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Salvimar Vuoto 75. Tips and tricks before using

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Dalgaard

Member
Aug 17, 2018
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Hey.
I just bought myself the Vuoto 75.
I'm a beginner in pneumatic spearguns, and was looking for some advice before using it.

Are there anything I need to know about the gun, is there any modifications I need to do first?
Or is it good enough for use just out if the box? I'm a mechanic and love tweaking and tuning stuff, IF possible of course :)
 
Hej Dalgaard, og velkommen.
Should be good to go out of the box.
Of course, you have to rig it with some nice, thin mono and a bungee but that's about it.
Find a piece of thin bungee cord or similar so you can carry the loader on your wrist. And then clip it/tie it to your gun as you get out of the water. That way, the loader and the gun are always "together" and you don't risk jumping in having left your loader in the car...

If there's too much pressure in it, just try to gently let a little out at a time.

Tons of good info in this thread:
https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/salvimar-predathor-vuoto-100.109654/

Let us know how it performs. Also, let us know if that size is getting heavy/nose heavy.

Ask any other
 
Thanks. It's going to be used mostly and almost only in Denmark and the surrounding waters.
It's my first own spearguns, so I hope I'm gonna like it and not to many faults like most people and shops says about pneumatic guns.
 
Yeah, it's just talk. It should work just fine:)

I actually don't know a single shop in Denmark that really knows anything about pneumatics...
Well, Lamberto knows but probably doesn't the sell them. The rest, meh...
 
The shop I bought some gear from, they won't sell them. They don't want people coming back and complaining.

But I think I read something about "the Slider" being weak in the vuoto? Should i replace this before using?
 
The shop I bought some gear from, they won't sell them. They don't want people coming back and complaining.

But I think I read something about "the Slider" being weak in the vuoto? Should i replace this before using?

It's BS. And if it is the guy in the CPH suburbs he doesn't really know what he is talking about. If it's the fancy shop on Vesterbro/FRB, it's the same. I've heard their blah, blah, blah a handful of times and it honestly annoys me as I think they have little to no real experience so when they pass on myths like these, it's just plain silly.
Of course, if you sell a product is good to know how it works and even better if you can service it. So, I suspect it's just that they don't want to learn how to do the latter and rather sell band guns that anyone can fix.
There are so many example on this forum of people who find dad's 20-30 year old gun still holding air - or they take it apart, change the seals, oil and the rigging and the gun is good to go again.

Granted, these guns are more complicated, but it really isn't a big deal to fix or service them yourself.

Anyways, yes, supposedly the sliders used to be brittle. They are said to be better now. But I honestly don't know. If you have a plastic one that seems a little soft or tough, that could be the newer ones.

For replacement, Tomba (find him on this forum) sells some nice Delrin ones.
 
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Honearly, I'm not sure what "the slider" is or what it does. So I'm not sure what to look for :) Still trying to read and watch videos about pneumatic spearguns. Like I said, it's my first one
 
Just be aware of the reversed positions of the low and high power positions in the gun's power selector gate. It is discussed in the gun's owner's handbook under section 4.2 and in section 4.3 it is again discussed under "Warnings" regarding any change of pressure being made to the gun, such as letting air out or adding it with the hand pump. Many have been caught out as usually the high and low power positions are the other way around and there is a tendency to not bother reading the instructions. The Salvimar pneumatic guns use an upstream power selector valve rather than a downstream valve, they being descendants of the long ago Scubapro "Magnum" which was a high quality gun in its day being deliberately targeted at a more affluent market.

The gun already has the dry barrel or vacuum system in place. You may need replacement vacuum seals at some stage, but lubricate the muzzle before loading the gun such as wetting it first and the seals will last for some time.
 
Thanks alot Pete.
I read something about, that when loaded it can get stuck in the high or low pressure. So you can't switch between the two positions, but you then just had to pump up the pressure in the gun?
 
Thanks alot Pete.
I read something about, that when loaded it can get stuck in the high or low pressure. So you can't switch between the two positions, but you then just had to pump up the pressure in the gun?
Yes, this occurs when the pressure in the barrel and pre-chamber is lower than the main tank and the power regulator is right back in the selector gate. On most pneumatic guns this position is full power with all air chambers connected, but not so in the Salvimar guns as a pressure imbalance presses the upstream selector valve tightly closed. In order to remove the imbalance you add air with the hand pump until such time as you can easily operate the selector to the full power position which is forwards and down in the selector gate. Why it happens is divers sometimes leave the power selector on low and either bleed some pressure out of the gun or it had leaked out of the inlet valve over time, or from a damaged piston seal, as these leaks can be very slow and you may not notice them. Clues are oil on the outside of the gun that persists even after you may have wiped it away and it then mysteriously returns.

I don't understand why Salvimar fail to add this advice to the handbook, as this problem has been encountered by users on a frequent basis. In the old Scubapro days it was not unknown for frustrated owners to disassemble their "Magnum" spearguns seeking the cause of the jammed power selector, often under pressure!! I have to put my hand up to being one of them!
 
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Well that's really good to know.

Is there anything I should or can do to make it better or more powerful? Not that it has to be, but i cant help myself :)

I once bought 6 cool nerfguns, and ended up with guns that shot directly through.
And that was just by making the gun more airtight, adding bigger and better seals. :)
But if the gun is good as it is, then no reason to disassemble it. After all, it's to be used in Denmark, so it ain't gonna be that big fish anyway
 
Most guns are fine "straight out of the box", just check if it is under pressure. In some countries they prohibit shipping spearguns that are pressurized, but every new gun that I bought was completely charged regardless of the country of origin. The answer is no one checks and the pressure is low compared to a scuba tank, etc., so nothing to really worry about as far as shipping companies are concerned.

The line slide is often a subject of change, but it should be OK for general spearfishing. I suggest you use it as is until you have gained some experience with the gun. It is worth buying a spare shaft just in case you lose the original or it is damaged, otherwise your gun will be useless until you can get another one. Maintenance is important, so washing of the gun after a dive to get the salt out of it will greatly prolong its service life. Put an elastic cord on the loader and secure it to your wrist, that way you will not lose it.
 
Thank you. When you say Shaft, does that also mean a new spear?
Just need to figure out where one can buy that in Denmark. I guess the different kinds if pneumatic spearguns doesn't use the same spear?
 
The Salvimar spear shaft is virtually the same as the Mares shaft, the spear tails are similar and that is what you need to fit the hole in the front of the piston. Basically you need another complete shaft if the shooting line snaps and then you will really be without any ammo so to speak. I always have a complete spear and extra shooting line with me, or another gun which can serve for a back-up. Spear tails do vary in the taper of the tail cone, but Mares is the most common type. The Scubapro gun used Mares shafts, albeit of higher quality, and Salvimar, in the form of "Salvi & Figli", made the parts for the Scubapro "Magnum" pneumatic speargun. Hence not surprisingly they continued on with those tails.
 
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There is some green/black line in the box with the gun. Is that okay to use, or should I upgrade that line to a different one?
 
There is some green/black line in the box with the gun. Is that okay to use, or should I upgrade that line to a different one?
Yes, the line will be OK, the companies don't supply rubbish as "don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar" as the old saying goes. There are exceptions, such as the Mares spear tips, although they are OK their pencil point standard tip is made of soft stuff. Years since I last bought one, however tips are expendable if you are spearfishing around rocks and there are plenty of quality screw on tips on the market.
https://wordhistories.net/2017/10/13/spoil-ship-haporth-tar/
 
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I was just looking at the "clearance" goods sale here, https://spearfishing.com.au/collections/sale-items and noted that a lot of pneumatic gun shafts are listed at reduced prices. While at the same site I spotted a "Vintair" advert and see that the guns are now back to the black and white color scheme of the Scubapro "Magnum".
https://spearfishing.com.au/collections/spearguns/products/salvimar-vintair-pneumatic-gun
Scubapro catalogue 1989 R.jpg
 
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The Seac shafts should work, too.
There's a shop on Frederiksberg, I think on H. C. Ørstedsvej that carries Seac, but I don't know if he has extra shafts for pneumatic guns. I once bought some spare sets of o-rings from him, though. The name escapes me though. But it's on the left side, just before the gas station just prior to the Danasvej intersection, I think.
Keep in mind that the cheaper 8mm galvanized (?) shafts that often ship with the lower priced, non-vacuum muzzled guns may not be a good fit for you. I suspect they will pit and wear out the muzzle seal in the Vuotu vacuum muzzle very fast. And yes, get some spares of those.

I know mechanic and machinist is not the same but perhaps you have a friend on someone at work with access to a lathe? If you do, you can buy pretty much any shaft you like for bandguns as long as, once cut at the most forward sharkfin (or notch) it is still long enough for your use. Then cut a thread at the rear of the shaft. I posted the dimensions of the thread in another thread, but you can just make it the same as in your original spear. BTW, if you need to take of the tail end on your current shaft, it might be loctite'd in place so heat it up and be careful not to mar the tailend when you unscrew it - that can also shorten the life span of your vacuum muzzle seal.

But one mechanic's trick; if you need to service the gun, no need to buy oil from Salvimar - just use some suspension oil (like the type in motorbike forks). Something not too thick. I think the Italians recommend 10wt (or whatever the designation is).

I have recommended www.edosub.it to others here before and everyone seems to have as pleasant experiences with him as I did. He has fair prices and knows about pneumatics and carries pretty much all spare parts. But I am not sure you need enough to warrant shipping cost though it may not be that high just for a bag of extra seals, a few sliders and tailends and a shaft.
 
I was just looking at the "clearance" goods sale here, https://spearfishing.com.au/collections/sale-items and noted that a lot of pneumatic gun shafts are listed at reduced prices. While at the same site I spotted a "Vintair" advert and see that the guns are now back to the black and white color scheme of the Scubapro "Magnum".
https://spearfishing.com.au/collections/spearguns/products/salvimar-vintair-pneumatic-gun
View attachment 52403

Amazing old ad!
Were those old pumps of bigger inner bore? Somehow in that pic, the pump looks beefier than the ones I have. If I recall correctly the Mares, Seac, Salvi of today are 10mm inner bore but perhaps people were tougher back then;-).
 
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