Upgraded my OMER t20 Oceanic...KILLER!!!

be VERY careful with sharp metal wishbones...it is a great way to cut off a finger...!!!!

i recommend using the inserts on the back end but tie replaceable dyneema wishbones on the loading end...much safer

Two 19mm Bands :@

Quote from loneranger

Hey guys, sorry havent got to post lately been very busy. I found the Omer T20 camo Oceanic with reel. 110 cm for $100! came with one 16mm band. and 6.3 shaft. Had 2 19mm custom european Bands made with brass hinged wishbone and threading. went with the 8mm shark fin shaft. This thing Freakin hurts to load, but feels like it will blow thru a tank!!!!!! will find out soon!!!!!!! Any ideas? please share......

it wont shoot straight with that setup is my guess.

Hello,,
I think an 8mm shaft is to heavy for a 110cm you should try better a 7mm shaft (Strong+fast and less recoil)...:)
8mm are more tended for bigger more bulky+heavy wood guns.

I agree with greekdiver. It's definitely too much power. Shaft whip isn't the only problem you have to think about... when you upgrade to a 8mm shaft, you now have a ton of recoil for a skinny gun. Not an ideal setup.

My t-20 (110) has a 17/64" shaft (also used 6.6mm & 7mm RA shafts) & 2 very tight 9/16" bands. Good balance of power & speed. I have a buddy that uses 2 5/8" bands and 9/32" shaft - accurate for him, but noticeably harder for me to shoot consistently. Guess I have girly wrists and can't handle recoil as well.

Quote from loneranger

i thought about using a 7.1 mm shaft, but was afraid it couldnt handle 2 19mm bands?

Quote from loneranger

hey im still learnin', guess if it turns out to be too much ass for the t 20, i can always downgrade it if i need to and use the extra hardware for another gun.

At least you're posting questions - that's the best way to learn.

7.1 is definitely too thin for 2 19mm bands. But more importantly... 2 19mm bands is very likely too much power for that gun. That amount of power needs a fair amount of speargun ballast & mass that a T-20 just doesn't have. Pipe guns, especially euro guns like the Omer t-20, are designed for lighter band loads & thinner shafts for smaller fish. Railguns like the aimrite/RA/mako/pelaj were made to be beefier versions to better take the increased loads. To put it in perspective, I wouldn't even use 2 19mm bands on most of my beefier wooden euro guns!
:@
Customizing guns is fun & helps personalize it... but be careful how you do so. Don't try turning the gun into something it's not. Doing so will often end in frustration. Instead, try to find a happy balance between power & accuracy.

fuzz, two 19mm bands are like three 5/8 bands. There are guys that use three 5/8 bands with a 9/32 (7mm) shaft :confused1:

http://www.omerdiving.com/catalog/spearguns/p09.htm
is this the gun?
if so i like it very much been have never seen one for sale
i imagine theyre not cheap

Quote from Dan

fuzz, two 19mm bands are like three 5/8 bands. There are guys that use three 5/8 bands with a 9/32 (7mm) shaft :confused1:

General rules aside, his Omer T-20 is a simple pipe gun with no rail. If you used 3 5/8" bands & 9/32" shaft on that gun as-is... I'd guarantee your accuracy would be shit. You'd have the inaccuracy trinity - barrel flex, muzzle flip, and bucking recoil!

As a general rule, I don't like 3 5/8" bands with a 9/32" shaft. Some people use it, but to do so effectively, you'd need a combination of several things including a strong wrist/forearm, enough mass in gun to offset some of recoil, and/or an enclosed track. As I recall, you liked your old Riffe to be overpowered & said it shot fine. Did you run 3 5/8" & 9/32"?

Some guidelines:

Mori recommends the following setups:
(I think Mori's guidelines are a bit light, but I've used them with decent success.)
2 9/16 for 9/32
3 9/16 for 5/16
4 9/16 for 11/32

I often use these guidelines:
2 9/16 for 17/64
2 5/8 for 9/32
3 5/8 for 5/16
4 5/8 for 11/32

An old RobAllen recommendation was:
1 16mm for 6.6mm
1 20mm for 7mm
2 16mm for 7.5mm

All of these are variable based on how tight you make the bands. For example, the RA recommendations were for Aussie setups... US bands are cut longer than stock RA bands.

Stock setups:
(Random sampling to show where trends lie)

Andre Euro 144 (stock has a lot of mass)
3 9/16", 9/32"

Aimrite King Venom
3 9/16", 7.5mm or 5/16" shaft

Aimrite Super Venom
2 5/8", 7.5mm shaft

Aimrite Venom
2 9/16", 7mm shaft

SeaSniper Reef Pro (enclosed track)
2 5/8", 9/32" shaft

Riffe Euro (120 & 130 models)
2 5/8", 9/32" shaft

Riffe Comp series
2 9/16", 9/32" shaft
3 9/16", 5/16" shaft

Riffe Std series (43"-55")
3 9/16", 5/16" shaft
3 5/8", 5/16" shaft

You can power up a gun as much as you want, but the underlying rule is balance. If you're shooting big fish in dirty water or caves/ledges... then overpower as much as you need to. If you're in Hawaii shooting 2-3# skittish goatfish, then go for lighter power & lighter shafts. The most important thing is finding your personal balance between power & accuracy. I'd rather sacrifice one band in power (I already string more fish than I care to) & be able to put the shaft exactly where I want it. Someone else may be able to put another band on & still shoot consistently. Either way, I'd vehmently argue that 2 19mm bands is excessive for that Omer T20.

(holy crap, that 1-line reply turned out longer than I originally intended!)

Quote from fuzz

As I recall, you liked your old Riffe to be overpowered & said it shot fine. Did you run 3 5/8" & 9/32"?

Can't remember saying that I liked it, if I did say it must have been very early on. I did have the Riffe overpowered with three 5/8" bands but it was out of ignorance, and my accuracy suffered. I now use two 5/8" bands exclusively with a 9/32" (7mm) shaft. But I like light wood guns. I was asking whether a beefier stock, with perhaps an enclosed track, will be able to handle three bands and 7mm shaft, as I believe some people use it. I actually consider this set up different/smoother than two 19mm bands. And yes, I think two 19mm with a 5/16" on that omer is too much power and too much shaft.

Thanks for the post fuzz.

yeah thats a lot of good info that i think id never have assembled in one place myself

The setup for that gun sounds like it's a bit too much. For guns that are 110 or 120 cm, I like to use a 7mm shaft and a single 20mm band or twin 14's and a single loop of mono. Both are accurate and plenty powerful. Euro guns are meant to shoot lighter shafts, with lighter band loads. Good luck.

Quote from Dan

Can't remember saying that I liked it, if I did say it must have been very early on. I did have the Riffe overpowered with three 5/8" bands but it was out of ignorance, and my accuracy suffered. I now use two 5/8" bands exclusively with a 9/32" (7mm) shaft. But I like light wood guns. I was asking whether a beefier stock, with perhaps an enclosed track, will be able to handle three bands and 7mm shaft, as I believe some people use it. I actually consider this set up different/smoother than two 19mm bands. And yes, I think two 19mm with a 5/16" on that omer is too much power and too much shaft.

Thanks for the post fuzz.

I only remember, because I vaguely recall arguing with you about it... & stubborn ole' Pargo just wouldn't budge. :laughing3:
Couldn't find it when I searched...

RE: 3 5/8" bands with a 9/32" shaft
Even if the gun is beefy enough to offset recoil & muzzle flip, there are two main things that could still affect the shot. If the gun is open track, shaft whip will be a definite concern. 3 5/8" is a lot of power. A 7.5mm SA shaft could work since it's stiffer than standard 17-4.

If the gun is enclosed track, the shaft should fly straight... but it's not a linear increase. For example, 3 bands will not give you 50% more power or effective range compared to 2 bands. When you factor in the enclosed track & extra mass to offset recoil, you have to determine whether the decreased mobility & extra hassles from that extra band are worth the slight increase in shaft speed/range. For some applications, it's well worth it. For most, not really. But either way, it's a personal call.

fuzz, I don't remember the argument, but I do remember being given flack for this pic. These are my first fish in Florida, beach dive, you can see the overpowered Riffe. Makes me smile now. Shooting fish was a mystical affair of squeeze the trigger, flinch from the recoil, and open my eyes to see if I hit something. Power was all I cared about, and it never entered my mind that it may affect accuracy. I think everyone who starts on their own goes through this phase.

Interestingly choice of fins follows a similar progression. Is it that we're getting smart or getting lazy? I had a lot of fun with my overpowered gun and my overpowered fins.

i hate to further digress, but I was shooting one 19mm and one 5/8" band on my tito on saturday and I tried several combinations. I shot with just the 5/8 (inline band, tied for 3x stretch) for working the shallow reefs at the end of the day (short shots 2-7 ft), the one 19mm band (Rob Allen brand) which gives me solid power to the end of the shooting line (single wrap) and both bands together.

I really enjoyed shooting with both of the bands together as it was the most powerful setup I have shot and had very good results...I was wondering if you think that might be over powered for a 7.5 mm shaft?

the gun is a wooden stock 120cm euro, foam ballasted