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Safe to hold gun on the rubbers?

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Homerkp

Active Member
Sep 21, 2018
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This might be a no brainer for some people, but I've searched and can't find any info about this online. I've seen tons of videos with divers holding the speargun on the shaft, with their hand wrapped around the rubber. I mostly see this when they're diving down for comfort and maneuverability I guess. If the rubbers are loaded and taught, doesn't putting your hand there risk setting it off? They're only held by the wishbone on the notch and I never put my hand there for fear of it snapping and catching my finger or something.
 
I do it all the time. How could a hand holding the band against the gun lift the wishbone off the notch or fin? The only danger is a band breaking or a wishbone pulling out. Then the band will go through your hand and smart a bit but it won’t be serious. And if you change your bands before they deteriorate that shouldn’t happen.
 
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I do it all the time. How could a hand holding the band against the gun lift the wishbone off the notch or fin? The only danger is a band breaking or a wishbone pulling out. Then the band will go through your hand a smart a bit but it won’t be serious. And if you change your bands before they deteriorate that shouldn’t happen.
Maybe I'm underestimating how secure the notch is. I feel as though the slightest interference could cause the rubber to pop out of the notch. I definitely don't want anything going through my hand though! I guess you meant that if it does come loose it'll shoot under your hand but without causing too much damage? I guess that explains it though. I see everyone doing it so perhaps I'm overthinking it.
 
I see everyone doing it
This doesn't mean that you should too. People do stupid things. How much can go wrong in this case? I don't know. You could do some tests of course. :D

I prefer to just shoulder (?) the gun as I dive down. That way I don't have to handle the gun, only have to extend my arm at it's aimed.
 
This might be a no brainer for some people, but I've searched and can't find any info about this online. I've seen tons of videos with divers holding the speargun on the shaft, with their hand wrapped around the rubber. I mostly see this when they're diving down for comfort and maneuverability I guess. If the rubbers are loaded and taught, doesn't putting your hand there risk setting it off? They're only held by the wishbone on the notch and I never put my hand there for fear of it snapping and catching my finger or something.
I end up thinking about this a lot actually. There's always a risk, though low, that something could happen. Some time ago I was loading my gun and the dyneema wishbone slipped from it's holding (my fault when loading/adjusting). The wishbone caught my middle finger briefly and fractured it. It just happened so fast. This is probably why I think about it all more.

I mostly shoot invert rollers so I also paid closer attention to the strength of materials being used (bolts and pulleys) when I build them, since I didn't want parts and pulleys coming back at me.
In the end I have a great enough trust in my gear (and loading) that I still grab the gun mid-span across the bands when diving or at the surface. I just make sure to watch the deterioration of the bands and replace them as needed.
 
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just wanted to add my story:

Once the wishbone knot came out while holding it tightly in the middle, hurted a little, no injury. was a 95 roller, loaded with full pretension.
and the second time i loaded to many bands on the same (Pathos small) shark-fin. One band jumped over the fin, but this time it didn't hurt. Can easily imagine that a finger gets caught and broken/disklocated.

but as there is so much tension on the band there is like no chance it can slip over the shark-fin. was definitely my faul and it wouldn't have happened if I loaded it correctly
 
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I avoid holding my spearguns other than by the handle when loaded, for the reasons described. Even though I have converted all my spearguns to soft Dyneema wishbones.

Personally, I wouldn't rule it out entirely but I wouldn't make it a habit.
 
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Better safe than sorry,I maintain hand on handle ready to shoot.Index trigger finger off trigger when in motion when moving .trigger finger resting uppon upper side from trigger a well practiced habbit.
 
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I carry larger guns with multiple rubbers around its mid section when loaded all the time.
Also on smaller guns when shooting into caves or holes I intentionally grab the rubbers around the barrel/rubber/spear when shooting to power it down. I do this instinctively, been doing it for almost five decades & didn’t realise that just like drinking coffee, loading rubbers with my palms up, keeping my snorkel in, using soft blades, etc, etc that I’m rubbish at this sport.
 
Ive never found the online exam or guide lines to operate a wheel barrow in my garden or a spear gun in the sea i must have attended a different school or did i mis something
 
I agree with you on this. Can't understand why people hold their guns this way. I treat my speargun like a rifle or shotgun - never point it at anybody, never hold it in an unsafe way and assume it's going to fire at any moment. A 'Negligent Discharge' could damage your hand at best, shoot somebody at worst. I'm an ex-soldier so this is basic safety stuff.
 
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This might be a no brainer for some people, but I've searched and can't find any info about this online. I've seen tons of videos with divers holding the speargun on the shaft, with their hand wrapped around the rubber. I mostly see this when they're diving down for comfort and maneuverability I guess. If the rubbers are loaded and taught, doesn't putting your hand there risk setting it off? They're only held by the wishbone on the notch and I never put my hand there for fear of it snapping and catching my finger or something.
This is an old thread and I previously commented, but I just noticed that mention of "notch." If you have a notched shaft, and in particular if you have metal wishbones, then maybe it is possible to have the wishbone come out or break. But for decades I've used shafts with shark fins and dynema wishbones. I've never had a dyneema wishbone come off a shark fin and I can't see how holding the gun in the middle would cause that to happen. If a dyneema wishbone were to break it might smart coming through your fingers but I wear gloves, and I had never had a dyneema wishbone break. The bands always need replacing before the wishbones, and in fact I've reused wishbones on second sets of bands.;
 
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