Gun advice needed

[Trey9123]

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.

[cmburch]

I have a small Mares pneumatic. I hit a large ling cod in the head and it did not penetrate. I was lucky enough to swim forward and grab hold of the shaft and jam it deeper in the fish's head pinning it up against a rock. Once it quit moving, I reached between its head and the rock to push the spear through so it opened before transferring to my stringer. The gun was over a year old. I took it back to the shop and they told me it had to be pump up once in a while. I pump it up about once a year now and have not had any problems. I use a spinner rock point which is easy to touch up with a file and stays sharp. The biggest Sheepshead I ever got was just under 20 lb at the Channel Islands, CA. They are not the same as your sheepshead and may have a head that is easier to pierce. I am looking for a higher power Riffe for tuna. My friend has a Woody that he has used for every dive we go on. It is his favorite gun. I will ask him what he thinks about it and then edit this post. I have a shock cord - part of the line has 2 knots about 6" apart. There is a piece of black tubing about 4" long that goes over the knots and bunches the 6" into about 3". Two cable ties go over the black tubing around the knots. It is to take up the line slack when the spear is in firing position. It may or may not be needed. It depends on how you string your line.

[Skyjunky]

AB Billers, Sea Hornets even JBL's make decent beginner guns. 48" minimum is a good start.

[Trey9123]

I meant a shock cord like this one Spearfishing Shock Coil 15ft at Divers Direct - Scuba gear & equipment online dive catalog!. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

[cmburch]

Originally Posted by Trey9123

I meant a shock cord like this one Spearfishing Shock Coil 15ft at Divers Direct - Scuba gear & equipment online dive catalog!. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

I am unfamiliar with this. It looks like it is a telephone cord type coil that completely replaces the line. So you would not have to rewind your line after shooting, but it is hanging/dangling (get tangled in something) and it may not be as strong. I would stick with the regular line unless one of your buddies has experience with it. I have reloaded and shot quickly without rewinding the line.

[No Misses]

Originally Posted by Trey9123

I meant a shock cord like this one Spearfishing Shock Coil 15ft at Divers Direct - Scuba gear & equipment online dive catalog!. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

There is a saying that "most fishing lures are made to catch fishermen" I think this "shock cord" falls into the same category = Gimmick. Stick with the tried and true methods. When I started Spearfishing, my buddies were all “free shafting” (No leash on the spear), so I free shafted. I have since gone back to “line shafting”. Here are the pros and cons.

Free shaft:
Pro: The shaft travels further and carries more speed, since it does not have to drag the line through the water.
Pro: Reloading is very fast, with no line to deal with.
Con: You really cannot shoot fish high in the water column (Cobia, Dolphin, Wahoo), unless you stone them and grab ‘em before they get away. If you miss or the shaft goes all the way through the fish, it is going all the way to the bottom.
Con: A large fish may swim away with your shaft. If you are lucky the fish will rock up. I have seen people lose fish and shafts this way.

Line Shaft:
Pro: You can shoot fish in 1000 fsw. Who cares how deep it is as long as you don’t get dragged to the bottom. (There are other ways around this).
Pro: even a poorly placed “body shot” can keep you attached to the fish. I have shot fish where the shaft went all the way through and they were strung on the shooting line. A free shaft would have passed through and the fish could have swum away.
Pro: if you miss a fish high in the water column, you can easily retrieve your shaft and reload.
Con: The shooting line does slow down the shaft and limit your range. Although my new Riffe 110 cm has a effective range of 26’!
Con: reloading is slower since you have to deal with the line. Murphy’s Law states that “if you choose to shoot before re-wrapping the line it will get snagged on something and stop the shaft 1 inch short of the target”.

My first gun
Spearfish Specialties 48” Rhino with spare shaft and flashlight holder. I still use this gun when I am lobstering, since the second shaft makes it heavy and I can set it on the bottom without worries of is floating away.

Second gun
Riffe 110x Euro, this gun is laser accurate out to 26’! it is perfectly neutral in the water. I can let go of it on the safety stop and it just hangs there in the water next to me.

Good luck with your choices

[Grin]

There are a ton of different guns out there. My recomendations for low cost guns would be a Aimrite 100-110 sized gun. They come in Aluminum barrels and are very powerful, well made, but not bulky guns. I have a 90 Aimrite and love it. I also have a few custom teak larger guns that are expensive. The Aluminum Aimrites are about $300 new and can be found used on EBAY, or on the spearfishing forumn sites for around $200. Look under classifieds on Spearboard.com
I would get a 52+ inch wood American gun like a SeaHornet or Biller, or a 100-110mm Euro gun like the Aimrite. The Aimrite will probably be more powerful and slimmer to carry, but harder to load, until you learn how to do it correctly. All my guns must be chest loaded and I find no issue with it. Many have problems doing this way and thus the American style guns with long butts(less band stretch). Those can easily be loaded on the hip.
A Biller 48 is a decent gun for low cost, but I think you would just wish you got a 52+ soon afterwards. Problem is the 52 is probably starting to get away from the $200 you stated.
I cannot say enough good things about the Aimrite gun I have, especially for the low cost. Aimrite just redesigned their gun and I have the old one. There are many of the old sytles around for sale and they are excellent guns for a very reasonable price. And the guy who makes them warranties them for life to whomever owns it(not just the original owner). Hard to beat.

[Crimediver]

I've used it. I have one on my small 32 Biller for close shots. I am going to be removong it. It is a gimmick, tangles and can affect the accuracy of your shot. I bought it on the advice of someone who obviously did not know what he was talking about.