whats the difference with a mid handle and a rear handle

[Hapa4Lyph89]

I noticed that most speargun makers have both mid handle and rear handle gun models. Is one better than another? Or does it all depend on the type of area you spear at?

[josedesucre]

Midhandle is somewhat easier to move laterally to aim at a moving target, and also easier to maneuver into caves or coral. Rearhandle is regarded as a little bit more accurate and with a bit more reach. I have used both and can assure you that my accuracy didn't suffer at all with the midhandle. In fact, once you get used to it you can live with only one gun, be it mid or rear handle. The differences are only a matter of personal likeness, IMHO. Except, perhaps, for blue water hunting of big pelagic fish, when you frequently have to shoot from long distance and need to use multirubber bands guns, I would only use rear handle.

[AussieFreediver]

I have used all types of guns over the last 30+ years, fom timber to tube.
Still not any sort of expert but I have settled with a KES-Peter Kesby gun from Australia for most to all of my spearing. Using a cut down tube to shoot inside the caves for what we call pigs.
The KES is one of the best hand made guns I have used with a perfect balance and matched rubbers which dont need a body builder to load but still shoot straight at full stretch
As far as mid or rear handles go we used to use the mid handle so we were able to control the kick back with our other hand. I prefer the rear but if the gun is balanced its your preference what works for you.

[scrounger]

i just looked at the kes guns, what is the rope hanging off some of the used for?

[Fondueset]

rear handle guns - particularly 'euro' style guns are more intuitive to aim. The euro guns have the handle mounted as high as possible at the rear of the gun which makes them handle recoil very nicely - despite being light. Mid-handle guns have the grip lower relative to the forward thrust so there is more tendancy for them to be affected by recoil - which can cause them to shoot low by kicking up the rear end of the shaft on it's way out. I have a small mid-handle that has no recoil and is very easy to shoot one handed because I've rigged it with a light shaft.
Mid-handles can, of course, be balanced to offset recoil for a specific configuration.

[spaghetti]

another advantage of the rear handle is that - at equal overall length - you keep your own body more distant from the fish than with a mid handle.
This helps especially when hunting shy reef fish, which are not likely to let you get very close to them.
I think that's one of the reasons why all guns made in the mediterranean countries are rear handled (our fish are not just shy: they're all Ph.D.'s in "stayawayoffmeology"

[Fondueset]

Right - and if you creep the gun up properly they don't seem to react to it.