When you plan to go spearfishing, you need the right gun. Most spearos like banded guns, but what if we told you that the best pneumatic spearguns offer better power, precision, long-range shot capability, infinite shots, and easy loading?
A common misconception is that you’ll need to pump up a pneumatic gun between trips. Actually, all you need to do is pressurize the internal cylinder, which gets primed every time you load the speargun. As long as you don’t have a leak, you’ll be able to take as many shots as you want.
These spearguns use compressed air for power. A pneumatic speargun is usually smaller and more compact. They are easy to carry, easy to use, and easy to shoot.
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5 Best Pneumatic Spearguns for 2023 Reviewed
1. Cressi SL Star
The Cressi pneumatic speargun is an ultra-light and easy-to-use gun that fires quickly. This is perfect for spearfishing small to medium fish. These are widely known for being reliable, precise, powerful, and robust.
It has an anatomical high grip handle for an effortless hold of the gun in line with the arm. The yellow color of the handle enables easy identification of the speargun when it mixes with your other spearfishing equipment or if it ends up on the sea floor after shooting.
They have a safety catch, which prevents accidental firing of the speargun. When you pull the trigger, the line release automatically releases the shaft line. This speargun comes with an 8 mm threaded stainless steel tempered shaft, which is sold separately. The SL has a reducer for a less powerful shot.
2. SEAC Asso S/R
The outer barrel of this pneumatic speargun is made of an aluminum alloy cylinder with a diameter of 40mm. Its muzzle comes in light alloy with larger holes for better water drainage. This gun comes with an ergonomically functional handle made of a single material.
This comes in different sizes and includes a steel shaft, injector, harpoon, harpoon loader, and line. It has a regulator that can cut the pressure up to 50% to allow you to make a quick, close shot.
3. Mares Sten
The Mares Sten Pneumatic is a speargun that’s recommended to use when spearfishing in tight spots or cave diving because of the superb speargun reviews. They claim it offers optimum precision, reliability, and power. This speargun has a rigid ergonomic handle with patented side line release and safety catch.
It has a high-capacity air tank with techno-polymer shock-absorber brushing and piston. It is complete with a loader, pump, shock line with rubber shock bungee, tip, and shaft. With five models to choose from, your spearfishing experience will definitely be one for the books.
4. Mares Cyrano
This pneumatic speargun has a hydroformed barrel, which adds buoyancy and hydrodynamics. The 11mm internal barrel shifts off-axis upward for a better line of sight when spearfishing, and its fluidity is better when shooting.
The single-piece head is lighter with a minimal nose cone. It has a stainless steel line of release and trigger. The shaft style is single-barb Tahitian. This pneumatic speargun comes with a carrying bag so you can keep it safe while transporting.
5. Mares New Pure Instinct Sten Mini Mini
This Sten Mini Pneumatic speargun has become one of the best dive buddies for those who love to go spearfishing. The precision, power, and reliability of this gun are much appreciated.
This speargun model has a two-piece head and a threaded tip harmonic steel shaft, which is 8mm in diameter. The trigger and release have a connecting piston between them for incredibly high sensitivity. There is a patent for the safety catch of these spearguns, making them safe to use in spearfishing.
Pneumatic Speargun vs. Banded Spearguns
Pros
These guns are great to use in cave diving and coral overhangs because there are no rubbers that will cut on sharp coral and rocks. Scuba divers usually use this when spearfishing in territories where spearfishing on scuba is legal, as these guns are small and compact.
The gas, concealed in a chamber, allows multiple reloads. Just simply pumping to the specified pressure. The compressed air guns have adjustable power settings to prevent the jamming of spears. Plus, they are more powerful than rubber-powered speargun in water less than 5m.
One spearo who had hand surgery and couldn’t load a banded gun said that a pneumatic gun allowed him to continue diving and shooting fish.
Cons
The downside of these guns is that they lose their power as you go deeper into the water. They can also be challenging to load when you are inexperienced. A regular two-year servicing is in order depending on the frequency of use and the maintenance of the gun.
Plus, servicing these spearguns is a bit tricky as not all dive shops are able to do the service and repair, which may need you to send the guns to the specialists for repair. Another downside is the availability of the spear shaft is limited.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have no shoulder problems, loading a pneumatic speargun will not be a problem for you, but if you are hurt on one arm, you can still use the other arm to load the pneumatic. Short pneumatic spearguns are easy to load, but it is challenging to push to the relatch when pumped for maximum performance.
When using pneumatic spearguns in spearfishing, there is no recoil when firing these guns.
The noise of a wet-barrelled pneumatic speargun can compare to firing a shotgun. Fitted with a dry barrel, the noise of pneumatic spearguns is almost completely eradicated when spearfishing. Pneumatic spearguns with a dry barrel have more power and less noise; this way, you won’t spook a lot of fish.
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