Spear Gun Project

Dear Random Divers,

My spear gun is almost complete. All that is missing now is a zinc coated steel rod about 8-10mm in diameter and 50cm long. You might be thinking that a zinc coated steel rod of these dimensions would be a poor projectile, and you would be right. This rod is actually a very crucial part of my firing mechanism, without which I can neither cock nor fire the gun. I did have another rod about half as long, and with just one spring I was able to fire a dart (an old tent pole link) about eight or nine meters through the air. Since the finished gun will be using two springs that will be stretched further, my hope is that the gun will pack a much, much bigger punch than it does now. I’m not complaining, though, because I think that it’s really f**king cool that I made a spear gun that actually works. I can’t wait to try it out in Quebec.

I’ll have pictures of the gun when it’s finished, and hopefully I’ll be able to show you how it works. I’ll also make step-by-step instructions for how to construct your own spear gun on my design (if it works well, that is). For now I’ll just say that I think the best part is that I can use anything from old springs to surgical tubing to bungee cords to build up tension in my gun, so you won’t need to spend a lot of money finding something (unless you want to). So far I’ve spent maybe $20 on the gun, plus some extra for parts that I didn’t need on it after all.

Take care and nobi,

-Yank