back some 50 years ago

[Popgun Pete]

While these French guns are very interesting, France must be in mourning after the colossal and devastating loss of Notre Dame Cathedral in an inferno of biblical proportions that will probably take a lifetime to restore, if that indeed is possible. A moment to reflect on the vagaries of life.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Is the MACO2 still being made? If so, where?

M

 

[Popgun Pete]

Is the MACO2 still being made? If so, where?

M

Here is the website MACO² Spearguns
MACO² Spearguns introduction
MACO² Spearguns shop

This one 659 euro. In the USA you can use such guns, but a lot of countries ban them with no concessions, if you import it then you lose it at Customs Inwards with a lot of explaining to do. If you do get one in then my advice is to not publicize the fact too much and as the old saying goes "keep it under your hat".

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Here is the website MACO² Spearguns
MACO² Spearguns introduction
MACO² Spearguns shop
View attachment 515105
This one 659 euro

Cool! Thanks for the info. I see a Pistolet in my immediate future. M

 

[Popgun Pete]

Cool! Thanks for the info. I see a Pistolet in my immediate future. M

Just keep your wits about you, need I say more!

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Just keep your wits about you, need I say more!

I'll have you know I haven't shot myself through the foot with a speargun since I was 11 years old. What are the odds of it happening twice to one person over the course of a lifetime? M

 

[Popgun Pete]

I'll have you know I haven't shot myself through the foot with a speargun since I was 11 years old. What are the odds of it happening twice to one person over the course of a lifetime? M

It was more about shooting someone else as the spears fly fast and far and any accidents will have the guns banned. Also some may aspire to stealing it to ventilate some poor victim on land, especially the pistol version, hence keep the gun tightly controlled or you may lose it as it is a silent weapon compared to a firearm.

 

[Popgun Pete]

The MACO2 cannot be used in Continental France due to these rules https://www.nootica.fr/webzine…a-chasse-sous-marine.html

The general prohibitions include the following elements:

- Prohibition of hunting for persons under 16 years of age ;

- The use of any respiratory equipment, whether autonomous or not, is forbidden: the simultaneous possession of breathing apparatus and underwater fishing gear is prohibited;

- The use of a light hearth designed to attract fish is not allowed;

- The use of fishing gear whose propulsive force of projectiles uses a detonating element or the expansion of a compressed gas other than by the user himself is prohibited;

- The practice of underwater hunting between sunset and sunrise is not allowed;

- Fishing within 150m of tagged vessels or fishing nets is prohibited;

- It is forbidden to hunt with bottles of oxygen;

- Selling the product of his fishing is also prohibited;

- The practice of underwater hunting near swimmers is not allowed;

- It is forbidden to catch marine animals in gear or nets placed by other fishermen.

Note that the expellable gas prohibition is long standing as it was resposible for the almost complete collapse of the market for such high powered underwater weapons.

 

[Fibonacci]

I wonder if there would be an opportunity for a hybrid system that still used a closed captive piston like a conventional modern pneumatic gun, but each shot was powered by a CO2 cylinder?
Manual vent valve to allow the spear and piston to return easily down the unpressurised barrel for the next shot... vs quite difficult in a regular pneumatic of any length.
Sealing the trigger mechanism against ~900psi CO2 and still have an acceptable trigger release could be an issue though, even with a 1.5mm pin!

 

[Sam Miller III]

The first CO 2 powered gun was designed by the late LA Co & NAUI instructor Bill Barada in 1935.

It was produced commercially by Mel Fisher, LA Co UW instructor when he owned Mel's Aqua Shop in Redondo Beach California The same CO2 powered gun was produced commercially by a Florida based company called Lo Bo in 1954.

In the 1950s while in the USAF during Korea I and several others made CO 2 powered guns. About 30 years ago I authored an article about the guns and our diving adventures in the now defunct American Magazine Discover Diving in my dedicated column "The way it was" tilted "The Magnificent Gas Gun"

In the mid 1950s three Co2 cartridge powered spear guns were produced in the US :
1) The Barracuda by the late Chuck Blakeslee, who at the time was the co founder of Skin Diver Magazine. It was manufactured some where in Los Angeles, possibly Compton
2) The Mark IV manufacture in Huntington Beach California
3) The Viking manufactured in the mid west of the US

All three had a short life span - the Co2s were unreliable,. they cost 5 cents per shot, (from war surplus stores) the made noise and the spent cartridges were like a dead pelican-- So what do you do with a dead pelican?

It was about late 1950s or early 1960s they were declared illegal to use in all local & international spearfishing competitions and the Co2 Powered Spear guns slowly disappeared from the market place and common usage.

It is a dead horse...No need to kick it

Sam Miller, 111

@Scuba Lawyer
I have all 4 guns in my dive locker-- next visit well get them out and air fire