Used Gun Advice

[NaCl H2O]

Have an opportunity to buy a used, older 48" free shaft AB Miller.
Will need new bands and some tlc but looks good to my untrained eye.
I'm female, 5'5" and it's a big gun. I have better than average upper body strength but, it's a big gun.
Guy's wife said I need a 42.

This will be for scuba mainly on reefs in south FL and I haven't spearfished since I was a teen.
Is this one too big to start over with?

 

[Johnoly]

This will be for scuba mainly on reefs in south FL

48" is actually a perfect size gun for you on the SFL reefs. The Biller should give you a solid 10-15ft shot to punch thru a hog, mutton, trig, or mango. If you put 3 bands on it, a 30" grouper won't be a problem if you can close the distance stalking. 42 is fine but IMHO you shut down the effect range to the 7-12ft at the farthest. Not sure where you live in FLA but there are many shops that can retie custom length bands so you will achieve a balance of easy to load while maintaining enough shaft power to hit the target. Also take the shaft out and roll it on a piece of glass or very flat table so you can check it for any bends. If you see even one bend, just buy a new shaft because accuracy will decrease dramatically. Other than that, call a dive boat and book a trip as soon as the gun is ready !! The season is open now!!

 

[Wookie]

Johnoly is an excellent resource for all things spearing, and I would always defer to him.

I learned on a JBL 38 special woody that I got used from a guy.

It poked everything I wanted to in South Florida except a big black.

 

[NaCl H2O]

Thanks John, I'm in the Pompano Beach area, Force E or Dixie should be able to help?
Probably get 2 shafts, learning curve and all, lol.
May be grits and grunts for a while but I'm excited.

 

[Belzelbub]

Thanks John, I'm in the Pompano Beach area, Force E or Dixie should be able to help?
Probably get 2 shafts, learning curve and all, lol.
May be grits and grunts for a while but I'm excited.

Spare shafts are definitely a good idea. I take at least 1 spare on every dive, usually 2.

And regarding loading, it’s a good portion technique, and partly strength. If you can’t reach the bands with the butt on your hi, grab the bad first. While holding it maneuver the butt to your hip, then grab the band with your other hand and pull to the slot. Might not be a bad idea to try a couple different band lengths at first. Maybe get one in the standard size for a 48”, then get another sized for a 52” gun. That way if you find the shorter one is too difficult, the longer one is there.

 

[Still Kicking]

If it proves to be too long a reach you can use one of these:

Neptonics Load Assist

The Neptonics Load Assist helps all spearos load very long spearguns, roller guns, and for people with bad shoulders, upper body injuries.

neptonics.com

 

[Johnoly]

Force E or Dixie should be able to help?

Both stores are excellent and the employees also spearfish. Just bring your gun into the store with you and they will look it over. Then tell them to book you on the boat with some other speara-women who can share tips and tricks they use. If you put 2 women speara's together, there will be fresh fish on the dinner plate that night !!

 

[NaCl H2O]

You guys are the best, thanks!

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

I think you might have a typo in the name of the gun you are looking at. You might benefit from taking a look at this promotional thread which I recently posted. It includes a few videos that explain some of the advantages of the newest speargun design. We have come a long way in the last 40 years, which is about when the used gun was designed.

If you are a scuba hunter, you might also benefit from learning about enclosed track guns. This is an important feature and is very popular with our customers who primarily scuba dive. Also the amount of band pull for our guns is much greater than the gun you are considering, when you compare similar sized guns. This is simply due to the geometrical differences in the configuration of the two types of guns.

If you have questions I am happy to discuss in a pm or I can even have one of "our guys" talk on the phone if that would help.

For Sale - Before you buy a new speargun: Check out these videos

Hey Guys, Looking for a new speargun? Check out these videos showing the newest technology in spearguns and speargun triggers. The new MAKO Titan Elites and MAKO Spartan Elites with the patented double roller triggers are total game changers in speargun accuracy. SHOP SPEARGUNS...

scubaboard.com

thanks!
dano

 

[100days-a-year]

48 is about as small as you'd want.
Power is solely dependent on band diameter and length of pull.
Different gun designs do not increase or decrease power, they only move the draw length around.
Single models of Biller guns have likely killed more fish in FL than entire other brands ranges.
Parts are cheap and easily available.
Shafts are cheap and easily available.
I've killed 100# plus fish of multiple species with a single band 54 inch Biller.
Nearly every serious commercial spearfishermen I know use a similar design to Biller. Spearfishing Speciatiies, JBL or Biller.