New to me vintage speargun questions?

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MattAO

Contributor
Messages
71
Reaction score
45
Location
Mobile, Al
# of dives
50 - 99
Hey guys just picked up a vintage Healthways speargun. Hoping someone can tell me how the line is supposed to wrap on it and what size tip it takes please. I already pulled the old rubbers to replace them.
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20200521_194850.jpg
20200521_194832.jpg
 
Modern guns that are similar to that, will generally use a 6 mm threaded tip... like this one :

https://www.makospearguns.com/Double-Flopper-Tip-with-Retaining-Ring-p/mdftr.1.htm

However, I am NOT sure if this is correct for that shaft. If it is english thread, it may be harder to find a tip for it. You might have to buy an adapter AND a tip since 6 mm is somewhat of an industry standard for decades.

I don't want to sound too "promotional" but, I personally would avoid using a gun that was that age and type... My guess is that the gun is over 40-50 years old. A failure due to corrosion or cracking etc. can cause trigger failure which could result in significant personal injury.

Our smaller guns (especially) are very inexpensive and will work far better than that old gun. When you consider the cost of replacement bands, line, muzzle bungi and new tip, the total costs for an attempted restoration of that gun may approach 60 or 80% of the cost of a brand new gun with a very strong trigger mechanism, fresh rubber, a much better spear and (if you select a MAKO) you will have a 3-yr warranty.

Oh yeah, I am pretty sure the line is supposed to be held by the slot in the front of the handle. Current guns use a mechanically activated line release which releases the line as the trigger is pulled. The passive slot "method" has not been used for several decades as far as I know (and for good reason).
 
So the line just lays in the slot? Loose?
 
I used to put a regular old rubber band around the barrel just in front of the line slot and tuck the folded line between the barrel and the rubber band. We only had one gun like that, the rest were Voits that had the mechanical line release.
 
I have one of those, they are actually a Beuchat gun rebranded for Healthways by the manufacturer. The sear lever is a rotating star shape jammed by a swinging trigger. The shooting line wraps by jamming into the slot under the front of the handle or in the passive line clips each side on a ring mounted on the barrel directly in front of the rear handle. This ring is made of hard rubber and breaks down with age and may have fallen off, it is slid back on the barrel to fit in that slot. The spear uses a single flopper tip that screws on the shaft. On these guns the shooting line is not strung tight, it just lays in loose wraps.
beuchat caraibe 3.jpg

beuchat caraibe 2.jpg
 
Just strung the line on my gun, one wrap on each side clipped into the rubber clips, so basically four spear lengths shooting line plus the length of the shaft.

Thanks for that.

Mine does not have any rubber clip. Guess it rotted off. The line doesn't seem that long maybe it broke at some point.

I have that part your tied to but mine is tied to a different thing in the picture my round bit with 2 arms is just there.
20200521_194832.jpg


Can you please offer some cleaner pics of the rubber clip parts? I will try to 3d print some in tpu.

I think the po must have added the other line holder piece on the shaft.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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