Some Help with Speargun Please

I am sure if I do some digging on here I could find these answers but thought it would be easier if I just asked outright.

After doing some hunting with a pole spear over the summer an end of summer gift to me from the dive shop I work at was an A.B. Biller 32 Mahogany gun.

I am an experienced diver here in the Northeast with 200+ dives ( wrapping up some tek training ) but am pretty new to the world of spearguns. And while my shop has some excellent tek and wreck divers there aren't many spearfisherman so I didn't even bother asking ( I am the oddball killing things in a shop of photographers )

I would like to get out before the season ends and try the gun ( hunting is done around wrecks here ) so I hit the ground running next season but have some questions.

How do I attach the shock cord ( the one that came affixed to the gun ) to the spear shaft? I see that there is a spring with a loop on the spear shaft itself but was not sure what was the best way to attach it or if someone could point me to a video on youtube or a website that would help ( or explain it here ).

I see attached to the trigger guard a metal "spike" for coiling the cord but am not sure how tight the cord should be coiled?

In addition to this I will be using the gun on scuba so are there any tips, insights or instructions that anyone can provide that will make my first experience more enjoyable and prevent me from just putting the thing in the closet and going back to my pole spear?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If youhave some type of braided line then it should be tied to the spring shaft slider. A bowline and a few half hitches might work there.

The rubber section in the line is intended to provide some elasticity to the line to facilitate it being held firmly when wrapped between the shaft slider and down to the line release and then up to the muzzle and then back to the line release before it is tied to the anchor location which is a hole in the muzzle on that gun. It needs to be tight enough that it won't fall off. Making it super tight will affect the trigger pressure necessary to fire the gun, something you want to avoid.

If the line does not have a means to disconnect this line (the shooting line or spear tether) from the gun itself… you will have a big mess if you shoot a fish and the spear passes through the body and the fish is then strung on the line. It will quickly turn into a horrible mess underwater. This is the normal way that this particular gun comes configured. I tis “non optimal” to say the least.


So what you really want is to rig the shooting line like this.. A bungi is attached to the muzzle. The end of the bungi has a means to disconnect the line from the gun. You WILL appreciate this when a fish gets strung on the line, because you can just slide the fish off the end of the shooting line and not try to feed the shaft and tip back through the body. Just tie a loop in the braided line so it connects to the muzzle bungi clip.

My favorite site for answers to all questions spearfishing related:

Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Social Media Forum - Powered by vBulletin

Also I notice you're from New Jersey, this scuba supplier in Philadelphia is big into spearfishing. I've found these guys to be quite helpful personally in the past.

Northeast Scuba Supply - Northeast Scuba Supply

Good luck!

je76:

I see attached to the trigger guard a metal "spike" for coiling the cord but am not sure how tight the cord should be coiled?

In addition to this I will be using the gun on scuba so are there any tips, insights or instructions that anyone can provide that will make my first experience more enjoyable and prevent me from just putting the thing in the closet and going back to my pole spear?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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One of my very good spearing buddies was just here, visiting from Viet Nam. He pulled this gun out of his closet that he was cleaning out and lo and behold, it's just like the one you have. An AB Biller 32 Mahogany.
I made a new band for it last night and was playing around with it.
Dumpster Diver filled in most of your questions except for the "metal spike". As mentioned, that's for wrapping the shooting line around. But you have to pull it back from the forward postion it goes to after you fire the gun, before locking the shaft into the trigger mech. If not, it will be tilted forward and locked in that position, and won't hold the line as it's not tilted back enough.
But basically, I think the gun is a piece of ****, which is probably why you found it laying around the shop and my buddy shoved his away in a closet for the last 5 years.
It might be good in low vis shooting fish in holes but it's a pain in the ass to load with the line setup. And the tip that comes with it is a tiny double flopper.....I might keep it on my boat just for getting a fish that holes up and doesn't leave me room to get at it with a longer gun.

Dumpster/Diogenes/Hank, Thanks for the tips/input, greatly appreciated.

Hank, I didn't find it laying around the shop, I was given to me as a gift for working there since I was starting to get into spearfishing. The 32 was purchased because most of our hunting is done in low viz (New Jersey) around wrecks. I wasn't asking for a opinion on the gun itself although I will note that it is a piece of **** and keep that in mind when using it. Thanks for the help.

je76:

Dumpster/Diogenes/Hank, Thanks for the tips/input, greatly appreciated.

Hank, I didn't find it laying around the shop, I was given to me as a gift for working there since I was starting to get into spearfishing. The 32 was purchased because most of our hunting is done in low viz (New Jersey) around wrecks. I wasn't asking for a opinion on the gun itself although I will note that it is a piece of **** and keep that in mind when using it. Thanks for the help.

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I didn't mean to offend you. sorry. As I progressed through a series of guns and learning about them, I came across a few that were really lame. I almost tore the top of my finger off when one misfired. You said you were new to spearguns.....so I gave you my honest opinion. Good luck.

Hank49:

One of my very good spearing buddies was just here, visiting from Viet Nam. He pulled this gun out of his closet that he was cleaning out and lo and behold, it's just like the one you have. An AB Biller 32 Mahogany.
I made a new band for it last night and was playing around with it.
Dumpster Diver filled in most of your questions except for the "metal spike". As mentioned, that's for wrapping the shooting line around. But you have to pull it back from the forward postion it goes to after you fire the gun, before locking the shaft into the trigger mech. If not, it will be tilted forward and locked in that position, and won't hold the line as it's not tilted back enough.
But basically, I think the gun is a piece of ****, which is probably why you found it laying around the shop and my buddy shoved his away in a closet for the last 5 years.
It might be good in low vis shooting fish in holes but it's a pain in the ass to load with the line setup. And the tip that comes with it is a tiny double flopper.....I might keep it on my boat just for getting a fish that holes up and doesn't leave me room to get at it with a longer gun.

Click to expand...

Hank: if the line release is not re-setting automatically when the shaft is loaded, then a spring or something in the line release is broken. I don't think this relates to the safety of the gun, but it is a pain and is NOT the way the gun is supposed to work.

Thanks dumpster D. I forget which forum I'm on sometimes....and that SCUBAboard is a bit more formal and polite.

It looks to me like the shooting line, being away from the stock going from the bottom of the handle to the muzzle, could catch on things too if you're laying on the bottom and tracking a fish. and if it catches on a soft coral, or in a wreck....and then if you fire it? I think it could be modified though.

Hi Hank, I wasn't really offended and I am sure it will bring home dinner just fine.

I was looking for insights and tips, just not expecting one that said the gun is a piece of ****.

There is no single perfect gun. Your ideal length is usually determined by visibility and conditions such as dive type (reef, wreck, etc), current, and so on. Also, will you be freediving or on scuba? Do you prefer chest or leg loading? What feels right and works for you will be very subjective. Try to get stainless steel in key components if you can.

That 32 might be very good in low vis or confined spaces. Test it and see if it works for you. Regional preferences vary widely even for similar prey and conditions so take any advice with scepticism.

You will most likely end up owning more than one speargun.

BTW, something like a JBL 2D72 is a travelling polespear that can be assembled into either a two, four, or six foot spear with multiple tips and might be worth looking into if you enjoy using a polespear in a variety of conditions.

- Manny

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