Spear enthusiasts often use a gun. It, of course, is very popular among fishermen. But in order to make an underwater gun with your own hands, you will need many different parts. Spearfishing is not only fishing, but also sports. Many sports clubs offer their customers purchased pneumatic guns. But you can stand out and make an underwater gun (crossbow) with your own hands. If you do not take into account the fact that quite a lot of spare parts are needed, then it is quite simple to assemble. Moreover, in order to make an underwater gun, you need materials that may well be at hand. To do this, you need to have a pair of skillful hands, desire and patience. Turning parts, assembling and testing the finished gun will take a sufficient amount of time. Therefore, armed with an article with a full description of the manufacturing process and patience, you can create a real masterpiece. And most importantly, the do-it-yourself underwater gun will work flawlessly.
What do you need?
In order for the product to last quite a long time, one must responsibly approach the choice of material from which one will subsequently create a pneumatic underwater gun with his own hands. Some parts may be available, but you will have to buy something. The good news is that you don’t have to spend big money on homemade products. Here is a list of what you will need:
- Wire OVS, 65G or PC for the spring. The most suitable - with a diameter of at least two millimeters, and a length of 16 m.
- Duralumin tube. The diameter should be about 15 mm (excluding wall thickness). Subsequently, the barrel of the future gun will be made from it.
- To make a handle, you need to buy or find two plates, about a centimeter thick. The material from which they will be made may be oak, and kapron, and aluminum, and plastic, etc.
- In order to make a harpoon, you must use a rod of stainless material. Diameter - up to 10 mm.
As already written earlier, it is quite possible to make an underwater gun with your own hands. Drawings can be found in specialized literature (example in the photo below). The main thing is to make a little effort and contact a locksmith. With it, it will be possible to make parts for the trigger mechanism more durable and reliable. And the spearfishing of a rifle created with his own hands will become unforgettable.
Spring manufacturing
As the most difficult part in terms of manufacturing, it needs to be dealt with first of all. It is not possible to make a spring independently, only using special equipment - a lathe. The spring is wound from a wire purchased in advance with a diameter of up to 2 mm. To get the required step length, first of all, it is wound round to round on a bar with a diameter of up to 6 mm. Then pulling is performed, allowing you to set the desired step length of 4.5 mm. After that, heat treatment is performed. The spring is heated to 300 degrees, and then cooled to 20-25 ° C. This is to prevent residual deformation. In order to fix the spring in the barrel, as well as to ensure that the harpoon is fixed rather than falling through, the turns at the ends need to be heated, and then bent so that they are perpendicular to the plane of the section of the spring. Its length should be longer than the trunk by at least 30 centimeters. The reason is that the first shot will reduce the spring by 10-15 cm.
Barrel making
In order to make a trunk, you need to take a tube from duralumin (you can use a ski stick). The length will directly depend on the depth and area of the reservoir in which the shooting will take place. On average, the trunk should be about 60-75 cm.
Next, we take up the manufacture. You can use a duralumin ski stick. In the trunk, you need to cut two slots on both sides. They should be about 15 cm long. You should know that the length of these slots will determine the final power and strength of the gun. The holes themselves are needed in order to install the sear. So that water does not accumulate inside the trunk, you need to make another slot. Next, thread at both ends of the tube and the finished part can be set aside.
To make these details, you will again have to take up the dural tube. The undercut of spare parts of the required sizes and shapes is made from it. Next, a hole for the harpoon is made in the plug. Connecting the plug, the muzzle and the trunk, we get an almost finished product. It remains to make the handle and the trigger.
How to make a handle?
To do this, you need pre-stored plates. They need to drill a hole under the trunk. In this case, it is necessary to take into account its real diameter in order to cut out the necessary contours. Now you have to take on the file. With it, you need to make a groove (no deeper than 4 mm) for the trigger. Then holes are made for the axis of the sear, spring and fuse. At the end, both halves of the handle are connected and secured with two screws. To achieve fixation and to prevent sliding along the entire length of the barrel, it is necessary to put a ring in front.
Trigger mechanism
To make the trigger, you have to turn to a locksmith. With its help, a whisper is quenched. This is necessary so that it does not bend, does not break - in other words, does not deform after the first shot. The spring, as mentioned earlier, is also made by a mechanic on the machine. In principle, you can do without his help. But that gun will not live a very long life. In general, we can say that the whole mechanism is made by a mechanic, the fisherman will only have to assemble it correctly.
Harpoon. Manufacturing technology
A pre-stocked rod with a diameter of 6 millimeters is needed in order to do what the fisherman will shoot. Making it is easy. Firstly, you need to connect a twig with a sliding sleeve. This is necessary to fix the tench. The sleeve is made so that the shank holds the harpoon, and the PTFE ring plays the role of a shock absorber. The tip is pretty simple, but tricky. In order for fish scales to be cut simply and quickly, it is necessary to sharpen it in several faces. In appearance, the tip is just a flag. And there is wire on it so that the fish does not come off.
The finish line. How to make an easy ejector?
A hard metal plate is attached to the plug on the barrel. The fastening is done by screwing the easy ejector to the barrel with two screws. When winding is done, the tench is under the plate. And in the process of firing, the line attached to the front sight located in the center of the barrel quickly and easily unwinds.
Ready product
If you follow all the stages of assembling an underwater gun with your own hands, then everything will end successfully. Now we need to test it in action. To charge, you must insert the harpoon into the barrel until it clicks. After that, it remains only to press the trigger and the shooting will begin. You should also remember that you need to charge and discharge the gun only in water.
Destructive power combined with a 3-meter range of damage can cause damage not only to the fish, but also to the unlucky fisherman. Therefore, in order not to shoot anyone other than aquatic living creatures, all safety precautions should be taken to ensure safety when spearfishing occurs. Hand-made shotguns are wonderful things, but very dangerous.