New hunter needs advice on American gun...

[dspdiver]

Greetings from Louisiana!!
Just got back from my first spearfishing trip in Destin, FL and I am hooked!! Spending way too much time agonizing over what gun to buy. (just happens to be my bd in a week and guess what I'm getting me??) Here's my situation--want to be able to fish blue water at the rigs off LA and have friends with a place in the Keys. Shot a Biller 48 and JBL Magnum last week--both 2 bands. Got lucky on 5 shots, but they were small 4-5 lb grouper and the like...My host is a die hard Biller guy, so all of my advice thus far is slanted that way...Don't see myself going after tuna or huge blue water stuff any time soon, but want to buy a quality gun that I can advance with...Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...thanks

[gman080788]

i notice you were talking about american guns but i have found the the best gun for a good price is the SeaTec Gabbiano snake 110cm it is fantastic just bought one it is great look it up on google ... good luck man

[gman080788]

p.s. its euro gun tho ...

[Whopperhead]

Look into the HammerHead 100cm - nice and quiet and real accurate! Thin 6.5mm shaft and strong! Easy to hook up to floats if needed.

Home of HammerHead Spearguns

[Coral Sniper]

How about a riffe c3, Good allrounder can take big fish and is accurate.

Quality: Lets just say a Riffe will be around for a long time!

I think it is worth the extra cash if you plan to be spearing alot.

[Mongrel454]

Ofcoarse the best option would be the DARK side :P

Seac ASSO 115 with mamba, once u try it you will never go back

[Marwan]

I think forum member Rigdvr is in your area...could maybe drop him a PM,,.if you plan to hunt arount rigs, then there will be some decent sized fish...from the american gunmakers i would recommend a wong hybrid, maybe 50-55 inches..maybe shorter depending on the visibility there...they are super guns and daryl is an amazing person to deal with. Try giving him a call, chances are he sold quite a ferw guns to guys in your area so will know exactly what you need.id go with the regular twin band hybrid or the magnum hybrid..another option would be riffes..probably cheaper then wong and a very decent and effective gun too..im afraid i dont have any experience with Hammerheads, billers or JBL's..

[dspdiver]

Thanks to all for the advice and input. I have a couple more questions:
1. Any thoughts on AB Biller or JBL?
2. How about wood vs metal.

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I am going to buy a gun next week and this information is very helpful.

[Coral Sniper]

AB biller is much better gun then JBL (in my mind)

The billers seem to be put together with spearing fish in mind,some of the jbls are setup weird.

Most billers are made of wood, and wood floats,If you freedive then you want the gun to float when the shaft is out(all guns should sink with the spear in).That way if you spear a fish in a hole the gun will be floating up and not tangled on the bottom and it will be a shorter dive for ya to get the gun. There are lots of other reasons to have a gun that floats.

I still say a riffe c3 would be a good gun for ya but a abbiller would probably work too!

Good luck on your choice

[Whopperhead]

I have a couple JBL's - I like them for Larger Fish 20# or larger- but for smaller fish- not so good- they put a large hole in them. I've never had a problem with my JBL's the woody is nice and floats after the shot. But i still prefer the HH overall. It's a hard choice lots of good guns out there- just have to pick one- keep in mind- you get what you pay for.

[icarus pacific]

The JBL's are a lot better than they were some 37 yrs ago, but they are still very tough guns. The Gulf Magnum can be made to work very well, but might limit you down the road. The best thing about them is the price.

Billers have a large local following there and are well made and have support for the repairs and adds, so you're good to go there. I'm not a fan of them particularly but only because I started with different guns and such.

If you really want to get into it in a big way, I'd look seriously at the Riffe Metal Tech series. They are ridiculously strong and well made, can be modified to any degree, have available parts and aren't cheap. But you'll hand it down to your kids. A MT 3-4 will keep you growing very well.

Mike (Rigdiver) is a fan of Wong spearguns, like myself, and you could do a lot worse than those guns, but now you're talking pricey.

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by icarus pacific

Mike (Rigdiver) is a fan of Wong spearguns, like myself, and you could do a lot worse than those guns, but now you're talking pricey.

Yeah but it's a gun for life and nice ones at that I'm really pleased with mine despite the hefty import tax and shipping to the Sunny UK. Guess you have to love your spearin!

[settingsteel]

Best advice is to git ya hands on a few guns and try'em out...nowadays most guns are pretty good sure some better than others, and pricier too....mucho get what you pay for...Wongs are good, Riffes (as well as the Euro) are sweet, Kevins are also quite good and versatile...and farters are also excellent...try a few, kill some fish and have some fun while your at it!

[Bill McIntyre]

You can't go wrong with Wong.

[icarus pacific]

One other thing you'll need to think about is losing it. Everyone I know, including me has lost a gun in the beginning. You lose a JBL or the like and it's a pain, but it's not a biggie.

You have to dump a Riffe, or one of my Wongs, Alexanders or Sea Snipers, yeah, that's a bitch. And you wannabes out there can call me out for leaving my Prodonavich's on the wall, but those are priceless.

You can always go cheaper, decide if you like the sport and then ebay the gun and go get a gun that really suits you.

I hear the WSB are showing, Bill. Harold looks like he's in form.