Please add to plus/minus of pneumatic guns

[PatMyGreen]

Of those two, biller mahogany. Metal guns are usually cheaper than the same sized gun in wood. Make sure you are comparing the same gun or that different manufacturers measure gun size the same way. Shaft length is the safest way to compare across brands in my opinion as it is shaft length that determines effective range. 2.5 x shaft length = range from the muzzle of the gun is a good generalization for guns without an enclosed track.

 

[runway1]

Mares Pneumatic Speargun
For your area, check out SpearBoard California with your question. They can zero you in a good gun for your area.

Went there, done that. So far 50 viewers in two different posts and no replies. Seems like that place is full of experienced people who don't want to be bothered with basics.

They talk about Aimrite, Wong and others that are ultra expensive. A beginner like me has no business with a gun like that.

 

[magicwanz]

runway,

I am guilty.
I cursed them.
I badmouthed them.
I called them cheap.
I called them no good.
I did this for over 7 years.
Until I used one.
Then I bought one (Mares Sten).
This is what I have learned from my experience:

The guns are about as accurate as a laser at short range. The sight down the barrel is unobstructed.

The smaller size pneumatics (less than 36'') can be more powerful than most 1 or 2 band guns in the same size range especially any gun with the high/low option.

They are not as sensitive to dirt or debris as most without knowledge will claim. You can have a Mamba kit installed on virtually any new gun these days. The Mamba kit is like an environmental kit on a regulator, the kit seals water and debris out of the firing chamber.

They are very inexpensive/easy to maintain. You can send them away to an authorized dealer every year or two to have them serviced/rebuilt which will run you anywhere from $40-60. If you have them serviced properly they are bulletproof. For the price over the service interval, you will spend just as much or more replacing bands. Other than that, the only maintenance required is a wash off with fresh water. Also, the gun should be stored with the muzzle down to keep the piston and firing chamber lubricated (I know somebody already said this).

Pneumatic guns are alot trickier to load in my opinion. This is the thing I don't like most about these guns. The safety does not engage until the piston is pressed to the end of the firing chamber, so extreme caution must be taken in order to ensure the spear is all the way into the chamber otherwise the spear will force to the top of the chamber. This can be very awkward to a novice, especially because it is happening underwater.

The guns are negative without the spear in them. Some hunters prefer a negative gun in low-vis, others do not.

I personally don’t know if they are good for ranges beyond 10-12’, that’s what I have a Riffe Midhandle for .
For a less than 10-12’ range Pneumatic Guns are about as deadly as you can get .


I hope this was useful information for you.

 

[runway1]

I hope this was useful information for you.

Sure was, magicwanz, thanks. Q: When reloading underwater, do you push the spear point against something or just force it by hand?

I dive mostly socal shores where viz is almost always 10'-15'. I figure my shots will be no more than 12' around the reef areas. With that, you would vote for a pneumatic, correct?

Thanks again.

 

[runway1]

I'm counting two for pneumatic and two against - darn.

 

[cmburch]

Sure was, magicwanz, thanks. Q: When reloading underwater, do you push the spear point against something or just force it by hand?

I dive mostly socal shores where viz is almost always 10'-15'. I figure my shots will be no more than 12' around the reef areas. With that, you would vote for a pneumatic, correct?

Thanks again.

I normally do not carry the palm reloader. I just push against a rock. If I am fishing halibut, I carry the palm reloader. I am sorry to hear no response on SpearBoard. I wonder why the JBL users do not respond. I do have people telling me to adjust my bands and buy another gun or spear tip without their even knowing that for my type of hunting a pneumatic works fine for me (around rocks and in the kelp). And I have never lost a fish except for a Cabezon that swam into the rocks and Jammed/Lost my entire spear. To be honestly truthful, the best gun for you is probably not a pneumatic. But then again, how much fun would it be lugging around a 3-4' or larger band gun and having to load it each time if all your shots are close. The best suggestion I have is to maybe start with a 2 foot or so pneumatic, 4 foot is too long. Then hate my guts when you have to upgrade to a 4' or larger double band gun due to the pelagic fish you killed but could not hold onto with your underpowered short range pneumatic. No I can not give you advice for your area. But if you ever move to northern California, I will happily take you hunting with me. I am into Abalone diving now. Look at SpearBoard for Abalone posts. Get wet - the Pacific Ocean is currently living up to its name with great visibility as well. Oh I just started with a $30 pole spear good for rock fish and Cabezon. Less than 1 week after killing and losing a large ling that I hit 3 times with my pole spear and fought for about 10-15 min., I went and forked out over $100 for my pneumatic.

Oh did you post in the California Section? or in Speargun. Maybe try both. I will look for your post. I have not seen it. Most of the guys in the California Section are friendly and the Florida Section also. Check the Halibut posts for SoCal.

 

[runway1]

I normally do not carry the palm reloader. I just push against a rock. If I am fishing halibut, I carry the palm reloader. I am sorry to hear no response on SpearBoard. I wonder why the JBL users do not respond. I do have people telling me to adjust my bands and buy another gun or spear tip without their even knowing that for my type of hunting a pneumatic works fine for me (around rocks and in the kelp). And I have never lost a fish except for a Cabezon that swam into the rocks and Jammed/Lost my entire spear. To be honestly truthful, the best gun for you is probably not a pneumatic. But then again, how much fun would it be lugging around a 3-4' or larger band gun and having to load it each time if all your shots are close. The best suggestion I have is to maybe start with a 2 foot or so pneumatic, 4 foot is too long. Then hate my guts when you have to upgrade to a 4' or larger double band gun due to the pelagic fish you killed but could not hold onto with your underpowered short range pneumatic. No I can not give you advice for your area. But if you ever move to northern California, I will happily take you hunting with me. I am into Abalone diving now. Look at SpearBoard for Abalone posts. Get wet - the Pacific Ocean is currently living up to its name with great visibility as well. Oh I just started with a $30 pole spear good for rock fish and Cabezon. Less than 1 week after killing and losing a large ling that I hit 3 times with my pole spear and fought for about 10-15 min., I went and forked out over $100 for my pneumatic.

Oh did you post in the California Section? or in Speargun. Maybe try both. I will look for your post. I have not seen it. Most of the guys in the California Section are friendly and the Florida Section also. Check the Halibut posts for SoCal.

Yes, I posted in both and actually, about 5 hours later, I started getting a lot of good feedback. I'm just used to this board replying in about 1/2 hour. Lots of different approaches - I like yours too and I thank you for the help.

I got this input from zenspearo:
I would recco you spend between 200-300 to get a gun that would be of use for a long time. Don't give into the temptation to get a "junk" gun to start out, only to find out that for a little more, you could have a gun that can be much more enjoyable to use and grow with you. Plus if you need to resell, you can recoup most from a good gun. Buy a junk gun, and it's pretty much junk.

Here's my recommendation.

General Size: 110cm
Configuration: 2 bands (either 5/8 or 9/16th)
Shaft: 6.5mm-7mm.

Here are the gun makers I use/recommend.

Aimrite: aimritehawaii.com. Look at their venom guns. 110cm alum will be within your striking range price wise.

Rob Allen: flfreedivers.com. Talk to Mike and he'll take care of you

Rabitech: sumora.com. Talk to Erik and he'll take care of you.

I thought this was an approach to consider as well. Again, thanks to everybody for the excellent inputs!

 

[magicwanz]

runway,

Like Pat said, you are now in RIFFE country :14:.

For a little more than $300 you can buy a Riffe (Competitor #1). The Gun comes stock with a 9/32" X 44" shaft (the 110cm is a 44'' shaft) and double 9/16'' bands. This gun is
one of the sweetest of the sweet, bar none.

If you are going to invest $300 into a gun, do yourself a favor and invest $40 more into the Riffe. I have never seen a Riffe owner say "damn man, I wish I had the Biller, Aimrite, or Rabitech."

"Damn bro, I wish I had the Riffe" is a better depiction of any given situation.

FYI, my "baby" is the Riffe Midhandle
Therefore I am not biased at all

 

[runway1]

Sounds good magicwanz but as a newbie trying not to go crazy, I'm thinking a Rob Allen 110 at $231 is pretty safe.

Is a Riffe worth $100 more than a RA? They seem to have a solid rep.

 

[magicwanz]

Sounds good magicwanz but as a newbie trying not to go crazy, I'm thinking a Rob Allen 110 at $231 is pretty safe.

Is a Riffe worth $100 more than a RA? They seem to have a solid rep.

The Rob Allen and/or Rabitech seems to be the best advice here. You will NEVER be disappointed in either one of these guns.

If you are going to buy one of these, see if you can have an open head muzzle installed now (you will get a better price if you do this combination when you buy the gun). Sooner or later you will want the open head muzzle, that way your sight remains unobstructed down the length of the barrel.

Hope this helps again!!!