allows the loader to be withdrawn from the speartip by tilting the loader off to one side.

 

[popgun pete]

I weighed the "Pelengas" titanium slider which arrived a couple of days ago, along with some spare vacuum cuffs (pack of 5). The 7 mm diameter slider, or line slide, weighs 2.94 grams which contrasts with 1.45 grams for the stainless steel stop ring and 3.20 grams for the plastic line slide supplied with the original "Cyrano". The titanium slider has a counter bore in the rear end to create a hydrodamping effect when the shaft tail stop enters it, so that removes more metal out of the slider. Bar the grey color of titanium the slider looks almost identical to the stainless steel version supplied with the "Pelengas" spears.

 

[popgun pete]

The bulbous original "Cyrano" slider is the result of hydrodynamic testing at the University of Genoa. As the laws of physics have not changed it would be interesting to see a cast version of it in titanium as the only failing of that plastic slider is its strength, although I have had no problems with it. The slider has been designed for a thin cord that sits inside the angled recess on the slider body and tied off in a certain fashion which is described in the instructions supplied with each Mares gun. The plastic slider body relies on the metal stop ring behind it to prevent the shaft tail stop diameter from splitting it, however in titanium this extra ring could be eliminated.

 

[tromic]

At the time this Mares slider appeared slider of others were very pure in hydrodynamic. As I remember only Devote had much more hydrodynamic slider. The shape of this Mares slider is nice but its OD is too high. When used with original line which is strong but thick the performance is very pure.

 

[popgun pete]

If you think of the shape of a Tuna or Albacore then the form is very hydrodynamic, yet has a bulged front end. Given that the shooting line travels in the wake of the spear tail I expect that determined the best form as testing would have been conducted on slider and line as a combined unit. I once searched for a technical or research report on this testing, but failed to find it. Hopefully it may be uploaded at some time in the future.

http://www.diten.unige.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=431&Itemid=696&lang=en

 

[tromic]

Here are again some results of my measurements few years ago.

On the first diagram x-axle is distance in (m).
The lowest range of 2.8 m at 10 m/s speed is for the Mares Tuna slider and original black cord, fig. 19, right bottom.
At the distance 4.13 m energy of the shaft having the same slider and cord is 0.7 J comparing to Tomba slider and 1 mm mono having 16.4 J, fig. 4 right top.
Notice that with the same cord but with the Tomba slider energy was 2.5 J.

 

[popgun pete]

The "Pelengas" extended loader arrived. The "Tee" handle is 6 cm wide and from top to bottom the loader is about 6.2 cm long. Stainless steel tubing used in the construction is similar to the inner barrel tube in dimensions and has a transparent plastic plug in the blind end of the cap tube to take a pointy tip, a welded lid covering the outer end. Smaller than I thought it would be, but very light, so good to carry with an elastic lanyard (supplied) to go around your wrist.

 

[popgun pete]

I recently purchased the "Pelengas" 65 mm reel for my gun. The reel fits snugly on the gun using two lugs that engage matching recesses in the handle frame on either side at the top and a single countersunk head screw that threads into a tapped location in the sloping front of the trigger finger guard. The gun still floats on its side with the reel fitted which was a surprise given the all-metal construction of the reel, bar the cranking knob and the drag knob which are plastic. I had to put a bit of grease on the metal lugs as it was a tight press fit when being pushed up into the locating recesses in the handle, but once I had done that the mounting of the reel was very quick.

 

[Spearfishing]

I like my pelengas metal reel too. Looking forward to try plastic one.

 

[popgun pete]

Bring on the monsters as now you can blow them away with a 140 cm Pelengas "Magnum" gun. A test for the stepped loader if you have this thing pumped right up!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pnevmatic-...239125?hash=item1eec957e95:g:2PUAAOSwyEdbtMdD

I have also found a Pelengas "Barbarian" model with variable power which may be the magnetic coupled prototype we saw some time back now introduced as a production model.
https://katrangun.com.ua/podvodnaya-ohota-ruzhya-pelengas-varvar-70-s-regulyatorom-sm

Pelengas have now introduced the "Zelinka" system version which was shown as well as the variable power gun above as something then yet to come. Zelinka guns usually have a power regulator at the rear end which controls the degree of opening of the firing valve, but with a conventional hand pump attaching at the rear end this would not be possible and I don’t see a power controller anywhere else on this gun. Valve operation means you can muzzle load the gun with a pumping action. Usually Zelinka system guns have to be pressurized using the inner barrel as their rear end has that power control lever and in that sense they are functionally like the "Alpha C1" which uses a screw in rear butt to vary the power and also uses its inner barrel as a hand pump.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SPEARFISHI...504160?hash=item1eed6f2960:g:KToAAOSw0ZJalEBc

The above gun is the 50 cm Zelinka model, on eBay they are currently selling the 70 cm Zelinka model. The hand pump marks it as not being a Zelinka clone, although in the former Soviet Union countries anyone could use certain designs because of their gunsmith tradtion and hence were not clones as such with often different features in terms of the design detail.

An example is this "Perun" Zelinka gun with a reel built into the muzzle, constructed entirely of titanium except for the stainless steel inner barrel and which costs a Mint!

https://katrangun.com.ua/samoe-dorogoe-podvodnoe-ruzhe
https://katrangun.com.ua/samoe-dorogoe-podvodnoe-ruzhe-zelinka-hlebnikova-perun-600-m

 

[popgun pete]

Check out these fish taken with the Pelengas "Magnum" 140 cm gun (from the eBay page for the gun).

 

[Nico66]

Check out these fish taken with the Pelengas "Magnum" 140 cm gun (from the eBay page for the gun).
View attachment 52904

Don't think this fish was shot with a pneumatic speargun... Look at the band gun spear .....

 

[popgun pete]

I see what you mean, that is a band gun shaft sticking out of the fish, but the Spanish Mackerel may have been shot twice as there is no spear in the Pelengas gun, although I don’t see its shooting line for that matter. The line may have busted off as the gun has no reel in the top photo, but it looks like the same diver in both photographs, so the reel must have been fitted on the Pelengas gun later. I don't doubt that the Pelngas is powerful enough to shoot that size fish as they can be shot with something shorter as I have done so, but not with a pneumatic.The presence of the photographer indicates that another diver is present and there may be others who second shot the fish.

 

[popgun pete]

The Pelengas website is being revamped, if you click on it there is only the banner image showing at the moment. http://pelengas.com/

 

[popgun pete]

I ordered a Pelengas Zelinka 70 cm speargun which arrived today. I always wanted a Zelinka, but did not want a titanium gun and it was easier to buy one of these guns on eBay as shipping, payment, etc. is very straightforward rather than having to undertake lengthy dialogues and negotiations with specialist gun builders via emails. This Pelengas gun came with its own carry bag and the overall presentation is excellent.

 

[popgun pete]

I threw the Pelengas "Z-linka" into a bathtub and it floats, but not as well as its "Magnum" sibling as it floats nose down whereas the "Magnum" floats on its side even with a reel fitted. The "Z-linka" is not a pneumovacuum speargun, so it probably deserves its own thread. The “Z-linka” tank is not hydroformed, it is simply a straight cylinder and the same size as the "Magnum" at the rear end, the "Magnum' being hydrofomed to bulge its forward tank section which makes it a better floater after the shot.

 

[popgun pete]

I ordered the Pelengas pressure gauge which seems good value at US$19.81 with shipping at US$6.00. I paid a lot more for a Mares pressure gauge!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132841637103

 

[Jegwan]

Interesting. I like that this Pelingas "Z-linka" model also have the same "active" line release on the side of the handle as their "Magnum".
I'm puzzled about this and that it comes with an external pump (if that is what I can see in the middle of the carry bag). This gun must be a bit different from the traditional Zelinka design that uses the spear and piston to pressurize the gun. I also believe that the traditional Zelinka design had a line release "pin" in the backend of the gun.

I'm curious;
Did the Pelingas "Z-linka" come with a schematic of the gun or have you had time to take it apart?
How does it shoot and does it have the soft trigger pull as the Zelinka design is said to have?

 

[popgun pete]

Interesting. I like that this Pelingas "Z-linka" model also have the same "active" line release on the side of the handle as their "Magnum".
I'm puzzled about this and that it comes with an external pump (if that is what I can see in the middle of the carry bag). This gun must be a bit different from the traditional Zelinka design that uses the spear and piston to pressurize the gun. I also believe that the traditional Zelinka design had a line release "pin" in the backend of the gun.

I'm curious;
Did the Pelingas "Z-linka" come with a schematic of the gun or have you had time to take it apart?
How does it shoot and does it have the soft trigger pull as the Zelinka design is said to have?

I have not shot the "Z-linka" to date. Too many guns being evaluated at the moment! Unfortunately the only schematic is in the owner's handbook and not on-line yet, but once the “Pelengas” website gets back up it will be sure to be there. The gun comes with a plastic piston to use the inner barrel as a pump, but personally I will be using the conventional hand pump at the rear. In some ways this is a strange choice on the part of “Pelengas”, you normally use the releasing valve system to vary gun power by varying the releasing valve opening limits, but that is prevented by having a rear pump connection. It also prevents the traditional “Zelinka” rear line release action, but in my view that is no big loss as you have the side-mounted line release. Actually the “Zelinka” system is an exercise in being different, there is no reason to move the inner barrel tube rather than the valve itself which in the “Zelinka” guns are fixed. This is completely the other way around to the releasing valves used in “Continent” and “Alpha C1” type of guns. I guess that for them to work properly "Zelinka" spearguns need to be very well made, which in the Soviet Union would make the term "Zelinka" a proxy for high quality as distinct from the often poor quality factory guns available in those days. The gun designs were not inherently bad, but lax quality standards meant some guns were OK and others were terrible.

 

[Jegwan]

Thanks. I see. Can you depressurize the gun through the rear pump connection - is it a ball valve like on a Sten?
I have been wondering how the "traditional" Zelinka is depressurized for maintenance - do you know that?