Vintage Speargun Collectors

[#1seahunter]

Old spearfisherman, New Member.
I hope this is an appropriate place to make this post.
A member has asked me to do so when I list any of my old spearguns.
I just listed a Bo-Lo Pistol eBay #195056192372 .
I have many more - Nemrod, Samson, VOIT, Champion, Paris, Tarzan, some prototypes, etc.
Please let me know the best place to post this.
Thanks for your time & patience.
Alec

 

[popgun pete]

Bo-Lo offered a range of cast alloy hinge trigger band guns, a Hawaiian sling and a carbon dioxide expellable gas gun based on a fire extinguisher. This type of gear was brushed aside once the Arbalete type bandguns arrived from France and the American cocking stock tube guns became more widely available.

 

[popgun pete]

There is a later Bo-Lo speargun with an alloy tubular barrel that makes use of the existing solid alloy grip handle by inserting it into a wide vertical slot cut into the tubing rear end to form straps on either side of the grip which are affixed by two screws. This gun uses a vertical pin to hold the drilled shaft tail as it has no sear box roof, the spear tail rear abutting against an adjustable screw that provides a back stop for the shaft. Just how the gun shoots I don’t know, but possibly the top of the trigger presses the shaft off the vertical pin by pushing up, or the pin is pulled down to release the shaft. The advantage of a gun with a barrel is you can hold it out in front of you for aiming, whereas the earlier “speargun” efforts have the spear protruding rearwards of essentially what is a mid-handle. These devices don’t float after the shot being made of solid metal pieces.

 

[happy diver]

Which ebay

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I think I owned either the Sea Arrow or Sea Marskman, or something like them, when I was kid in Florida in about 1951. It was the bridge between my Hawaiian sling and my Champion arbalete. I shot my first mullet with it.

 

[popgun pete]

Which ebay

The auction was pulled early as with no bids the seller may have feared it was going to sell at the starting price without a competitive bidding duel driving prices up.

Vintage Scuba Speargun - 1950s BO-LO Pistol - VERY RARE! Never seen for sale!... | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Scuba Speargun - 1950s BO-LO Pistol - VERY RARE! Never seen for sale!... at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

 

[jimzeigler]

New member, first post attempt. I have, what I believe to be (and was told) is one of Dave Potts' original guns. While doing research I found an old post with a picture of a early Potts gun and the handle & mechanism looks just like mine. I have a reel as well that Dave made and if I can figure it out I'll post some pics. The gun is 7 1/2 ft. Long but cap to slip tip. Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated. I have much better pics but they won't load.

 

[jimzeigler]

New member, first post attempt. I have, what I believe to be (and was told) is one of Dave Potts' original guns. While doing research I found an old post with a picture of a early Potts gun and the handle & mechanism looks just like mine. I have a reel as well that Dave made and if I can figure it out I'll post some pics. The gun is 7 1/2 ft. Long but cap to slip tip. Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated. View attachment 59986

 

[jimzeigler]

Oopsie, meant to say "Wally Potts". (Dave Potts) is a friend of mine. What can I say? I'm an old guy.

 

[popgun pete]

I don't think that is a Wally Potts gun. You would have to show us more photos to be sure. When Wally built his early guns he had the trigger controlled line release forward in the twin plate trigger finger guard, but those guns have a metal tube upper body for the handle. The bottom of the trigger hooks into the line release finger using a notch built into the back of the line release finger. You can see it here.

By the time he got to that twin plate construction for the trigger mechanism housing set into a timber stock he had placed the line release further back as that stops the line release firing the gun as it cannot push the trigger back when the shooting line is pulled.

 

[popgun pete]

https://forums.deeperblue.com/threads/vintage-scubapro-speargun-modification-discussion.119156/#post-1008444

 

[jimzeigler]

Popgun pete,
Thank you for you reply / input. I have great pictures of the gun from different angles showing everything one would need but uploading the photos isn't happening. "Attachment too large".....I get it. I'm using a new phone and every shot is too large. I have pics of the Potts reel with the gun as well. I will attempt to transfer images to a laptop and try that way. I sincerely appreciate your take and will try my best.

 

[popgun pete]

Popgun pete,
Thank you for you reply / input. I have great pictures of the gun from different angles showing everything one would need but uploading the photos isn't happening. "Attachment too large".....I get it. I'm using a new phone and every shot is too large. I have pics of the Potts reel with the gun as well. I will attempt to transfer images to a laptop and try that way. I sincerely appreciate your take and will try my best.

If you open your photos in Paint one at a time, use select all and then resize by say 40 percent and then resave under another name you can post the reduced size copy. I do that with all my photos and add an R suffix to the name to show it is the smaller version. All my photos are a megabyte or more before I resize them.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I admire those pioneers like Potts and Prodanovich but it must have been a burden to hunt with those early guns. It's a lucky thing there were lots of fish. Guns have progressed so far. It's a bit like what I think of Henry Ford. I'm so grateful for his expertise in inventing the first mass produced cars, but I'm glad I have a Ford F-150 and a Honda CR-V instead of a Model T.

​

 

[jimzeigler]

If you open your photos in Paint one at a time, use select all and then resize by say 40 percent and then resave under another name you can post the reduced size copy. I do that with all my photos and add an R suffix to the name to show it is the smaller version. All my photos are a megabyte or more before I resize them.

If you open your photos in Paint one at a time, use select all and then resize by say 40 percent and then resave under another name you can post the reduced size copy. I do that with all my photos and add an R suffix to the name to show it is the smaller version. All my photos are a megabyte or more before I resize them.

Well, it won't happen via the phone, I can see that a mile away. I will try from the laptop that has the capabilities of reducing file sizes. I really want you to see this gun & reel so I will try again but not today. If you are wondering what a Bluewater gun is doing at 7K ft. Elevation in the Arizona mountains, I grew up free diving in San Diego and Baja. I have a west coast tuna fishing museum and have old dive gear as well. When young, I fished commercially and processed abalone as well, thus the interest. Until I get back.....thank you, THANK YOU!

 

[popgun pete]

Here is a Wally Potts mechanism in a Scubapro Safari timber gun. This mechanism was also used previously in the Wally Potts designed alloy tube gun. Note the sliding bolt safety that pushes against the top rear of the trigger.

 

[jimzeigler]

Maybe these will come through...

 

[jimzeigler]

 

[popgun pete]

My thoughts are this is someone's copy after looking at one of his guns. The proportions of the grip handle don't look right as it is more cylindrical rather than being flattened on the sides. The stainless steel parts are soldered together on his guns using a special type of solder, they are not welded. No apparent safety on the gun either, Jack and Wally were both aware that dropping the wishbones onto the shaft tabs or notches could jerk the trigger and fire the gun, so all but their first guns have a safety of some description. Yout gun seems of a later manufacture as most early guns use a timber pole stock.

 

[jimzeigler]

Gotcha! Interesting. OK, over and out for now, thanks for the input.