Speargun For RI Stripers

For the past two years I have been using my 36" AB Biller for Blacks and flats in CT. This has been working with no issue until i tried it in RI for stripers. Tried to avoid getting a larger gun by getting stronger bands but it still was not adequate to punch through for the floppers to open.

I am looking for advice as to what size is needed for 30lbs+ stripers. Figured it would be between a 48 or 54 but I wasn't sure if a 54" would be to large for easy maneuvering at the bottom. Not looking for anything pricey such as a Wong or Riffe and am still very happy with the Biller as a gun in general. Gun will be used both free diving and with scuba and not sure if i want a float line or reel yet.

Thanks for any help

used to get them with my 36'' scubapro panther..maybe you need to get closer..try it with a breakaway head..no need for float line/reel..where in RI are you shooting? I used to go out of Newport on my Zodiac..

Went all over last year, some by shore, some by boat. Mostly Jamestown, Watch Hill and Point Judith

Your 36 inch gun is too small for ranges greater than five feet. However, a 48 inch Biller will get the job done where range is ten-twelve feet. Rigging the gun is as important as the particular model or style. The arrow should be equipped with a detachable head which is fastened with locktight. A slip tip is also good but you really need to make these yourself. You might be able to find my archive on Deeperblue which illustrates how to do this. Three, 9/16 bands are needed. One band can be left slack for close in. These bands should be black and fairly stiff. Make or purchase these bands with dyneema wishbones or steel cable wishbones. See my archive on Deeperblue on how to DIY. The shaft should be standard length and tethered with a fine shooting line made of Spectra (dyneema). Polish the shaft slots using emory cloth. Stripers will spook with barrel movement so don't use any bright components on the gun if possible. Freediving will get more stripers and a reel is needed to reduce strain. Stripers have soft flesh and explosive personalities, so pay out line to avoid pulling out. A 48 inch gun does not have much flotation so purchase the mahogany version which is light weight. Good luck.
Pesky

This will get you started. You should be able to google my articles on "modifying the Biller 54" and "Biller Caribbean" and discussions and drawings of the DIY sliptip (keyword: Wally Potts, sliptip, hex, peskydor).
http://forums.deeperblue.net/american-spearguns/52475-modifying-biller-54-a.html
http://www.spearboard.com/printthread.php?t=29043&page=2&pp=15
http://forums.deeperblue.net/american-spearguns/52596-biller-caribbean.html

I was on spearboard looking for the same advice and ended up with a 90 CM Carbon Fiber Rail gun from Aimrite. Seems some of the local spearo's use the same and are very satisfied. Now just need good weather and off to Fishers Island i go.

OK, but the Biller 48 is a competent striper gun and could be had on EBay for 100 bucks. The Aimrite single flopper shafts do a fairly good job but the holding power can't compare to the detachable type head. However, this head must be made of hardened steel, everything, including the socket. The JBL rockpoint is a good example of the right stuff to have when the striper spins, thrashes and breaks the surface. It can be used for bottom fish, too. Unfortunately, the Aimrite shaft is not threaded but can be ordered. The graphite tube guns have improved over the years and don't crack as readily as formerly. Same with the Aimrite grip ("handle"). They are stronger now and we don't hear so much from Aimrite users who boast that Aimrite repaired their guns "for free". Wood guns, even mahogany, are sturdy and well proven. Their stability and permanent flotation are strong points for the free diver. The versions of the Biller produced since the past ten years are much stiffer than the Australian versions and there is little to go wrong. I remember some problems with sticky line releases but I believe that was taken care of. It is fun to tinker with a wood gun because the material is forgiving and accepts all kinds of mods and improvements. FWIW
Pesky

I know, my friend has a 42 Biller and has stoned smaller stipers with it no problem. I am not a big fan of ebay or used equipment so finding one for 100 is out of the question. When looking at the Biller's i was looking between the 48 and 54 teak LTD gun. The cheapest I could find the 48 was for 350 which is only 20 less then the Aimrite. Throw in a lifetime warranty and it seemed like a good choice. As for tip choice, i believe the current world record striper was shot with a single flopper shaft so it must work fairly well. I discussed the issue with Rick at Aimrite prior to purchase and he said I would probably see better results with solid hawaiian single flopper shaft. To me that says alot seeing as i was ready to shell out 90 for one of his sliptips. So ill give this rig a try and if i dont like it, like you said there is always ebay. Here is a pic of the new toy.

Is that an Omer reel? How much is the shaft overhang with that set up?

Cheers/Safe diving,

Well, if you actually bought a Biller 54, it would have to be the teak version. This is a fairly powerful, longer range gun which takes three rubbers and needs the weight of teak to stabilize the shot. However, the cheaper, plastic reels are better for this gun because of flotation issues. The 54 is basically an amberjack gun although precision shots on mackeral, tuny, barjack, kings, pompano, etc are entirely possible. Over the decades, I have killed enough game with the 54 to fill a 2 1/2 ton truck. The 48 is best for stripers except where vis is less than 10 feet. Mahogany is the right stuff for this gun. An arbalete like the Aimrite is versatile for smaller fish and can occasionally take large game. These guns are heavily promoted with pics of "records" but the serious free divers mostly use wood guns. This may be changing as a younger generation of divers come along and who are attracted to the shiny colors and jazzy advertising. The strong suit of true "euro" guns is alignment of the muzzle and grip. However, hybrid euros like the Allen and Aimrite either use a confusing closed muzzle or awkward "pin" muzzle (like riffe). I dislike both of those things intensely. I've never seen a better commercial muzzle than the Biller semi closed design, and, if one doesn't like it, mods are easy to make. If you look around the spearboard site (keyword; sea hunter) you will see some of the muzzles I have fabricated and experimented with. Also, there are custom muzzles made for the Sea Hornet by a company in Tampa/St Pete but I don't like the looks of them. A serious gun will be capable of holding three bands but, conversely, I have a specialty Biller "Caribbean" (Limited) which uses only two thick bands. This gun is equipped with some of the slick features of the "euro" but with changes, like a modified Tahitian flopper (it springs open), and includes the euro style kevlar or Spectra shooting line tethered to the shaft instead of a ring. Given the low drag of the shaft on this gun-- even though the shaft is slower-- this gun has respectable range. It is for shooting game fish like kings, and pompano but I have taken some grouper and snapper also. A Biller gun is so adaptable there is almost nothing that cannot be tried with it.