My Guns, that's all.

A few more...

All I can figure out is that one shaft is rigged breakaway and the other is probably connected to the reel, and that it's over under.

You dive with those soft blue Imersion fins?

Quote from cww180

You dive with those soft blue Imersion fins?

They were not the blue ones but the Purple Comp fins, I had four pair for testing on deeper dives they
were any thing but soft.Up hill in a real stiff current I could feel it after 4 hours.
Don

oh ok, sorry I didn't realize they're was a purple.

My old dive den from 1988;
# 1 Top- Negra Modelo- I made this gun in 1981, it has a 72'' Teak barrel, 6061T6 rail tube with teflon coating.
open black nylon muzzle with angled SS pin line cross over to secure the shaft. (some one Borrowed this from me before I could patent).Ti reinforced twin handles ( can be shot from ether) Undersea mech with hand milled
17/4 sears, Early Riffe reel, Bands had wire wishbones as to fit 4 in the 5/8 muzzle hole, Panther butt pad.400# Jinki shoot line.Shark inlay in shell, Mil spec camo tape. shark fin 3/8-5/16 or 9/32 maraging steel
shafts. center handle contained lead shot for different trim ballast.Max wt was 7lbs.
I built this gun to hunt the gin clear blue water of French Poly. It would pierce fish at 30 feet off the tip when rigged with 4 16mm bands @300%.

#2 Very oldTeak Florida Reef Rifle I bought years ago from a guy named Fry,3/8 shaft and flopper. I killed two Yellowtail with it before I hung it on the wall.
#3 Mares Titian ... Love this gun.
#4 Double Trouble Mk 1, 67'' 7075 T6 square tube, over under with delrin rails and 1/4'' Lace wood planking.
Dacor popper with trip line. Composite Reel and 5OO# kevlar.17/4 hand milled mech at the very rear.4 5/8 french bands @ #300%5/16 or 9/32 top shaft to brake away,45''x1/4'' bottom shaft to reel. I could write a book on this gun... but not tonight.:D
#5 58'' laminated mahogany barrel, maple and white oak handle keyed to barrel,hand milled 17/4 sear.
6061T6 gold reel with 500# kevlar.muzzle Ti inner plate and open muzzle line hook.When I built this gun in
1984 to replace a lost gun, it had a enclosed track I later milled off after pool tests,has inlay.
#5 R.I.P, 40'' Teak gun and euro reel. (story later).Marlin lure.:angry5: Little sister of Negra Modelo.
#6 Soda bottle charged Barracuda gun hrom the 60's.
and a Prodonavich and Charlie Sturgile in the corner.

Later, Don Paul

P.S. I change my overhang depending what and where I hunt and the shaft/ power needs.

Quote

#6 Soda bottle charged Barracuda gun hrom the 60's.

Don't tell me it was powered by those little cylinders that were used to carbonate water? I haven't seen that in 30 years, I started to think that contraption was a figment of my imagination.

Quote from Dan

Don't tell me it was powered by those little cylinders that were used to carbonate water? I haven't seen that in 30 years, I started to think that contraption was a figment of my imagination.

Yeah.. and it will put a shaft clear thru a LA phone book and oak door.....ask me how I know.:laughing3:

How many shots would you get out of each cylinder? Would you carry a few with you?

What was the purpose of the band slot shape in this gun?

Quote from Dan

How many shots would you get out of each cylinder? Would you carry a few with you?

What was the purpose of the band slot shape in this gun?

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The barracuda is one shot per cartridge I never shot it at a fish, some guns had a clip to hold 4cartriges.
The band slot is angled up and chamfered at the top corner, allowing the band to lie closer to the shaft axis.
Cheers, Go Phillie's

I thought this thread was a lot of fun, thought I would bump it out of the cave for the new members.

Cheers, Don

Damn John, looking at that picture continues to bring back memories of picking off calicos at SCI. I never should've given you that thing back. I'm writing Daryl and telling him to send you a new muzzle for it!

here's what i have, not as extensive a some other guys but they cover everything i do.

from left to right, the first gun is my 67'' bluewater and it shoots an 11/32'' shaft with 5 15mm or 16mm bands. it's made of mahogany and teak and i have taken tuna, wahoo, dorado and pargo with it.

second is a 64'' hybrid, shoots a 5/16'' shaft with 3 15mm or 16mm bands, it's made of koa and it's my wahoo, dorado and yellowtail gun in clear water.

third is a 58'' hybrid, shoots a 5/16'' shaft with 3 15mm or 16mm bands, it's made of curly mahogany and it's my white sea bass gun.

fourth is a 52'' hybrid, shoots a 5/16'' shaft with 3 15 or 16mm bands, it's made of mexican ebony and it's my dirty water white sea bass gun. the wood on this gun is so dense it wont float so the pipe is installed all the way to the tigger mech and there are two compartments in the rear that i normally install lead that are hollow in an effort to make the gun float. i also used a dw handle filled with high density foam to make the gun buoyant. at this point it barely floats with the shaft out but has a good feel in the water with the shaft in.

the fifth is a 140cm euro with a rabitech handle, this gun shoots a 7.5mm ra shaft with 2 16mm bands and it's my clear water baja gun for wahoo, dorado, pargo, cabrilla, ect. it's made of teak.

the sixth is a 120sm euro with a beuchat handle and shoots 7mm snaft with 2 16mm bands . i use it in southern california, baja and hawaii for smaller fish like calicos, smaller pargo, grouper, ect. its' made of mahogany.

the seventh is a 90cm euro with a beuchat handle and shoot a 6.6mm ra shaft with 2 15mm bands and i use it in northern california when the vis is good as well as socal, mexico and hawaii. made of teak.

the last gun is a 36'' midhandle made with riffe parts from padauk and shoots a 9/32'' shaft with 2 5/8'' bands. it's one of the first guns i have ever made and i have probably shot the most fish with it. with the handle almost in the middle of the stock it's very easy to use especially in northern california where the viz normally sucks, i can stick it under rocks and shoot lingcod and rock fish. i love this little gun.

over the years i have had many more guns but this group really does it for me, i like the hybrids in southern california and with the three different sizes i can cover any condition. i also like hybrids for mid column hunting in mexico for smaller pelagics because they pack a punch and are easy to handle. the euros i use mainly for aspetto in clear water and i like the 140cm as a light bluewater gun when the viz and currents permit. of course the largest and the smallest are pretty much dedicated to what they do best.

I'm sure glad I bumped this thread, Thanks Steve. I have a closer look in the Am. Very cool:thumbsup2:

Cheers, Don

Nice thread. Thanks for reviving it, Don. Some very nice looking custom guns.
I also have a guitar habit so if I get any more spearguns, my wife may make a big bonfire out of the whole mess.
The guns are mine and my son, jake's. We each have a small gun and a big gun.
The Riffes are a C3X and a Standard 5. I started with them but Jake took them over.
The Wongs are a 55 GR hybrid and a 63 super magnum.

The guitars....well....I like to assemble "Partsocasters". All are Warmoth hybrids. One real Fender. Also have a couple acoustics lying around.
Playing guitar, spearfishing and hanging with the family. Life in the country.

I saw this thread and started to dread pulling all these logs out and I still managed to forget a few..
I will name them all from top to bottom. Two measurements given. First is tip(not shaft) to mech, second is tip(not shaft) to butt. Guns that are "Donnell" were made by my grandfather, Bob Donnell.

My Cluster:
1) Donnell- 57" 66" My future bluewater YT/WSB gun. Just snagged it yesterday:cool2:
2)Donnell/Donnell- 46" 53" My go to CA gun. Love love love this thing. My grandpa originally made this, but after who knows how many years, it was trashed. So I chopped and reshaped the muzzle.
3)Donnell- 46" 51" My Mex gun. Rigged with a straight head and float/floatline. Takes down anything I want from groupers to bay bass.
4)80cm My Nor Cal gun. Stores easily in a paddle board/on a yak when ab diving.

My Dad's Guns:
1)Riffe- 44" 50" His Mex gun. Groupers and YT slayer, it does it all.
2)Donnell- 61" 68" Midhandle. My Dad's Bluewater YT gun.
3)Donnell- 48" 51" His CA gun. WSB and all around gun.
4) 100cm My Dad's old comp gun. Quick re-loading and powerful. Now its his Nor Cal gun.

History:
1)CO2 gun- 53cm Late 40's early 50's home built. Uses a life raft's tank to fire. No regulator, so we don't know how many shots this single tank was capable of.
2) Technisub Jaguar Picollo- 65cm Mid-Late 70's (Length is shaft length
3)In Depth- Viper 60" Weird gun...
4)Charlie Sturgil- 60" Cannibalized..
5) Charlie Sturgil- 44" This gun was lost, submerged for a year, found, sold to my Dad, then Dad shot his PB grouper at 123lbs.
6)Espadon- 65cm My first gun. Didn't even have a 3ft range. I don't think it has any blood on it.

Not pictured:
-(5) polespears
-36" Arbalette
-120cm gun (exactly the same as the 80cm + 100cm) Given to my sister's (ex)boyfriend, We're still good friends and its in good hands.:)

Somehow I just found this thread. Bump!
Fabulous collections and information.