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1.2 or 1.3 ???????

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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calispearo

New Member
Oct 27, 2004
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Hey guys,

I'm ordering a RA and can't decide on the length. I wan tot use it for Southern California in high vis reef out here (15-30 ft) and some BW, also for Islands, Catalina, etc.

I already have a Rabitech "90 Stealth and a RIFFE Hawaiian.

I can't decide between the 1.2 and the 1.3 I'm a tall guy, around 6.3 so i don't know if the larger would hinder me in the reef. I plan on taking shy fish with it (Calico, etc)

Any Advice?????? I want to still be able to get some Reef use in with this gun. I'll be using 2 16mm's.

-Mike
 
Hi Mike, i have a Rabitech 1.3 while my brother has a rob allen 1.6,
we use both guns for both reef as well as BW.

when it comes to buying a new gun, i would recomend moving up in increments of 20cm at a time, the reason for that is to get used to the feel of longer guns and be able to handle them in the water. A 1.2 is a big jump from the 90cm you have. Loading the gun would be significntly more diffiicult.

I woudl suggest you pick up a 1.2 and a 1.3 and try reaching for the bands and loading it, if you can load both with relative ease then go for the 1.3 if not then stick to the 1.2 for now!

i have shot my rabitech with a variaty of band configurations, to be honest, i was not very satisfied with the x2 16 combination... ive tried it with x2 18 (lost accuracy), ive also tried it with x1 16mm and x1 18mm.... now i use it with a V. short 18mm single band... this proved the most accurate and longest range!

hope this helps

The following is my brothers advise as he has been diving in Catalina island:

hello mike...
i dove catalina islands in september 04, with Roger Yazbeck distributor of picasso america and jimmy, a friend of his,,,,
from my experiance, the WSB and calico bass will hang in the kelp forist, and its kind of difficult to swing a big gun in thick kelp, while at the same time if u go to the blue water to land yellow tail, u might need the extra range as viz was about 60 feet, and after the first 2 fish, the school kept its distance,,,, if you wanna hunt in both environments go for the 120 with 2 bands as u will deffinatly need penetrating power on both the WSB and yellow tail, the halibut, calico bass and sheepshead can be landed with a single band.
good luck with the hunt and land me a whopper.
Nadim
 
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Thanks!!!

My RIFFE Hawaiian is about a 105 (50 inchs) I think i might be able to handel the 1.3. i'v never actually seen either in person. I can load my '90 with a 20mm no prob though and i have very long arms.

I just hope the 1.2 has the punching power and range for some bluewater.

Does anyone know how long the gun that David Laird had in Spearfishing the Californias was?? the one that he takes that first shot on a rockfish?

-Mike

p.S I'v met Rodger and he's a great guy. Diving w\ him must have been fun
 
Hey Cali,

10cm is aroung 4". This isn't the biggest change so I try to jump around in 20cm increments which is what I think Nesim was saying. So if you have a 90 go w/ the 130 and you can still round out the arsenal w/ a 110 later if need be and have everything covered. If you get the 120 then a 110 is only 4" shorter and a 100cm is only 4" longer than your 90cm. Make sense?
 
Hey Cali, My workhorse gun is an RA 120, and I love it. It is a great gun. That having been said, if you have a 90 and a rife hawian already, I would go for the 130. I have a 90 for low vis, a 120 general purpose (Everything from dorado to calico) and I just purchsed a 140 for blue water and hunting WSB on clear days. Dont worry about loading, if you are 6-3 and understand the technique, it should be no problem. Once you get the but of the gun up on your chest/upper abdomen, it loads easy....and that is from a guy that spends half of most days driving a desk. Im sure you will enjoy your gun. I think the RA is a great way to go for guys on a budget, especially with some of the clearance sales going right now. Good hunting,
Boyd
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

Will i still be able to handel a 1.3 in the reef?? that's my main concern.

Because i'll definetly be putting in a lot more reef time then BW time.

The RIFFE is a 50 inch but i think it's measured differently. it's supposibly a 127 but it ends up only being a 105, 110 (roughly just by barrell)

I"v been using my "90 Rabitech for mostly everything latley, the vis has been pretty bad around here latley.

Does anyone know which gun David Laird was using in that video (length wise?)

Chris, IB Boyd and Nesim, you all make a heck of a lot of sense on this and i think i'll switch to the 1.30.

Do you guys think i'll still get to use the gun in the Reef though on 15-30 vis days, because it will mostly be used in the reef on days where the calico are a little to skittish and the water to clear for my "90 Rabi. That being said i also want to use it in Catalina and for WSB.

The problem is, that i'v never seen either gun in person, lol. So judging length is a bit of a problem.
 
I do plan on getting a large woody for Bluewater someday, so i guess this gun will be mainly for high vis reef, basically to enable me to "Reach out and touch fish " that are on the outter skirts of visibility, and to do some diving in Catalina, etc.

-Mike
 
Does anyone have the overall measurements on the 1.20 and the 1.30 including muzzle and handel?
 
120cm =46.8"
130cm=50.7"
The handle is ~7.5" for a euro gun, the muzzle ~2".
Therefore LOA for 120=56.3"
LOA for 130=60.2"
 
calispearo said:
Thanks!

Since my RIFFE is a "50 then it makes a little more sense to go with a 1.3 i'm guessing

Just to confuse the issue a bit more, a lot of that 50" Riffe is behind the mid handle, while all of the Rob Allen will be in front of its handle. So it will not only be a longer gun, but it will be sticking out in front of you a lot more.

I don't have any experience with big Euro guns, but I thought I'd just try to add to the confusion by throwing in another thing to think about. :)
 
Just to stir things a bit, my 110 RA seems to have the exact same length of band pull as my 55" Wong hybrid. I prefer the 55" Wong Hybrid with three 16mm bands over the 110 RA with two 16mm bands and the reel on the hybrid seems to stabilize it enough that over-powering is not an issue. I think the 120 RA with twin 16s and a 7mm shaft has comparable range to the hybrid rigged with three 16s and a 9/16 shaft. Accuracy is about the same.

To answer the question, I'd recommend the 120 for all-around use and jump to a 140 when and if needed. The 120 handles faster and will handle medium bluewater stuff just fine. The hybrid handles even faster. I concur with going in increments of 20cm for your euroguns. I like the 140 RA for North Carolina use but when there are Mahi about I prefer the 55" Wong. Of course, if you only want one gun get the 130. Speargus are like boats in that it's all about compromise.
Mark Jacobs
 
One last though, I handle my 120 thoughtfully when shooting around rocks, dont want to string a smaller fish and smack a rock. I do most of my hunting midwater in the kelp, so in most cases a spear that blows through a fish or misses(happens ocasionaly;) isnt going to get damaged. Shot a goat on friday, and waited till he passed in the clear between two rocks before shooting as to avoid hurting the tip. I dont know what size gun david Laird is shooting in that video...its pretty darned big though.
 
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I've got a 120 that I swear by. I've taken a lot of different species with it. got a single 20mm band throwing a 7mm shaft. Its fine in low vis because I can shoot from the hip- it also works well in blue water. Ive taken everything from 1/2kg goatfish through to 30kg yellowtail- as well as a full range of reef fish and blue-water fish including wahoo, mahimahi and dogtooth tuna.
It's a magic gun.
 
Thanks guys. I'v decided. I think i'm getting 2!

I ordered the 1.2 for me, and a 1.3 for my friend and then i'm ordering a 1.4 for me a think. so i'll have a 1.2 and a 1.4!

Can't wait to try the gun out. I'v usd Rabitech and love them, but i'v never used a Rob Allen.

Thanks for the advice everyone!!
 
I have a 1.2M RA and 2 1.4M RA's, they should give you a good range of options when your out hunting... I find I am always using the 1.4M gun though as the extra bit of range can be very handy for pelagics.

Have fun with your guns and let us know your thoughts!

Cheers!
Rob
 
Thanks Rob!

I didn't end up buying the 1.4 yet. I bougth a 1.3 and a 1.2 (gave the 1.3 to a friend).

The 1.2 was defective and a new one is in the mail and on it's way to me. It seems like a great size though.

The gun looks very well made and i was impressed with some of the features. I can't wait to try the new one out!

-Mike
 
defofthecrown said:
...So if you have a 90 go w/ the 130 and you can still round out the arsenal w/ a 110 later if need be and have everything covered. If you get the 120 then a 110 is only 4" shorter and a 100cm is only 4" longer than your 90cm. Make sense?

I have 90cm RA Sparid currently but I am thinking of going to Africa next year. Although the 120 Rob Allen is a classic -- the quintessential RA perhaps -- I think I will likely go with a 130cm (either 2x16mm RA Tuna or 1x20mm RA Caranx, with a breakaway rig).

Perhaps I can goose-up the 90cm with second rubber & double wrap of line (/reel & perhaps heavier spear?) as a back-up/reef/kill-gun? [The 120 + 140 you ended up going for (or even 120/150) sounds good :cool: -- esp. if you are going to be fishing similar conditions a lot].

120cm for a reef gun is a little mind-blowing though -- in the UK most spearos use 75cm-90cm. 90cm is thought big & used for open water & 75cm (or less) for reefs, caves. In fact, I am thinking of getting a smaller gun (65-70cm)for reefs, wreck & caves!

Question: has anybody tried reducing muzzle bulk to help offset the drag of a longer gun? Does it make much difference? (e.g. advanced "cuttlefish"-shaped barrel designs, such as the C4 & Seatecs that really pursue this or just replacing the double rubber muzzle with a single muzzle, remove muzzle bungee, etc.).
 
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