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#405
Spearguns?? Gotta get outfitted.
HRDiver - 9/25/2007 4:23 PM
Replies: 10

I`ve just completed my certification and I`m now outfitted to dive; minus a dive computer. My next step is getting a speargun to fish with a friend of mine and I was wanting advice on were to start. One person told me about JBL guns. Good quality, relatively inexpensive and easily upgradeable. This is the only opinion I`ve gotten and thats from some one who hasn`t hunted. I would like your input. PEACE D
#51828
Greg - 9/25/2007 7:24 PM
Guns and computers! Isn`t diving great. I`ve heard good things about JBL.
#51828
Greg - 9/25/2007 7:25 PM
Also, check out Riffe (I think that`s how it`s spelled). I`ve heard they`re good also.
#65
SpearChuck - 10/12/2007 8:10 PM
I got a 48 Special by AB Biller, the most popular gun in the world. I use a Wisdom computer for using NITROX No stress while on NITROX
#1596
divedestin - 10/27/2007 8:58 AM
I have a jbl xhd. It is a good gun but it has a big kick back. I recommend taking a closer look at spear shaft diameter. A thigh shaft is more weight to get moving but it tough. And a smaller shaft will get moving faster with less bands.
#380
diveaholic - 12/18/2007 11:25 AM
The JBL guns are awesome. I have two JBL magnums and they work great. What are you hunting? I only hunt freshwater cats and shellcracker. For the shellcracker I use a 3prong sling.
#2636
NWKatShark - 12/30/2007 6:31 PM
Not to add to the confusion, but, there are band and pneumatic guns and Hawaiian Slings. From there, my next question would be, what are you looking to hunt?
#328
Spearo - 8/19/2008 10:10 AM


My advice...get your diving gear in place including computer and get as many deep open water dives as you can in diffrent enviromets so you and your diving gear become "one" only then take another UW task like spearfishing. It’s easy to spear a fish but harder to land that fish specially if other bigger fish are ready to eat it before your eyes and there is nothing you want to do about it.


JBL is not a bad start for the money, I would stay with the 5/16" x 36" shaft with three slings to start.You will out grow a smaller size fast if you only have "one size fits all" and anything bigger is just too lg. for your skill level at this time. The key number is 5/16"


Some JBL models to look at will be the Woody, some Mini-Magnums, and the Elites models but cost is a bit more with the last. Stay away from the Mini, Carbines, Explorer and even the Lightning but then again..how much will you be spearfishing?


 


Best of luck 
#187
RonCooley - 3/20/2009 10:54 AM
Obviously, you should be comfortable diving & know your gear well before you spearfish. For some that may take years, for others weeks, but don’t spearfish until diving is natural. 


For general purposes, a 42-48" gun is a good place to start. People who start with guns under 36" are often very disappointed. A 48" gun has reasonable range while being easy to handle.



Price & your budget will dictate brands/models open to you. Riffe (pronounced like "Life" with an R) makes GREAT guns for a reasonable price. A mid-handle Riffe will be my next gun. Lots of used guns are sold on ebay. Reality is almost any gun you find will work — to some degree. Differences are in penetration, range & accuracy.



5/16" spears are normally the best compromise for a starter gun. Thinner spears are faster but bend easier & don’t penetrate as well. Heavier spears kick a lot more & are slower.



Band guns are vastly more popular than pneumatic guns. Pneumatic designs are promising but band guns are reliable, cheap, and powerful. Someday a pneumatic gun will be made that uses a line from a person’s regulator to give it enough pressure to be impressive. Until then, stick with a band gun.



If you can, borrow or rent several different spearguns before you buy. If that’s not a reality, get something reasonably inexpensive but adequate for what you plan on hunting & use that until you are sure you will stay with this. If so, you will want to buy a good speargun, or 2 or 3.
#645
scuba_dude06 - 2/21/2013 11:13 AM
Here is my $0.02, knowing that since the time of this forum starting you have probably already had several seasons hunting...

I really enjoy my Mares Sten. It is pneumatic. Don’t fall for horror stories of no power with a pneumatic...they have some kick if you get the right size. A pneumatic gun is going to be smaller in size to a comparable powered band gun simply due to mechanical advantage of a piston systom allowing a compact powerful design. No, they don’t lose air pressure after each shot, unless you have a bad o-ring, in which case a new o-ring and a pressure recharge is all you need (it is equipment - maintain it). As for price, they are not too different from most band guns either. And yes, the Mares guns have a pressure reducing switch that can allow you to fire the gun with much less power if you are close in on your prey or don’t want to smash the tip into some rocks too hard if you miss. The one thing to note that really will stand out is the deeper you go, they will begin to reduce in power due to the same reason you get less time out of a tank of air at 100 ft than at 30 ft (dang physics). Rest assured, however, that this is taken into account by most manufacturers when designing their guns.

In the end, you need to just get in the water and tinker with multiple types and sizes before you buy something that is along the lines of a minor investment, similar to a bcd or computer, etc.