SOS (Italy) Spearguns: the "Ringo"

[popgun pete]

It appears that the "Ringo" was first introduced in 1967 and that means the gun that I saw at the dive show was maybe a later edition as it was grey in colour and I thought that it had a metal handle, although I never got to hold it. I bought the Scubapro “Scubasystem” from the guys manning the Scubapro stand instead and that was in 1976, so that is how I know the year as the hard shell buoyancy unit was just released at the show. I doubt that anyone else was stupid enough to buy one, although they did have two which were both blue, but only one of them was for sale, the other was to be displayed at head office.

The guys told me the speargun was for shooting flying fish and was no good for spearfishing as the shot was too weak, but obviously had never tried it and on asking about its working principles I was just told a load of mumbo jumbo.

 

[popgun pete]

The "Ringo" gun concept could be rearranged to have a compressed air reservoir and just use the rear grip and diaphragm operated locking chamber components, however all the front body sections of the gun would need to be of a totally new design, albeit one with a very high grip rear handle. The latter is due to the tilt valve used as the pilot valve which the pulled trigger leans on from directly above. However these hydropneumatic guns are unlikely to be floaters after the shot, hence such designs are mainly of curiosity value these days.

 

[popgun pete]

Here is a photo of all three versions of the "Ringo" from the Turin speargun museum.

Note the nose cone on the middle gun is out of alignment as the front line wrap hook should be on the bottom and the sight should be on top as it is on the other guns.

 

[popgun pete]

How the "Ringo" gun shoots. Pulling the trigger displaces the tilt valve which depressurizes the crescent shaped locking chamber as seen in profile. The water pressure created by the stretched Vulkollan bladder forces the rubber diaphragm releasing valve backwards to the saucer shaped bulkhead in the rear handle moulding which now supports it. Pent up water moving rearwards in the contracting bladder does a 180 degree turn to enter the now open rear end of the inner barrel to blast the spear out of the gun. With the water pressure inside the gun gone the rubber diaphragm releasing valve moves forward to again plug the inner barrel ready for the next loading.