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Rubbers! Shaft!

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
damn! nic snapper!:ko looks like a 15 kilo,is it more or less? anyway so what would be the elongation with the standered size bands that riffe gives you with the gun? 110cm. except i will have 3/4 now.
 
Wow thanks Don thats a great link. I have been thinkin of making some of my own bands and this is a cool source
 
Reactions: Don Paul
igodeep said:
damn! nic snapper!:ko looks like a 15 kilo,is it more or less? anyway so what would be the elongation with the standered size bands that riffe gives you with the gun? 110cm. except i will have 3/4 now.
Click to expand...

The Snapper is 60# on a certified scale... I am 5' 11'' at a lean 200 lbs.rofl

I can't tell you what band elongation Jay uses on stock guns, but remember, if he builds bands guy's cant cock if will get complaints.
My 300% elongation is some one else's 200 % if you read the data in the
rubber site you will see why.
Jay's Gorilla rubber is very good my the way.

Cheers, Don Paul
 
thedodd said:
Wow thanks Don thats a great link. I have been thinkin of making some of my own bands and this is a cool source
Click to expand...

Thanks, John and I were very big on real testing way before the web.:friday

Cheers, Don Paul
 
impressive, i was way off!:headyea i read the data but dont understand how to check on my gun?
 
Hi all, I need your expertise on this one, as I am new to spearfishing, I just bought an Omer HF2 90cm. and the rubber band is 18mm 22cm long (standard i believe). I could not load the gun, I find it too heavy to pull back. took me over 30 mins to load, after shooting it, I was too buggered to load reload again. Is it because i am too weak? or the rubber is too short? n big? should I get a 16mm rubber for the same length? or 18mm for a longer length? if so how much longer? or i just need to go to gym n pump up my bicep n tricep muscles? Thanks.
 
its tecnique , not strength. mostly anyway. its really much easier to SHOW someone, rather than TELL them. so my advice is to find someone who spearfishes and have them show you. i will tell you one thing: your gun is a chest loader. you need to place it in your solar plexus, to cock it. get your hands on the bands, them place it on your chest. if you try to hip load it will be very difficult. most euro guns are. its because the trigger mech sits so far to the rear of the gun. unless you are a "little person" you are big enought to do it.
 

Good advice from Jason.

Your gun has got the right set up. A 90cm gun needs 22/23cm bands. The Omer 18mm bands are strong. Even after many years of loading guns I struggled to load a new 18mm band on my Omer 90. The Omer spears also have the notches right near the back so even the front of the 2 notches is a long stretch.

You need to practice (in the water not on dry land) and as said it's more technique rather than brute strength. You coud swap your 18mm bands for 16mm ones and save the 18's for when you get more experienced. You need to swap bands annually anyway and the Omer 90's work fine with 16mm bands.

Dave.
 
What OMD said - except I don't change bands every year, more like every 3 or 4 years. Noticed my very tough RA USA 20mm bands finally softened up this year (3 years old?) and can now be loaded with out excessive strain & bruising:crutch.

You probably have enough strength already but you could use the gym to increase your strength and/or practice technique (without a spear gun!). The gym I use has a weight machine which uses a rowing type position/action - that'd be the one to use for loading. It's actually a pretty horrible machine to use but I force myself too, because its no good working on the easy stuff all the time. It has a chest pad (like a speargun!), two pull arms (like rubbers), a weight-stack/pulleys/cable (providing the tension) and a seat. I occasionally do a heavy set on it but usually I just ladder up 80/90/100lb (I'm quite big, start lower than this) and concentrate on strict form and comfort rather than weight. Usually on these machines I aim for a really smooth pull and slow release but you might want to do a few faster ones.

There is a video on youtube by a South African fellow that shows the technique for loading against your sternum. Len Jones's excellent booklet shows two variations of the technique. Wearing gloves (I use gloves that are 2 or 3mm neoprene) and a good loading pad (I supplement my Elios suit's loading pad with a flip-flop/thong sole strapped to my sternum - no more bruising) gives confidence. It just occurred to me that the Omer instructions talk about loading against your abs or belt buckle - tried that once and found it too scary to use but I think Spaghetti uses and recommends that technique. Some of the big American woodies are hip loaded or started against the hip - afraid I can't help you with than one!

Like jtkwest, I rate spearitco.com for bulk rubber.
 
Last edited:
Reactions: Old Man Dave
Thanks guys for the helpful hints n tips, i got my 16mm rubbers already, started push ups, (no time for gym yet but will definitely go soon) I can't wait to load this gun hahaha i haven't shot any fish yet and excited already. the sport looks simple n fun but there are alot that i need to learn yet. ahh can't wait.
 
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