Spearguns?

[TitaniumDiver]

I would like some opinions on spearguns. I would like to get one but I am unsure of which one to get. I dive in the open water of the ocean and also in rivers and lakes around my area. What size gun should I get?

[cmburch]

May want to check SpearBoard. See what other Gulf Coast divers are using in your area.

[No Misses]

You are going to hate this answer, but here it goes anyway.

What water conditions do you anticipate? If vis is less than 15' - go with a short gun < 42". You will not be able to benefit from the added range of a longer/ more powerfull gun.

What is your intended target? For cobia, you want a powerful gun and heavy shaft to penetrate thier thick heads. If you are shooting small snappers and hog fish a lighter shaft will leave you with less damaged fillets.

Will you be hunting on the bottom and around rocks? Use the short heavy shafts for this. Shafts range in price from $30-$65 each. You will bend a lot of shafts hunting grouper in the rocks.

These are my current guns (always ready to add more)

Aimrite 110cm w/reel for blue water & freediving

Riffe Euro 110. This is the most accurate gun that I own. It shoots those thin shafts like a laser. unfortunately, those thin shafts are expensive and they bend easily.

Spearfish Specialties 48" Rhino. This is my all purpose gun. I have a spare shaft & flashlight holder on the muzzle. This works great inside of wrecks where the extra light makes a big difference.

[dive10killer]

Spearfish Specialties makes excellent guns

[mrbheagney]

Start of with someting small (75cm) gun wise. I just bnought a Picasso Asegai 100 cm gun with 140cm spear and I have to fashion a new notch in the spear before I could even load the thing. Now I can load it but still can't hit anything, practice I guess.

[BillS]

I'm new to the sport and have only made kills in freshwater lakes in water with vis of less than 10'. I have a Cressi-sub SL which is a pneumatic gun about 2' in length. This gun has a high/low pressure activation switch near the grip making it ideal for both small and large game. I have a coil lanyard attached to the shaft, which eliminates the hassle of a cord. I usually use a three prong paralyzer tip which works well on smaller species of fish but can be changed while under water to a spear point. The size of the gun is a bit larger than what many spear gunners in my area use but I find it still easily carried and deployed underwater. However, the length might make it harder to manipulate in heavy brush or around rocky ledges. My only complaint is with the slide trigger safety, which is stiff and impossible to operate unless my support hand is holding the barrel to support the gun while the safety is operated with the thumb or index finger. Perhaps this will loosen up with more use. Good luck and happy hunting!

[Krakenn]

Best Speargun makers in the world are the South Africans. Go for a Rob Allen Gun or a Rabitech. Very accurate and as good as a Riffe.

As an allround gun that you can use in several arenas i would go for a 130 gun with rubbers.

If your fancy is air guns I would recommend a Mares 970 as an alround general purpose air gun.

Kraks

[cmburch]

But the best spearguns are made in the USA. This is Riffe Country. We also have Wong. It may be better to hook-up with local Spearos to get a handle on the spearfishing in your area. Buy the correct gun/guns the first time and do not have to make subsequent purchases due to a bad choice.

[ScottZeagle]

Originally Posted by dive10killer

Spearfish Specialties makes excellent guns

I agree.

The 48" Rhino with commercial muzzle is my gun of choice!!!

[Krakenn]

As all above have said it is a very individual choice.

See if you can borrow a gun or so and try it. Feel how it moves through the water and how quickly it turns with you are you comfortable holding it for long periods of time. Are you going to use a float with the gun so when you shoot you let go of the whole thing and chase the fish with floats attached or do you intend using a gun reel or just the bungie cord by itself.

Even changing the rubbers size can have a dramatic impact on both accuracy and your fitness versus longer range or penetration.

You have posed a very hard question that perhaps is limited to your own experiences and dive conditions as Often Misses above states.

Cheers mate

Kraks