Subea, the Decathlon brand focused on the underwater world, offers an interesting sling speargun, the 540 Subea. Definitely the most affordable cuttlefish bone shaped barrel speargun on the market, the 540 Subea puts together high end solutions with value for money characteristics. After our analysis of the very interesting and smart Subea SPF 900, let’s have a deep look at the 540 speargun.
Handle
Symmetrical and slightly anatomical, the handle of the 540 Subea is covered with a military green rubber layer. This solution improves the grip. The design of the handle also follows the position of the index finger. Rear cuts and a frontal nerve additionally optimize the adherence of the hand to the handle.
The sternal support is of good big dimensions, with the rear surface made in softer orange rubber which well adapts to the chest. The section has a very accentuated convex upper profile to clear completely the line of aim. The V cut si also present beyond the sternal support element. This is dismountable and connected to the handle by a steel pin. The connection of the handle to the barrel is obtained with a male insert and two O-Rings.
Release mechanism
To have an accessible product from the price point of view, the release mechanism of the 540 Subea is not an inverted solution. The case of the system is in glass loaded Nylon, while the trigger is in forged steel. There is a good dimensions sliding safety lock. The solution is intuitive, in the sense that pressing the side where the padlock is drawn locks the release system. The line release lever is a pin positioned in the upper part of the mechanism and handle.
Barrel
It is one of the high level solutions of the 540 Subea, the cuttlefish bone shaped barrel. The external part is in glass loaded Nylon material, while the internal is a 28 mm diameter aluminium tube. The external part also permits to have an integrated open track shaft guide. The latter is divided in two, with an initial part of only a couple of cm towards the handle and a very long one moving to the muzzle. The shaft guide connects to the handle which has itself an initial segment of around 3 cm of shaft guide.
On the initial part of the barrel on the side of the handle, two lateral wings in plastic material are present for the passage of the monofilament. This is always a very good solution to clear the line of aim and the area of the shark fins where the wishbone needs to be connected. Available lengths of the barrel are 75, 90 and 100 cm.
Muzzle
The muzzle of the 540 Subea speargun is extremely compact with two separate holes for the passage of circular bands. A relief hole is also present at the top to reduce weight. The passages for the monofilament are well designed to keep it in place. The inferior connection for the line is made with a steel pin.
Setup and accessories
The 540 Subea speargun is complete with a shark fins shaft made of hardened 1600N/mm2 44 Hrc steel. The diameter is 6.5 mm and the barb is single positioned on the upper part. These is a steel cone before the barb to improve penetration.
The single elastic band offered standard is 18 mm of diameter, while the line includes a rubber shock absorber. The wishbone is in Dyneema.
