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Russian "Neptune" Speargun
- Thread starterpopgun pete
- Start date
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.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
The text is in French, but the illustrations are reasonably self-explanatory and at some time I plan to translate it.
This is the titanium version of the French Esclapez "Murena" which is actually a Russian "Neptune" with different name stickers..
This is the titanium version of the French Esclapez "Murena" which is actually a Russian "Neptune" with different name stickers..
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Well the Russians on the other end of communications have suddenly gone quiet on me, so maybe I will not be able to purchase a gun after all. That is from the factory, although retail outlets in Russia may have “Neptune” pneumatic spearguns to sell.
"Neptune" repair photos from Viktor Doroganich's web-site. Viktor is a world respected expert on underwater arms and produces his own guns (http://www.doroganich.ru/product/176/) which have been discussed here before, notably the "Sea Hunter" titanium SR750 from the eighties. He repairs and reconditions pneumatic guns which owners have either been unable to diagnose or repair themselves. http://www.doroganich.ru/repair/1/
You can see sand and other debris has entered the rear end of the gun which is open to the environment through the slot in the outer barrel tube that the power operated line release finger folds down into. This rearmost section floods as the "O" ring marks where the pressurized section of the gun terminates. Consequently the "Neptune" guns need this area well rinsed out or problems will occur if you dive in saltwater, which many Russian divers don't do as they have many lakes and rivers to hunt in.
You can see sand and other debris has entered the rear end of the gun which is open to the environment through the slot in the outer barrel tube that the power operated line release finger folds down into. This rearmost section floods as the "O" ring marks where the pressurized section of the gun terminates. Consequently the "Neptune" guns need this area well rinsed out or problems will occur if you dive in saltwater, which many Russian divers don't do as they have many lakes and rivers to hunt in.
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Another thread showing a detailed disassembly of a "Neptune" speargun with many excellent photographs is this "how to disassemble/reassemble" speargun thread by resident www.apox.ru gun repair guru "skarabey": http://apox.ru/forum/topic/7359-razborkasborka-ruzhja-neptun/
The Neptune Tula business must be either selling so many guns that they cannot be bothered selling one to me, or have a siege mentality where they don't want to deal with anybody. No answers to my recent emails and no explanations for their silence. I searched around the Russian forums and hardly anything is written about the Neptune guns and very few guns are showing up on the second-hand market, mainly short models.
Photos of "Neptune" guns on the second hand market, mainly past sales as these were already sold.
Often the guns for sale are smaller versions best suited for hunting in rivers and lakes where shots are taken in limited visibility.
I have always thought of the "Neptune" as a factory gun rather than a gunsmith "made to order" gun, but possibly it is more the latter than the former. A search of Russian spearfishing equipment on-line stores has found no mention of "Neptune" guns anywhere.
The overall presentation is very good, although the carry bag top cover is way brighter than I was expecting it to be as I had never seen the external view before finding these images. Interesting that one cover's inscription is in English while the other one is in Russian.
I have always thought of the "Neptune" as a factory gun rather than a gunsmith "made to order" gun, but possibly it is more the latter than the former. A search of Russian spearfishing equipment on-line stores has found no mention of "Neptune" guns anywhere.
The overall presentation is very good, although the carry bag top cover is way brighter than I was expecting it to be as I had never seen the external view before finding these images. Interesting that one cover's inscription is in English while the other one is in Russian.
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The latest development is the Russian guy I was corresponding with no longer answers my emails, hence they evidently don't want to sell a gun and I have been trying on and off for more than a decade to buy one. Second-hand examples for private sale are too small, but a 60 cm may be OK, although I have a few guns in that size, including the new LG.
Its not a big problem to buy this monster))) and send it to you. If you need it contact me. +79114559036 whatsapp viber
And take look at another interesting russian speargun Osa ;-) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC56r7FtBxBxFQT3bGq1-qkg https://electropribor-penza.ru/ru/catalog/osa.html
Thanks for the kind offer, however I have a second-hand Neptune 60 cm gun being negotiated right now as coincidence would have it, but if it does not work out then I will discuss this prospect with you. Over the years I discussed the supply situation with Evgeniy Modasov and later Sergey Mordasov at the Tula plant, however a decade back there were quality problems with the gun which should now be overcome. Here we have plenty of monsters to shoot, although nothing as big as say a Wels Catfish, a big one of which could supply a banquet. At times if good fish are difficult to find a shark can be speared which are good eating, the fresher the better. I have eaten them when the flesh in the frying pan is still twitching, the sharks that eat crustaceans taste the best.
The "Wasp" (OCA) is known to us and was discussed here https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/friction-trigger.102903/page-3#post-981520. An interesting gun with friction muzzle the spear can be free of forward notches which greatly improves the strength when stuck in a monster that is putting up a struggle.
The "Wasp" (OCA) is known to us and was discussed here https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/friction-trigger.102903/page-3#post-981520. An interesting gun with friction muzzle the spear can be free of forward notches which greatly improves the strength when stuck in a monster that is putting up a struggle.
It just occurred to me that I never showed the Neptune gun's piston with its gear rack tail, so this is one taken from Skarabey's dismantling pages for the Neptune that is discussed on www.apox.ru.
If the piston's mushroom tail does not mesh smoothly with the gear wheel sear "teeth" then there are big problems!
If the piston's mushroom tail does not mesh smoothly with the gear wheel sear "teeth" then there are big problems!
What happens when you pull the remote trigger in the Neptune's mid-handle grip.
This view is looking up from underneath the gun, the line release finger is on the gun's right hand side.
This view is looking up from underneath the gun, the line release finger is on the gun's right hand side.
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How the remote trigger keeps pushing rearwards as it swings using a second pivoting element hinged on the trigger itself.
Found this Russian forum on the Neptune.
podvoh.ru
Unfortunately useful information is scattered amongst the usual put-downs and squabbles and derails that threaten to go off-topic. Neptune guns seem to need continual work while other users claim no problems. It appears that there is more than one maker of this gun type and the Neptune is one example, the Galatea is another. Some of the posts can be read as comedy if you are not caught up in arguments and conflicting opinions.
This forum comment caught my eye and made me laugh.
"-----, unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of my Mironov (a maker, my note) when, after the purchase, I did a complete disassembly and replaced all the O-rings and made an audit. Workmanship made an indelible impression on me - all the details are perfectly processed and polished in a mirror, the springs are of excellent elasticity, it whispered a work of art, it even has a 90° locking prong. It feels like this copy is approaching handmade products. You can easily get acquainted with Mordasov in Hunter's old report, where even in the photo you can see the clumsiness and sleaze of workmanship with the naked eye. Sincerely."
I have used Hanter’s (or Hunter, the auto-translator put in the “a”) photos here and some show the rough nature of the parts found inside some years ago. See below! I would think things have changed, however it confirms my suspicions that these are not mass production guns in the sense that say a Taimen or a Pelengas is.
This is the slot in the tank that the line release finger pokes through! NB tank is pulled forward here.
Ружьё Нептун - ОРУЖИЕ
Страница 1 из 19 - Ружьё Нептун - отправлено в ОРУЖИЕ: Совсем недавно узнал новые цены на изделия тульских мастеров - 60 -ка 12800(не титан) !!! почти три "крысы"... кто купит???
This forum comment caught my eye and made me laugh.
"-----, unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of my Mironov (a maker, my note) when, after the purchase, I did a complete disassembly and replaced all the O-rings and made an audit. Workmanship made an indelible impression on me - all the details are perfectly processed and polished in a mirror, the springs are of excellent elasticity, it whispered a work of art, it even has a 90° locking prong. It feels like this copy is approaching handmade products. You can easily get acquainted with Mordasov in Hunter's old report, where even in the photo you can see the clumsiness and sleaze of workmanship with the naked eye. Sincerely."
I have used Hanter’s (or Hunter, the auto-translator put in the “a”) photos here and some show the rough nature of the parts found inside some years ago. See below! I would think things have changed, however it confirms my suspicions that these are not mass production guns in the sense that say a Taimen or a Pelengas is.
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A problem when designing a gun like the “Neptune” is the mechanical release of the piston is not mounted in the inner barrel tube but in a large block of machined metal located behind it. Those parts need to be properly aligned when assembled so the demands on machining are much higher as when using the inner barrel tube the alignment is virtually guaranteed as long as any pivot holes are drilled perpendicular to the tubing axis.
The air breather hole that routes air from the tank to the inner barrel is not shown in photos but will be behind the gear wheel sear lever and coming up from underneath as seen in this photo of the rear components (again using Hanter's photos). This airflow is controlled by a nylon cylinder that sits in the space directly above the breather hole and when it is rotated by the power controller and the power dial mounted externally on it this presents in turn each of a series of radial ports drilled through the nylon body to line up with the breather hole. These ports provide varying throttles to change the power of the shot, the smaller the port then the weaker it is, but every shot uses the gun’s full air tank capacity unlike the regulation system used in the Italian "Sten" and its many clones. As the inlet valve has to reach in through the length of the power controller body the valve stem and its biasing spring is much longer than usual. The other rod with a spring and a bullet-nosed button on the end is the detent for setting the position of the power dial.
As there is so much machined metal inside the “Neptune” with all these extra components this makes it difficult to create a floating after the shot gun unless it has a long tank to provide the necessary buoyancy, but whether some of this metal could ever be replaced by plastic I don’t know. The advantage of using metal is that it will not crack and break which is important when it is all that is holding the gun cocked and stopping it from firing!
These observations are based on photos and what has been described elsewhere.
The air breather hole that routes air from the tank to the inner barrel is not shown in photos but will be behind the gear wheel sear lever and coming up from underneath as seen in this photo of the rear components (again using Hanter's photos). This airflow is controlled by a nylon cylinder that sits in the space directly above the breather hole and when it is rotated by the power controller and the power dial mounted externally on it this presents in turn each of a series of radial ports drilled through the nylon body to line up with the breather hole. These ports provide varying throttles to change the power of the shot, the smaller the port then the weaker it is, but every shot uses the gun’s full air tank capacity unlike the regulation system used in the Italian "Sten" and its many clones. As the inlet valve has to reach in through the length of the power controller body the valve stem and its biasing spring is much longer than usual. The other rod with a spring and a bullet-nosed button on the end is the detent for setting the position of the power dial.
As there is so much machined metal inside the “Neptune” with all these extra components this makes it difficult to create a floating after the shot gun unless it has a long tank to provide the necessary buoyancy, but whether some of this metal could ever be replaced by plastic I don’t know. The advantage of using metal is that it will not crack and break which is important when it is all that is holding the gun cocked and stopping it from firing!
These observations are based on photos and what has been described elsewhere.
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Just looking again through Skarabey's photos this would appear to be the breather hole marked with a green arrow through which we can see the revolving nylon throttle body and a small port. Thus it is on the opposite side to the levers of the trigger mechanism. It is no mean feat to take apart an often oily gun and positioning each of the components for groups of photos while stopping to clean your hands to prevent your camera becoming an oily mess after taking each one unless you are just making changes to the viewing angle. Skarabey is to be congratulated for his perseverance in documenting and taking apart one of these relatively complicated spearguns which abounds in many small parts!
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