Powerhead modification

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Ray2

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Location
NE Florida
Has anyone here removed the firing pin retaining spring from a powerhead.I've seen this done by some commercial guy's but didn't pay much attention to it untill now,I got one(.357).Thought's anyone.
Ray
 
Since all the powerheads I've ever used were homemade, I'm not sure what this spring does. The only spring we ever used held the shell or cartridge off the firig pin until the head struck the target. Removing that one would be mighty dangerous.
Is this a different spring?
Rick
 
The spring on the attached powerhead picture can be seen in the round opening with the retainer pin. The purpose of the spring is indeed to hold the base of the cartridge away from the firing pin until the barrel is forced backward.

Since the purpose of a powerhead is to kill something big and solid, why would you want to remove the spring?


Rick Murchison:
Since all the powerheads I've ever used were homemade, I'm not sure what this spring does. The only spring we ever used held the shell or cartridge off the firig pin until the head struck the target. Removing that one would be mighty dangerous.
Is this a different spring?
Rick
 
Tom Smedley:
The spring on the attached powerhead picture can be seen in the round opening with the retainer pin. The purpose of the spring is indeed to hold the base of the cartridge away from the firing pin until the barrel is forced backward.

Since the purpose of a powerhead is to kill something big and solid, why would you want to remove the spring?
Rick,yes thats the one and it doe's sound dangerous.I guess the only reason for this would be to decrease senitivity on contact,the guy I was refering to made a point of making sure there was no resistance when it would slide back and forth ,anyway he hed alot more experience than me.

Tom,
I'm not sure it's only for big fish,i've seen alot of medium to small ones taken with a powerhead,but I agree with Rick it does'nt sound to safe.
Thanks for the input guy's
Ray
 
Ummm... taking the spring out can cause the round to detonate when you fire the speargun. The inertia of the barrel forces the round back onto the pin, make go boom!
We would sometimes have to install heavier springs when using home loaded godzilla rounds, the .444 Marlin rounds could hold a ****load of powder & it'd be verrry uncomfortable going off that close.
 
Bob, thats what I'm thinking(premature detonation)of course,my wife accused me of this before ha ha :)I've handloaded some low power .38 special and some monster .357 mag.that will be used depending on the application but I sure dont want it going off on release of the shaft!I didnt think removing the spring was a common practice. What did you shoot with the .444 marlin,sounds big?
Thanks
Ray
 
Ray2:
Rick,did you make the powerhead yourself?
Ray
Not "my"self, but "our"selves. One of my friends' fathers had a machine shop; we got help from the machinists there too. This was back in the early 60's and ours were, as far as we knew, a totally original and new invention. I never saw a commercial powerhead until at least a decade later. Ours were quite crude by today's standards, and quite powerful. We used 12GA shotgun shells. And we used them exclusively on sharks.
Rick
 
I'm not sure it's only for big fish,i've seen alot of medium to small ones taken with a powerhead

I've never seen them used for anything except personal protection. You folks are actually using them to kill game fish?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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