laser pointer on gun?

[jtkwest]

i just saw an underwater laser pointer . that would be cool on my gun with a remote on off switch. anyone try this?

[Pastor]

Everybody knows that this topic is my pet hate but this time I have a story

I know of a guy on the key's as it happens who tried this. After first trials he found that his Riffe actually hit more or less the spot of the pointer for a few shots before the thing skewed on his gun through the jerk of recoil. So after a reasonably successful target shooting session he proceeds to cut lumps out of his gun to hold the laser and stop it moving around. The result of this was that the laser stayed put and after setting up he could hit the mark of his target every time (I have to say that I was surprised by that). But! It turned out that when he actually went spearfishing that the laser spooked more fish than those who were comfortable or curious about the spot of light. The end result was a perfectly good Riffe gun with a whopping big lump taken out of the front and a laser pointer that was useless. Moral of the story, learn to shoot your gun properly!

[Old Man Dave]

Originally Posted by jtkwest

i just saw an underwater laser pointer . that would be cool on my gun with a remote on off switch. anyone try this?

Oh! Yes! This one has done the rounds before. It causes nearly as much disagreement as free versus scuba spearfishing.

Having done a lot of experimenting a fundamental problem was discovered. Underwater lasers don't work. A red laser that throws a beam literally miles out of water can't be seen at 6 inches underwater. Lasers that were sold specifically for pointing out things underwater were a con 'cause they didn't work.

The next generation of laser was the green laser. Very expensive. Absolutely massively powerful. Dangerously so. Videos on you tube showed them being used in swimming pools. Tried then in the sea. Crap. Don't work.

My brother Foxfish is the expert and loves his toys but he's never got a laser to work underwater either.

One last point though is that they do work to some extent at night and I have had some fun with them on night dives.

Finally, finally, there is currently a green underwater green laser advertised as a shark deterent. Aparently you shine it in their eyes, seriously!!!!

Dave

[Pastor]

Actually it turns out that that gun was scrapped but the guy tried again and came up with this but it still freaked the fish out

[jtkwest]

there definitely is a laser that works, (or at least they are selling them under that pretense) blue laser. a little smaller than the picture above. my idea was a little different, on my guns i got teak wings just behind band slot, i made them myself and they are a little large , and kinda squared off, so my original idea was to mount one of those cave diving HID light kits with lights on either side wing with a remote on/off switch on the trigger handle, (similar to the one that activates laser pointer on firearms) placing the battery pack behind the trigger, fitted in watertight tube, slotted onto stock,(also battery weight could be ballast for gun) these HID set ups retail for 2000$ us but i saw one go on ebay the other day for 450$us that would be perfect. i was asking the resident master craftsman at my shop and someone mentioned a pointer as an option also and how i could dissect my regular dry land laser pointer on/ off switch and buy this one i saw online ,(for 30$us on a store i linked to through ebay) maybe mounting the bulb only in a pocket in the front of the gun with a wire run in a small track maybe under the bottom of my barrels(i dont know yet) i dont want some type of unfair advantage , i somehow doubt it would really be all that advantageous anyway, But, once you install a battery pack in the barrell behind the handle,( on a wooden mid handle)you could use all kinds of cool stuff, : what about a video/ sill camera in the front of the gun with powerful strobes on the wings? , i know i have seen some of the coolest thing underwater while diving but i can carry only speargun OR camera not both. the key would be remote switch by thumb. my gun is bulky anyway and it seems as if i need even more bulk according to the experts to offset recoil of gun at maximum band power. The light would be cool to look under a ledge and shine to see large groupers , etc. and you could start an action video to film your kill. you could put a lipstick camera in a housing in a tube in front of barrel with the actual housing of camera in gun barrel with battery pack maybe or remote would be ideal, allowing camera housing to be on divers belt or maybe float? i dont know what do you guy think about them ?

[foxfish]

you might be interested to read this? Blue Laser Pointer 473nm
but at a 1000 dollars that is one expensive sight!

[jtkwest]

the one i saw was 30$us i agree 1000 is alot more than i am willing to pay. especially cause i plan to take it apart immediately. the ad sain 500 meters underwater penetration 30 meters max depth seemed legit

[jtkwest]

foxfish; i just checked out that ad, i dont know maybe the one i saw is fake ? i dont know ?maybe at 30$ , i should buy 10 and sell them for 800 on ebay? you in ?

[Pastor]

Learn how to shoot you gun and you won't need a sight, it's a basic skill!

[Spaniard]

Don't think Pastor was trying to insult you mate, the 'learn to shoot the gun' thing is more of a suggestion, practicality over expense if you like. We have had this debate about lasers a few times before and some peoples reactions are that the less technical the fishing is, the better!

[Pastor]

I apologise for my grammar, I'd dyslexic and I find that difficult but I do have a PhD so I'm not stupid. If I was to insult you I would say it straight but being a dick is something you seem to be excelling at recently on the forums. If you wish to trade insults then PM me OK

Other than that it was a Spaniard said just a suggestion on basic technique. I don't have any problems hitting fish, a little time practising here and there will give you laser accuracy without having to hack your gun to death.

Originally Posted by jtkwest

so i must infer that you can shoot you gun well? grammar is a basic skill also, mentor, embrace it. if you read my last posts you would see that i was really thinking about light for seeing better , on the end of my gun. i only was trying to figure out how to make an on off switch on my pointer work for the light , and someone else mentioned using the actual pointer, so i looked and there was such an animal, so i was merely inquiring if anyone knew anything about this. i dont know what you guys are shooting at , but i find it hard to believe it would represent such an advantage as to warrant your petty insults.. talk is cheap buddy and i can assure you that if you met me in person you would have one of two reactions; most likely be friends , because i am a cool guy, or you would dislike me but hold back on the insults,(to my face anyway) lets face it, if talk is cheap, insults ,on line ,are nothing short of pathetic

[azapa]

dear sirs

listen up, on/off swicth idea for gun mounted torch/pointer. This is cool, IMHO:
1. take a cable from the torch/pointer body, in parralel or replacing existing switch, the cable is routed to near the pistol grip
2. Solder a "magnetic reed switch" in (cheap, any parts suppliers) Reed switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. Test well
4. Encase reed switch and cable ends in an epoxy blob, and fit it where convenient.
5. In the case of the electronic (LED/LASER) sources, a quick closing (toggling) of the switch will do the ON/OFF cycle, In this case, affix a small flexible (fridge magnet type) piece to a finger of your shooting glove. Passing finger over switch activates/dissactivates.
6. In the case on non-electronic sources, like traditional flashlights, the magnet would be fixed near the safety and a mechanical means used to maintain it in position over the reed during use.

I like this idea, mainly for the use listed in 5. above. And 'cause there are 20 dollar torches to experiment with

I will take pix when all is built. Doing a full rebuild on my asso 65 first, t hat will hold the whole setup.

back to work now

[jtkwest]

Originally Posted by azapa

dear sirs

listen up, on/off swicth idea for gun mounted torch/pointer. This is cool, IMHO:
1. take a cable from the torch/pointer body, in parralel or replacing existing switch, the cable is routed to near the pistol grip
2. Solder a "magnetic reed switch" in (cheap, any parts suppliers) Reed switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. Test well
4. Encase reed switch and cable ends in an epoxy blob, and fit it where convenient.
5. In the case of the electronic (LED/LASER) sources, a quick closing (toggling) of the switch will do the ON/OFF cycle, In this case, affix a small flexible (fridge magnet type) piece to a finger of your shooting glove. Passing finger over switch activates/dissactivates.
6. In the case on non-electronic sources, like traditional flashlights, the magnet would be fixed near the safety and a mechanical means used to maintain it in position over the reed during use.

I like this idea, mainly for the use listed in 5. above. And 'cause there are 20 dollar torches to experiment with

I will take pix when all is built. Doing a full rebuild on my asso 65 first, t hat will hold the whole setup.

back to work now

yeah, basically, i think lasers are cool and spearguns are cool so why not? even if just to see whats up. really the laser is going to spook fish so just a light is what i am after,

[Almostafish]

I hear that Big Arnie is using a Gatling type Wong 55 in the new terminator film..

Enjoy playing with the lasers guys but who are you looking " Cool " for? The Chicks? The Fish? Other radioactive spear guns?

Hope you have better results than I did.

[jtkwest]

look all you nay sayers; if you hate laser pointers so much , why keep coming on the thread? i get it ! you dont like the idea, it is unfair blah blah blah... what about your hybrid gun vs aregular wood one ? why improve it ? wood one not good enough? or why make a 5 ft gun when a 4 ft one is the norm? that could be seen as an unfair advantage over shorter guns. so on and so on until you are eventually argueing if it is moral even to use anything other than your teeth, (thats what fish use, anything else is taking unfair advantage. Right?) i mean if a baracuda can do it.............. how about we just drop rocks from the surface, that sporting enough to you? i thought all the technology was to prevent LOSING a fish you shoot at, you still gotta find em and get within range, but i guess if you guys never miss a shot or injure a fish who ultimately gets away, so therefore have no need for any additional aids, but leave us poor souls who occaisonally lose a fish or even miss a shot at one, (god forbid)our plans . once again , i only want to use the on off switch from my pointer to put strobes and a digital camera on my gun, , even though i have no real plans to install a pointer, i dont think it is a bad idea