What gun?!

[JimboBrit]

Right, I am completely new to spearfishing!
I think I have worked out all the kit I need, but am still very confused about the gun, can anyone help?!
I will mainly be fishing on the South coast of Cornwall, England. I would rather spend a bit more money now and get a good gun that will last me some time, rather than find I am frustrated after a few months or year and have to go out and buy another.
Having looked at other threads, I believe a longer gun is better. I am confused though about pneumatic guns. They are apparently more powerful, but there must be a reason everyone doesn't use them? What is a good brand an model to go for and what are the advantages and disadvantages of bands and pneumatic guns? Also, does anyone know the cheapest place to buy guns on the internet in the UK?
Many thanks in anticipation of all your help and knowledge!

 

[Mr. X]

Deja Vu. Typical Brit question - I might well have asked that myself when starting out.

Yes, in general, bigger guns are more powerful - BUT power usually isn't going to be an issue for you in S. Cornwall, the fish ain't that big. However, visibility, ease of tracking & loading and, possibly, range, likely will be issues for you.

I would get an 80cm Omer XXV - Gold version if you have money to spare for reel (not needed in the UK), rail & extra rubber that comes with that. But I don't think it is a great choice for a beginner - too many rigging options, the metal muzzle wishbone complicates matters, the 18mm rubbers will make loading a little harder and, being carbon fibre, it will set you back a bit.

We generally recommend 75cm-90cm barrels for general purpose band-guns in the UK. And Cornwall allegedly has the water clarity to justify a 90cm gun. I say "allegedly" because I encountered quite a lot of visibility that was ok but not great down on the Lizard (which is fine, because I am easier to spot than the fish ). Anything in that size range (75-90) should be just fine though - the (firing) range difference is actually quite small IMHO.

I would actually suggest that you get a decent but fairly inexpensive (e.g. aluminum barrel, with a decent trigger mech & wishbone) 75cm speargun to start off with (e.g. Cressi Commanche (75/82), Rob Allen Sparid (70cm or 80cm) or Scorpia (75cm), Omer Excalibur, Seatec Gabianno (77), I expect Beuchat has something suitable too). That will be your small gun for poor visibility. As you get more experienced, you may decide you want something for clear visibility - a 90, or perhaps 100/110 even; or you might well decide the 75cm covers the bases well enough. [I have a 75cm & 2x 90cm - but currently use the 75 for everything.]

If you like pneumatics (not my thing), you could get a 90cm gun, which will be more powerful that a 90cm band gun but shorter than a 75cm band-gun. Sounds perfect doesn't it. It's not.

I'm not currently recommending suppliers, as recently the service for some has been reported as poor or very poor, and the prices of some others have become excessive. Shop around, and don't be afraid to shop abroad (but don't forget to include shipping costs - and VAT & import tax when shopping outside the EU - in your comparisons). Good service can be important, especially for beginners and ...patience is a virtue .

 

[Sean Keenan]

I have a mate selling a Rob Allen 80 if you are interested. Thinks he want £100 for it. send me a pm.

 

[spaghetti]

You'd be hard pressed to find one single english spearfisher whose main squeeze is anything different from a 75 to 90 bandgun. They all use bandguns between 75 to 90.

As a first gun, a 75cm is better to begin with: more compact and handier to handle, so you can get used to it with minimal difficulties.

My suggestion to you as an absolute begineer is don't spend big money on a sophisticated weapon. Get a no-nonsense Cressi Comanche 75, or an Omer Cayman 75, or something like that, with closed muzzle and a single set of twin bands. Or yes, Rob Allen 80, that's said to be a serious weapon.

 

[JimboBrit]

Cheers for everyone's help! I must admit the pneumatic guns are looking more exciting to me.... Does anyone recommend the Cressi range such as the SL100?

 

[foxfish]

Nothing wrong with a good air gun, a 90 or 100 is a powerful weapon but not without its little quirks!
I would not necessarily recommend an air gun as a first gun but if you are really interested then do a little reading first.
Personally I love them especially a dry barrel airgun because of the much smoother shot = lovely.
Search the forum for detailed info..

 

[Sean Keenan]

I agree with Mr X and Spaghetti 75 to 90cm is ideal. I personally use a RA 80 with a single 18mm and find it ideal. I bought a 16mm band whilst on holiday in SA and have been told by a another RA 80 user that this to is ideal. Comanche 75 is a beast to and very accurate.
Happy hunting my friend.

 

[Krakenlims]

ok, so a cressi commanche 75cm or something similar would be ok for a beginner on a budget. Now i would like to know what some of the very best, most reliable, easy to handle, powerful guns are. I’ve heard that wood guns exist, what is the best material, tell us what you think the most exquisite gun is (for uk style hunting or similar)

 

[barny02]

Hi I have been using compressed air guns for a long time, stens, cyrano, cressi. They are great but I have just gone to using band gun after friends keep telling me to give them ago, being a short ass I found them previously hard to load. I have been using an omer gun which I have just purchased and its fab, its more acurate and silent under water. The air gun once fired can be heard from a long distance. The omer gun I have got has a semi eclosed spear and cuttlefish shape and lovely trigger. The only down side is that the spears are a tadge expensive but then again I am a bit of a tight arse.

 

[foxfish]

Hi barny, you should try a dry barrel kit on one of your air guns = no recoil, silent, easier to load & loads more power.

 

[barny02]

Thanks what is a dry barrel kit ?

 

[foxfish]

There are lots on the market, they stop the ingress of water into the barrel so the piston has less resistance on firing, this results in a huge performance upgrade for only a relatively small outlay.
Basically a small adapter that fits in the muzzle end & holds an O ring seal :friday
Tromic is on the forefront & can sell you a custom kit if you send him a pm.
http://forums.deeperblue.com/pneumatic-spearguns/81791-tomba-all-one-barrel-sealing.html

 

[Broseidon]

As band guns work so damn well - what exactly is the point of Pneumatic guns?

 

[foxfish]

As dry barrel pneumatics work so well what is the point in buying a higher maintenance, less power, more noise, more recoils band gun?

 

[Broseidon]

How can a band gun possibly be higher maintenance?

All you need to do is change the bands every two years or so...

 

[foxfish]

So what do you have to change on a air gun? Possibly an O ring every year if it has an after market kit fitted?
I have one 20 year old old air gun that has only ever had new line fitted & a couple of spears.
I do check the pressure on my air guns at the beginning of the season but only some will require a few pumps to top up them up most hold their pressure for many years.
I always change my bands guns bands every year but, when I used to have a favourite I would change that one several times a year.

 

[Broseidon]

Well, from the last two posts I think we have firmly established that all spearguns are exceptionally low maintenance rofl

 

[foxfish]

True - I am not especially bias & in fact own more band guns than air guns but a lot of folk are part of the band gun matrix!
I just wanted to point out that a modern dry barrel airgun is a very effeiant tool

 

[Broseidon]

I wasn't slating pneumatics, I was more after an informed response as to why they're good.

I've always liked the look of them but have always presumed them to be high maintenance and prone to breaking down. Plus the thought of carrying around a high pressure, spear-chucking weapon kind of gives me the willies Not sure why!

 

[foxfish]

Its the matrix mate - loads of folk have the same thoughts & fears but it is brain washing!

The main difference with the air guns I use now compared to say only 6 years ago is the development of the dry barrel system.
A very simple adaptor fitted to the muzzle end prevents any water entering the barrel. So when the gun is fired the piston only has to push the spear & not try to compress the water & force this out too!
The result of these devices is a much improved shot with very little recoil & far more power & speed.
There are other issues folk seem to insist exist like unreliability, difficult to load & high maintenance but I find none of this at all.
The very latest guns like the Omer airbalete have a nice quality construction & a lovely firing cycle (although I have never actually fired one myself) & when fitted with dry barrel kit will easily out perform a similar length single band gun in the power stakes but more importantly offer a much smother shot, so smooth you can very often see the super fast spear darting towards its target where as a band gun is like all hell is let loose with a sharp jump, bands fling everywhere & no chance of following the spears path.