Pneumatic Spear Guns

[jerrythelocke]

I just retired to San Pedro, Belize, and would like to do some spear fishing on the reef. Crazy or brave - I drove from Utah to Belize in my Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling my boat by myself. Not knowing squat about spear guns, I thought I would ask for some help. How do pneumatic spear guns work? Do they require air cartridges or pumps? What brands, sizes, etc. would you recommend? Due to an elbow problem the rubber band types are not an option at the present time. If I can help anyone vacationing to San Pedro, let me know if I can help. You can contact me at jerrythelocke@yahoo.com. Thanks for your help.

 

[mudhole]

I just retired to San Pedro, Belize, and would like to do some spear fishing on the reef. . . Not knowing squat about spear guns, I thought I would ask for some help. How do pneumatic spear guns work? Do they require air cartridges or pumps? What brands, sizes, etc. would you recommend? Due to an elbow problem the rubber band types are not an option at the present time. .

Pneumatic spearguns have an air chamber that holds air for a long time. A piston moves down the barrel when pushed, and rushes to the front of the barrel when the trigger is pulled. The power to reload that piston can be adjusted by how much pressure you pump into the chamber. If you cannot load a band type gun, you might not be able to load a pneumatic. Most pneumatic guns require the same force to load as it shoots. Many band guns let you load 3 or more band each with less force to get a more powerful shot. Your other questions sizes will vary by your local conditions, short guns for close shots, long guns for long shots. Best advice is to find a local spearfishermen and dive with them and watch how they hunt. Read these messages, there are different ideas because we each hunt differently.

 

[abman]

I just retired to San Pedro, Belize, and would like to do some spear fishing on the reef. Crazy or brave - I drove from Utah to Belize in my Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling my boat by myself. Not knowing squat about spear guns, I thought I would ask for some help. How do pneumatic spear guns work? Do they require air cartridges or pumps? What brands, sizes, etc. would you recommend? Due to an elbow problem the rubber band types are not an option at the present time. If I can help anyone vacationing to San Pedro, let me know if I can help. You can contact me at jerrythelocke@yahoo.com. Thanks for your help.

another consideration is the depth that you will be hunting, the air compressed in the chamber of the gun looses power at depth. not noticable, in shallower waters, tho. i've been using a beauchchat for a number of years now and love it. i've killed a lot of big ling cod and cabezone with it. it's a perfect reef hunting gun. it's faster to reload thaqn a band gun. the biggest problem with it is two fuld. 1- you have to fire it to unload it. 2- when you unload it the shaft isn't attached to the gun with anything more than the shock line now. and the shaft is always flopping around unattached to anything. i don't like this in my inflatable. you can pump more air into the gun on the surface if you want a little more power, but i have never felt the need to do that. the pump does come with the gun when you by it. typicaly, you have two power settings on the gun, high and low. you always want to load the gun of low, then switch to high if you want to. another major draw back is if you bend a shaft using a pneumatic gun you are done! you can't use a bent shaft, while you can in a band gun. maybe not so accurate any more but you can still use it. good luck i hope this helps. ken

 

[Saltatrix]

I spearfish with a band powered gun, my buddy uses mares pneumatics. He has about three pneumatics and at any given time one of them is out of commission and needs servicing. If you decide to go with a pneumatic I'd make sure it is something you can get serviced. Or, you can just go with a band gun and never have to worry.

 

[Mandy3206]

Glad to hear you want to start spearfishing, it's very relaxing and exciting at the same time.

Never heard of a reliable Pneumatic......

I would suggest a pole spear or a hawaiian sling for you, easier to load and work with.

 

[dacordiver]

Pneumatic guns can be reliable or can be a nightmare depending on how you care for them. Mares guns for example, can hold charge for long periods of time, but if they aren't rinsed and stored properly, when it is finally time for an overhaul you could find that salt water corrosion has fused the gun in to one piece. On the other hand, I have seen guns that are 25 years old that are in great condition because they have been cared for. Like all things, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.

 

[Bwanar]

I have no problem with using a Pne. gun, but mainly for under ledge and wreck (tight) places. For longer shots I'd recomend a Band gun. You have some options with a band gun that you may not be aware of. I have hunted with an amputee (missing an arm) that had the bands modified (a bar welded between his wishbones) so that he could load his gun with one arm only. Did quite well in fact. I was impressed!

I just retired to San Pedro, Belize, and would like to do some spear fishing on the reef. Crazy or brave - I drove from Utah to Belize in my Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling my boat by myself. Not knowing squat about spear guns, I thought I would ask for some help. How do pneumatic spear guns work? Do they require air cartridges or pumps? What brands, sizes, etc. would you recommend? Due to an elbow problem the rubber band types are not an option at the present time. If I can help anyone vacationing to San Pedro, let me know if I can help. You can contact me at jerrythelocke@yahoo.com. Thanks for your help.

 

[ReefGuy]

Man, that's cool. I know a couple of shooters that have bad shoulders. I'm going to pass this tip on to them.

I have no problem with using a Pne. gun, but mainly for under ledge and wreck (tight) places. For longer shots I'd recomend a Band gun. You have some options with a band gun that you may not be aware of. I have hunted with an amputee (missing an arm) that had the bands modified (a bar welded between his wishbones) so that he could load his gun with one arm only. Did quite well in fact. I was impressed!

 

[Bwanar]

Since someone finds this usefull I might like to ad that they used a split piece of fuel line over the welded bar to take it easy on the fingers.

Man, that's cool. I know a couple of shooters that have bad shoulders. I'm going to pass this tip on to them.