A closer Look at the Omer Cayman 110cm
For a couple of years we have seen little more than
a few improvisations of the Omer Excalibur and T-20 triggers fitted to
different barrel variations. E.g. the Omer Aluminium which didn’t
go without oxidation problems and the Omer Cobra which was a wooden gun
with a T20 trigger fitted. Don’t get me wrong the Excalibur trigger
has been a big winner for Omer and it’s not easy to improve something
that essentially faultless. But let’s look at the Cayman as a whole.
We are in an era where a lot of hunters are looking for rail or spear
guided gun as their next weapon of choice. While this has been a way of
life for nearly every South African speargun manufacturer for decades,
the European companies would keep the spear elevated by using a barrel
collar which would support the spear roughly mid barrel. There have been
a few euro models that have a very loose guide but not really what you
could call a rail gun. But over the last four or so years brands like
Esclapez with their carbon rail gun which was very loosely cupping the
spear in place and Beuchat had their version with the Mundial Carbon Elite,
Omer produced an aftermarket spear guide which was fitted with 3m double
sided tape.
Well Omer is not sleeping at the drawing board this time with their new
incarnation the Omer Cayman.
The Muzzle
Although they have taken the muzzle from the Excalibur
2000 generation which may not be quite as robust as the original Excalibur
muzzle but does have a more positive v for the spear to rest in minimizing
the chance of the spear shifting from side to side when the gun is on
its side. It fits in perfect with the rest of the gun with no stepping
up or down to the barrel or the trigger.
The bridle is a standard Omer articulated type.
The Barrel
the guide is part of the extruded aluminium barrel
of their own design which compared to most South African spearguns is
quite shallow.
The Trigger
The Trigger is the exiting part of this gun, a brand
new design from ground up although very similar looking as a Pathos trigger,
it’s not a copy. The trigger is completely in line with the barrel.
As is becoming very common in both euro and South African guns a stainless
line release now mounted to the side of the trigger. With a little shooting
line holder to keep it out of the way of the bridle when reloading. Something
I have noticed is the line release is spring loaded and when hooking the
mono back on it keeps its position unlike the Beuchat Mundial trigger
which would often move when trying to hook the shooting line back on.
Another nice improvement is regardless of how much tension is on the line
release it does not elevate the spear off the spear guide which was a
real problem with the Omer T20 trigger. On the same side is the safety
which is quite small and oddly enough is easier to engage or disengage
with the left hand thumb. But we shouldn’t worry about the safety
to much as the real safety is an unloaded gun. The actual grip whilst
it first appears to be smaller than the Excalibur grip, they both feel
equally as roomy to hold. The Cayman has a bit more girth at the base
compared to the Omer Excalibur trigger. I was surprised to see they moved
away from having a rubberized handle and have now gone to a hard plastic
handle, which can be removed to place buoyancy weights if needed which
can be purchased separately. But if I was so inclined I would probably
get some stick on weights from a tyre shop. Like their previous triggers
the loading T is removable for those like me who prefer to be without.
Fortunately they kept plenty of space for the trigger finger, which can
be an issue when wearing thicker gloves in the winter months. I do have
concerns about the connection point at the end of the gun as it looks
very light duty especially compared with the Omer Excalibur trigger and
having witnessed another diver break this part on his Cayman.
Conclusion
Very happy with the accuracy of this gun and it’s
nice to use, not a heavy gun. Quick to raise and pan from side to side.
When reloading the gun the spear engages with a very short click like
no other gun I have used. With the factory issue of 6.3mm spear and 18mm
rubber slings makes this a very fast gun and I find myself wishing for
another half a rap as it has so much left over power once it reaches the
end of the shooting line. Although not particularly noisy it’s not
as quiet as the South African Freediver Odessey speargun. The gun does
mark quite easily and found only after a few days out it had quite a few
scratches. This is a great speargun for fish up to 10kg but I do have
concerns for the spear when we come into the summer months and the bigger
pelagic species move in. I don’t think the 6.3mm spear would handle
a 25kg kingfish to well. With that said horses for courses and for diving
around the reef this is a very nice gun and well thought out.
