Need info on buying a Speargun

[sontek]

What makes/models of spearguns are good? What should I look for when purchasing one?

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Get the biggest one you can draw back, I personally wouldn't consider anything under 48" and ended up with a 54"er myself.

I like the wooden guns myself.

Riffe, Wong, etc are great brands.

I've had alot of use out of my AB Biller and haven't ached for a pricier gun.



I use my polespear more, but thats just the nature of shore diving. Typically flounder, sheepshead, and mangroves are easier to come by than larger fish.

 

[Hetland]

What makes/models of spearguns are good? What should I look for when purchasing one?

If you find yourself in the Mobile area drop by Gulf Coast Divers They have about four makes of spearguns for sale, and will let you shoot them in their pool (as long as no one else is in it at the time). You should really try to shoot before you buy if possible.

You can't go wrong with a 48" A.B. Biller. It's relatively inexpensive, easy to find parts for and it will do a great job killing the fish you would want to eat. It's the GMC Truck of spearguns.

The Cadillac would be Riffe. It does everything the Biller does, but looks prettier doing it, and is admittedly quieter doing it (it's a better design). You pay a premium for the looks and silence though, and honestly, I don't notice my "noisy" Biller scaring off any fish (at least not before the spear goes through their ear )

If I were to buy a new gun, I would probably go with a railgun. They are shorter, lighter, and imho more accurate than wood guns (though not as pretty). I like Pleaj, but most established railgun companies sell the same thing with minor differences (heard good things about Mako guns too). As much as I'd like a railgun, my 48 Biller probably won't get sold. It's a solid, dependable gun that puts meat on the table, and the price is right.

Don't bother getting a wood gun under 48" if you want to hunt snapper/amberjacks, and don't go below 39" (90 centimeters) on a railgun. You will most likely be disappointed, and then have to go buy a bigger gun. The longer the gun, the more range and power it will have. Big, beefy snappers and aj's need to be hit hard, and in the right place or they will tear off or take you for a ride (not always the good kind of ride either).

I use two bands (5/8 I think) on my biller, or one big band on a rail gun. I just switched to a single wrap as it's a faster reload, and I'll be less tempted to take long shots I know I shouldn't be taking with less line on the shaft.

I replace my bands about once every 18 months, but ymmv. Don't forget to regularly inspect the shaft line and the rubber shock-cord thingy too. they need to be replaced at about the same interval, or more if you shoot in structure like an oil rig jacket or such.

Good Luck!

 

[JPENDERGRAST]

I like my Sea Hornet 52". It's a little heavier for a wooden gun, but ballasts well when in the water- which is the only place that matters! Very accurate, and plenty of power.

If this is your first gun, spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars isn't necessary... But then again, if I would have had $500k to spend when I was 16, I probably would have bought a Ferrari for my first car.

 

[PatMyGreen]

To give you a good answer we should really first ask, what will you be hunting primarily? If you are hunting for grouper and snapper on scuba then I don't really disagree with what has been posted above in essence but I would push more for an Ocean Rhino than the other guys have. Its essentially a Biller on steroids and comes rigged for action. Riffes are mighty fine guns as are Wongs (I own a Wong GR Gun and Daryl was a great pleasure to do business with) but they are for the most part designed as freediving guns and take longer to reload than a Biller or a and Ocean Rhino. Ocean Rhinos are designed for freeshafting and lineshafting, which is how (freeshafting) most of the Gulf commercial snapper and grouper spearfisherman hunt. Freeshafting you use a single band and no shooting line. (no the fish don't just swim off, provided you aim correctly) You carry 2 or 3 shafts and can do amazing things once you have spent some trigger time. Also Kevin's (a retired commercial shooter himself) customer service has always been top notch in the few instances I know of there being a warranty issue.

Ditto on the length considerations as the guys above. 48" shaft is a minimum. I shoot 60" shafts. Force=MassXAcceleration. So your penetration is mostly going to be based on the speed of the shaft and its mass at the time of impact.

My recommendation is an Ocean Rhino RX-5 with a hybrid shaft to start. You won't need another gun for scuba.

 

[PatMyGreen]

I like my Sea Hornet 52".

I am assuming you mean the Spearfishing Specialties (also called Ocean Rhino now) version of the Sea Hornet? Both AB Biller and Spearfishing Specialties had rights to distribue Sea Hornets in the US at one time but when TUSA bought out Sea Hornet they ended the relationship with Spearfishing Specialties, which is when Kevin (the owner) put his new gun on the market. I have the same gun with the commercial muzzle and have killed many any fish with her. This gun with the commercial muzzle is the forerunner of the current ocean rhino gun.

FYI Everyone used to measure the gun sizes different ways and they weren't always comparable. For example my old 52" Commercial Sea Hornet is actually 58" in length from butt to muzzle and shoots a 60" shaft. Where 52" came from is anyone's guess. Shaft length is IMHO the best way to compare guns to each other.

 

[JPENDERGRAST]

Spot on, Pat, but for some reason, I stick with calling it a Sea Hornet.

I also freeshaft when hunting the bottom. So much easier and the commercial muzzle makes loading a breeze. I did mount a bracket so that I can clip a reel on if we're hunting deep water, or if I ever run into a chance to free dive, but that's not very often.

 

[PatMyGreen]

Why a reel for deep water if you don't mind me asking? Freediving I get.

FYI I mean no disrespect to anyone or their shooting style. I know few things on this planet can make for an ugly flaming like speargun preference. I realize looking back on my posts I cam on alittle strong. I feel strongly about what I shoot and why, as I am sure you all do to and with good reasons all. One of my best friends even shoots a JBL:shocked2: (the scandal!) and we don't make him hide his gun below decks or anything when we go out. He does just fine too. Its much more the Indian and less arrow, as the old adage goes.

 

[JPENDERGRAST]

Why a reel for deep water if you don't mind me asking? Freediving I get.

FYI I mean no disrespect to anyone or their shooting style. I know few things on this planet can make for an ugly flaming like speargun preference. I realize looking back on my posts I cam on alittle strong. I feel strongly about what I shoot and why, as I am sure you all do to and with good reasons all. One of my best friends even shoots a JBL:shocked2: (the scandal!) and we don't make him hide his gun below decks or anything when we go out. He does just fine too. Its much more the Indian and less arrow, as the old adage goes.

I took the quick disconnect rig off the gun when I went to Hawaii since they only free dive. When I came back, I didn't like swapping out the quick disconnect with the reel, so what I've been doing is freeshafting on the first dive (without the reel), and if there are any larger fish, or in mid-water, I will attach the reel on the second dive (if we even dive on the spot twice). I've enjoyed it so far.

 

[Hetland]

FYI I mean no disrespect to anyone or their shooting style. I know few things on this planet can make for an ugly flaming like speargun preference. I realize looking back on my posts I cam on a little strong.

Hey, this isn't spearboard. No one here bases their manhood on what gun they like

Its much more the Indian and less arrow, as the old adage goes.

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