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The terms powerhead, bang stick, and shark stick refer to specialized firearms intended to be used underwater and fire in direct contact with the target. These are often used for spear fishing, or they may be used against sharks or alligators for sport, defense, or to kill nuisance animals. The term powerhead generally refers to just the firearm-like part of the device; when attached to a shaft to form a spear, they may be referred to as a bang stick or, if intended for defense against shark attacks, a shark stick. The spear in question may be handheld, or launchable from a spear gun. An assortment of modern handheld firearms using fixed ammunition, including military assault rifles, a sporting shotgun (fourth from bottom), and a tactical shotgun (third from bottom). ...
Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has been popular the whole world over for centuries. ...
Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a streamlined body, with normally 5, but up to 7 (depending on species) gill slits along the side of, or beginning slightly behind, the head (in some...
Species Alligator mississippiensis Alligator sinensis An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. ...
Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ...
Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has been popular the whole world over for centuries. ...
Design A powerhead consists of a short length of tubing which serves as the chamber for the cartridge, a firing pin which serves to fire the cartridge, and usually some form of safety pin or latch that prevents firing when it is engaged. The rear of the power head is fitted with some provision for attaching to a spear. In firearms, the chamber is the part of the barrel in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. ...
Powerheads are avaialble that chamber a variety of handgun, rifle, and shotgun cartridges, from .22 WMR to 12 gauge. .357 Magnum is probably the most common, as it is fairly powerful yet still compact enough to be used in a spear gun. 12 gauge, on the other hand, is generally only used on a handheld spear. A handgun is a firearm small enough to be carried and used in one hand. ...
A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ...
A pump-action and two semi-automatic action shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a target thrower, and three boxes of clay targets. ...
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12 gauge is the most common size of shotgun shell. ...
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While some powerheads to use the cartridge to propel a barbed spear point into the target, those are in the minority; the barbed point is heavy enough to travel a fair distance through the water, and can ricochet and potentially injure the user.
Why fire on contact? Bullets are generally designed to work in air, which has a very low density. The density of water is roughtly 1000 times higher than that of air at sea level, and that reduces the penetration of a bullet proportionally. A bullet might travel a mile (1.6 km) in air, but travel no more than a few feet (about a meter) in water, due to the vastly greater amount of resistance provided by the denser water. Expanding hunting or defensive ammunition, such as that using hollow point bullets, will penetrate even less, as the water is dense enough to cause the bullet to expand. By firing while in contact with the target, a powerhead doesn't waste energy on traveling through the water, but rather expends all its energy directly on the target. .357 Magnum cartridges, containing bullets. ...
Density (symbol: Ï - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ...
Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ...
.357 Magnum rounds. ...
How they work Despite the fact that most commercial powerheads use standard handgun ammunition, such as .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum, the bullet actually has little or no effect on the killing power of the bang stick. It is the muzzle blast that does the damage, as the large quantities of high pressure gas are forced into the flesh of the target. Blanks are quite capable of producing fatal wounds when fired in or near contact, and they work well in powerheads. A handgun is a firearm small enough to be carried and used in one hand. ...
Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ...
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blank cartridges, as used in nail guns A blank is a type of cartridge for a gun that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. ...
Ammunition issues Since most powerheads are designed to use commercial ammunition, which is not designed to be used underwater, the ammunition used must be waterproofed. A coating of nail polish or varnish is commonly used around the primer and case mouth. For shotshells, a rubber object such as a balloon can be used to seal the crimped front of the shell. Bottle of No. ...
Varnish is a finish applied to wood or other surfaces in order to provide a clear, hard, durable, protective finish. ...
A shotgun shell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a shotgun. ...
Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants though can be produced synthetically. ...
Legal issues Since a powerhead may be considered a firearm under some circumstances, care must be taken to comply with the laws relating to their possession and use. In the US, the BATFE considers a powerhead a firearm if it is not permanently affixed to a shaft; generally powerheads are sold spot welded to a temporary steel shaft giving an overall length of greater than 18 inches (45 cm). After installing permanently on a spear shaft, the spot weld is cut, and the temporary shaft discarded. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE or ATFE) is a law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. ...
Revenue Ruling 55-569, C.B. 1955-2, 483. A device ostensibly designed for submarine spear fishing, but capable of chambering and firing .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, is a firearm within the purview of the National Firearms Act. However, such device, if permanently attached to the speargun shaft by the manufacturer, would not be a firearm. Laws may also prohibit the use of powerheads in sport fishing. They are allowed in US federally controlled waters, but many states prohibit their use in state controlled waters.
Trivia A homemade bang stick is used by John Clark in the Tom Clancy novel Without Remorse. This article is about the fictional character in Tom Clancy novels. ...
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. ...
Without Remorse is a novel by Tom Clancy set in 1970, in the middle of the Vietnam War. ...
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