Railgun or Pneumatic?

    I'm looking for a gun with more range that won't break the bank and is a good buy. I'm a big fan of pneumatics, for some reason they just seem easier to load, but I'm tempted to get a band gun.


    I'm having an internal battle between getting this specific pneumatic and a nice railgun in the 100-120 range.


    Salvimar Vuoto Air 100: stock loaded with a dry barrel, supposedly hits 5-6 meters (also if anyone knows any US resellers of this gun it'd be appreciated. Scubastore from AU has it for 160, but then its another 80$ for shipping!)


    My roomate has a phantom 120 from Dan and loves it, but truthfully I find 120 it to be a little long. I'm a small guy and loading it is a pain. How much power is going to be lost if I get a 100 vs 120(relatively speaking)




    Do you guys have any other recommendations for either category?


    Any advice and opinions appreciated.


    Thanks.

    I have a dive buddy who uses a Pneumatic sometimes for beach dives. He does ok with it but I think that has more to do with his individual skill level. Sometimes he'll miss a fish from close distance because he forgot to 'power' up the gun. It happened today in fact. So they do take more consideration & care. Most people use railguns because they are a giant sling shot basically. Easy maintenance and you never have to worry about your power output so long as the bands are still in good condition. Your bands should last you about a year +/- depending on the frequency of your dives.


    There are many manufacturers/brands of railguns but the bottom line is you should never order online if it's your first gun. If possible go into a good freedive shop and put one in your hands. You should be able to recognize quality components & materials from garbage. Omer is a perfect example. They sell total BS and also some good guns as well. My 1st gun was an omer cayman and I went through 2 of them in a week. Divers Direct told me '1 in 200 comes from the factory defective.' I told him 'must be 2 in 200..'


    You get what you pay for. $250 is an average price for a nice railgun of decent quality.


    - Chase

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    Liquid, you beach dive mostly correct? If you choose a pneumatic, after the first time you'll get a grain of sand behind the piston, load the gun and scratch the inner barrel causing an air leak, you'll probably change to band powered guns. You'd have to buy a new barrel, empty the gun of air and oil and disassemble it completely to replace the barrel.


    Pneumatics are very cool and fun to use guns. They were a great choice when all that was available was mediocre band guns. This is no longer the case. There are many band powered guns available that out perform pneumatics range and power wise.


    Pneumatics are noisy and scare fish. Not the fish you're shooting at, it will have a shaft through it before it can learn to leave the area when it hears a pneumatic discharge. Rather the fish your dive buddy is about to shoot and all the other fish nearby.


    There's a reason why all experienced Cuban spearfishermen, the most hard core pneumatic users, eventually switch to band powered guns.


    Still, pneumatic versus band powered is a personal choice, and some people just enjoy the slick and compact design of the air powered speargun. If you end up wanting to give a fart gun a run, don't get suckered into the hype of some of the new overpriced arrivals on the market. Once familiar with the internals you'll realize they're basically all the same, and power and range doesn't change much from one manufacturer to the other. It rather depends on the length of the gun ie. how much compressed air it holds. What does matter is a proven track record (durability/reliability), price, and easy access to replacement parts and service when you'll need it. The Seac Sub range of pneumatic spearguns fulfills all those requirements.


    FreediveStore.com is a dealer for Seac. Let me know if you're interested in a Seac pneumatic and I'll guide you through their offerings.


    I have a seac asso 75 and love it. I just want more range. Most manufacturers don't make dry barrel pneumatics, and if they do it's 400+ . The one I specified is dry barrel, and with shipping is 240$, equivalent to what I'd pay for a railgun of the same capacity. So that's where the dilemma really lies.

    I had a "Mares spark" pneumatic which was powerful, fun and accurate, now the gun is a junk. I also have a Cavalero Champion band speargun that belonged to my father. The gun is 40 + years old and still in perfect order. A railgun would outlive a pneumatic by far. Get a Railgun. You won`t regret.

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    I'm not tall (5'7") and can load a 150 band gun (because haven't tried any longer one).It's more technique than range or strength. If you dive clear waters don't get anything shorter than a 110.

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

    I know the 75 is just a hole gun, but I use it as a quasi pole spear as well.


    Simple: dry barrels provide ~25% more power, or 25% less loading resistance, depending on which way you want to set it up. The one I wanted to get was 100cm, with a dry barrel it should be equivalent to a 120-130 band gun (at least at low depths) . Considering everything though, I think I'm going to get a band gun.

    I actually think some fish are attracted to it. On many occasions I've shot and had fish actually come closer to check out what it was.


    Has anyone had experience with both the Speardiver phantom and the hammerhead evo2 that would be willing to provide pros and cons and there experience with both?

    Same gun I believe. I own a 120cm phantom & a 90. Good gun for the $$. Should serve you well, just take care of your gear no matter what brand you go with dude.


    Chase

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

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