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thick shaft thin rail?

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liam.slug

New Member
Jan 22, 2012
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Hey guys i was wondering you could help me with the dilema im having. im thinking of increasing the thickness of the shaft in my rob allen railgun. im wondering if the rails are made only for the thickness spear that came with the gun, Hense the different names. and if using a spear thicker than the original will work with the rail.
 
You don't mention what you are increasing from - 6.5 to 7mm perhaps?
Anyway I don't think it will matter to the rail but it might effect the gun in other ways like recoil & range....
 
Agree with what foxfish is saying.

I use both 6.5 and 7mm spears on my RA guns and both sizes work perfectly.
 
I think the RA guns are designed for spears 6.3mm to 7.5mm. The different names just relate to the rubber and spear set up eg caranx (used to be, think it still is) 7mm spear 20mm rubbers. I'm not sure if the names also relate to the gun length, but depending where you buy the gun from the same setup has different names...... This is what I'm led to believe anyway but im sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong
 
i have a rob allen shanti 110cm with a 6.6mm spear. i want to replace the muzzle with an open muzzle, putting 2 16mms on it, il need a new spear to use two rubbers anyway so il get a 150cm 7.5mm shaft and a reel. what do you guys think?
 
That's a pretty specific setup.

A configuaration like that will give you a comparatively slow moving spear with a lot of punch. I'd use something similar when targeting heavy, thick bodied fish, with hard scales and gill plates where visibility isn't great or in the surf zone.
 
That's a very good setup for large fish at long range. The only problem with an open muzzle is the spear can wonder out of the rail in strong tides etc because it has nothing holding it in place, however it can be easier to load quickly so it's swings and roundabouts but depends on your fishing style and conditions. Another thing to remember is that with that setup you can fish at long range so I would recommend double wrapping the mono to allow you to to fish at maximum range and maybe fit a bungee (if you don't already have one) to absorb the sudden strain that is placed upon the mono.

Just my 2p worth
 
thanks thats a lot of help to me. i already have my gun double wrapped and with a bungee . but i thought the open muzzle would hold the shaft down tighter because the line is holding the shaft to the barrel as opposed to with an open muzzle it has a 2-3mm gap to move around in... any thoughts?
 
The RA open muzzle doesn't have the line hooked over the spear shaft like other muzzles, imagine a closed muzzle with the top bit cut off and that's what an RA open muzzle is so the line won't hold down the spear at all. I can post up pictures later on if you want??
 
I have an open muzzle gun and when it's rigged the spear doesn't budge at all, even if I touch it. If anything I found it a tad slower to load than my mates closed muzzle! Guess its all opinions, I just like the clean look of the open muzzle and the loading just takes a few tries to get used to pinning it down as you slide the spear in
 

That sounds strange as an open muzzle set up, what's the benefit? I'm intrigued.
Cheers
 
TreachCon said:
That sounds strange as an open muzzle set up, what's the benefit? I'm intrigued.
Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure of the benefits, possibly quicker loading as you don't have to thread the spear through the muzzle hole, instead it just sits in the slot. I'll get a photo later and post up so you can see
 
Sorry just had a look an it looks like you can use the mono to hold the spear down, but I'm not sure if it's a standard setup or if it's has been modified. I personally use closed muzzle so maybe someone with more experience on open muzzles can explain further???
 
No, they all come with the same rail (apart from the Scorpia which has no rail), so you should be fine

Doesn't your 6.6mm spear have 2 notches? Mine does. If not, I think 7mm with 2 notches would be sufficient for 110 with 2x16mm bands - but just check the roballen.co.za webbsite to see what their standard configuration is for that (probably the Tuna model?). Rob Allen posted to this forum some years ago when folk were discussing the use of thinner spears, as he'd done some experimentation with this. Best to go with their factory configurations to start off with though.

I don't use reels and don't know what you are targeting, so can't really comment on that. (Which one are you going for, one of the original RA stainless steel/alloy models or the newer cheaper RA composite jobs?). If you are going for big fish, an alternative might be some kind of float/breakaway system - but if reels are the norm in Perth probably best to stick with that for now.
 
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The idea with the open muzzle was to speed up loading and as it's a lot smaller than the original RA closed muzzle, it helps with aiming and tracking. And for sure, you'll have to wrap the spear with the nylon / mono else it will fall off of the rail.

There is also a 3rd option from RA, the low-profile closed muzzle.
 
TreachCon said:
That sounds strange as an open muzzle set up, what's the benefit? I'm intrigued.
Cheers
Click to expand...
My Omer XXV muzzle can operate in either mode but I've only used it in close mode so far - as that is what I was used to and thought that would ease the transition to the new gun, which it did.

I suspect that there is no advantage and that it is more of a personal preference/fashion thing. However, the advantages quoted are usually:
- cleaner line of sight (no muzzle hoop to block out fish/end of spear)
- faster loading (debatable and probably depends on proficiency of the user)

I would add:
- simpler/lighter

Against:
- Spear more likely to fall off barrel while loading (i.e. before line is secured)
- muzzle bungee probably nearly essential (which might offset weight advantage for a few users - but most use bungees anyway).

I plan to try open muzzle when I replace my rubbers, as I plan to switch to bulk rubber at the same time. I'm not expecting it to make any significant difference though (you barely notice the XXV's closed muzzle hoop as it is already very small, light and transparent ).
 
Mr. X said:
If you are going for big fish, an alternative might be some kind of float/breakaway system - but if reels are the norm in Perth probably best to stick with that for now.
Click to expand...

If you do go for a breakaway rig keep in mind that you will end up with your gun detached from the rest of your kit and you'll have to remember to clip it to your float, hand to a buddy or put it on the boat.

Speaking to Miles, he mentioned that he's seen on quite a few occasions where in the excitement of shooting and fighting a big Tuna, spearo's forgetting about their gun only to later realise that it's been claimed by the sea...
 
scoobaru. this picture seems to show thatthe mono can be used to hold the spear down. and the muzzle does look like it has tabs for doing so. thats a relief haha yeah all my other spearguns have been open muzzle which is why i want to get an open muzzle for my RA. i bougth the shanti model which comes with a single notch spear but a two rubber muzzle :hmm and now im thinking of ordering a 7mm pelaj spear from my local dive shop as it will be cheaper. the ends of the spear look almost identical. has anyone experimented with differen spears in the RA handles?
 

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Reactions: Scoobaru
Yea I've never really seen an open muzzle RA setup like that. Thank you for sharing with us. As for the different spears, I know people (very good spearos) that use a different spear in the RA gun as for them it is the most accurate setup. So it's down to personal preference really. All I can say is try it and see how it works out
 
Yeah, I will.
Now I'm tossing up between 6.5mm, 7m
m and 7.5mm. I'm not sure whether the heavier spear will have more fore or if it will be too slow... Seeing as I don't have the funds to buy multiple $70 shafts to try out different configurations, what would you guys reckon? I'm planning to hunt sea mullet and larger reef fish (dhufish, groper etc) on top of reefs (I have a smaller riffe padauk for caves, structures etc)
 
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