[cmburch]

I have a small Mares pneumatic. I hit a large ling cod in the head and it did not penetrate. I was lucky enough to swim forward and grab hold of the shaft and jam it deeper in the fish's head pinning it up against a rock. Once it quit moving, I reached between its head and the rock to push the spear through so it opened before transferring to my stringer. The gun was over a year old. I took it back to the shop and they told me it had to be pump up once in a while. I pump it up about once a year now and have not had any problems. I use a spinner rock point which is easy to touch up with a file and stays sharp. The biggest Sheepshead I ever got was just under 20 lb at the Channel Islands, CA. They are not the same as your sheepshead and may have a head that is easier to pierce. I am looking for a higher power Riffe for tuna. My friend has a Woody that he has used for every dive we go on. It is his favorite gun. I will ask him what he thinks about it and then edit this post. I have a shock cord - part of the line has 2 knots about 6" apart. There is a piece of black tubing about 4" long that goes over the knots and bunches the 6" into about 3". Two cable ties go over the black tubing around the knots. It is to take up the line slack when the spear is in firing position. It may or may not be needed. It depends on how you string your line.