Double Trouble

I has consulting to the late Patric Frain for a short time in the mid eighty's on blue water gun development for the West coast. This handle came to me unmachined,.My gun has a 7075 T6 core and fabricated rear mech from 17/4. along with line releases for each shaft.Boron/carbon side pods provide a barrel able to handle up 800 lbs of rubber.The pods contain champers and ports allowing the gun to be trimmed for 3/8, 9/32. and 5/16 shaft weights. My gun floats with the bottom shaft in
but is ballasted to sink nose down for safety.Patrick Frain's original Double was a freeshaft gun with twin front
mounted float tubes,top and bottem shafts seared in the handle/trigger assembly.
When I first pool tested it, one of the metal buoyancy tubes flooded and the
gun took on a heavy starboard list. The large tubes also made vertical tracking
of the gun very slow. The large buoyancy tubes would also point the speartips skyward as it sank butt down.
I designed a different approach which had a 66' 7075 T6 barrel, bonded and screwed lace wood sides, redesigned open muzzel with line cross over pin for
shaft retention of both shafts, a new clevis push rod 17/4 mech mounted at the very back to increase rubber pull.
I CNC milled a cast handle to include a clevis end Ti push rod and articulated
light wt trigger. All my components were weighed to the gram for a balanced launch platform.
The new gun was very powerful, with the wood side slabs the gun balanced well with a tip down trim angle. A small pad of 3M 5200 at the roof of the sear box and hi end planking made for a quieter shaft release.
At the end of the day my complete approach was not cost effective for Pat to produce, but may have led the way to his next generation of guns.

!. Pat Frain's lovey wife and dad at DEMA
2. Me and Ultimate Double with float tubes and handle sear assembly.
3.Double Trouble with Carbon pods, WSB head shot with 1/4'', 1 band under shaft.
4. One of my hero's Big Johnny Carrol, Don Paul with lacewood Double Trouble.
Big John is inventor of the first commercial over/under and father of the Sport Ways gun. He is also a Life member of the LA Fathomiers.

The second images shows the Dacor popper under the handle, it pivots aft on a Ti pin on the stock. A Ti and Abalone fish inlay keeps away
the bad MoJo. I have inlays from my first abalone in my personal guns and hand made knifes.

My kit is very versatile, I shoot my game gun full brake away to a 50' bungie linked to a tuna cord, cored poly float line and float depending on fish type. (hard or inflatable). Around my waist I ware a lose fitting polespear sling with a small adjustable down rigger clip.
My gun has a 500# vinyl covered mono leash 1 meter long; it's short length never allows the muzzle of my gun to point back at me.The clip allows the
gun to break away should a big fish spool me.

Having the leash allows me to hang my gun when I get hands on with the fish.
Once I have my hands in the gills I pull my float to me, yank a stringer from
its vinyl sleeve from my float, string the fish through the eyes, and only then remove the shaft. By now a few more big yellows come in close thinking I'm unloaded. I pull my gun back into my hand, make a dive on the fish and go for a head shot with my 1/4 inch 1 band lower shaft...this way I can have my ''reel'' fun.
Cheers, Don Paul

Quote from papaa

Thanks for the Pictures and thread Don Paul:)

My pleasure mate, Thank You for your service to this fine country.
Cheers, Don

Quote from LunkerBuster

Thank you Don....
your threads are a wonderful tour of a history I wish I could have lived. Thank you for sharing it with me/us

You make your own history...remember the past but live flat out in the present and love what you do everyday.
Cheers, Don

Quote from fuzz

Thanks for trying to explain - clears the pic up a bit, but still a bit cloudy for me. Is the Dacor float like one of the Riffe/Carter popper floats? Is it for the fish or just to keep track of the gun?

A big part of my curiosity was the thick kelp... you know that low tide matted stuff? It's challenging enough dealing with a single empty gun in the stuff, I can't imagine doing it very easily with a leash attached to a still loaded gun.

Seems like it could be a great setup for open water if you're used to it.

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I have my dog trained well, It's pulled a few hundred out of the woods.;)
I keep the gun tight to my bod in the thick weed, the gun system is very flexible. I was using the reel in this image, but my guys had to throw me this red eye on a line so I could drag the fish out over the top.
I would post some shots of two WSB on a breath hold but I think that would piss some guys off.
I have also done a few combos, WSB and YT or two YT. I don't do that unless my freezer is empty.
The gun has saved a lot of fish I would have lost to torn shots over it's life time.
I am not suggesting any one build a double, but my gun has been a lot of fun for a long time.
Cheers, Don

Quote from metelin

maaaan, i don't know what to say, you surprise me with every thread. i can't wait for the next one, my only regret is that i live so far away i would love to have a few cold ones and just shoot the shit.

steve

Beer my ass! I'm thinking ouzo with me and my chick and some warm Med water.:D
εις υγεία, Don

Core, are you in country?
Don

Double Trouble mk 1 and mk 2 with lacewood sides. ( the small legal WSB were shot by a friend)
Some times I go hood less so I can hear the fish better, but I get chilled out fast in the cold 62 degree water.
Cheers, Don

When I was a fish pig, and my freezer was low I could shoot two fish on one breath hold.
That's Jay R in the picture with his head down.