Spear sling problem solved! New gun!!

[icarus pacific]

OK so it's a continuation of my other thread about the difficulties I was having with my shafts going HA-HA once they left the gun. But I thought I'd add a little poll action to the solution, which by the way is this...I gotta get a new gun or something :head

I was with our new member, Fred Reicher in the same palce last Friday, with the same gun and a headfull of good intentions to do bad things to fish. Same results, only this time I really got the, uh, shaft..:mute

The first lingcod took the shaft just under the eyes and left barely a scratch. In fact it didn't bother it to the extent that it hung out while I reloaded and tried AGAIN! Nope. Now I'm pissed. The shaft had gone high and caroomed off the head. It took a stroll afew yards away and waited some more... Third shot I say the hell with it and shoot out it's shouldar to the stomach. I think it felt sorry for me.

A couple minute later I'm looking at a smaller specimen when I realize that the rock next to it is a big ling, 12-14 pounds or so. Now here's where I go into the "OK, back up, give the shaft some room to leave the muzzle, v=m times the hockey score all over the time of day last week..." I hit that prick dead between the eyes! IT BLINKED!!!

Suffice to say, Fred finds it later, and being the helluva guy he is, offers me the shot. Now this thing's in a cave that I could've banked the shaft off the walls and still hit it. All I got was a HA-HA from it as it booked out of there after I tattooed it's gill plate. Dinner for 12 swam off. I just cried :waterwork

Well I looked at the gun long and hard and found the black tape that I have wrapped around the barrel to mask it's shine had a notch worn into it from the shaft whipping as traveled the length of the barrel. Shaft's straight, barrel's straight at least while the gun's unloaded. Well being the suave' guy I am, I load the gun and check for straight and there's the problem- the whole thing bends a 1/4" !!

So...here we go kids: do I go to a euro style gun for my work around the rocks or stick with some American lumber, ala Riffe or another JBL? I never would have figured on a Euro style anything years ago, but now with my Euro suits, fins, masks, etc...


sven

 

[andrsn]

sven, i'd suggest contacting jay styron if he doesn't respond here soon. his tools are primarily of the euro persuasion.

i love my omer, but i've got thin shafts for those 15 foot shots. don't think they'd handle rock too well.

what are you using? is it that jbl? 5/8's shaft? maybe you should get a pole spear w/ a powerhead

why not just go manny puig style and swim down bare-ass w/ a knife in your mouth and drag those puppies out by their gills!

hasta luego,
andrsn

 

[Jay Styron]

Euro or not

Hi Sven,
After all that, if the gun was still in one piece, I'd put it on the wall and think about times gone by w/ it. I've used American guns and they do a good job and alot of my friends have them. I have to say though a good 75cm Euro gun has worked like a champ for me. I've got 2-110cm guns, 1-75cm and I'm getting ready to buy a 90 for the keys trip to try out. They do generally come w/ a smaller dia shaft which will increase speed but less mass. I don't think that will be any problem w/ the range you're talking about. I'm partial to Esclapez. I'm going for the Concept Pro. Omer also makes a good gun as does Sporasub. I like the multiple rigging possiblities w/ the euro guns. You can get shafts from 6.0mm-8.00mm. For your hunting I'd probably go w/ a 7mm shaft and tahitian barb setup. Use 200# mono for your shooting line and if you ever get into 20'+ vis I would consider an extra wrap on the shooting line. For the bands you could go 16, 18, or 20 mm. Omer makes a good 18mm which is a good comprimise. I think the euro guns have had alot of thought put in the design and have alot of little features that we wouldn't even think of until you've used one and then gone back to another gun. Well that's alittle more than my two cents worth but I hope it helps.
Jay

 

[icarus pacific]

latest info

well here's the scenerio...

Since finding out that the barrel was bending and all, I've turned down a piece of delrin plastic to the inside diameter of the barrel- I figure it'll stiffen the barrel without too much weight. I had thought about pouring 10# foam down the tube, but having the gun be a tad heavy works for me.

Then I'm milling a length of UHMW plastic to act as a track for the shaft- it'll be just a pube larger in diameter than the shaft. Then the UHMW will be tapped and screwed to the barrel. Mo stiffer, mo betta.

Then I'm going to mount up a tri tip head and new, shorter 5/8 slings. God help the rock I hit by mistake!

I'm going to do this to both my rock guns and put a five prong on the other to see what sticks. Take 'em both down to Monterey and piss off the wankers out at Carmel River Beach that are scouting for the Nationals.

sven

 

[Mark Tomkins]

This probably isn't the correct cure but it's what I have done in the past.... Larger diameter rubber or shorter length ???

 

[icarus pacific]

You're right Mark, I don't think it's the correct way to go. I'm using 5/8" dia rubber and am shortening the slings down already, thus the reason, I think, that the whole damn barrel is bending. I'm more surprised that the aluminum ends of the barrel with the drilled holes to attach the muzzle and handle aren't the weak spots, as others I've seen that haven't been taken care off, inevitably rot out there.

sven