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UK Noob wants the low down

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Yeatus Fajitus

New Member
Oct 8, 2005
7
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49
Hi folks,

Just interested to know what the legalitys of owning a metre long lethal weapon are?

I'm thinking along the lines of:
  • Is a licence of any type required for the gun or required to carry out the hunting? All I can find from my research is legal minimum sizes of fish which can be caught and nothing on speargun ownership yet I believe you need a licence to own a catapult (weird)!
  • When travelling abroad do you get any hassle from security services anywhere for packing your speargun? i.e. after 9/11 security guards were confiscating toy guns and nail scissors - what would they think about a metre long silent killing device.

Just checking , but I think as long as you're holding onto your speargun you're not going to get too many arguments anyway!
 
An Axe is also a lethal weapon, as is an automobile.
No license is required for a speargun.
No hassle as long as it is packed in the hold baggage, very few if any airlines will allow a speargun to carried on to a plane.
re: "a metre long silent killing device."
I don't know what kind of 007 movies that you have been watching but a speargun is no more a silent killing device than a sharpened umbrella point
Can I ask few Q's?
Do you spearfish?Do you freedive?
Have you tried and would you be interested in doing it?
 
You need a licence for a car! Or maybe not on the emerald isle.

Not really been spearfishing yet, more like just snorkelling and watching the wildlife whilst my brother goes spearfishing but on occasion I do act as observer, etc. As I haven't done much sea swimming before I have been going out with my brother just to get used to things and build my confidence and my situational awareness up(getting the feel for dodgy tides, currents etc).

I am currently though preparing to get my first gun and finish assembling my spearo kit together.

Any recommendations as to what spearguns are good - the pnuematic ones (seac-sub) had been catching my eye but I don't know if they are better or worse than a conventional spear gun or railgun?
 
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Yeatus Fajitus said:

Any recommendations as to what spearguns are good - the pnuematic ones (seac-sub) had been catching my eye but I don't know if they are better or worse than a conventional spear gun or railgun?
Click to expand...

I would not have a pnuematic gun if someone gave it to me.

OMER makes a good gun. I have 2 of them. 130cm. One is a t20 carbon with a reel. I put 2 9/16" rubbers on it with the riffe euro shaft. ( I like bottom barbs and the fins on the shaft make loading easier than the notches) The other is an old exclabur 2000 that I put an open muzzle on, rife shaft,( slightly smaller in lenght than the 130cm shafts) 2 9/16" rubbers. Both guns are deadly accurate and easy to load.

But get something that you can reach the bands on. If you have short arms then loading a 130cm gun is going to be hard. If the gun is hard to load then you will think twice about shooting it. But if you are going to be a spearo then you have to learn to tie your own bands
 
Hiya Yeatus Fajitus, loads of Guacamole I hope
Try contacting Dave at www.spearo.co.uk or try the link in the community awards on your user control panel. Dave is the best UK dealer I know of and will set you up with the right gun, no question!
As for travelling, as Huan says, pack it well and check it in with your suitcases, describe it as fishing equipment, not as a gun!!!!! No airline will allow one as hand luggage anymore, trust me on that
 
Any reason why no on the pnuematics? I was more looking for a debate on the pro's and con's of pneumatics versus convetional guns, i.e. reliability, easier/more diffcult loading, one more dangerous to the user than the other. That sort of thing especially with consideration that 95% of the time I am probably going to be fishing off the coast of the UK. I know nothing about pnumatics and you can't see inside them to suss out how they work. But perhaps they are simply over engineered for the job anyway.

Oh, and no problem with short arms here - I'm 6'3" and built like the proverbial teracotta toilet! 1.3m sounds a tad excessive for the UK.

Thanks for the tip Alison, my brothers already a regular visitor at the Rob Allen importer in Kinston upon Thames (I think?) so we get some good info from there.
 
Pneumatics have a lot more potential to go wrong,They have seals that have to hold large air pressure, one piece of sand or grit and goodbye seal = no pressure = non functioning speargun.
Rubber guns otoh have bands that give ample warning that they are about to fail.
Any gun can break but the old KISS principle holds true.
Any gun can be dangerous to the user, witness a guy spearing with me who loaded his gun out of water and to check whether the safety worked pointed it at the ground and pulled the trigger.
The principle of every action having an equal and opposite reaction came into play once the spear hit the ground and the gunbutt hit him in the chin heavily bruising it.
He was fortunate not to lose any teeth or an eye.
Cardinal rules:
Do not load any gun out of water.
Never point it at anyone or anything loaded or unloaded.
Never trust a safety.
Keep a cork or an old piece or powerband over the tip when not in use.
 
Huan said:
Any gun can break but the old KISS principle holds true.
Click to expand...
Is this a Blarney stone thing
Or in other words: The KISS principle? Wassthat?

Edit: Just found out rofl now dont I feel stupid
 
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For a first gun for the UK, get a 75cm rubber gun. You do not need a license in the UK, but a speargun would be considered an offensive weapon under certain circumstances
The big problem with most pneumatics (Maorisub are a different kettle of fish entirely) is the 8mm spear they come with. Far too thick for the UK, they blow a great big hole in the fish, and pull out easily. The screw on heads just make matters worse. Short gas guns with 5 prongers or tridents are ok for certain applications, but if you get one as a beginner you are just making things hard for yourself!
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk
 
Yeatus Fajitus said:
Just interested to know what the legalitys of owning a metre long lethal weapon are?...I believe you need a licence to own a catapult (weird)!
Click to expand...
Bragging about your metre weapon again Fajitus! You're a big fella -- get a band gun like the real men, who don't eat quiche(and Alison -- she's hardcore).

I don't think you can get a catapult licence -- they prefer to ban things rather than licence them these day . [Welcome aboard .]
 
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