Spear guns??

[Idylles15.5]

I was looking at spear guns online. They vary from $80 to $600. Anyone on here an avid speargun fisherman? I have no problem spending money for a quality gun, but I'm sure I don't need a $600 gun, but I also don't want some piece of crap that I'll shoot myself in the leg with due to crappy design or safety features. I am paddy certified and I also have used slingshots, so I have some experiance. ???? lets hear it

[hellosailor]

"I am paddy certified"
It is good to know the Irish approve of you, but I didn't think they were big into spear guns.

There are some quality variations in the cheap spearguns. I had one, don't remember the brand, that eventually broke apart, the plastic parts just didn't hold up. The slings themselves are pretty much commodity grade silicon tubing. The trigger mechanisms might be aluminum (easy to machine) or stainless (durable enough for daily commercial use) to there's more difference there. And of course whether you get a mundane aluminum pipe "stock" or one of the beautiful hand-carved rosewood, etc. custom jobs.
If you look at the local dive shops, or the bigger online dive shops, you'll probably see something mid-range that gets a lot of buys and a lot of reviews. Unless you're looking for a statement piece...

[Idylles15.5]

Oh **** PADI lol wasnt thinking, just typing

[Idylles15.5]

loading a year of quickbooks and my brain is fried, lol. Please easy on the abuse

[Privleoplag]

really depends on what and where you're hunting. I'm a fan of pneumatics. A lot of wallop in a smaller, easier to wield package. All different sizes available.

On the boat I just have a polespear though.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Idylles15.5

loading a year of quickbooks and my brain is fried, lol. Please easy on the abuse

Did "paddy" teach you how use a "sling shot" under water? 😆

[belizesailor]

Spear guns are a legal issue in some venues, so I just carry a pole spear aboard with exchangeable tips.

[Idylles15.5]

Yeah yeah alright, bring on the hits lol. Hawaiian Sling shot, I was told they were called. I don't in any way pretend to know about spear fishing. Thought it would be handy to have once I cut the lines.

[belizesailor]

😆

Its just "Hawaiian Sling"...no "shot". Spear shaft is free (no line or attachment to other bits). Easy to fabricate: steel rod sharpened on end, a bit of wood with a hole in it for the shaft, rubber tubing siezed to wood...done. Popular w locals in many venues for this reason.

Skill is important...as a missed shot or no kill may mean a lost shaft.

[Idylles15.5]

I have used those and was pretty good with it. I was just looking into a gun. I didn't even think about any legal issues as the other guy posted.

[hd002e]

Depends where you are diving and what kind of fish you are after. Smaller guns are for under rocks and coral, nimble but you need to be close to your target. Longer ones are for big palegic fish and they have a lot of range. Midrange is a good compromise between the two and do well in the bottom and hiding behind rocks.

In the upper range you are paying for a quiet trigger mechanism that does not scare away the fish until they come in contact with the spear. You are also paying for great balance that does not float away from you or sink down. The third cost item is the fish retrieval mechanism that will allow the fish to get away and then you reel them in like you would with a fishing rod.

With that being said, spearguns are highly personal and spearfishermen go to hreat lengths to customize them exactly hiw they want. Once you are comfortable with the speargun, you become really good at it.

I like to keep things simple so I prefer the rubber band type instead of the airguns. I also feel that the mechanism of the airguns are clunky and scare fish off. However they do have a much stronger kick for their size compared to the band guns.

My favorite size is anywhere between 60-80 cm. Cressi sub makes good guns (cressi comanche 60 is a great gun). If you want a bit better but not gold plated crazy custom, take a look at MAKO. They also support their customers really well.

On the boat I have it hanging with soft shackles from the cabintop ceiling and silicon grease the rubbers every once in a while.

It is a wonderful activity that just heightens your awareness of the underwater world and builds an appreciation for its inhabitants.

[Idylles15.5]

Thank you, thank you, aside from the abuse I knew I was going to take lol, that was very helpful. This may sound crazy, but would a band driven gun be able to blow through my wooden entry hatch if I needed to stop and intruder quietly? Not use my JIC Mossberg

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Idylles15.5

Thank you, thank you, aside from the abuse I knew I was going to take lol, that was very helpful. This may sound crazy, but would a band driven gun be able to blow through my wooden entry hatch if I needed to stop and intruder quietly? Not use my JIC Mossberg

Oh yeah, it will. Back when I did a LOT of spearfishing ..I used to have a big 3 band gun I stowed under my bed armed...a chest shot would easily knock a grown man off his feet (if it hit bone)...and of course not do his life expectancy any good.

Used to take fish up to, and occassionally over, 100 lbs w that gun.

But, a big banded gun is an awkard weapon ashore...a more compact pneumatic would be better for that purpose.

[Idylles15.5]

Just thinking dual purpose if I needed to slip away after a criminal tried to rob me and i wanted to be stealth about it. Not be locked up like that poor French guy who fought off a robber in St Vincent only to be locked up when the criminal drowned on his swim back to shore. I think that poor guy is still in jail after he and his wife got the crap beat out of them. Nuts

[belizesailor]

Havent run into this but are there venues that consider spear guns weapons (some do flare guns)?