Frequently Asked Questions:
Bands
Bands Are Not Created Equal
There is always ongoing tweaking of gear by divers to try and get that little bit of edge with their equipment. That is only natural because the better our gear works the more fish we shoot. The single most important piece of gear in our harvesting of fish is our gun. There are hundreds of different guns out there but they all have one thing in common. The guns shaft has to be powered by something...whether it be compressed air, explosive material, or bands. Band powered guns are by far the most popular, whether you have a production gun, a euro-style gun, or a custom gun.
There are several ways that latex bands can be made. The two most common are:
1. EXTRUDED - This is the most common way of manufacturing. It is made by pushing Latex powder through an extrusion machine under heat and pressure, kind of like making a hollow noodle. The quality of the material is good because of its homogenous structure. However, it does not have some of the performance characteristics of the dipped latex bands.
2. DIPPED and CONTINUOUS DIPPED - This process of dipping a thin mandrel into a latex vat, produces concentric layers of rubber through its wall thickness....like rings in a tree. These layers enable the bands spring rate to remain relatively constant when stretched, even when elongated past 300%. This results in a smoother pull and rebound. It is also tougher and more resistant to tearing.
Band color....the most common colors are AMBER and BLACK.
1. AMBER is the natural color of latex. It is translucent, and therefore, UV rays can reach the inner layers and cause damage inside and out, which means that these bands will wear faster.
2. BLACK latex is formed by the addition of black carbon. It is added to bands because it is a proven method to prevent the aging of rubber. That is why tires are black and have been that way for the last 100 years. The black has no effect on the bands performance.
2. OTHER colored bands (like yellow, blue, red, or black-on-amber). These are just pigments added to the outside of the latex bands. They all slow the damage done by UV rays, so performance is the same, but they last longer.
Interestingly, there are trade secrets in the formulation of latex bands. Some are stiffer, some softer, and like fine wine, some batches are better than others because of the way it was formulated. Some bands may be better suited for some people, but not for others. It is a matter of personal choice. This is why it is important to try all the different bands and test them. In general, with some exceptions, the manufacturers of the opaque one-color bands (mostly black) have formulas which result in bands that are harder to pull, have more snap, pop, and recoil. In general, the translucent color manufacturers (clear amber or colors-on-amber) tend to make softer, smoother, and springier bands.
I personally like a band that has a smooth stretch and slingy release, while others may like the quick snap of a tougher band. It also depends on the situation for which the band will be used. On my primary fish gun, I like the softer release because of the lower recoil. This is because most the fish I shoot in Hawaii aren't large, and I would much rather have accuracy than distance. However, when I go bluewater hunting, I need a band that can power a 5/16 or 3/8" shaft 25-30 feet and punch through a 100-300 pound tuna. For that, I need a band that has more snap than my fish gun uses. Also, since I have a larger target, I can afford some loss of accuracy. Again, it comes down to finding what you need for specific situations.
A type of band that is not in production anymore was called Hi-Modulus, and it was popular with the West Coast California divers who hunted bluewater. It had a specific formulation which gave it superior qualities over the stock latex bands found on the shelf. Due to the relatively small orders for band material, and the rising popularity of condoms in the AIDS era, it was not cost effective for the manufacturer to remain in that niche. Today there are still divers who hoard the small amounts of original Hi-Modulus bands in their fridge and only bring it out when going on special trips. Bands should be changed as soon as there are signs of cracking and nicks that show up around the wishbone area. This means that the bands are starting to degrade and can become unsafe. Also, by then, it does not have the same properties as when it was new, so you are not getting optimum performance. Why spend thousands of dollars on high quality gear and equipment and skimp on cheap band material? Who wants to be in the water with fish everywhere and have a band snap? It could ruin your day, not to mention possibly hurt you. So when you go out diving again remember to get bands that match your needs and replace them as needed.
Aiming
I am often asked why a gun shoots a certain way or why doesen't a gun shoot "dead on".
There are many factors that determing how and why a speargun shoots a certain way. Lets look at band power.
I believe thatone of the most common problems that divers have with a speargun is misses due to the power of the bands on the gun. We all would like to have a gun that shoots 25ft and hits center mass every time. But the reality is that an increase in band power gives more distance but at a sacrifice in accuracy. For every action, there is a reaction. When there is an increase in forward speed of the shaft, there is also an increase in recoil rearward. This can be seen when firing a pistol. The recoil will also cause the front of the muzzle to lift upward. When this happens, the muzzle will lift the end of the shaft upward as it leaves the gun and cause low shots. Some divers believe that low shots means the gun needs more power while the answer is less power.
Although less power means less recoil and less muzzle lift, it also means less distance. There is a fine line between distance and accuracy. Also some bands have more punch or snap than others. The more snap, means more recoil. Softer bands means less recoil but less distance. It takes practice and experimenting with different bands lengths and band materials before you can find what works for you.
I've shot rifle competitively for over twenty years and no serious shooter buys a gun off the rack without trying different loads of ammo and testing. Why should a serious diver be any different? Pratice makes perfect.
Not everyone is created equal. A 6'2 225# male with twenty inch bicepts may be able to hold a gun with four bands and shoot dead on at 25ft. while a 5'6 150# guy shooting the same gun gets a broken nose. It comes down to using the combination of bands and gun that works best for you. Accuracy is always more important than distance.
Next time we can look into sight picture or enclosed vs open tracked guns.
Open Track VS. Semi Enclosed Track
The open track hybrid is perfect for the divers who want to upgrade to a gun that is very maneuverable, light, and accurate. Open tracked hybrids are best shot with two 5/8th or up to three 9/16th bands.
The semi enclosed tracked hybrid addresses the shaft whipping issues that can occur with any open tracked gun when powered up. The semi enclosed track takes the shaft whip out of the equation. This semi enclosed track also makes it much easier to load and one of the faster loading guns designed. This is because the shaft has minimal travel on the track before it is in the enclosed section which will automatically guide the shaft into the mechanism.
Size of Spear Gun
What can I say? The bigger the gun the longer the range. Size is usually determined by the visibility and the type of game hunted. In very low vis. 2-5ft. a very small gun such as a pistol would be best. In vis. 5-10ft. then the 42in or 90cm range is great. For vis better then 10ft then sizes from 50-60in work. Fish size should be a factor too. For fish under 10lbs the 50 in or smaller will do fine. For longer shots on bigger fish then sizes upward from 55-63 in may be needed. Blue water diving should use guns that are a minimum of 60-68 in. Bands on those guns can range from three to five bands.
One thing to remember: Always be conservative and know the effective killing range of your speargun. It is our responsibility to ensure that we be sportsmen and try to use the right tool for the right job.
Reel Vs. Float Line
There is a big controversy of weather to use a reel or a float line. But really there isn't any. It just comes down to the situation, conditions and preference. Float lines are the standard for most bluewater diving and they are also used by many all over the world to hunt fish. It gives you the advantage of having a line you can use to fight large fish without losing your speargun. In openwater, and reefs it is an advantage to be able to play the fish with the float line. Fish are easier to control with the float line.
It does have its downside too.
In areas with many rock outcroppings it can get tangled on the rocks or in areas that have think kelp, it can get hung up in the kelp canopy.
Reels are great in that you have the flexibility to be able to swim in and out of caves, ledges, and if there is a thick canopy of kelp you can go through it without entanglement. It also is great for diving in areas with current. You can swim without having a float line being pulled by the current. A reel is basically a glorified reservoir of a very thin float line. It holds from 50-100 meters of line. The disadvantage is that the thick line is harder to control fish with and if used in blue water, there is the danger of being spooled by a big fish and losing the gun.
The best thing to do is determine where you will be diving and the local conditions. Is there kelp, how big are the game sought and is there enough line for the depth and fish you will be targeting.
11:56
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
