• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

Dummies Guide to Rigging a Speargun

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
okamotoa, just send me a pm with your address, I have sent this stuff all over the world - Azores, England, Peru, Wales & Italy. Happy to post a bit to nebraska!
 
I just replaced the neat Omer-supplied muzzle-thread on my XXV with a piece of 3mm black bungee cord. A simple thumb knot stops it pulling through the 3mm spear-line hole in the muzzle. I knotted it to the spear-line using a double sheet-bend & used a small O-ring to hold the end neatly against the main bungee. It's neat, low profile & simple. I think this will help reduce tangling & ease loading.

I also replaced the big game bungee on my railgun using the same approach. It has a 4mm hole in the muzzle so I used thicker 4mm bungee cord there - unfortunately white, so a lot more visible:(. However, it is a little lighter, leaner & there is no clip to clank against or scratch the barrel now:). Again, I am please with the result.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: settingsteel
Am I missing something here :confused:
Why do the photos of reels rigged not use any bungee shock? I realise 1 reason with mono is to aid rigging after loading, but is it not still needed as a shock absorber?
 
Hi Pav, where would put the bungee? I guess you could use bungee as part of your spear-line but why bother, mono (& nylon parachute cord on the reel) is quite stretchy (unlike Dynema). I used my Omer XXV spear gun without bungee or reel the first couple of times without problem. I just added a bungee now to keep everything a little tighter (mono also stretches) & tidy during loading, & maybe gain an extra cm or two of range on the stretch:D. From the other thread, it sounded like Spaghetti was saying that the reel will "give" some line anyway, which itself would be shock absorbing (and might add a little range).
 
Last edited:
In the reel line a bungee could be added. I accept there may be no need, as I have used the reel to take in the slack after loading.
 
Hiya

Pav, as you've already mentioned, you use the reel to put tension on the shooting line. Adding a bungee is unneccesary. Its just another weak-point.

I like keeping things as simple as possible. That way, there's less likelyhood of things going wrong.

Regards
miles
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pav
Re: Muzzle bungee & bungee float-line

MrX interesting you mention this as I have for quite a few years been using a bungee/Dyneema setup and can say it is amazing.
one barrel length is dyneema (serves as a leader if you will) and the next 2-3 wraps(depending on circumastances) is a 3mm marine bungee which can hold over 200#'s. I rig all my custom guns with the bungee and most of my clients are stoked with the performance of this setup....give it a try I'm sure you'll like it!

yep thats it exactly...its full'on shock absorption, just went out with a spearo last week that tried it and he was absoluetly impressed (needless to say his 3 guns are now bungee'd up)...loading is a cinch even with 6 wraps cuz you double the bungee and wrap 3 times...another benefit is the distance you can pull out of it...it might be 6,9,12 ft but stretched its 12, 18, 24 or more depending on the bungee.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. X
Hiya

Pav, as you've already mentioned, you use the reel to put tension on the shooting line. Adding a bungee is unneccesary. Its just another weak-point.

I like keeping things as simple as possible. That way, there's less likelyhood of things going wrong.

Regards
miles

I never thought about it like that... another weak point. Definately true, however I use a bungee on my gun with a reel and I like the set up very much. I actually used the last little bit of my dyneema on my reel to make the bungee. This reduced the amount of connections on my set up.

I tied a figure-8 roughly 12 inches from the end of the line (after I ran the reel line through the eye at the end of my gun), added the bungee, and with the end knot I used a bolin tied to a pig-tail swivel.

Its quite easy to do and enables you to lock down the drag on your reel when shooting smaller fish. I guess I havnt put it to the test against the large tuna Miles shoots:blackeye so havnt had any failures. I hope I wont anytime soon!

But then again I think If I were targeting large palagics, as Miles advized me in a previous thread, I would need to have a completely different set up.
 
Re: Muzzle bungee & bungee float-line

yep thats it exactly...its full'on shock absorption, just went out with a spearo last week that tried it and he was absoluetly impressed (needless to say his 3 guns are now bungee'd up)...loading is a cinch even with 6 wraps cuz you double the bungee and wrap 3 times...another benefit is the distance you can pull out of it...it might be 6,9,12 ft but stretched its 12, 18, 24 or more depending on the bungee.

Hey Tone,
Have you ever had a problem with this set up getting cut on the rocks? Im very interested in testing this set up out but I think the bungee will just get annihilated on the reef here.

How do you connect the bungee to the dyneema/mono?
 
If I fitted 10' of bungee to my 115 mamba you would have a spear reaching its tether & coming back at your face at 200mph rofl
It is an interesting concept though!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pastor
roflroflrofl
Just like in the old days when surfers used to use surgical tubing as leashes:blackeye
 
Re: Muzzle bungee & bungee float-line

Hey Tone,
Have you ever had a problem with this set up getting cut on the rocks? Im very interested in testing this set up out but I think the bungee will just get annihilated on the reef here.

How do you connect the bungee to the dyneema/mono?


I use about 1 gun length of dyneema (tried mono, but got to hate it) as a "leader", this I just started to use a few months ago, the bungee sleeve (marine at least) is quite rugged, but with time it will get frayed so I added the dyneema leader....I tie it with a blood knot & couple drops of super glue (no electricians shrink tube...getting to hate that shzit too).

The opposite end of the bungee has a SS ring that goes attached to a 450# Marlin snap/swivel attached on my gun. This set up allows me to easily change bungee lengths depending on depths hunting. Of course within realistic feet, if I'm at a 70' depth I just do a HBA or attach gun to float and hustle the fish from the top with my floatline.
 
If I fitted 10' of bungee to my 115 mamba you would have a spear reaching its tether & coming back at your face at 200mph rofl
It is an interesting concept though!


Ha yeah I thought the same thing when I saw it being used, but it never happens at least with dynamics presented (propulsion of arrow, wt, elasticity of bungee etc.) sounds as though it would, but it ain't so (or at least it has not happened thus far)...in my particular case its IMPOSSIBLE since I NEVER miss:t although it would be sweet if it would come shooting back at me with fish attached, kinda like an underwater retreiver...yeah an underwater retrieverrofl

Try it Fox you'll never go back...Force be with thee Brotha:martial
 
  • Like
Reactions: foxfish
Hiya

loading is a cinch even with 6 wraps cuz you double the bungee and wrap 3 times...another benefit is the distance you can pull out of it...it might be 6,9,12 ft but stretched its 12, 18, 24 or more depending on the bungee.

Settingsteel, what are the advantages to using this type of set-up? I've played around with bungees of various type and they all have some inherent problems. Abrasion resistance is one of them. I've seen 10kg mono fishing line cut a 12mm bungee like a hot knife going through butter. Both the spearo and the line fisherman had fish on and their lines crossed. The fisherman still landed his fish!!

Another problem i've found with bungees is that they stretch!!rofl Seriously, a 8mm bungee stretches out to such a thin diameter, that my hands start cramping, trying to grip it. With 3mm bungee, it'll stretch out to VERY thin, making gripping it difficult.

My biggest concern how-ever is that you can't control your fish with the set-up mentioned above. Imagine shooting a yellowtail kingfish over a wreck or pinnacle or in the kelp beds. How are you going to be able to stop the fish from reefing or entagling you? The bungee then works in the fish's favour. Similarly, you shoot a grouper type fish in a cave. How do you stop him from swimming very deep into the cave and cutting the bungee?

I'd love to see your set-up though!!:D:D I'm obviously missing something here!! What type of hunting does this set-up work well for?

Regards
miles
 
  • Like
Reactions: foxfish
Re: Muzzle bungee & bungee float-line

Foxfish, I'm beginning to get the impression that the power of the Mamba is a liability as much as a benefit:blackeye. The Mamba sounds like perfect gun to try the bungee spear-line -- a real long, strong one:D.

loading is a cinch even with 6 wraps cuz you double the bungee and wrap 3 times...another benefit is the distance you can pull out of it...it might be 6,9,12 ft but stretched its 12, 18, 24 or more depending on the bungee.
6 wraps?!! A double wrap is unusual & not usually recommended over here. Presumably you're using one of your powerful multi-band woodies? Can't quite picture how you double the bungee but I dare say I could work it out.

I think I'll give it a try when I next replace my spear-line (the Omer spear-line is more scuffed up after two dives than the RAs was after two years). I'd like to get an extra foot or two of range on the 75.

BTW apnea sent me a Beuchat muzzle bungee & swivel clip with a replacement Omer mono stringer yesterday. Looks pretty cool, smaller & lighter than the RA (esp. the swivel clip) although the max. stretch is much more limited.

Some shots of my new muzzle bungees (click just once to expand - neat new feature):
 

Attachments

  • muzzles.JPG
    muzzles.JPG
    119.7 KB · Views: 530
  • bungee_knots.JPG
    bungee_knots.JPG
    103.9 KB · Views: 476
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Pastor
Most of the fish we're shooting here in Miami/Keys are reef variety. The largest I've taken with this set up (that is bungee attached to shaft and gun) was a black about 30'ish pounds (38# to be exact). Like I had mentioned I now attach about 1 gun length of dyneema as a "leader", prior to this I use to use the entire length as 2-3mm bungie, truthfully I prefer the all bungee setup (loads faster), but price has gunned up (on the bungee) so I now add some dyneema...on the average while reef shooting 1 marine grade bungee lasted an entire summer plus, although the sleeve was frayed it still held up to all the fish we shot. I just made it a habit of changing it when it was overly frayed...it never "visually" reached the rubber.

I think in ever system (reel, floatline, and now the my bungee setup) their are pro's and con's, and the reality of "personal preference" which I think is the main driver. I shoot a fish in the reef and it bolts (rarely since most shots result in stoned fish:)) the bungee absorbs the initial run if he holes up its about the same scene that would have happened if you used a reel or FL...if you add to much pressure to soon their is a greater chance of tear out...thats why the conventional line & segment of rubber bungie originated.

The way I do it is I shoot a fish and if my lungs permit I'm on him before I head up and we go up t/g holding hands...if lungs are not up to it I swim up with gun in hand as The bungie stretches this of course creates a greater resistance (the same dynamics applied to a tuna in Miles tuna float/bungie set up) the fish gives a bit the bungee stretches abit...larilala...most always the stretch allows me to reach the surface (I switch my bungeeline according to my depth, as I mentioned previously...beyond 40' I switch to HBW or gun to float, but still use the shaft-bungee-gun attachement) Why do I like this set up? mainly because I don't have a bunch of line around the reef when a fish is shot as in a reel or FL. Remember the bungee is say 6' but stretched its 18' (lets say) so you have 6' of grief (potential tangling) but 18' of savior.
In the environment that we hunt in this system ABSOLUTELY kicks!!! Every spearo that tries it says "damn why didn't anyone else think of this before" IMHO controlling a fish is when you got him by the gills...the rest is the fight and a bungee really does aid in this aspect. When I am in deeper water I Either attach the gun to my FL or rig breakaway, but I still have the bungee set up directly from arrow to gun. Last year I shot 2 mahis with one shot both went ballistic bungee stretching in opposite ways at the same time, and to top it off the tip did not go clear thru the end fish...that particular fish died purdy fast since it had the tip lodged in its gills...the other fish fought quite some but both fish were bought up and released, into the ice box...the full line bungee set up works well FOR ME...I would never consider using anything other than this set up-period- thats how happy I am with the results to date...so I'll repeat if you guys have any doubt just get some marine bungee 1 double wrap and try it out...it'sal...then head on back and post your results...Again I'm not saying this is the best system, or shooting Shzit "mine is better than yours"....remember it all boils down to personal preference and style...I've been using it for years, I like it, it works for me, and most of the spearo's I've turned on to it have forever continued using it...why no one else has ever thought of this before (or posted on a public forum) beats me...but thinking about it I have for years been using this set up and now just by chance have referenced it.

I'll try to post some pix soon so you guys can see what this crazy cuban is raving 'boutrofl
 
  • Like
Reactions: miles
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT