Rob Allen: How to aim a railgun (or other speargun)

[Mr. X]

The Rob Allen website, Rob Allen spearguns, railguns and other spearfishing and freediving accessories., has got some interesting new articles posted on it. I just downloaded this insightful Word document, an essay by Rob Allen on aiming a railgun:

http://www.roballen.co.za/news/How to aim a railgun.doc​

There is plenty of useful information for those that use other types of spear gun too: on spears, recoil, grip firmness, sighting alongside & over barrel, with open & closed muzzles, etc. Very interesting. Much of it the result of Rob's pool testing - which is something most of us never get to try.

 

[blueface]

Some good info. Thanks for posting it. I own a Rob Allen 150 and it has incredible range and accuracy. I do not aim down the barrel or any way they describe. I just point it and estimate where the shaft will end up. I guess they had to come up with a standard technique for aiming for those who require it. Having read it, I am anxious to give it a shot so to speak. I am a firm believer in the stiff arm technique. Whether or not the barb lays flat or sticks out just a tiny bit, has a profound effect on where the shaft ends up. I learned this the hard way.:blackeye

 

[Nat.m]

Thanks for the link, I recently purchased a rob Allen sparid 90 and on the last few dives I have noticed the difference I have missed quite a few fish some of which were sitters, will try the sighting technique next time I'm in don't think they will appreciate me taking it to my local swimming baths for pool practice..
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[mishu1984]

Some good info. Thanks for posting it. I own a Rob Allen 150 and it has incredible range and accuracy. I do not aim down the barrel or any way they describe. I just point it and estimate where the shaft will end up. I guess they had to come up with a standard technique for aiming for those who require it. Having read it, I am anxious to give it a shot so to speak. I am a firm believer in the stiff arm technique. Whether or not the barb lays flat or sticks out just a tiny bit, has a profound effect on where the shaft ends up. I learned this the hard way.:blackeye

soo true the flopper can make the world of a difference from landing a trophy to shooting the gut and having it tear

 

[Mr. X]

I noticed I missed a few shots with my Omer XXV on holiday last month, eventually it clicked that the shots were a little high (I saw one spear skid over the back of a large grey mullet). It might just be me, snap shots with hand-held low, perhaps a loose grip (as Rob Allen talks about). But it also reminded me that when I switched from Omer's French-style articulated wishbone, I wondered if the spear might shoot a little higher, as the angled blade of the OE wishbone would tend to hold or lift the back of the spear up (I suspect Omer designed it to keep the spear dead straight), and the simple dyneema wishbone I replaced it with probably does not, at least not to the same extent - esp. as my XXV is the one without the rail. I now use this speargun all the time, so I'll probably just adapt to it, rather than mess around tweaking things. It has always been my attention to move eventually to bulk rubber, which will likely change things again. C'est la vie!

 

[Paraaronoid]

A diving buddy used to have laser aim with his old JBL, then went to a RA 70cm, now can't hit the broad side of a barn...I will have to pass this on...

 

[myfish]

I find aiming along the side of the barrel is accurate if you have a plain barrel of alu or teak.
I find aiming along my omer HF very off putting as the barrel picture isn't clean.

This said, I find it easy to shoot 'side on' with all my guns as I'm either open muzzle or pneumatic anyway.

I find the instinctive point and shoot can often place spears over the top at short ranges with longer, powerful guns, yet my dedicated 90 night gun has double length bands that shoot pinpoint even aiming downward at 45 deg so I guess recoil on the more powerful guns is an issue as I often pull the trigger before tightening the grip.

I know I do this but the shot just happens. I think in close cover that diving arm outstretched and grip tight isn't something many do alot. often times the gun and arm aren't even close to the ideal.

 

[pulse moker]

I have put a pelag open muzzle on my 120cm sparid.
Will this compromise the accuracy of the gun?

 

[Mr. X]

I can't see why it would. Any change to your speargun(s) is likely to required a period of adaption as you get used to it.

 

[giddyuptiger]

With open muzzles I sight with the edges of the barb that I see when looking down the spear. I just “rest” these on the "V" of the rubbers at the back.

What is the "barb"? And can someone either explain this statement to me again or even better come up with a simple diagram? Dyslexia's a bitch and that sentence is really messing with my head.

:-/

 

[Mr. X]

The Barb is was what some South African spearos (and probably many others) call the "flopper" at the end of the spear. Its the hinged bit that hangs down (on european guns) or rests on top of the spear (on SA railguns) and helps stop the spear pulling out of speared fish - much like the barb on a fishing hook.

 

[NZSperomike]

good advice that one.

Any of you guys use those stainless shafts? My new 130 came with one (omer) and i wonder how its going to take the abuse.

 

[stingaree]

good advice that one.
Any of you guys use those stainless shafts? My new 130 came with one (omer) and i wonder how its going to take the abuse.

they don't, first good kingie shot sideways and not stoned will bend it with no worries. Spring steel (like Orca) is the way to go here, unless slip tips are used.

 

[NZSperomike]

would that mess with the accuracy of the gun by changing it? Don't they say factory fitted is best?
I changed the stainless on my Omer Carbon 110 and its accuracy went to crap! Has taken down 4 kings in the last year (with stainless) but they were shot well and on a good angle to stop the bend.

 

[stingaree]

would that mess with the accuracy of the gun by changing it? Don't they say factory fitted is best?
I changed the stainless on my Omer Carbon 110 and its accuracy went to crap! Has taken down 4 kings in the last year (with stainless) but they were shot well and on a good angle to stop the bend.

the same size and thickness shafts shouldn't vary much at all, have you checked the flopper for sticking out too much or making sure the shaft wasn't bent? I have used Orca/Pelaj/Cressi/Frredivers and Imersion shafts on my 2 Omer guns without any problems.

 

[giddyuptiger]

I've heard the Rob Allen shafts pretty much begin to rust after one use. If that's the case I'll be looking to switch it out pretty damn quickly. I can attest to knowing absolutely nothing about spearguns but a year into buying my sea hornet 15 years ago I switched the stainless steel shaft (which seemed to bend at will) for a springy. 14 years and I never replaced the new shaft again.

 

[Mr. X]

No, the RA shafts don't rust that quickly in my experience - but I wash down my gear with freshwater after use. I usually oil the spear with veg. oil during the fishing season & with mineral oil over the winter (as it doesn't go rancid). I believe the spring steel RA spears are galvanized to prevent corrosion. However, I noticed that rust does start to appear after about 3 years or so - basically when I got a second spearun and so used the RA less often (I guess frequent use ensured that it was regularly cleaned & oil, but storage didn't).

I think the SA spearos (and pos. the Oz spearos) don't notice this so much because they go after much larger fish and expect to prang and replace their spears periodically - also, the spears are cheaper in SA where they are made, so they are treated more as "consumables".

My other spearguns have conical tipped stainless steel spears. They are low maintenance. Being shiny, they tend to give your position away - not camo. Both types are good in their own way.