Abstract: The specification discloses a clam gun for manually excavating clams from subsurface locations along sandy beaches. The clam gun includes a cylindrical sand housing whose upper end wall is secured to the lower end of a vertically extending tubular handle shaft. The upper end of the handle shaft is secured to a horizontally extending tubular handle. A pipe is mounted inside the housing adjacent its side wall and extends vertically from the open lower end of the housing through its upper end wall. A valve plug is slidably mounted in the lower end of the pipe and is movable to seal the same when the housing is inserted into the beach sand to prevent the pipe from becoming clogged with sand. Upon withdrawal of the housing from the beach sand, the valve plug moves to open the pipe. Air is vented through the pipe to the region adjacent the lower end of the housing to prevent the formation of a partial vacuum which otherwise makes withdrawal substantially more difficult.