Gun Advice Needed

Hello all,

I’m shopping for a new gun. About a year ago, I bought one of those little pneumatic guns because it was really cheap and I just wanted to try out the sport a little. I have used it mainly on shore dives for flounder and sheepshead. A couple of weeks ago, I got a shot at the biggest sheepshead I have ever seen. The spear did not penetrate and the fish got a way, wounded. I have decided to invest in a real spear gun and am currently looking at the JBL Sawed-Off Magnum Woody. I live and dive mostly in South Carolina but also make frequent road trips up to NC and down to FL to dive. I like the idea of this gun because I think that I can still use it inshore for flounder by just using one or two of the bands but I can also take it out deep sea and will not have to pass up a 50 lb. gag grouper if I use all three bands. It is at the upper end of my price range which is about $200. I just wanted to know if anyone had used this gun and what he or she thought. I also want suggestions if someone can recommend what they think is a superior gun for my purposes in my price range.

Also, if you have a gun which you think might suit my purposes and are trying to sell it please let me know, I would love to give a gun a loving new home.

Last but not least, I was wondering if someone could explain what shock cords were to me and their advantages and disadvantages. They sound like a great idea but I have found no mention of them in this forum. Thanks, any help will be much appreciated.

On a side note, If there is anyone in my area who would like to mentor a young buck on the fine art of spear fishing let me know, I am always up for a road trip and would love to throw in on gas for a chance to get wet.

The "shock cord" has nothing to do with shock. The purpose of the rubber link which is spliced into the shooting line is to allow extra stretch for easy attachment to the line release. We used to employ nylon which has some stretch but some modern materials like kevlar and polyester lack elasticity. When used on big guns with powerful traction the rubber link can rebound. This will throw a knot in the line or even wrap up the muzzle of the gun.

You need a gun with a 48 inch length and 36 inch rubber pull. Pull, loosely speaking, is the distance from the rear of the muzzle slot to the sear box (where the arrow goes in). Use one rubber for flounder. If vis is less than 8 feet get a shorter gun.

I suggest a Biller 48 or comparable gun with wood stock. Mahogany is cheaper. Make sure the arrow is no thicker than 5/16, and I should mention that 9/32 is also a popular size. Any thicker than these will be too slow.

A Tahitian tip or threaded spinner tip should be good for flounder and sheepshead. The wings of the tip should be fairly close to the point, not 3 inches or such like.

EBay has some good deals on Biller and JBL. Experienced spearos turn up their nose at these very functional guns which may be to your advantage.

Some good advice, some so,so advice.
Being a grouper hunter down in the Keys I can tell you don't shoot 9/32" shafts! You will be buying alot of them. Groupers will #1 bend them on a regular basis when they rock up. #2 a 5/16" shaft has alot more punch than a 9/32" shaft. Using 5/16" shafts we go through quite a few a year due to being bent too much (we don't "window shoot"). As far as tips, we shoot floppers with 3" barbs all the time. Most accurate, small hole holds very well and you can shoot smaller fish without destroying the meat if it's not a head shot. I qualify some of what I say by telling you we are also free shafters
The 48" Billers, Sea Hornets are very good "starter guns".
We in the Keys have pretty good viz(30 -80ft.) most of the time and as a result shoot long guns. A 48" would really be marginal Grouper hunting down here as most shots are at a longer distance.

Rich, you trippin. trey is not shooting grouper, at least it was not mentioned. If he is shooting at big grouper he can tell us. Trey is looking to prang flounder. If the distance between point and wing is too long the arrow will dig into the dirt and not toggle in the flat fish. He needs something shorter than a three inch nose with a three inch wing. Something short with twin flukes is what is needed. I would advise to get the 5/16 shaft for general purposes but not everybody feels that way and it should be included as an option.

Edit: It was pointed out to me that Trey "might" get a shot at a big grouper. I missed that so thanks for the heads up. Everything considered, a 48 inch gun still seems like a good choice. The difficulty with responding to inquiries like this is that the poster is looking for an "all around" gun, squirrels to moose. I usually focus on the first thing I see, IOW, what is he doing, not what he might do. Nevertheless, I should have broadened the answer at the outset. Good luck with your gun choice.

I like sam miller advice, he will chime in I'm sure, If you read his post, there are other spearmen that have great advice also involed in the post.

These fellas are probably in those post to, unless you want them to answer your question only.

My Spearing is so much different, and my Pneumatc kills big fish, where my rubberband guns have difficult time getting the spear through a big ling. I've read and modified my rubberband guns, course season is'nt for awhile.

Spearfishing forums are out there with info in every area of the world.

Trey,

I think the Sawed Off Magnum is a good choice for your budget. I have used the aluminum version, not the woody, so I can't comment on the quality of the woody. There may be better guns for flounder and there may be better guns for larger grouper but the Sawed-Off Magnum is a good middle range gun that is within your budget that will work for both fish. This gun calls for 3 20 inch bands. If you know you are going for larger fish like grouper then I would recommend you use two 18 inch bands and one 20 inch band (stick with the JBL brand bands). With this configuration you will want to load the 20 inch band last. It is a little more difficult to load, and the bands won't last as long, but it will give you a bit more power. If you think you are going to encounter a 50 pound grouper you really want to get a kill shot on a fish that size and you will appreciate the extra power when shooting into the bony head. I used the aluminum version of this gun with this band configuration for many years and had good success with it.

Hope this helps.
-Chris

The JBL Sawed-off Magnum is a good gun for what you are looking to do. Except the 50lb grouper. That gun is out of your mentioned budget. But if you do plan on going after the bigger fish, use a break away spear tip. It will save you shaft.

I am here in Savannah Ga just south of you, I see your from SC. I take shooters out. Look me up.

That JBL is more than capable of taking down a 50 pound grouper.

Many people shoot either too close or too far away and blame the guns power. I do not consider the Sawed Off Magnum to be a good long range gun.

Sometimes you will find it best to adjust your hunting technuique to the equipment you are using. For example, for a grouper that will not let you get within range, my tactic is to deliberately get the grouper to rock up and then shoot it. I also use this same tactic when hunting grouper with a pole spear. It would be near impossible to take a legal sized grouper with a pole spear out in the open.

Quick story: When I was a kid my buddy and I shot a big gouper, using a speargun, out in the open that immediately took refuge under a coral head (par for the course). Although were were able to reach in and grab him, we were not able to wrestle him out of the coral head. Next, we shot him at point blank range in the head. The spear did not even penetrate the fish and we were confused. We each took a shot at point blank range and got the same result. We realized that we might be too close so we backed off a bit and shot the grouper again. This time we got the classic sand cloud rising from the coral head that told us the spear penetrated.

Lesson learned: If you stretch the bands back by 3 feet then the spear tip needs to be about 3 feet from the fish to allow the spear the proper distance to accellerate to maximum speed (max power). Same is true with a pole spear. Closer is not always better.

OceanObsessed your right. Cool cool........