Woodie?

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Are the Australian made Woodies any good? I can get one cheap but I don't want to get what I pay for lol. It's not a brand I know
 
Why?????????
If you can't "test drive" don't buy - at any price.
What is good for one person is not necessarily good for another.
 
The are very good guns!

The were the first wood guns on the market way back 50 years ago and generally all have the "Aussie" trigger mechanisms, the same trigger that the current Riffe line of guns is based. The basic difference is Aussie is of made of Brass and Riffe is made of SS. Therefore can not use as many or as strong slings.

sdm
 
Perfect reason NOT to buy one!!
Why would you want anything brass to use under salt water when S/S is available??????????
I don't care how well you rinse a gun it will still have salt on it.
Experienced spearo.
 
Perfect reason NOT to buy one!!
Why would you want anything brass to use under salt water when S/S is available??????????
I don't care how well you rinse a gun it will still have salt on it.
Experienced spearo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Experienced Spearo ( Spearo--I detest that term!)

FYI The Aussie Mechanism was designed by the late Wally Gibbins after WW11. The original guns did use brass but that many many years ago and was probably prior to your involvement in the sport.

The orginal Aussie guns were designed as previously mentioned by Wally but were manufactured by T.D. Preece Co. as the Sea Hornet line. A very few with brass components entered the US and generally as individual mechanisms; most that arrived installed in the guns were of SS construction.

About 20 years ago Alfred Biller began importing the Sea Hornet. He liked the gun so in 1990 he patented the gun in the US and added a harder sear lever and several cosmetic changes. Further in 1999 he added another patent which raised the trigger point. That was almost ten years ago; therefore the gun in question is possibly one of the newer models.

The wood Riffe line of guns also use an orginal modified Gibbons mechanisms made of SS.

The wood Alexander guns as well as most high end custom guns use a mechanism based on the Gibbon unit, however the Alexander is encased in 2X1/2 inch SS to with stand the 400 to almost 1000 pounds of thrust demanded by tuna guns.

The wood JBL uses a unique JBL SS Mechanism designed by Joe Lamonica

The Samson tube gun, designed by Herb Samson used a very unique 2 peice trigger mechanism which was brass and had a unique feature of a rinse hole. As the power increased from the kettle cured rubbers to the current surgical tubing the sears needed to be checked and replaced often. The line was aquired improved with SS parts and manufactured first by Aquatic Center and later by Sea Tec

Therefore I agree SS is on most cases best to use and in most guns today have SS componets..

sdm
(from my forthcoming book)
 
Sam, about those triggers. As I remember, Riffe copied the Underseas trigger and Biller uses a modified Sea Hornet trigger. I doubt that they are the same. Maybe the design "philosophy" is similar, don't know. Good luck with the book.
Pesky
 
A little less book knowkledge and alot more real life experience UNDER WATER WITH A SPEARGUN would prove my point.
Why do you think everyone went to S/S? Because it shines?????
Sea Hornet triggers have also recently been modified. Again.
 
Rich, I have been shooting Sea Hornets, then Biller, for over three decades without major problems. They are really nice, light weight guns, especially the Biller. The original Sea Hornet used a stainless trigger. However, the Undersea trigger, which is thicker metal, was made of brass in the early days. This was considered adequate for the lightly powered guns of the day. Today's triggers are stainless and resemble the Riffe which is a copy. Over 12 years ago, Biller decided that Sea Hornet could be improved by changing the leverage and pivot of the trigger. He urged Sea Hornet to do this but when they ignored him he began independently producing the modified item. At the same time, the sear material was changed, being stamped from 17-7, a type of hardened steel similar to 17-4 from which arrows are made. Some time ago, admirers of these designs, which are numerous, began copying the mechanisms. In many cases since these new triggers were anticipated for use with very high rubber tension, the details of the designs were strengthened. However, for the average diver, the Australian derivatives such as Biller should be more than adequate. More recently, Sea Hornet, following modern practice, is also making their sear from hardened steel. So, the Aussies are coming around to making strengthened components, abeit not as quickly as some US companies.
 
A little less book knowkledge and alot more real life experience UNDER WATER WITH A SPEARGUN would prove my point.
Why do you think everyone went to S/S? Because it shines?????
Sea Hornet triggers have also recently been modified. Again.

I know Sam has plenty of real life trigger time in underwater. With a large variety of guns.
 
The woodie guns are again being imported and sold in the US. I have a freind who uses a few and they seem to be very capable guns. The line release, with the exposed spring (as I recall) looks vunerable to damage to me, but they seems to hold up reasonably well.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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