I wouldn't say the happiness went down the drain. Now hau is even more happy with his RA and has some money to spend on.. whatever he wants 
Congratz hau <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">
BTW 130 is freakin' long for an all around reef gun.
They looked like pneumatics because on one of the shafts you could see the slider. My Italian is probably rustier than yours I think the comparison they were doing was between shaft diameters 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm and also band power vs. pneumatic. I don't think that test is relevant to what we're trying to find out here. If one were to go by the results of that test it could be concluded that pneumatics are more powerful overall. I put the vid there cause it's fun and to give someone who hasn't seen it before an idea of how such a test would be done.
I thought it would be a waste too. I just got back from the wood store and picked up this piece of teak, it's pretty straight. It's longer and wider than what I needed but I can cut it down the middle and make two guns, the second one can be as long as a Riffe C2X. Cost me $40. For a long gun I would definitely go with a laminated stock.
Do you think planing it down to 1.5 x 1.5 approx. will necessitate aging it again?
Since the whole idea is about which short gun has more power I think the first factor to isolate would be overall gun size. The Cyrano 700 is exactly 70cm long from muzzle to the end of the barrel. It follows that the wood gun should also be 70cm long from muzzle to butt. In this case a chest loading gun is imperative although for testing purposes one with an extended butt for hip loading can built and then the butt discounted. I'm only saying this because if I build a gun it's going be one that I'll use, consequently I will only build a hip loader.
The question of how much travel the piston has inside the barrel and the logistics of spear acceleration is irrelevant because we are specifically comparing power vs. size and the gun is already made and this can't be altered. It would also be irrelevant how much band stretch the wood gun will have and the mechanics of the bands pulling the shaft. What is relevant is that the wood gun have maximum band stretch possible for that size. This to me entails putting the band slot as close to the front of the muzzle as possible and making a shaft which in the loaded position will have the fin as close to the trigger mech housing as possible.
Power considerations; Maximum power possible utilizing the variables of band diameter, length and number, without negatively affecting accuracy. Conversely the pneumatic should be pumped up to max power without affecting accuracy. Mamba or similar kit not allowed.
Like I said the Cyrano is already here, all it may need is a few more pumps. Although I do keep it well charged just so that loading is not too difficult. What remains is building the gun. For testing purposes it can be made out of a 2 x4 really but I need a small gun anyways.
Tin man, I'm thinking that 30" blank your dad has is perfect for this experiment. Since it's such a short gun I don't think that warping is a big issue. I'm going to head over to the wood store and if they have a piece of teak more or less the dimensions I want I'll buy that and make the gun out of a solid piece. If not I'll buy the blank if your dad still has it.
It would be even more amusing if you knew the subject matter :tool3:
Yeah sure I'll help you. Thing is I don't use photoshop much. I use Corel Paint for most everything.
In this case I'm focusing on the power aspect only. I want to myth bust this one.
I've seen this thrown around a few times. I'm not sure I believe it. I do have a tricked out Mares Cyrano 700. That's a 70cm gun which uses a 7mm shaft. I used to use a riffe of about the same length with one short 20mm band. I'd like to get rid of the mares and build a short band gun. That should make clear my preference.
But to play it on the safe side, does anyone have a short wood band gun so we can do some penetration tests with a milk jug full of sand? I'll provide the pneumatic. If not it'll will have to wait till I build mine.
Congratz Lunkerbuster. 120cm is a big gun but it should handle as good or better than any other 120. Let us know how it worked out.
Good luck with everything.
She's beautiful. Dogs are cool too.
To clarify; when I said that I didn't mean she sits on the dog etc. I meant that she ignores it completely which is how I like it. There were times when she'd get wild and try to hit it, I corrected her when this happened. Now she just ignores the dog.
Good stuff core. Reminds me of a similar experience with mine. The local Bass Pro shops has a big aquarium. She was fine with it until one of the catfish slowly came right up to the glass and it looked like it was watching her. When it got so close she got scared and after that didn't want to go near the aquarium any more. It will go away with time. But I noticed that she has a natural aversion to cockroaches etc. I guess it's built into us because so many insects can inflict pain. She's not worried about dogs though, they're just furniture to her since I always had big dogs around.
I'm the father of a 3 year old girl. While I'm hesitant to introduce her to the ocean I'm definitely interested in her developing breath hold ability. We've all seen footage of less than two year old babies underwater. I'm nowhere near that ambitious and I do not push a child that way.
I also recognize that some individuals have a built in cautiousness when it comes to water, everyone develops at a different pace. My daughter for example was fully toilet trained by a year and a couple of months. This is something that amazes most Americans, I'm sure you've all seen the diaper commercials featuring 3 year old children.
Anyways, I have no point of comparison but I've felt for a while that my daughter is one of those individuals that may have trouble with water, her mother does. I got this idea because of her resistance to put her face under the stream of water coming from the shower. I noticed it early on at about 2 years of age and since let her have her way and not put her face under the water. She is now 3 years and 4 months. About a month ago I said enough is enough and put some pressure on her to expose her face to the water when in the shower. In the beginning there was protest and I let her know that this is the way it's going to be. Over this month things got gradually easier but she'd still hide her face with her hands and try to avoid the stream as much as she could. At times she'd swallow a little water and cough.
I expected a very slow progression but out of the blue she surprised me today. All of a sudden for the first time she fully exposed her face to water and actually let the stream fill her mouth. She would then play and spit out the water making that sound. From zero to hero in the course of one day! Letting your mouth fill with water is something we all take for granted but it is a definite indication of breath holding ability. I stood there watching and let her continue this for 5 minutes, she was enjoying it and I was encouraging her. Maybe we'll have some fun at the beach this summer
I was interested in info on specifically where to cut without making the fish look like this.
In light of the recent thread where Davie "El Degollador" performed his art on a cobia I wanted to get more information on bleeding fish and whether this is actually a valid practice for us as spearfishers. My thought was that when we shoot a fish most of the time it bleeds out anyways, especially if gutted in the water, so maybe bleeding out is something more important for H&L fishermen. I also wanted to find out what is the best method for it.
Here's a little info I found so far.
QuoteDisplay MoreEssential Steps After Catching Fish
1. Kill the fish quickly or keep them alive in a mesh basket under water.
Kill, bleed, and gut a fish as quickly as possible after landing. A single, heavy blow to the head stuns or kills the fish, making the fish easier to handle. It also prevents the bruised flesh that occurs when fish flop around after being landed. Slitting the throat or cutting the gills also kills the fish quickly.
Freshwater fish like crappie or bass are best if cleaned and iced immediately after you kill them. If you want to keep your fish alive, use a stringer or mesh basket that holds them under water in the lake or river where you are fishing. Avoid placing the fish in a bucket of water. Fish quickly use up the limited oxygen in a bucket of water and die.
2. Bleed the fish immediately after killing.
"Bleeding" the fish means you cut the fish, preferably at the throat or through the gills and sometimes through the artery at the tail. Work quickly since the fish's heart continues to pump for a few minutes, even though the cuts kill the fish. The heart's pumping action forces blood out of the fish through the cuts and prevents accumulated blood from discoloring the flesh and causing undesirable changes in flavor and texture.
Here's a good method for bleeding a large fish.
1. Stun the fish, string a rope or line through its mouth and gills, and dangle the fish over the side of the boat. (Don't submerge the fish in water yet.)
2. Cut the throat or gills and let the fish bleed into the water.
3. Submerge the fish under the water.
4. Bring the fish into the boat before you move to a new location.
3. Clean and gut the fish promptly and thoroughly.
"Gutting" the fish involves cleaning out its body cavity and removing blood, bacteria, and other material in the digestive tract. You should also cut out the gills. Removing the fish's internal organs and gills slows down spoilage and may also prevent parasites from moving into the fish's flesh. If you can't gut the fish immediately, at least bleed it and chill it until you gut it later.
If you bleed or gut the fish inside a boat, use a plastic garbage bag to catch the fish'sinternal organs and blood. Discard the waste appropriately (for instance back at the dock or boat launch site). Discarding fish organs into the water may be illegal.
4. Chill the fish with plenty of ice.
Cooling fish is critical. Spoilage begins as soon as the fish dies. All fish, gutted or not, spoil rapidly if they aren't chilled right away. Ice is the best choice for chilling fish. Cold sea or lake water is the next best choice, followed by covering the fish with a wet cloth. Note the temperature of the water in which you're fishing. During the summer, surface temperatures of normally cold ocean waters can reach 65°F or higher. Keeping fish in water that warm isn't a good idea. If you plan to be out all day in a boat, bring ice.
Never let fish lie in the sun. Keep them shaded and wet if ice is unavailable. Cover fish with a wet, porous cloth like burlap or an old sheet. Cooling occurs as water evaporates from the cloth.
Do not put fish in a plastic bag unless you have ice. A plastic bag traps heat and accelerates fish spoilage.
Cold temperatures slow spoilage. Fish adapted to cold waters deteriorate rapidly at refrigerator temperatures (above 42°F). Chilling and storing fish in crushed ice (about 32°F) enable the fish to keep at peak quality longer. "Blue ice" types of products are less effective at lowering storage temperatures to 32°F.
Use lots of ice to chill fish quickly. One pound of ice for each 2 pounds of fish is a good rule of thumb. Use more if you have a long trip home. Use crushed rather than cubed ice. This prevents sharp ice cube edges from cutting delicate fish and allowing spoilage bacteria to build up in the cuts. However, any ice is better than no ice.
Place fish in small plastic bags with less than 5 pounds of fish per bag. Then place the bags in a cooler and surround them with ice. Surround large, dressed fish with ice in a single bag, and put ice in the belly cavity. Drain the meltwater as necessary. Blood and bacteria drain from the fish into the melted ice, so avoid letting the fish lie in the meltwater.
Consider the following table, which shows the relationship between storage time and quality of freshly fish fillets:
Holding Temperature High Quality Shelf Life
42°F 3 1/2 days
32°F 8 1/2 days
Note that fish kept in crushed ice at 32°F will last much longer than fish kept at 42°F, which is the most common refrigerator temperature. Ice is the key to fresh tasting fish.
I learned a few things doing this work. I was trying to apply the resulting putty in such a way as to minimize sanding after. I didn't really know what gelcoat is and was worried about having to sand it. Turns out it's just plastic. Similar to any other kind of patch work it's better to apply the putty somewhat liberally and then sand it down. The different grades of sand paper bring the gelcoat to an almost original glossy finish.
I didn't like using the epoxy thickener. I think I had to use so much thickener to get the mixture to the right consistency that it will effect the strength of the epoxy. Another issue was that I didn't use coloring because I thought the thickening powder was going to dry white. It actually dries to a beige color. Since repairing the chips was mostly a matter of cosmetics it kinda defeated the purpose. I already had the west marine epoxy and hardener from before so it made sense to proceed this way and just buy the thickener. For future repairs however I would use a kit they sell for the same price as just the thickener. It requires minimum mixing and dries white.
Here's a shark story from Killshot (Eric) and Roberto Reyes.
QuoteDay two and Lenny decides after breaking his fins the day before to not dive with us today. After getting the props all fixed up and healthy we head out to the south drop to a place Roberto and I had dove on his previous trip. Lots of pinnacles right near the deep water. Once again in the bluer than blue water we begin the chum dance the bag off the side of the boat, bait fish on the stringers and Steve getting shooting pratice on triggers for fresh chum. We proceed to do this for a few hours and same as the day before. NO hoo's anywere. Water must be to warm. Steve and Roberto and my wife Gail take to the water again and my wfie gets buzzed by a good sized reef shark but plenty safe between Roberto and Steve who are heavily armed. The shark decides better and swims off. After Steve shoots another trigger another reefy gets brave and Roberto lets him have it with his Rob Alexander. Lights out for him. Back in the water for another round Steve gets another barracuda for chum, Roberto gets a good sized horse eye jack and two snappers on one shot on a deep dive to what looked like atleast 80 or 90 feet. After about 20 minutes more we start to drift off the deep side of things and I begin really chumming up some more fresh cuda and notice way down deep some reefies moving really fast around the bait and quickly eating it up. I look up out of the water and over towards Roberto and ask if he had seen the all the sharks tearing up the bait and he acknoledges that he had and how cool it looked. At this time Steve has decided to leave the us and swim back to the boat off away from us and is back at the boat. As I see he is safely there I take a look down and see what looks like one of the reefies coming to have a look at me or my flasher hanging on the float. Admiring the beauty of him I notice he is not really going to slow up and notice as he gets much closer that he is huge and not stopping. Getting closer he turns to my left and lights up in the sun with the ever present stripes of a huge tiger. SHIT!!! Iturn to look and yell to Roberto that there is a tiger here and he is big. I then stick my head back under water to keep my eye on the shark and shorlty after feel Roberto grab my arm to let me know he is there and I am not alone. As the tiger makes a turn back in our direction Rob gives the shark a charge as if to try and scare the beast off only to have it redirect itself head on towards me with the jaws opening. With gun pointed towards the shark in seld defense and about ready to shoot the best less than 10 feet away Roberto decides the shark is moving to fast at me and getting way to close and agressive and last his shaft fly. Direct hit behind the eye and the shark veers away just short of us. After a few holy ****s and and screaming for the boat we get in and begin the long task of subdiung the besst and trying to boat it. The whole shark incedent took less than about 20-25 seconds from the time I first seen it to when Roberto blasted it. Needless to say we were never able to get the shark into the boat being that it was a solid 13 footer. After the cleaning and pictures and all the clean up I look back and can only be glad for one thing and that was for having a solid dive buddy. Thanks Roberto!!! Not sure how much a shark like that weighs to give you an idea, three of us could not drag it into the boat and we had to use a small 4x4 off road vehicle to drag it up onto our pier. The jaws we removed were big enough for us to step into and pull up around our waist. Also we noticed that this shark had absolutely nothing in its stomach upon cleaning it. If I could say one thing about bluewater diving, always make sure that your dive buddy is near. Roberto if you have some pics to add please do. Eric
Terry Maas also shot a tiger shark. I'll try to find the story.
I also seem to recall a story of someone that stoned a tiger shark shooting it in the mouth and then dragging it to shore but I don't remember who. Maybe someone from Hawaii.
