Thinking about buying a speargun

[Bob3]

My kids started off with pole spears 'cuz they help develop the very handy skill of stalking.
I actually prefer to use a pole spear when I'm many locations in FL 'cuz the "dinner thieves" come a-runnin' when the gun goes off; its like ringing the dinner bell.
JBL has one model that you can add another section in to make the critter longer, depending on bottom conditions.

 

[Johnoly]

Add me to the list of Biller fans also for a great starter gun. At $180 for a 48", it's a good solid gun for starting off. When you want to upgrade, it's easy to sell on E-bay and recover more than half to 3/4's of your investment. My personal gun is a 52" SS Commercial, 2nd shafted, & primarily freeshafting, but it's not for everyone nor your kelp conditions.

 

[sk8rpj]

Biller's do make great starter guns. They have noisy triggers and you dont get near as much band pull for the same size gun as you would with a Riffe, but they are priced for the person who just wants to begin.

 

[100days-a-year]

That's a pretty arrogant and elitist freediver attitude there skater .

If you're really that interested in sport then why do you need a 1000dollar speargun to shoot an animal with a brain smaller than your pinky fingernail?

I am certainly no beginner and I love my Billers esp. thier 1 piece LTD with 43" band pullx3(I use 3/4"x24" bands)

As far as JBLs I have friends who use them in a commercial setting for the durability and easily available parts.Anyone ever hear of a Riffe,Alexander,Kitto etc.. being used to hunt commercially?

 

[Scuba Brad]

Tom great advise. Thanks

Happy diving

 

[Empty V]

Thanks for all the great info everyone

Billy

 

[tom wicker]

That's a pretty arrogant and elitist freediver attitude there skater .

If you're really that interested in sport then why do you need a 1000dollar speargun to shoot an animal with a brain smaller than your pinky fingernail?

I am certainly no beginner and I love my Billers esp. thier 1 piece LTD with 43" band pullx3(I use 3/4"x24" bands)

As far as JBLs I have friends who use them in a commercial setting for the durability and easily available parts.Anyone ever hear of a Riffe,Alexander,Kitto etc.. being used to hunt commercially?

Tony first off I would like to say I in know way agree with skater freediving attitude on being a real hunter. With our viz here and the 100'/+ dept just to get to most chicken coops for starters where the big fish hold up I would have to see it to believe

On your thoughts of guns used for commercial use mind you this is based on my opinion only. If I was to put together a commercial gun I would go with the Kitto. When I started build my first gun I ordered one of his triggers and release, these triggers are built large and heavy duty. They look as if you could run over them with a truck and place them into a gun an still have no trouble with them. Because of their bulk and size I figured it would be an overkill for my use in a gun. So I decided on a Riffe setup. But for a blue water heavy duty gun I believe I would have to have gone with the Kitto

The way I feel about a gun is if it feels right in your hand and kills fish than by all means use it

 

[Ironhed]

suprised no one made any comments about that wonderful avatar pic, lol
Anyway billers are good guns too my buddy has slayed many big grouper using a biller. I would say get whatever you can afford just don't get the real low end jbl's as they will most likely give you headaches after you use them awhile. I have an aimrite 100 cm aluminum railgun that I like shooting and they are $320 new. I also have a wong which set me back alot of dough for clear vis days.

 

[TheTeacher]

I agree with alot that has been said here. I think I only have 1 posting since it is SCUBA board. I freedive only, enjoyed scuba, liked scuba, done with scuba. Nothing wrong with it but it just wasnt for me. Maybe it was all the fat guys bragging how bad they were with their MASTER DIVER, or just lugging the gear through the water. It was nice to stay down at times tho.....

Freediving is a wonderful thing though and the attitude you feel is just someone saying that THEY and many others feel there is a huge difference. And there is.

Spearboard is generally filled with like minded people, just different views of the ocean. You must admit, getting dinner on a breath is a challenging and almost romantic in the idea of going back in time kinda thing.

Anyways, no harm no foul, I wish someone had told me to get a good gun from the start! I bought a JBL 38 special, great for Calico and Sheephead. I have shot one sheephead and I felt bad since my gun was 3 inches from his head, they are that stupid, hence the dog comment. Since then its pure calico! But then I wanted to go for bigger game, got a JBL Magnum. It broke on the first day (www.scuba.com) and its not been 2 1/2 weeks and still waiting on a replacement shaft. They said it happens alot. Cheaper guns mean cheaper gear. I drove down there when they said they had the replacement shaft (turns out no, they ordered the wrong one) still waiting. So I searched, bought an OMER 110 Carbon. Spend the money early...as a matter of fact I have slightly used JBL for sale ha ha.

 

[patymeboy]

is it illegal to take Great Whites them in international waters?
I tell you I love the smell of a great white shark steak simmering in the morning.
Great white and nopales stired with tomatoes is my favorit dish.