Why buy less than 48" speargun?

[Walter]

A shorter gun is also useful for folks who can't reach the bands on a longer gun. People come in all sizes.

 

[Ironhed]

There are lots of techniques to loading long guns. I am only 5'7" tall and load a 57" gun with 0 problems it is all technique and practice. the first few times were tough but i have it figured out pretty good now.

 

[pescador775]

Depending on where I hunt locally, I use a Biller 56 or homemade mid handle gun which is 39 inches (1 m) in length, and sometimes use a Biller 36, also one meter overall length. The "big" Biller is used where visibility is at least 15 feet, although 20 feet is better. Coincidentally, in those areas which may see 15 feet and up, the fish run larger, sometimes much larger. Hunting shoal waters, the vis can run 6-10 feet. It would be near impossible to locate the target, train the gun, and hit the target with the big Biller. At the instant the fish see you, they move out, sometimes at great speed, or they hole up. The time window to train the gun and fire is one or two seconds and that is with a short barrel. With a long gun, there would not be even that much time because of the motion posed by a long swinging barrel. Thus, in such low vis areas, the use of a short barrelled gun is mandatory. The superiority of the mid handle gun becomes apparent. The mid handle has the same length stock as the Biller 36 but six inches more rubber pull, and six inches more spear. When the tide changes, and vis improves, this occurs regularly and quickly, or when the occasional big fish blunders by, the extra reach of the relatively small mid handle gun asserts itself.

 

[bdrannik]

I couldn't decide so got one of each size (Russian Sea Bears) through a stroke of luck... I haven't been Spearfishing before so the answers in the thread were very useful.

 

[Amphibious]

Why buy a short gun?

Low Viz
Hunting in Shallow Fast moving water (Rivers/surf)
shooting fast moving fish at close ranges
hunting caves or cracks with tight corners

etc, etc, etc.........