Guys,
Was thinking about a gun that won't weigh to much and would be suitable for BW action and XL doggies.
How about a 135 pneumatic with a power kit as an interesting option?
Is the Seaac asso a good option? I get them cheap.....
I already have rollers, but any options besides that would be considered....
Cheers,
Rusty
Are you thinking of a gun specifically for travel?
Can't comment on a pneumatic as i haven't used many!
Hey Rusty,
I've never traveled with mine but always assumed that it could be a problem as most airlines don't let you fly with a pressurized container. I think just the doubt that it can be an issue would turn me off from traveling with it. In addition, if it breaks a seal or anything else for that matter, I would assume it will be more difficult to repair than any band gun.
Mine is a Cressi 100 I inherited from my father so it will stay in my collection but from what I have researched , the loading effort to power ratio is bad in comparison to Mares and the Seac.
My 2 cents:)
Forget about Asso's. Get a Mares. A little bit more pricey, but much, much better quality.
A 110 Sten 11 will do the trick. But practice a little before you travel. It takes a while for some people to get used to how it shots.
What's wrong with the Asso Marco? My understanding is they work well.
Internal parts are poor quality (piston rusts inside the barrel), the trigger is hard to pull and the shaft that comes with the gun can be thrown to the garbage without even bother using it.
You might be interested in reading this: Testing my new Asso 90 - DeeperBlue.com Forums
The poster has longer pneumatic guns too, so may be worth asking him.
Don't get anything smaller then a 135 and make sure that you get a few extra stainless spears. Obviously if u are adding the dry barrel kit you won't e using the crappy stock shafts so pick a few up from spearfishingworld.com the 135 gun will be perfect with what you are wanting to do with it. Good luck
Hi guys,
Thanks for the feedback!
I'm not in a position where I need a travel friendly BW gun, but, I wouldn't mind another gun that I can travel with that will take big fish, and I wouldn't mind a pneumatic.
I get the asso real cheap, so that's why I was thinking about getting it...
Seems like an interesting option, no bulky heavy gun, no bulky bag! I will probably end up getting one to take to Lombok in September for dogtooths. Only thing I'm concerned about is a seal dropping out or something going wrong and not being able to fix it.
I guess it's a risk I can take and just take a roller as back up.
Honest question, how likely is it that something will break on it and what spare parts should I order in case it does???
Pneumatics work period. They have power and accuracy. I can't think of any situation where a good pneumatic would not suffice for fish up to 100lb, within the range of the shooting line. Except maybe in a big game situation where normally a 4-5 band speargun is used. But then that's what you're asking about specifically.
There are two disadvantages with a pneumatic. First the discharge noise, which scares away fish. I know for a fact this happens on the reef. Not sure if it's a factor in bluewater hunting situation. 2nd, the complexity of the pneumatic speargun in comparison to a band gun, and consequently its potential for failure. While this is generally true, it's also true that pneumatics can function perfectly for years with zero maintenance. I once found a 90cm mares cyrano on the reef, that's been on the sea bottom for at least a year judging by the buildup of coral on it. It was still loaded and fired right there and then.
One of the concerns is sand getting in the muzzle and behind the piston, and scratching the inner barrel when you load. This will cause an air leak. But when bluewater hunting sand in the muzzle is not likely to happen.
The slide ring can get stuck on a worn butt adapter. It can be dislodged with a few taps. This is more of an annoyance than a failure.
Another factor to consider is how robust the shooting line and float line attachment points are. While a lot of thought went into the design of the modern pneumatics, I find the attachment points as a rule to appear to be an afterthought.
If the pneumatic in question has already been used for a while and functions properly, has oil and there are no air leaks, there's no reason why it should fail on you out of the blue. I would trust it on a trip. But I would trust a band gun more because I can jury rig most anything that would fail on it, while for a pneumatic you're bound to require parts. Anything that you'd do with a pneumatic will require letting out the air and oil, then of course pressurizing it again. I can't see myself doing this on a boat. For this reason alone I would relegate the pneumatic for use "near home", or near a repair facility. If it was the only potent gun available I'd use it no matter what. But logic dictates that if you're going on a bluewater trip, you have the resources to acquire a speargun that will virtually eliminate the possibility of disappointment.
Dan that was a very thoughtful and informative post, thanks!
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