Spearguns, Which One????
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trymixdiver
Guest
Stay Away From phneumatic guns, put your money into a nice band gun like abbiller or Riffe.
TMD
TMD
Zagnut, TT, for good or for ill, as with regulators and BC's, we see the same trend in guns where the most expensive and sophisticated, or most specialized, equipment is coming under general attention and use. This can be unfortunate because guns like the Riffe were never intended to be used by SCUBA divers for hole shots and shooting pan fish. The Riffe line of guns is an outgrowth of homemade cannons used to hunt trophy fish and are designed to be one shot devices. They are slow to reload and easy to scratch up. The shafts are heat treated in Mexico with varying results. The company is trying to improve the safety but it is still clunky. They are trying to expand by producing a line of metal guns with similar function and lower price.
The Billers are Austrian immigrants who started a business in the US selling the Australian Sea Hornet line. However, being the inventive people that they are, they quickly began to modify and improve the original Sea Hornet with excellent results. The teak guns shoot as accurately as a .22 rifle. Nevertheless, these wood guns are still best suited for free diving and blue water hunting. However, if you absolutely must have a pretty wood gun (which is also practical) at a reasonable price, then buy the Biller mahogany.
About wood guns. These are preferred by freedivers because they float are are easy to modify. You can glue, cut, drill and sand the stuff. It is the best material for serious spearos. Different woods have different "tuning" depending on the length and weight. Some do it yourself spearos can take advantage of this and is a cottage industry on the West Coast. Even Riffe tinkers with this and offers exotic options. One myth that all wood gun makers tell, is that wood is "silent" and somehow lets you get more fish. This is nonsense. All guns make some noise and this is unimportant as it is the last sound that the fish hears. Fish(except jacks) are, however, spooked by bright yellow bands or silvery spear or barrel; also, by bubbles.
Unfortunately, one of the most useful guns, the inexpensive US Divers Sea Hunter, was discontinued by order of Jacques Cousteau; that was back in the 1970's. This was a metal, center grip gun with a grooved barrel and advanced, adjustable trigger mechanism. Overall, an elegant design but somewhat fragile plastic parts. Yes, Zagnut, that is the gun I use for bottom(hole) fishing. They are maneuverable and if you can find a short one, buy it. Unfortunately, they use 3/8 arrows which are rather slow. However, a clever person can fashion a shaft from 5/16 steel and it will work if you get the arrow's sear groove angled right. If you don't get it right the gun will be hard to trigger or will self discharge. The next best gun for hole gunnin' is the JBL.
The Billers are Austrian immigrants who started a business in the US selling the Australian Sea Hornet line. However, being the inventive people that they are, they quickly began to modify and improve the original Sea Hornet with excellent results. The teak guns shoot as accurately as a .22 rifle. Nevertheless, these wood guns are still best suited for free diving and blue water hunting. However, if you absolutely must have a pretty wood gun (which is also practical) at a reasonable price, then buy the Biller mahogany.
About wood guns. These are preferred by freedivers because they float are are easy to modify. You can glue, cut, drill and sand the stuff. It is the best material for serious spearos. Different woods have different "tuning" depending on the length and weight. Some do it yourself spearos can take advantage of this and is a cottage industry on the West Coast. Even Riffe tinkers with this and offers exotic options. One myth that all wood gun makers tell, is that wood is "silent" and somehow lets you get more fish. This is nonsense. All guns make some noise and this is unimportant as it is the last sound that the fish hears. Fish(except jacks) are, however, spooked by bright yellow bands or silvery spear or barrel; also, by bubbles.
Unfortunately, one of the most useful guns, the inexpensive US Divers Sea Hunter, was discontinued by order of Jacques Cousteau; that was back in the 1970's. This was a metal, center grip gun with a grooved barrel and advanced, adjustable trigger mechanism. Overall, an elegant design but somewhat fragile plastic parts. Yes, Zagnut, that is the gun I use for bottom(hole) fishing. They are maneuverable and if you can find a short one, buy it. Unfortunately, they use 3/8 arrows which are rather slow. However, a clever person can fashion a shaft from 5/16 steel and it will work if you get the arrow's sear groove angled right. If you don't get it right the gun will be hard to trigger or will self discharge. The next best gun for hole gunnin' is the JBL.
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