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Why don't UK spearo's use pneumatic guns?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
sunfish said:
Won't a freeshaft get lost rather easily in Welsh visibility?
Click to expand...

Ah, a pneumatic free-shaft is a bit different - it's still attached, just near the top, not the bottom... Foxy explained it better earlier in the thread
 
In other news, I just had an email from SubProf telling me that the "Airbalete One Air 105" was in stock and ready to ship... I think they're getting their Omer's and Sporasubs mixed up
 
For what its worth, pneumatics are very rare in California, and in fact I've never seen anyone using one.

I've never used one, but am I correct in assuming that they do not float after being fired? If so, that would be OK for a scuba diver, but a huge drawback for a freedive spearo.

Most places I dive are 40 to 50 feet deep in thick kelp. I shoot a fish, it takes a lot of reel line or float line before I can stop it and it eventually wraps the shooting line in the kelp, often on the bottom. Then I leave my band gun floating on the surface while I follow line through the kelp, find the fish, and cut it out of the kelp that it is wrapped in. If my gun sank while I was doing this, then it would be a pain in the ass to have to retrieve it after retrieving the fish. If I was using a reel, at least I could follow the reel line to the gun. But I usually use breakaway float line so that nothing is attached to the gun, and I'd be lucky if I ever found it.

Of course if I'm wrong and the guns do in fact float, then disregard all that babbling.
 
Bill, not knowing where you fish in California, for me I totally disagree. I fish 99% of the time in northern California. Mostly Mendocino down to fort ross. Also Monterey to big sur. All of the guys I run with have pneumatics. Most of the spearos I see Shoot a pneumatic and a band gun. I have 2 pneumatics and they are way more powerful than my band guns twice as long. They also float. It's a different feel than a band and when I have great vis I take out my 90cm long gun. I also own 4 band guns but by far I use the pneumatics most. I fish always in kelp, in caves, under rocks through swim throughs and freedive always with a pneumatic. Much easier to move around and it will penetrate anything. Sometimes rocks too!! Lol
 
I live in San Clemente, about half way between Los Angeles and San Diego, and all my diving is in SoCal.

If the guns float, then that obviously negates most of what I said. Is your shooting line attached to the gun, or do you use a reel? Will the gun still float with a reel?

We are off to a slow start due to a lot of poor vis, but four fish have been taken from my boat so far this year- 60, 55, 53, and 52 pounds. Do you think the pneumatics would be suitable for shooting fish like that at ranges up to around 15 to 20 feet?
 
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Bill, I believe they would be effective but a different size gun than I have now. We are mainly shooting 58 cm pneumatics. They have a lot of power stock and could be modified for longer range. However my Sten is very loud. My Cyrano is very fast and quiet and is slightly modded. I see guys shooting really long 90 110cm pneumatics but have no idea about those as I don't shoot them. Maybe some of the others can answer that. Also, you don't happen to work for a County? Name sounds familiar.
 

From my very limited knowledge, you'd need to be looking at a large, dry-barrel pneumatic - probably around 110 - 120cm running at about 25+ bar with a 7mm+ spear to be reaching 20 feet and taking out 50+lb fish.

So you know, a 120cm pneumatic would be roughly the same length as a 105cm band powered gun.
 


How did you manage to form an opinion about them?


Thanks for clearing that up. I didn`t realise I was using bandguns!
 
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Well, I bought an SL70 last week, and took it out for its first dive a couple of days ago. I got a great haul of my pb mullet, 3 good bass, and 4 nice flounders, so needless to say the gun performed very well!

It was easy to reload quickly, nice and powerful, and I used the reducer for close-range shots (on the flatties).

I have been using band-guns since my early teens (nearly 20 years ago now!) and had never tried a pneumatic. Just recently I've been missing a lot of really close-range shots (including a HUGE bass, grrr) with my Comanche 90. I discussed this with Lee and Nobby and on their advice I watched some slow-mo videos of band-guns and bow-and-arrow shots on youtube. It is interesting to note that the spear/arrow wobbles all over the place as it leaves the gun/bow and then straightens out near the target. This may explain the inaccuracy for closeup shots (or perhaps it's just me being crap!). The other night I shot the 7lb mullet at very close range, plus 2 of the bass were pretty close to the end of my spear - exactly the kind of shots I had been missing with my Comanche.

Anyhow, in short, I am very pleased with my SL70 and will be taking it out as my regular weapon as it is nice and short but just as powerful as my 90cm band gun which is much much longer.
 
Reactions: Broseidon
That is great news for your night diving however the barrel is full of water & the piston is desperately trying to push out the water & spear at the same time! :head
That equals a lot of wasted loading energy that you are putting in & then loosing against the undesirable water in the barrel!
You know what to do though dont you .....
 


Hmmmm, quite likely to be a Nemrod Comando, looks like its written on it!

I am sure there will be a good bit about it on the net and most likely this site!

Nice gift!

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&scli...or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=f02c1a31d9319a8d
 
So broseidon have you ordered or got one yet?Any joy.not that the weather's bin any good to get out.What did you go for and how much?ps down the llyn weekend after next.
 
Reactions: Broseidon
denian said:
So broseidon have you ordered or got one yet?Any joy.not that the weather's bin any good to get out.What did you go for and how much?ps down the llyn weekend after next.
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Not yet mate, the naughty Italians keep changing the release date rofl

I should have one by mid-June though, probably an 80, although maybe a 90.

Weather on the Llyn right now is shocking, massive storms coming in off the sea so that will kill any viz for a fair while, weekend after next could be good though, we'll chat closer to the time
 
Bros, I would check if the 80 is neutrally buoyant first, no point spending that sort of money on a muzzle heavy gun.
 
Reactions: Broseidon
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