Equipment question?

Ok I just bought my first gun, the Riffe 44" mid handle model. I'm not quite sure what else this gun needs to become operational. I've seen reels and heard of freeshafting and lineshafting, what are my options for setting up this gun? I've also heard that stock Riffes might benefit from different shaft and band sizes. Any opinions? I plan on hunting a variety of locations while on vacations, primarily freediving.
Thanks

Mistake #1 was a Mid handle gun for freediving. Mistake #2 is a short gun. the best Riffe's for freediving would be the Euros. Whether you use a reel, float or just lineshft depends on what you hunt.
As a free diver freeshafting is not an option. We down here in the Keys, good viz, on scuba, freeshaft on the reef for Groupers & Snappers.

Thanks for the input. So lineshafting must be for the smaller fish? Why is the shorter gun a problem other than a shorter effective range? I'm not dedicated to freediving, I just see this as being the first way I'll try the sport. Is hunting from scuba easier?

Shorter gun, shorter range and less punching power. Hunting from scuba is not any easier, it's just different with a different set of issues.

lineshafting has nothing to do with fish size.

more of the way you'll be hunting and the conditions.

when you're restricted to one breath, it's nice to be connnected to the spear, you can hit the fish and swim up with it. with no line you run the risk of the fish swimming off with your shaft.

on scuba you can afford to chase the animal, so no line isn't so bad.

in dirty water the line keeps the fish from going far, again, preventing loss.

shooting in the water column (bluewater) obviously you need to lineshaft, cause if you miss...by by shaft.

however, freeshafting gets better range, more accuracy and for me...more challenge.




but honestly...for anything but dirty water where 15ft of vis is GOOD, that gun is gonna be short...and you'll outgrow it QUICK.

i went from a 48" gun to a 60" gun in less than a year diving in the keys.

Does this gun already come with the line for the lineshafting? How do I reel it up after a shot? Sorry guys I'm a true beginner, with almost no knowledge other than videos I've watched on the sport. OK, I realize I wont have much range with the small gun, but it seemed more practicle than such a long gun. So it shoots 10 less feet than a 60", I guess I'll have to wait for the right shot.
Thanks again for the input

I am looking at almost the same gun, but will use mine for scuba only and will not be dedicated spearfishing. Sometimes I go for bugs or scallops, or photos, so for me, the 44" metal tech is good. I assume yours is the wood model. The metal tech (according to Riffe himself) is ideal for scuba in So Cal waters along reefs/rocks. I think the gun will last a lot longer than a year for you. The mid handle has the ability to swing in on things, but for free diving, it may be a bit different of a challenge for you.

Congrats on looking here for info/insight. I see the first post was all about wrong choice, but I think this gun will give you some good experience and just add to your overall arsenal. You may add a bigger gun, but I have several friends that still use their 36-48" range of guns if they are doing some rocky area/ lower viz areas.

Since I will almost always be scuba diving with my gun, my needs are different than yours. The reel seems more for pulling in the catch when freediving and you need to surface. Free-shafting would probably be inadvisable for you since as noted above, you will easily lose that shaft. Yes, you get better accuracy without a line, but it will not be the main reason you miss a fish as a beginner. If you can tweak your skills WITH a line, you will nail them dead to rights if you migrate away after some experience.

The reel is probably not too relevant for what you will hit with the 44", but you could always add it after some experience or if you find you are hitting larger fish that pull away a lot.

Hope that helps.

Kyle in WI:

Ok I just bought my first gun, the Riffe 44" mid handle model. I'm not quite sure what else this gun needs to become operational. I've seen reels and heard of freeshafting and lineshafting, what are my options for setting up this gun? I've also heard that stock Riffes might benefit from different shaft and band sizes. Any opinions? I plan on hunting a variety of locations while on vacations, primarily freediving.
Thanks

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Kyle, please realize you're talking to people from all over the U.S. and sometimes from other countries. We're all diving different conditions. The Riffe comes set up for a wide range of conditions, don't begin modifying the gun till you have more experience. Some ocean spearfishing is in open water, and all shots are long shots. Some ocean fishing is around rocks, shipwrecks or coral reefs or sea kelp. There you have the opportunity to hide from the fish and sneak closer.

In our fresh water lakes sometime you can hide in the dirty water, then sneak closer to the game. Riffe guns come set up for much of the diving you can do anywhere, But not set up for every possible choice. . . if with experience, you want to set up the gun for a specific purpose, call Riffe, they'll help you. I called Julie, to customize my metaltech. . . And it doesn't look like their pictures anymore, It looks like a gun to go into dark places, with big catfish. It works great!

Kyle, the 44 Riffe can be a potent little gun and not a bad choice for freediving, especially in areas with limited vis. Some free divers sling arrows without a tether but free shafting can be an annoyance with an open muzzle gun. The Riffe pin muzzle secures the arrow in place by routing the line over the front of the shaft but free shafting uses no line so is more convenient with a closed or semi closed muzzle. As a freediver you may wish to mount a reel which will attenuate some of the force exerted by a fighting fish. Paying out line under tension reduces probability of pull out. It will also help prevent one from being dunked if he whacks a real lunker. This is not so improbable since a smallish gun like the 44 can really penetrate at close range. A problem with buoyancy may arise if a heavy reel is mounted. The Riffe is made from a dense wood and has some stainless parts. Having a negatively buoyant gun can be miserable and a possible hazard. The diver needs to keep the loose line away at all costs, not tangled around the feet as can happen if the gun sinks when dropped. In shallow water it will drag over the bottom (ouch). The diver can sling the gun over the shoulder but is not very secure or convenient sometimes. This model Riffe should excel at boinking bottom fish around wrecks and so forth. So, don't rule it out when tank diving. Preferences aside, it just may be that your next charter will include at least one tank dive. You'll be ready for that, too with your handy mid handle gun.

Thanks again for the input.