Pneumatic Spearguns

[Bernardodabinci]

I am considering buying a pneumatic speargun and would like to hear a few pros and cons. Any advice out there?

[cmburch]

I have Mares pneumatic spearguns. These are simple guns good for fishing up close and around rocks. They are quick to reload by pushing against a rock, or the palm reloader when over sand. Mine are over 15 years old. As long as the front of the gun is stored downward to keep the o-ring lubricated, I just pump them up about once a year. For halibut in open sandy areas, the gun is just under 4' long with a break-away point and about a 8-10 foot range. I mean I would only shoot something no further than about 8-10 feet from my body. The Mares gun I use the most is less than 2' long with about a 6 foot range - for ling cod, Cabezon, rock fish - fish near the bottom or around the kelp. Most of my shots are less than 4 feet. I like a spinner rock point tip the best. It is easy to touch up and I have not lost any fish with it. Other than a Cabezon that swam into the rocks and jammed/lost my whole spear. For Tuna and other pelagic fish, a longer more powerful gun is required.

[newways]

How about for this bad boy?

Big Fish

[cmburch]

Originally Posted by newways

How about for this bad boy?

Big Fish

That is one HUGE fish!

The biggest thing I ever got taken for a ride by was a halibut.

[Puffer Fish]

I have used both... if you dive deep or want to shoot a long way... go with bands... if you shoot close, then pneumatic works fine.

Only bigger fish I have ever seen shot and landed was a pacific black grouper off Panama..using a disconnecting head to a float. My largest fish was a 100 lb baby by comparison.

[cmburch]

I have a small UK 4AA flashlight strapped to my pneumatic. It is very handy for seeing in dark places - rocks and such.

[Trey9123]

I bought a ScubaToys-SF Search Engine Output Page and have been pretty disappointed. It is ok for flounder which are pretty thin, but i have a hard time penetrating anything bigger than about 5 pounds with it even at close range. I even pumped it up to the maximum rated pressure. I would definitely recommend a larger gun than this.
Trey

[cmburch]

Originally Posted by Trey9123

I bought a ScubaToys-SF Search Engine Output Page and have been pretty disappointed. It is ok for flounder which are pretty thin, but i have a hard time penetrating anything bigger than about 5 pounds with it even at close range. I even pumped it up to the maximum rated pressure. I would definitely recommend a larger gun than this.
Trey

This gun has an excellent power to length ratio. You can not get anything as powerful in such a short length. For the size it should get smaller bottom fish less than 10 lb. I even met a dive master that claimed that he used it for halibut. Hopefully, If you have no more use for it you can trade or sell it. $180 is a lot of money for a limited use weapon that does not meet the needs for hunting in your area. Too bad, I know the feeling of making the wrong purchase and having to buy a second time. I am bad; I don't check if it is the correct rated pressure. I just pump it until it works for me. My smallest pneumatic is the next size up. They use to call yours a snubnose I think.