Which 50 or 60 Gun!?

[Tunny]

Hi All,

I am looking at buying a smaller speargun for hunting in the string weed/poor vis I am looking at spending £60-80 and also to take abroad on holidays. I currently own a Gabbiano 77 trb elite.

I hunt in the south of England if this is of any help. I am open to any views you may have about the size as well.

I have been looking at the Mares Instinct GT, Beauchat and Immersion Merou D'or.

Any advice or reviews of your own smaller spearguns would be appreciated.

Many thanks

Ryan

 

[spaghetti]

Tunny I was thinking about your question. My final thought is get a pneumatic.

I own and use both short bandguns (Cressi Comanche 60, Seatec Grotto 60, Frankengun 60) and pneumatics. All considered, for a short gun a pneumatic is the way to go.

Knowing that you own a Gabbiano 77 (great gun) I was about to recommend you a Seatec Grotto 60, but I'm afraid its' presently out of stock, waiting for the new version with the 2009 handle. But with the new handle you'd loose the main advantage of having 2 guns with the same handle, same "feeling", same aiming.

A short pneumatic anyway packs more power in a more compact size, easy to handle and to swing, versatile for rock and kelp. Seac Sub Asso 65 or Mares Medisten or Cressi SL 70 all with power reducer switch. This is my recommendation.

 

[Old Man Dave]

I don't have a lot of experience of short guns but I have found that short band guns are not very efficient. There seems to be a point at which the band size is too short to either store or release energy very well. Very short band guns do physically fire the spear but I always found their performance disappointing even with powerful bands.

The two types of guns that do work well in short sizes are the roller band gun and the air gun (pneumatic). A 90 air gun is actually similar in overall length to a 75 band gun. So a 70 or 80 air gun should be equivalent to your 50/60 band gun. An air gun also tracks quicker with its smooth profile and in short sizes is a neat weapon for quick shots in low viz. Short air guns are also easier to load unlike their longer brothers. They're cheap too and nowadays quite reliable. Then there are the dry barrel versions but maybe for short range you don't need to go there.

Food for thought.

Dave.

 

[foxfish]

You might struggle to get much positive info on guns of this size as they are not used by many guys!
I can see where you are coming from but a 20 - 24'' gun will have next to no power & might even bounce of a bass gill plate!
You might consider a 80 size air gun as this would in fact be shorter than your 77 as air guns are measured at total length.
Air guns are good in the weed too as they are very streamlined & able to track though the weed, an 80 pneumatic will have plenty of close range power.

 

[foxfish]

Bloody hell - blink & you get three post at once!!

 

[spaghetti]

You might consider a 80 size air gun as this would in fact be shorter than you 77 as air guns are measured at total length.
.

Indeed my Mares Medisten Competition (a special edition 75cm long) has the SAME length of my Cressi 60 bandgun. The Cressi 70 pneumatic is shorter than the 60 bandgun.
But a 70 pneumatic can kill ANYTHING in the short range, while the bandgun has less penetration and less "punch". One more hint: My Medisten shoots a thick 8mm shaft, while the Comanche shoots a 6mm. Let alone the "power" of the gun, the shock mass of the spear itself is superior with short pneumos.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Bloody hell - blink & you get three post at once!!

And they all basically say the same thing .

Dave.

 

[Tunny]

Hi All,

Thank you for your advice, but I am still edging toward a band gun. Are the pneumatic guns not a lot of maintenance and bother with gas re-filling?

I have no experience of using these and would only use the gun occasionally about once every two weeks for this type of hunting.

Cheers

Ryan

 

[foxfish]

Hi All,

Thank you for your advice, but I am still edging toward a band gun.

Are the pneumatic guns not a lot of maintenance and bother with gas re-filling?

No, no gas, no maintenance just a good short range gun for what you want!
I have one air gun that is 20 years old & has never needed anything doing to it at all.
Pneumatic guns work by compressing air, the spear is forced down the barrel to load the gun, the air is sealed in the gun & will not escape - so air guns just need very minimal maintenance.
There is a whole section on deeper blue dedicated to pneumatic guns...http://forums.deeperblue.com/pneumatic-spearguns/?pp=25&daysprune=-1

 

[Tunny]

No, no gas, no maintenance just a good short range gun for what you want!
I have one air gun that is 20 years old & has never needed anything doing to it at all.
Pneumatic guns work by compressing air, the spear is forced down the barrel to load the gun, the air is sealed in the gun & will not escape - so air guns just need very minimal maintenance.
There is a whole section on deeper blue dedicated to pneumatic guns...Pneumatic Spearguns

Good news - I stand corrected then!

Hhmmmm now just to chose the right gun, thanks for setting me straight mate. Still new to this sport I will take a look at thread attached.

Thanks again.

Ryan

 

[foxfish]

Great, you see the light! now join the dark side!! ( a term used for air gun users - especially mamba kitted guns)
Seriously, air guns have their place in our world & can be very addictive furthermore you can easily tune your air gun with after market kits that will transform the gun into a true stealth sniper weapon.