freeflow4406
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I've been planning on buying a spear gun for a while now and the shop that I go to swears by Marc Valintin spear guns . Anyone used one?
what spear gun to buy? Marc Valintin?
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Hank49
Contributor
Where will you be hunting? Your gun type will be dictated by the conditions and type of fish you're after.
OP
freeflow4406
Guest
I live on Puget Sound, the water is cold and visability runs from 25 to 30 feet down to 5 to 10 feet. At times there is 1knt current or more, and I'm mostly interested in Lingcod and other bottom fish.
freeflow,
a very popular gun used in the NW are pneumatics. They range in a full compliment of sizes, but generally are more powerful than banded guns of the same size. w/ a pnuematic the shaft is loaded internally making a little smaller and easier to maneuver in strong currents, like what you will be diving in. Also due to vis, and local fish (lingcod, rockfish etc.) you will not need a lot of distance. Again a benefit of a powerful smaller gun. Suggested sizes are 55cm, 70cm, or 85cm for a longer range. Most popular is probably 70cm.
Good luck.
Zak
a very popular gun used in the NW are pneumatics. They range in a full compliment of sizes, but generally are more powerful than banded guns of the same size. w/ a pnuematic the shaft is loaded internally making a little smaller and easier to maneuver in strong currents, like what you will be diving in. Also due to vis, and local fish (lingcod, rockfish etc.) you will not need a lot of distance. Again a benefit of a powerful smaller gun. Suggested sizes are 55cm, 70cm, or 85cm for a longer range. Most popular is probably 70cm.
Good luck.
Zak
OP
freeflow4406
Guest
Thanks Zak, do you have a favorite brand and whats a good price? Also if a diver were to go with a band gun should it have a rail system?
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We're using 75-90cm Euros, Riffe #B or #M, and the JBL NW Special with great sucess.
low temps + depth = bad for pnumos.
rails have a major impact on accuracy in longer euros, but most guns 75cm and smaller show littler or no advantage in such short ranges, of course, it does't hurt either.
this of course is a freedive spearos perspective. I'm sure a pnumo would work just fine for scuba. but then again, so would a $50 pole spear
remember there is little or no challenge in shooting these fish. they are dumb, slow, and you can approch them very easily. I have gone back to a pole spear with the intentions of keeping things sporting.
beer battered lingcod and some fresh coaslaw is a little slice of heaven though.....
low temps + depth = bad for pnumos.
rails have a major impact on accuracy in longer euros, but most guns 75cm and smaller show littler or no advantage in such short ranges, of course, it does't hurt either.
this of course is a freedive spearos perspective. I'm sure a pnumo would work just fine for scuba. but then again, so would a $50 pole spear
remember there is little or no challenge in shooting these fish. they are dumb, slow, and you can approch them very easily. I have gone back to a pole spear with the intentions of keeping things sporting. beer battered lingcod and some fresh coaslaw is a little slice of heaven though.....
HarryWhisman
Contributor
I'm considering what to buy for my first spear gun as well. After doing a couple three hours of research on the board here I've concluded nothing and any help would be appreciated.
Never hunted underwater before but I'm going with a group to the San Juans in May to hunt lings. I'm hoping to do the same on the Oregon coast and I don't see myself free diving at least not yet. (Gotta get something out of buying all this scuba stuff right?) Oh yeah--I don't think the $1000+ thing would go over too well with my wife right now--as a matter of fact the $500+ thing wouldn't go over too well either. The $50 pole spear sounds pretty good but not if I gotta be a pro to make it work.
Never hunted underwater before but I'm going with a group to the San Juans in May to hunt lings. I'm hoping to do the same on the Oregon coast and I don't see myself free diving at least not yet. (Gotta get something out of buying all this scuba stuff right?) Oh yeah--I don't think the $1000+ thing would go over too well with my wife right now--as a matter of fact the $500+ thing wouldn't go over too well either. The $50 pole spear sounds pretty good but not if I gotta be a pro to make it work.
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you can usually find a JBL NW Special for $150-$200. I owned one fo these for 10yrs and it put more fish on the table then all my other guns combined, in 4 countries. great gun for the newbie. it's cheap, clunky, loud, slow, and ugly. but it has tons of power and you can't kill it.
freeflow. I will preface this with, I work for Mares and our other brand (Sporasub... freediving and spearfishing equipment). I'm also a freediver and Scuba Diver for over 20yrs. I mastered a live aboard dive boat in S.CA.for a long time. I spent countless hours freediving and spearfishing, everything from lingcod to white seabass, and yellowtail. I've tried and seen a lot of guns. Some were terrible and others beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, pneumatics are quite popular in your area, not to say other guns or polespears wont work. You didn't mention anything about polespears though.
I sell many Mares branded pneumatics (sten) series)). To quite a few of the dive shops in your local market. Sound Dive in Bremerton or Underwater Sports being the largest and with product in stock, most sizes, and usually a very cometitive price. Should you decide on a pneumatic, you will find many brands online, but very few locally. Not because I work for Mares but I feel we build the best pneumatic, longest lasting, powerful, quality gun, and have service nearby.
As far as whether you should have a polespear, pnuematic, banded, JBL, Euro, IMHO this is a personal preferance and is debated all the time. All will work fine for you. Polespear definitely adds a different dimension of challenge. Banded guns you will be replacing bands, and wishbones, Pneumatics you may have to get serviced 5-10yrs down the road. Never heard of or had a problem w/ pneumatics in cold water. Like I mentioned I've not only used but sold many into your area and believe me if we had a problem with cold water I'd have had more than an earful from my accts. Do you like the look of the sleek euro's over the big clunky jbl's as described above? Euro's shoot faster, and more accurate than JBL. But then again your shooting mostly into holes and sedentary fish so not as important. Downside to Euro's in your neighborhood is they are relatively uncommon, so unless you know exactly what you are looking for, parts and accessories will be hard to come by. I prefer the Euro to JBL but I've got all the parts and I am familiar with the product.
If you are on a budget spend your money on what you like and can afford. You can definitely get a Sten pneumatic for around the same price as the NW special. Don't know about the Valentin other than they are not nearly as prevelant as the other two mentioned. Bottom line is hurry and get what ever and get out there and put the food on the table.
I sell many Mares branded pneumatics (sten) series)). To quite a few of the dive shops in your local market. Sound Dive in Bremerton or Underwater Sports being the largest and with product in stock, most sizes, and usually a very cometitive price. Should you decide on a pneumatic, you will find many brands online, but very few locally. Not because I work for Mares but I feel we build the best pneumatic, longest lasting, powerful, quality gun, and have service nearby.
As far as whether you should have a polespear, pnuematic, banded, JBL, Euro, IMHO this is a personal preferance and is debated all the time. All will work fine for you. Polespear definitely adds a different dimension of challenge. Banded guns you will be replacing bands, and wishbones, Pneumatics you may have to get serviced 5-10yrs down the road. Never heard of or had a problem w/ pneumatics in cold water. Like I mentioned I've not only used but sold many into your area and believe me if we had a problem with cold water I'd have had more than an earful from my accts. Do you like the look of the sleek euro's over the big clunky jbl's as described above? Euro's shoot faster, and more accurate than JBL. But then again your shooting mostly into holes and sedentary fish so not as important. Downside to Euro's in your neighborhood is they are relatively uncommon, so unless you know exactly what you are looking for, parts and accessories will be hard to come by. I prefer the Euro to JBL but I've got all the parts and I am familiar with the product.
If you are on a budget spend your money on what you like and can afford. You can definitely get a Sten pneumatic for around the same price as the NW special. Don't know about the Valentin other than they are not nearly as prevelant as the other two mentioned. Bottom line is hurry and get what ever and get out there and put the food on the table.
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only problem I have with Pnumos is I am usually hunting in remote areas or hard-to-get-service zones (Canada, Saudi Arabia). Pnumos are great when they are working, but one little o-ring goes and you;re hooped. where as a band gun can be fixed in the field with simple tools and some spare bands. every few months I buy a pnumo and "give them another chance" and always find myself selling them shortly after and settling back into my bandguns.
Pnumatics function by compression of air. so the deeper you go, and the colder the water is, the less jam you're goning to have. bandguns don;t have limitations.
in the end it's whatever gets your skirt up. buy what excites you most.
Pnumatics function by compression of air. so the deeper you go, and the colder the water is, the less jam you're goning to have. bandguns don;t have limitations.
in the end it's whatever gets your skirt up. buy what excites you most.
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