From the home of spearfishing, Greece, a sling gun in carbon fiber with interesting solutions and patents, the Falcon Open 90 by Blue Green.
Blue Green Company
Blue Green is a Greek company founded in the ’90s by Giorgios Karatzas, experienced spearo and CMAS Freediving instructor. The strength of the company is the great experience of its founder and R&D brought forward by engineers and sportmen (in particular spearos and freedivers). The company today has a leading role in the Greek market, while it exports products also in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, which are very tough adn experienced markets. In recent years to the more traditionally built products, Blue Green has added equipment mode of advanced materials such as carbon fiber, kevlar and dyneema.
In brief
Made of a unique 100% carbon fiber piece, the Falcon Open 90, equipped with double circular band, has its strength in the patented grip made of a single piece with the release mechanism box, the magnetic system to attach the shaft to the speargun (MSH system) and the great length between the hole for circular bands and the last shark fin on the shaft for best efficiency of the shot.
Il barrel
Made of a single piece of high modulus carbon fiber from the muzzle to the sternal support, the barrel has circular section of good 3 cm and 2 mm thick walls, to guarantee best resistance to flextion. On the muzzle the tube is full and cut diagonally, as it is full also in the trigger area, where the barrel is cut to make a thinner section. The upper part of the barrel has a concave longitudinal profile that works as shaft guide, but this leaves the shaft completely free, as to avoid possible additional friction.
The muzzle
Very simple in its design, and a unique peace with the barrel, the muzzle is 100% high modulus carbon fiber. The tube is so full in such area and the end of the muzzle is cut diagonally and covered with PU rubber sealant to finish up the tip of the speargun. The passgae of the line is made with a vertical cut on the right side of the tip of the muzzle, while the retainer of the line is completed with a stainless steel U shaped wire inserted on the left side of the muzzle.
The muzzle is complete with the interesting MSH technology (Magnetic Shaft Holder), that consists in inserting a magnet in the carbon fiber muzzle so to keep the shaft well stuck to the speargun and also help during the loading phase, as the shaft will be kept in position even though the line is not yet rolled around it.
The hole for the passage of the two circular bands is one, with an excellent profile that brings the bands up once the gun is loaded and puts them in a parallel position to the shaft, giving more efficiency and precision to the shot.
Grip and release mechanism
Here we find, in the grip area, a very important patent by Blu Green, with the grip made of one piece together with the release mechanism box, giving additional rigidity to the whole structure. The material of grip and release mechanism box is 316L stainless steel.
Important is also the design of the upper part of the barrel on the trigger area which, as anticipated, is reduced in section (and full) to optimize the alignment of the hand to the shaft. Not only, also the rear position of the release mechanism is extremely accentuated, moving back the tang of the shaft respect to the position of th handle. This permits to have a distance from the tip of the muzzle to the tang of the shaft equal to 116 cm. We must though consider that the Falcon 90 has actually greater length than traditonal sperguns, and is equivalent to a 100 or 105 cm speargun.
The shape of the grip is symmetrical so usable from right and left handed spearos. The line holder clip is easily movable from one side to the other uncrewing one single screw (originally it is positioned on the right).
The release mechanism, entirely designed and manufactured by Blue Green, as the entire Falcon Open, is also 100% 316L stainless steel, including trigger and hilt.
Grip cover in PU rubber sealant is also spread in the inferior surface of the barrel in the trigger and strnal support areas, to optimize adherence of the hand to the spearguna and better finish the parts of carbon fiber which have been cut.
Shaft
The shaft is 130 cm long and has 6.5 mm diameter, and is made of 17-4PH stainless steel. The barb is single and positioned on the upper part, partially ingraved in the shaft, while the tip is non completely tricuspid and very well refined. The connecting mechanism of the lined wishbone to the shaft is made of 3 shark fins, two close to the release mechanism and one moved more forward and with a hole where, in the Falcon Open received, the Nylon line is connected.
Elastic bands
The Facon Open 90 is set standard with two circular bands in Latex and 16 mm diameter, with 3.3 elongation coefficient. Well refined is the connection system of the lined wishbone with the leastic bands, which uses glass loaded Nylon bushings.
Reel
The Impact Reel has an extremely neat design and is made with the structure in 316L stainless steel of 1.5 mm thickness, while central part is in a synthetic polyacetal material, totally resistant to water absorbtion and has excellent mechanical properties, guaranteeing durability and stregth in time. Clutch of the reel is with automatic release system, meaning that once the fish is shot the clutch opens completely, so to avoid diffiuclties for the spearo to reach the water surface with the line connected to the prey. This is a tipical Greek solution, useful especially when fishing deep.
Available reels are in 5 sizes, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge and XXLarge, and can hold from 30 to 110 meters of line, suggested in 1.2 mm diameter for the Small reel and in 2 mm diameter for XLarge and XXLarge. The standard reel on the Falcon 90 Open received is the Medium. 