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Q: Roller speargun recommendation for UK waters & fish?
- Thread starterMr. X
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Well I would say it matters not how heavy they feel out of the water as it is all about balance in the water!
I have no idea how well the roller will balance in the sea but if a 90 is muzzle heavy in the water then a 75 would be even worse.
I remember the first roller 90cm gun I tried, around 15 years ago, it had terrible balance but It had aluminium rollers.
Hopefully yours won’t be too muzzle heavy but ... back in the day, it took a 115 tube roller before the balance was found.
Like I mentioned before, inverted rollers are much easier to balance due to the actual lightweight small rollers.
I am sure you will like the roller gun.....
I have no idea how well the roller will balance in the sea but if a 90 is muzzle heavy in the water then a 75 would be even worse.
I remember the first roller 90cm gun I tried, around 15 years ago, it had terrible balance but It had aluminium rollers.
Hopefully yours won’t be too muzzle heavy but ... back in the day, it took a 115 tube roller before the balance was found.
Like I mentioned before, inverted rollers are much easier to balance due to the actual lightweight small rollers.
I am sure you will like the roller gun.....
Thanks for the reassurance Foxfish. It hadn't occurred to me that a longer barrel might provide more buoyancy to help offset muzzle weight. I notice that Rob Allen is very keen on his 110cm size roller railgun, although his reasoning was that it is even more powerful than their 130cm railgun with 2x16mm bands! Gulp. Your comments about wood being good for rollers came back to me today as I was weighing it up, I could suddenly see where you were coming from. I think your comment on the advantage of inverted rollers must have gone over my head before, it sank in this time though 
I'm sure I am going to have some fun and games with it, I already feel like I have learnt quite a lot in the process so far, with plenty more to learn ahead. I had a quick pull at the bands, I think it should be loadable without an assist but it's a much long way to pull so will have to see; the spear has a halfway rest-fin.
I think the roller could be a great sniping speargun under the right conditions. I had started to think perhaps I should have gone for a longer non-roller speargun instead but I think this will handle the long distance shots just fine, provided I can!
BTW Just got back in again and unbagged the reel. I was going to slide it onto one of the spearguns and then noticed that the reel already has a cleat in it - so I guess the reel could be fitted to any speargun, provided you are willing to drill 2 small holes in the bottom of barrel to fit the cleat provided (I don't think I would be willing to currently, for fear of compromising the watertightness and consequent buoyancy of the barrel).
I'm sure I am going to have some fun and games with it, I already feel like I have learnt quite a lot in the process so far, with plenty more to learn ahead. I had a quick pull at the bands, I think it should be loadable without an assist but it's a much long way to pull so will have to see; the spear has a halfway rest-fin.
I think the roller could be a great sniping speargun under the right conditions. I had started to think perhaps I should have gone for a longer non-roller speargun instead but I think this will handle the long distance shots just fine, provided I can!
BTW Just got back in again and unbagged the reel. I was going to slide it onto one of the spearguns and then noticed that the reel already has a cleat in it - so I guess the reel could be fitted to any speargun, provided you are willing to drill 2 small holes in the bottom of barrel to fit the cleat provided (I don't think I would be willing to currently, for fear of compromising the watertightness and consequent buoyancy of the barrel).
Like I said ... using (firing at least) a rollergun is a great fun and such a different feel from a standard band gun, much more like a dry barrel air gun.
Obviously the spear is powered right up to the muzzle rather than 10” before .
Most things in life are a compromise and a roller gun has more power but is not so simple or easy to load but in my mind the smooth firing cycle is worth it.
I have a good choice of guns to use and I have used many over the years but I have my favourites that I use 95% of the time.
My, now quite old, mamba 90 with Tromic free spear set up and a 75 single band with one wrap.
Obviously the spear is powered right up to the muzzle rather than 10” before .
Most things in life are a compromise and a roller gun has more power but is not so simple or easy to load but in my mind the smooth firing cycle is worth it.
I have a good choice of guns to use and I have used many over the years but I have my favourites that I use 95% of the time.
My, now quite old, mamba 90 with Tromic free spear set up and a 75 single band with one wrap.
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The pound has increased in value over the last week or so and shot up yesterday, presumably due to the election. So hopefully carbon fibre barrels will continue to become more affordable to UK buyers
Aluminium tube barrels are cheap and simple, both great things, but increasingly feeling old fashioned and overpriced. Shoving a rail on top also seems passe to me now ( increased mass and side profile => more drag, more inertia). Cheap, good, carbon fibre fishing rods have been widely available for more than a decade. Carbon rods have long been the norm rather than the premium exception.
Aluminium tube barrels are cheap and simple, both great things, but increasingly feeling old fashioned and overpriced. Shoving a rail on top also seems passe to me now ( increased mass and side profile => more drag, more inertia). Cheap, good, carbon fibre fishing rods have been widely available for more than a decade. Carbon rods have long been the norm rather than the premium exception.
Some more initial impressions. I love the crisp, sculpted look of the orange handle on the Anorak but it feels a bit too slim on the less critical inside finger-tip area - hard to explain. The opposite of the fat feeling RA Vecta handle. Not a big deal, it might be just right with gloves on and I could pad it if necessary but probably not necessary. It may be a clever way of allowing all hand sizes to use the same handle confortably? Maybe I just need to get used to it. Pete pointed out the ST has Apnea's newer handle; looking at it, I would not have guessed that, it looks very ordinary but it feels just right. Not too big or too small, just right
Btw In the ST's bag there are 4 mystery cords not 2, as I originally wrote. The 2 thin dark ones match the wishbone and constrictor cord used on the ST, so perhaps spare wishbones.
I wonder if the 2 thicker cords might be intended for use as optional load-assists for the roller, which was not bagged? If so, most welcome
BTW the floppers/barbs on both Apnea spearguns are very loose. I will need to adjust them with pliers to tighten them up but not too much; see my recent thread on adjusting spear floppers and/or the YouTube videos by Daniel Man (very thorough) and Rob Allen (admirably concise):
https://forums.deeperblue.com/threa...djust-your-spear-floppers-a-k-a-barbs.115913/.
I wonder if the 2 thicker cords might be intended for use as optional load-assists for the roller, which was not bagged? If so, most welcome
BTW the floppers/barbs on both Apnea spearguns are very loose. I will need to adjust them with pliers to tighten them up but not too much; see my recent thread on adjusting spear floppers and/or the YouTube videos by Daniel Man (very thorough) and Rob Allen (admirably concise):
https://forums.deeperblue.com/threa...djust-your-spear-floppers-a-k-a-barbs.115913/.
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MrX I shoot a 85cm Pathos Snipper Roller and find it works great for close low vis and long shots up to (25ft) because you can adjust your power. I also have the same gun but a 115cm for the long shots (28ft) in clear water.
I am sorry to question your statements about the declared shooting distance. I also have Pathos Sniper roller and I suspect that the distances you mention are somewhat exaggerated or possibly misjudged.
Please provide the setup you are using. Spear length and diameter. Band thickness and stretch.
Out of experience my educated guess is that this particular gun (the 95 version) with the factory setup is effective up until 5m (16 feet) from the tip of the spear not more!
I really don’t see how the 85 can be effective up until 25 feet as you say?
Any tips on how to improve its effectiveness are welcome so please share your thoughts and setup. Did you stretch the roller band to the maximum all the way to the back hook?
I will get back in the pool this weekend and will be able to test any setup you suggest.
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Fyi I've decided to do a long term review of my new Apnea gear. Rather than go too far off topic here, I've started a new thread for the purpose at: https://forums.deeperblue.com/threa...95-and-apnea-new-gen-reel.116338/#post-989867
Hey buddy,
which roller did you go for in the end?. one of my guns is a short roller that I take with me for short trips to the med, and it keeps shooting low.
sorry to pick your brains.
Ramsey
I went with a 95cm Amarok roller by Apnea Turkey.
95cm makes this a clear water or very clear water gun by UK visibility conditions, not for regular spearing but intended for those odd gin clear days. With covid lockdowns, didn't get much spearing in last year and when I did I opted to try my new 60cm speargun in very bad visibility in Dorset and my regular carbon XXV 90 in moderate visibility in Devon. So haven't used it yet. For everyday use in the UK a 70-80cm rollergun would be a better choice.
95cm makes this a clear water or very clear water gun by UK visibility conditions, not for regular spearing but intended for those odd gin clear days. With covid lockdowns, didn't get much spearing in last year and when I did I opted to try my new 60cm speargun in very bad visibility in Dorset and my regular carbon XXV 90 in moderate visibility in Devon. So haven't used it yet
. For everyday use in the UK a 70-80cm rollergun would be a better choice.
Re. Shooting low, I seem to recall that this is quite common for many but not all rollers. Try searching the forum, as this has been discussed at some length at least twice in the last few years.
I would suggest compensate by aiming high.
Also check the straightness of your spear - see Rob Allen YouTube video. Also check your barb/flopper is straight and properly tuned; see youtube video by Daniel Man or RA.
I would suggest compensate by aiming high.
Also check the straightness of your spear - see Rob Allen YouTube video. Also check your barb/flopper is straight and properly tuned; see youtube video by Daniel Man or RA.
Yeah, I had a salvo Mae car I Roller for a while and gave up Ayer missing every second shot. I mean aiming high to hit the fish!?! What the hell man! Aiming high with the biggest ever made muzzle on a bass that is running away from you!?! .
I’m sticking to my double 14mm standard gun. Ha ha!
I did like the soft kick back feeling though.
I’m sticking to my double 14mm standard gun. Ha ha!
I did like the soft kick back feeling though.
I shoot with three wraps on my pathos 115. And that’s the gun I shoot 28 ft not to pathos 85.
Kodama
I shot my pathos 115 sniper roller at 28’ not my 85cc. I use 14mm small ID. With three wraps on stock shaft.
3 wraps! Get many tangles?
I've tried a double wrap a couple of times but loathed it. A lot of the fishing I do seems to involve fast moving fish and benefits from fast reloading. I do have a double wrap set up on my 95 roller though - just waiting to try it.
I think 14mm rubbers make a lot of sense for rollers but I mine has 16mm+ rubbers - and I bought a spare premade rubber for it at deep discount in a sale which is even thicker 18-20mm? Oh well.
I've tried a double wrap a couple of times but loathed it. A lot of the fishing I do seems to involve fast moving fish and benefits from fast reloading. I do have a double wrap set up on my 95 roller though - just waiting to try it.
I think 14mm rubbers make a lot of sense for rollers but I mine has 16mm+ rubbers - and I bought a spare premade rubber for it at deep discount in a sale which is even thicker 18-20mm? Oh well.
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