gday crew,
thought i post up some pics and details of the gun ive built over the past couple of months
when i started spearing i had a 600mm gun which was fairly servicable and got some ok fish, but i wanted something a bit bigger for the longer shots on more timid species like whiting and snapper etc.
the result was borne from my stubbornness to part ways with the dollar on things i believe i can build myself. in the end the gun wound up at 1000mm ish, 20mm single band, riffe trigger mech, custom ply laminated handle, 2x(42x19mm) kd barrel epoxy laminated and screwed with stainless screws, open muzzle with rare earth magnets to hold the spear in place. shooting line is just dyneema with a 200mm piece of rubber for a bungee (will change to mono soon). the coating is simply 7 coats of watsons marine varnish, with epoxy to seal up joins.
despite the gun only taking about 8 hours actual construction time, the build has gone on for over 4 months because unfortunately work intervenes with pleasure.
total cost was well under $200, including $99 for the trigger mech
tools used were a trimmer / router, impact driver, drill, coping saw (handle), clamps, hand saw. the router isnt crucial - but im impatient.
a big thanks goes out to ric fallu for posting his build and inspiring me (i promised id build one!) and also brett illingworth for giving me some good feedback on band selection, even if you talked yourself out of a sale!
performance wise iv taken it out 3 times in the past week, and nailed good pinkies with ease every time. on the first dive i didn't quite allow of recoil and eyed up a shot, literally. it is barely bouyant with the spear in, and despite a bulky looking barrel it moves true in the water and is easy to manouvre and track. aiming is dead set easy.
with that gun built im going to pull apart the functional bit of the little gun and turn it into a woody also - more to come on that later.
all i can say is that if you're even slightly practical - give it a go.
see flickr account for complete build pictures - if you've got questions im happy to answer.
flickr
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