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Zelinka System Titanium floating gun on eBay!

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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popgun pete

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2008
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Well just when I proclaim that a titanium gun will be a sinker unless it has a significant tank capacity to provide enough water displacement for it to float after the shot, one gets offered on eBay via the Pelengas store that does float, or so it is claimed on the item description.
Zelinka eBay.jpg


This all titanium gun uses the Zelinka releasing valve system, a design used on high-end guns in Russia and the Ukraine which is traditionally made by custom gunsmiths. The valve operation is via a sliding inner barrel that opens what in a sense is a fixed valve at the rear end, the inner barrel providing a moving body to the valve’s stationary plug. Power can be varied by changing the throttle opening of the valve and that is why there is a plus-minus switch lever at the butt end of the gun.

Although expensive it is probably a bargain at this price compared to ordering one and going through the labyrinthine procedures involved in getting a Zelinka system gun out of Russia or the Ukraine. The gunsmith’s name is mentioned in the advert, Alexander Bazovsky, whom I don’t know, but his gun looks to be a high quality product.
Zelinka Bazovsky 1.jpg
Zelinka Bazovsky 2.jpg
Zelinka butt.jpg
 
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After searching on the Alexander Bazovsky name I found that other guns are available, but not on eBay. I was looking for info on him as a builder, but only this info came up.
Zelinka titanium spearguns.jpg
Zelinka 600 Bazovsky.jpg
 
I like the look of that Pete, looks like it would last a life time!
 
I like the look of that Pete, looks like it would last a life time!
At the price it would need to! However titanium is expensive stuff to buy and difficult to work, so the price is pretty reasonable and this is the type of gun that the elites in Russia and the Ukraine used rather than the simple forward latching guns like the RPP models (e.g. the "Prizm" sold for a short time in the West) which mere mortals had access to.
 
There seems to be a move to selling pneumatic spearguns from the former Soviet countries to a wider clientele as evidenced by this web-site which I stumbled on when I was trying to track down the various sources of titanium-bodied pneumatic guns.

http://www.ru.all.biz/en/underwater-pneumatic-guns-bgg1089595

The "Doroganich" three-ball sear guns are listed which are supplied in either aluminum alloy or full titanium, their guns appearing at second and sixth in the page listing. Not a "Zelinka" operating system, but a high quality underwater weapon in its own right in the arsenal of Russian guns favored by the elite. Seems you can request a quote for any of these exotic weapons and check out the prices.
 
I found this "Zelinka" exploded parts diagram on www.apox.ru which shows the general layout for a gun of this type. The lower trigger finger guard is cut away to show the trigger pivot mount and guide for the trigger transmission pin on the drawing, that is why it looks a bit odd at first glance. The sear lever that engages the sliding inner barrel is part number 27. Note that the tank or body tube runs through the grip handle in a mounting arrangement commonly used on Russian and Ukrainian pneumatic spearguns.
Zelinka diagram.jpg
 

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A thing of beauty for sure, interesting spear head that comes with the shorter version, the one that resembles a chisel with concave tip, I have never seen that before but would imagine it would be very effective for shorter ranges.
 
I think that concave tip is for shooting around sunken logs. Similar idea to the crown tip produced by Pelengas (photo attached). If you slam a standard pencil or tri-cut tip into a log then it can be hard to extract after it has driven into the timber for some distance. The idea is the broader tip cannot penetrate timber, but it can penetrate a fish. A "bed of nails" effect would be counterproductive, however the "crown" tip is said to be OK for shooting Carp, but I think you would need to be close.
korona%202%20lep2.jpg
 
Found this video with instruction regarding the gun. I wonder if this is Alexander Bazovsky in person :)
I don't understand a word of what's he's explaining- and I'm puzzled about how he depressurized the gun before dismantle.. o_O

 
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Zelinka working principle
Here's a small video showing (in schematic) the Zelinka principle of operation with the sliding inner barrel:



I'm curious how these guns perform and if the trigger pull is nice and soft- anyone here ever tried one?

Jégwan
 
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A schematic showing the components of a "Zelinka" or "Zelinsky System" speargun.
Zelinka schematic diagram R.jpg

Although there is no channel shown into the air reservoir, it could be that the grey plug on the lower front of the nose cone lets the pressurized air out when you unscrew it. As the inner barrel tube slides forwards when you pull the trigger the line release pin is carried forwards with it to withdraw into the rear cap, thereby allowing the line wraps to pull free with the shot. The power controller lever, shown in lime green, looks like it revolves a throttle sleeve to vary port size and change the air flow inside the gun. How the ports size varies is not clear, probably the degree of overlap of one port in one component changing with respect to another port in a component which is immediately adjacent to the former. A similar revolving sleeve is used in the Tula "Neptune", but there the varying diameter ports are set in a ring group on the sleeve. When you muzzle load the "Zelinka" gun the grey front valve is pressed inwards and air can transfer into the tank, this valve acting as a one way valve. A bypass hole is shown in the lower body of the tail cone or rear cap, being highlighted in pale coloring. The second grey valve, which shares the same biasing spring, is the gun's inlet valve. The red arrow shows that you need to depress this valve to let the air out, hence the grey plug referred to earlier cannot be an air release plug. Probably it is a shooting line attachment point, we just don't see the eye loop.

The typical ball inlet valve requires an inner biasing spring retainer, but that may not have been so easy to fit without making the valve housing too bulky as it would require an internal screw thread.. The ball valve could be assembled from the outside rather than the inside, but then the biasing spring retainer would need to be sealed against air leaks. Thus the "Zelinka" gun uses a back to back twin valve system which dates all the way back in time to the Pirelli "Aries" pneumatic speargun.
Pirelli Aries valves.jpg
Zelinka back to back twin valves M.jpg
 
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