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

New Member
May 15, 2017
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Hi there fellow Spearos,

So recently I have upgraded my gun from a little old Spetton 75 single 20mm band to a Rob Allen tuna twin banded 16mm 140cm (https://www.spearfishing.co.uk/shop/spearguns/rob-allen-spearguns-tuna-railgun/) - this exact set-up. Btw if any of you are from the UK check them out they have a nice 40-50% discount atm.

This is quite a big upgrade and I am still getting used to it, took me about a week to finally load both of the 16mm bands :LOL:. I am currently in Cyprus and go spearfishing along the shore alone (I know this is a no no but I did not find any friends :cry:, sort of a lone wolf lol.) As you might know, Cyprus is a spearfishing dessert and the chances that you will find a decent sized fish along the shore are very slim, however I did try and shoot a few Siganus fuscescens otherwise known as spinefoot fish or as the locals call it 'sokan'. Out of about 7ish tries I have only landed one with the RA tuna, so my question is, is it that perhaps I am not used to the gun or the set up is wrong ? I have read a lot of reviews about the RA guns and how they are praised for their accuracy and range but I don't know why it just seems to be not working with my set-up, speaking of range, with my exact set-up:
  • Double 16mm bands – Max firepower & range edition
  • Integrated rail for deadly accuracy
  • 7.5mm tri-cut stainless steel spear
  • Aviation grade aluminium barrel 1.45mm thick
  • Mechanism manufactured from glass reinforced nylon
  • Double wrapped heavy duty shooting mono – 2mm thick with 400lb breaking strain
  • Muzzle bungee with quick release clip
  • Low profile muzzle
What is the approximate range that I can use this gun effectively ?

I know that the 140cm is far too long for shore dives as most fish will be in or around rocks and the stainless steel spear won't last long with frequent impact against rocks... However, I try to lure the fish away from the rocks and only shoot when I know that the spear will impact with sand or mid-water. Ohh and lastly, I have noticed that the metal clip that holds the mono and the spear near the handle is quite big and since it is a low-profile closed muzzle is there a chance that when the spear is released that clip hits the muzzle ? One more thing is that I have seen quite a few RA Tuna's on the web and in videos and they seem to have a metal line release clip and mine has a plastic one :(o_O

Thank you for your help.
 
1. Check the shaft and see if it is perfectly straight.
2. Check the stock if it is bending under pressure.
For this you have to load both bands on dry land (careful, it is dangerous to do that, but...). Then press the band with your hands against the stock: with one hand near the muzzle and with the other hand near the handle. If the stock is not parallel with the bands, then the stock is bending (consider that a band under tension is always straight).
3. Check the handle if it fits your hand. There is a lot of recoil and a bad fit can ruin accuracy.
In this check majdq8's video - there are three parts of it

4. Check the trigger pull when in the water. Make a few shots in the blue. Is it smooth? Do you have to put a lot of pressure to squeeze it?
5. If the problem is not solved, then maybe you should try another shaft (like Hunt or Sigalsub). I guess that your shaft is 170cm long; for that 7.5 mil is good, but 8 mil is better.

As for loading the gun, try the two phases loading. Fits hip loads it till the rest tab, then chest load it. Repeat with second band.
 
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RA makes some very nice guns. Before you conclude that the gun is inaccurate because you are not hitting all the fish you want, may I suggest that you take some time to do some target practice on a plastic water bottle or something. Something static (in the water) . Some of the other suggestions are spot on as well. Check that the flopper is not twisted or not sticking up, make sure the shaft is straight.

Another suggestion is to take some closer shots with a single band and see if your accuracy improves. If the gun's power is maxed out, you may be having recoil issues or not gripping the handle and bracing it with your wrist and arm as rigid as is necessary. Shooting with a single band is a good first step that may point you toward these kinds of issues.

If the use of a single band resolves most of the issues, perhaps consider replacing one or both bands with longer or thinner latex. In most situations, it is more important to have accuracy and confidence in your shot placement over chasing maximum power (i.e., band tension).

This is an over simplification of a lot of issues, but is probably a good place to start.


Good Luck!
Dano
 
Dear Mako and Marius,

Thank you guys for your very informative replies. I will certainly try all of the suggestions mentioned above, as for the shaft, I can confirm that it is indeed straight, there is no issue with that.

Since the post I have been out and practicing my marksmanship skills with that gun, I was quite careful with the shots I took as 1. there was mostly pitiful sized fish lol and 2. still quite hard to load the gun, especially with this shoulder/triceps muscle strain that I got in the gym.

I did land one decent sized 1.2 kg bream using 1 band and at about 1 m range, very close to the shore behind some rocks. I have been mostly working on my bottom-time and with some notable improvements I went for a dive today and tried to shoot one of the larger spinefoot fishes with both bands loaded and at around 2 metres range and 8-9 m depth with no swell or waves whatsoever. I was at the bottom just waiting for them to come closer and I took the shot but spinefoot just got away as if there was some delay of some sort, next I used a single band to shoot a black grouper from above pointing down, should be an easy shot at about max 2 metres range and with the help of gravity but as you have guessed it even the grouper managed to dash away before the spear has hit the bottom... This just leaves me clueless, I have no idea what is the problem.

I did however notice that the shaft's dark coloured paint job has scratched off at the area where the metal clip is (that is attaching the mono to the shaft towards the handle). It could be simply because two metals rub against each other when I load the shaft in through the closed muzzle as there isn't much space or perhaps when the shaft is released?

Surely a gun that is praised for its effective range should easily penetrate a target at 2-3 metres ? Perhaps the problem is with my skill as I am indeed quite new to spearfishing and especially to a gun of this size. But that grouper was just laying on the sea bed staring at me when I took the shot at nearly point blank range and it managed to swim away... The shot was on target though.

Well hope I don't bore you with all these questions and once again thank you very much for your replies and I will get back to you as soon as I shoot some plastic bottles.

P.s. It also seems that the bands might be of a different diameter, not just visually but also it seems easier to load one than the other. I will buy a measuring tape and get back to you on that too but do bands with different width have an effect on accuracy?
 
Did you try the gun with just one rubber? The other thing to try is using both hands tight on the grip (like with a high powered handgun) before you shoot to help control the recoil.
 
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Thanks Sharkey for your reply too :),

A little update, so today i went down to the sea just next to my house, and did a few practice shots with both guns. (other a small old spetton 75cm single 20mm band)

So i place a 2.5 litre bottle filled with sand halfway and water without the cap.
The results are:
RA 130 Double band:
Distance - Approx 4 metres
Shots fired - 5
Shots landed - 0
Result: every shot that was fired landed to the left of the target, about 10-20 cm.

RA 130 Single band:
Distance - same
Shots fired - 1
Shots landed- 1
Result: the shot has landed but below the point that I was aiming for, seemed that the shaft lost velocity while travelling to the target

Spetton 75 single band 20mm:
Distance - 1.5 to 2m
Shots fired - 1
Shots landed - 1
Result: shot from a closer range and landed exactly where I was pointing.

So these results show that the shaft is landing towards the left, why do you guys think that is ? Recoil or perhaps something else? I did try using two hands and held the handle with a tight grip. Also, I had an opportunity to shoot a good sized salpa about 40-50 cm in length while it was facing me and just when it turned it head slightly I took the shot and it was literally less than a metre away and the shot did not land yet again.. (2 bands loaded) While I was making my practice shots however, a curious little fish about 20 cm max in length approached me and I quickly loaded one band made that gagging sound and took the shot as it came closer and the shot landed exactly where I wanted it to land. So all in all, at least I took a little beer snack back home lol :D

Lads, just one more quick question, what is the correct way of loading the two bands, is it that the band that is below (at the muzzle) should go to the notch that is closer to the muzzle and the band that is above the first one to the notch that is closer to the mechanism and the handle ? Or the other way around? Sorry probably a silly question lol
 
Guys, I just measured my bands and one band is thicker than the other, by 0.4ish cm so I guess one is 16mm and the other 18 or 20. Do you think this causes poor accuracy ?
 
Once you go into bigger guns even the slightest problem will cause poor accuracy at long distances and a 130 is a BIG gun... i personally use a 105 salvimar and very happy with it... But also another thing for missing fish is tgat Mediterranean fish are really fast so they need fast spears and a 7.5 spear is not perfect for our fish its too slow... So u could change that to a 7mm spear and that will also reduce recoil... and spinefoot dont rly need a 130 canon a 75 speargun is much more suitable
 
Hello!
6.5-6,7mm Pathos spears would be ok for Mediterranean ,but for RA they needs to be sharpen a bit( the last sharkfin),with rubbers 14 or 16 mm
 
I have personally seen the best spearfisher i know use a 6.25 mm shaft with 2 16 mm bands and a 14 mm band together all at once and he gets the most fish at the longest distance... So that what surprises me... Everyone says not over power a speargun but yet he is clearly overpowering a lot and still getting fish more than everyone else... And yes a 6.5/6.75 pathos shaft is gr8 for Mediterranean fish i personally use pathos 6.75 on my slavimar gun and it gives an extra 5 cm band stretch so it was a 105cm gun now just by changing the shaft its a 110 cm gun and the floppers are rly hydrodynamic
 
I have personally seen the best spearfisher i know use a 6.25 mm shaft with 2 16 mm bands and a 14 mm band together all at once and he gets the most fish at the longest distance... So that what surprises me... Everyone says not over power a speargun but yet he is clearly overpowering a lot and still getting fish more than everyone else... And yes a 6.5/6.75 pathos shaft is gr8 for Mediterranean fish i personally use pathos 6.75 on my slavimar gun and it gives an extra 5 cm band stretch so it was a 105cm gun now just by changing the shaft its a 110 cm gun and the floppers are rly hydrodynamic
you're right about 6.25 mm spear,but I haven't it in my arsenal ,so never try)
 
you're right about 6.25 mm spear,but I haven't it in my arsenal ,so never try)
I personally wouldnt get it for the length of the gun that the spearfisher i know use "110cm" i would definitely bend it on rocks... I would more get it for a 75cm speargun for sargo and spinefoot a 6 or 6.25 mm spear extremely fast for fast fish
 
Hello, i dont know if it is going to help but i know about french people complaining about poor RA gun accuracy.
It seems that even the smallest problem on a gun of this size is going to make you miss all of your shots.
Maybe your gun head and/or your grip aren't aligned with the tube.
Anyway, it seems that you shoot a lot of fish on the 2-3m range, so i can only recommend you to take a smaller gun, à 100cm would be perfect for this kind of ranges.
 
Seems your shaft is vectoring to the left, which implies: too much recoil in a right handed shooter.

The stock 16mm are great but harbors quite a bit of recoil when they contract (I️ believe the stock RA band stretch ratio is 3.3-3.4).

Switch to 14.5mm small id at 3.6 - 3.8 with the same 7.5mm. You’ll have similar power and much less recoil, and your accuracy will be much better.


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