SPEARGUNS

[Freedive WI]

Fred,

What kind of gun are you using right now?

I have two. I won this really nice teak gun off of the Freedive Hawaii website a couple of years ago. It is really too long for the vis that we have around here, but It is a really sweet gun. She is neutral when loaded and floats once shot. I have a good 15'+ range with her- problably closer to 20'.

Jon

[Freedive WI]

I also have this really short little gun I bought becasue my first gun was too long. Unfortunatly, this gun is a little bit too small.

Jon

[freedivernd]

I have the inexpensive (like $40 or so) mares explorer 50 and some other no name antique. The wide trident actually works pretty good on the no-name.
Fred

[Freedive WI]

I was thinking about getting one of those 75cm Sporasub Viper guns off of the Diveinn website for about $75. I think that a Euro gun would be small, fast and not too much overkill for the pan fish around here.

By regular freediving buddy, Ted, is having a custom wood gun made that looks like a Riffe MTO, but made out of wood. It is a killing machine and costs a bit more than I care to spend, but he is really into the whole hunting end of the sport. He wants a gun with a lot of "umph" to get a record Buffalo or carp.

Jon

[LKunze]

Just out of curiosity where are spear guns legal to use for diving? I know nothing about them but I've never seen a diver locally with a spear gun. ???

[freedivernd]

Minnesota - rough fish only
North Dakota - game and rough fish except certain areas
you can visit for the rules in North Dakota
Fred

[freedivernd]

Here's an excerpt from Minn. DNR:
• Licensed anglers and children under 16 may take rough fish by
spearing, harpooning, archery, and hand-held dip nets in all inland
waters, except where taking fish is prohibited. All rough fish, except
cisco (tullibee), may be bought and sold. Note: whitefish are not
considered a rough fish.
• Rough fish may not be taken by spear, harpoon, archery, or dip net in
designated trout lakes or streams.
• Harpoons (spears) must have a tethered line not more than 20 feet long.
• It is unlawful to possess at or near waters a spear, net, or any device other than angling line that can take fish from February 16 through April 30, 2004. The exception is landing nets used for angling.
• Speared or dead rough fish may not be returned to the water or left on the ice or banks of any lake or stream.
Fred

[huisende]

Has anyone tried Pnuematic gun?

I have been looking at guns, and read all the rules. There is a large list of "rough fish" you can shoot. They are listed in the MN DNR site.

I am a little leary with this, since I have a 13, 15, and 17 yeat old son also diving. They hunt pheasant with me, but It is prabably alot easier to keep the gun pointed in the right direction when you have your feet on the ground.

How hard is it to reload underwater?

[freedivernd]

I haven't tried a pnuematic gun but I understand that they lose substantial power at deeper depths. The smaller band guns that I have are very easy to load under water but there is a little bit of a trick in just how to grab the band to easily pull them into the notch on the shaft.
Fred

[Freedive WI]

Pnuematics are a lot more dangerous ot load.
As soon as you start to push the shaft into the barrel it is under a load to shoot back out. You need to get in it in far enough to click without it slipping on you. You also need a seperate loading handle to do this- or you would put the shaft through your hand in the process.

There was a really nasty x-ray photo on one of the freediving boards last year of someone who loaded one wrong and it went through their skull. THe person lived, but the x-ray was unreal.

Pnuemo's also need regular upkeep of their seals and rings. They need to be repressurized every so often. Any bit of dirt on the shaft while loading can really mess it up.

When the gun is not loaded you have nowhere to keep the shaft on many of the guns. With a band gun the shaft is always in the tract, just not under power until the bands are pulled back.

For some reason most freedivers use band guns. They are very simple to maintain and usually are cheaper than a pnuemo- but there are some exceptions.

The only people that I know of who use pnuemo's are scuba divers. Ther is some debate about these guns on the freediving forums, but band guns often win out.

I would stay with a band gun for the safety in loading issue alone.

Jon