Spear Gun Bands

[killswitch]

Is there anyway to help stretch or make the bands more flexible on a speargun? The bands on my new gun are extremely tight and very difficult to lock in place, in and out of the water. Is it standard for the new bands to be this tight until you use them a time or two? Or do you just have to get new bands all together? Thanks.

[Charles]

As the bands are used the rubber will begin to breakdown making the gun easier to load, and less powerful.

Another pertinent point is the experience level of the spearo. A lot of loading a speargun is technique more than muscle. When I was spearing regularly, I could hip load my Riffe Competitor 3X when I learned to pull with my whole upper body instead of just my arms.

If you're really having problems you could go with longer or smaller diameter bands. Either of which will make loading easier, but will reduce the power.

I never load a speargun out of the water. In the event it discharges; if it doesn't have a shaft line you don't know where the shaft is going to come down, if it does have an attached shaft line you do know where the shaft is going upon reaching the end of the line. Right back at you. In this instance a shaft line acts as a really good bungee cord.

[Tom Keels]

They don't loosen much at all. I would get a smaller diameter or 1 inch longer.