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

[bmwgsboy]

I have been shooting my one air(90)
For a few days now,the loading seems to be
Easy just a matter of technic.
I have it loaded to 25 bar.
I did take a look at the Giga-press.
But at 180 euros I would like to try one first.
I only complain I have I feel like its doesn't
Have enough power. But that could be me
I'm an band user. At 15ft the max of the air one
It will go in a foam target about an inch, I would
Not shoot a striper that far with this setup but than again
The viz in jersey is almost never that good free diving
The surf.

 

[bmwgsboy]

I have been shooting my one air(90)
For a few days now,the loading seems to be
Easy just a matter of technic.
I have it loaded to 25 bar.
I did take a look at the Giga-press.
But at 180 euros I would like to try one first.
I only complain I have I feel like its doesn't
Have enough power. But that could be me
I'm an band user. At 15ft the max of the air one
It will go in a foam target about an inch, I would
Not shoot a striper that far with this setup but than again
The viz in jersey is almost never that good free diving
The surf.

 

[Derekn]

Thanks for the info Pete, what size band gun did you use before the One Air bmwgsboy?

 

[misterlizard]

I have an SL70 (Cressi) and I now use it instead of either of my banded guns. It's easy to load with the power regulator on, and I'm never worried about loading it as it takes very little effort to push the spear in. It is more powerful and accurate than my Comanche 90 and shorter and more maneuverable than my 75.

 

[bmwgsboy]

Thanks for the info Pete, what size band gun did you use before the One Air bmwgsboy?

I have been useing a Omer hf 95

 

[foxfish]

bmwgsboy, are you saying that your one air(90) at 25 bar is not as powerful as you 90 band gun! do you have 7 bands fitted?
It would be nice to hear at least one good word about the one air!

 

[bmwgsboy]

This weekend I'm going to test
Them side by side into my target.
It could be me the one air that's zero recoil
So it could be that. The target I'm using
Is a hard foam made for crossbows.
One dumb question can you unload it out of water??
All the shots I have done have been in a pool.

 

[sp9hzx]

I use both pneumatic and rubber guns.
Pneumatics are original Mambas 90 and 110 by Maorisub.My favourite ones !
Good in reef hunting and BWh, cold and tropic seas

I think the best guns. Powerful and easy to load.
I have never problems with them.

 

[foxfish]

You can unload them but it can be pretty dangerous! The only way is to push down on the spear, take the full wieght off the spear, then press the trigger & slowly release the spear. Cant say I would recommend it but I have done it plenty of times!!

 

[grantl]

I've used my Seac Caccia 115 3 times now and it took a bit of getting used to. Initially I was so sure it was way down on power compared to any of my band guns but it absolutely demolished the first fish I shot which made me rethink.

After using it a bit I think the zero recoil and no bands flying about give the impression it's not so powerful but that's just an illusion. I should try some targets really to be a bit more scientific but so far I like it. Really like it

Haven't a clue what pressure it's running at as I have just kept adding air each time I've used it and I'm getting to the point that it's probably enough as loading will get difficult soon.

Anyone got any pointers for finding a cheap pressure gauge in the UK? Not fancying dropping £55 on the Cressi one :-(

 

[foxfish]

Yep, a pressure gauge & a dry barrel kit will see another convert!

 

[grantl]

Mmh- I understood I couldn't dry barrel this gun due to the 11mm barrel?

Really hoping I can - I'm already a bit hooked on this gas gun malarkey

 

[foxfish]

Of course you can mate... happy days when you do, contact tromic for a nice new kit.

 

[grantl]

Ooh- that's interesting. Wonder why I had it in my mind it couldn't be done with this gun.

I'll be contacting Tromic tonight

 

[popgun pete]

You can unload them but it can be pretty dangerous! The only way is to push down on the spear, take the full wieght off the spear, then press the trigger & slowly release the spear. Cant say I would recommend it but I have done it plenty of times!!

I think Foxfish means push down on the gun with the muzzle pointed downwards and the loaded spear tip pressed hard up against a solid object like a block of wood (to save damaging the point). You carefully pull the trigger and let the gun push your weight up as you lean onto the gun from above. On a very long gun set the power regulator to "low power" as then you limit the air volume that will be expanding, in fact it is best to do this on any pneumatic gun that has this feature.

 

[foxfish]

That is probably the safest way but it does depend on the gun size & pressure, 60 size guns fitted with a trident head can just be unloaded by hand & big guns like a 135 are best left for someone else as they are a bit scary!!

 

[popgun pete]

Cocking a long, say 130 or 140 cm, pneumatic on land is a very dangerous thing to do and the smartest option is let all the air out and then pull the spear out by hand. If the gun has a power regulator (usually for the "easy loading" or more realistically the "minimization of wasted effort" feature) then the inner barrel and pre-chamber can be depressurized via the inlet valve with the regulator set on "low power", leaving only the main tank at cocked gun pressure. Instead of having to pump the entire gun back to pressure only the inner barrel and pre-chamber has to be brought back up to pressure. Alternatively moving the regulator to "high power" the air pressure will then equalize throughout the gun as air from the main tank refills the inner barrel and pre-chamber which will still leave the gun needing to be topped up, but by doing this you remove stress from the partitioning bulkhead and you can take your time to find your hand pump.

Unfortunately the "One Air" is a single power gun, so although it may seem a hassle it is better to pump a long version of the gun up again rather than risk a shaft flying through the air if you cannot manage a controlled slow release. Pointing the gun downwards means that the shaft will go into the ground, so a cocked speargun should be inverted as soon as possible while you consider your options as to how to extract yourself from this situation. I have done this a number of times myself, although I should have known better and heard the ominous click of the mechanism latching when I never intended to push the shaft in so far. Shafts flying in public places will soon have mobile phones ringing and police arriving even if no one gets hurt, so the consequences can be far reaching. Some groups would like to get rid of spearfishing completely, so no need to provide them with any ammunition to aid their cause.

 

[bmwgsboy]

What about shooting it into
A foam target,a couple of meters away??

 

[popgun pete]

What about shooting it into
A foam target,a couple of meters away??

Once up to speed in air the shaft will crash right through any target, the idea is to never let the shaft move at any appreciable velocity from the gun when operating in air. Speargun shafts have gone through car doors, walls, etc. with no problems at all, so a foam target is not a good idea.

 

[popgun pete]

I should also mention that firing a pneumatic speargun in air will impose more stress on the piston and muzzle as they will impact at a higher velocity than they normally would with the spear being pushed out of the gun into the much higher density medium of water. That extra impact velocity may damage the gun, in fact speargun user instructions usually forbid the gun being fired out of the water for this very reason. A dry barrel gun may have the piston moving through a vacuum inside the inner barrel, but the spear shaft is still emerging into water once it exits the muzzle and it has to push that water aside and experiences drag effects on its surface which serve to slow the shaft down compared to it exiting in air. The damage inflicted by an above surface shot may not be immediately apparent as cracks may only be starting to develop, but this sort of damage does not repair itself and the life of the gun will be shortened or it will require major repairs. The ultimate failure would be to strip the muzzle screw threads and blow the muzzle clean off the end of the gun along with the plastic nose cone, or send the shock absorber assembly out through the muzzle nose-end piece followed by the piston and all the air in the gun. With few exceptions pneumatic spearguns are designed to operate only in water and the strength of the parts used in the design and their service life rely on that water being present.