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is this gear good?
- Thread starterHypersquid1
- Start date
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.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
i def will try to get my hands on a JBL then. right now i am loooking at one of the AB Biller mahogany models, or the JBL. im leaning towards the Biller, but i will see if i can buy one of the JBLs. o hahaha also, i really will not be doing any freshwater spearfishing, my gun will be used 97% of the time in saltwater. i just said i might spear in freshwater because of the lake near my house.
i think it is like $25-$50. hahaha no i lied. i just checked, and the JBL is a rather big gun, bigger than what i was looking at. it is 42" and costs $153 US. the mahogany biller comes in 30, 36 and 42 inch lengths, but i will not go bigger than 42". the 30" biller costs $13 cheaper, the 36" biller is $7cheaper, and the 42" biller is $17 more expensive. basically they are the same gun. i still am leaning towards the biller, becasue of the 36" length, it will be easier for me to handle. would you suggest that i get a 30" gun or a 36" gun, or does it really make a difference?
Last I saw, ebay had a JBL NW Special and the bidding was around $75. Those hold up on the long haul and they're well-made. A wooden Biller will start looking beat-up pretty quickly around rocks. Also, I believe the NW Special comes with a rocktip. I've seen Billers and I'm not too impressed with them; they don't look too well-made, especially for the knocking around they'd receive when hunting around rocks. My opinion 
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My old dive shop sold JBL's and wooden Billers. I asked why no metal billers, and the owner said they weren't any good. I dunno...I just didn't much like the look of them then, and I've seen more appealing stuff since. Other very good brands are Omer and Picasso. They should have some guns of appropriate price and size, though the sizing thing still doesn't make sense to me. All those centimeters and such :t: I am not well-versed in metric.
Any luck on the wetsuit search?
Any luck on the wetsuit search?
make sure you are not getting your #'s mixed up. are they listing the band pull or the Over All Length? a JBL NW Special is not a big gun at all, and will be fine for dark waters.
im pretty sure. im going to check again right now. nope it is a pretty big gun. total length is 42". there it is right there. but ok im going to forget the metal biller. if i ever get a metal gun i would probably get a riffe.
Total Length: 42 in. (1.07 m)
Shaft Length: 28 in. (0.71 m)
Shaft Diameter: 0.31 in (7.87 mm)
Sling Length: 14 in. (0.36 m)
Sling Diameter: 0.5 in. (12.7 mm)
Number of Slings: 2
Spearpoint: 843
Range: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Total Length: 42 in. (1.07 m)
Shaft Length: 28 in. (0.71 m)
Shaft Diameter: 0.31 in (7.87 mm)
Sling Length: 14 in. (0.36 m)
Sling Diameter: 0.5 in. (12.7 mm)
Number of Slings: 2
Spearpoint: 843
Range: 14 ft (4.27 m)
42" OAL is not a big gun. at least 6 of those inches are tied up on the buttstock. I really wouldn't go much smaller.
http://www.jblspearguns.com/products/spearguns/4D38NW.html
http://www.jblspearguns.com/products/spearguns/4D38NW.html
The NW has plenty of power and can be used in a greater variety of situations than a smaller gun. It's easy to use, difficult to damage, and you can customize it with different speartips, bands, etc.
The size deal - I recently went on a spearfishing trip to Catalina, where the viz was decent, but nothing to write home about. My JBL's were the smallest guns on the boat. The NW might sound like a large gun, but it was the smallest on the boat. In the grand scheme of things, it's actually a smaller-sized gun, but no less serviceable.
The size deal - I recently went on a spearfishing trip to Catalina, where the viz was decent, but nothing to write home about. My JBL's were the smallest guns on the boat
. The NW might sound like a large gun, but it was the smallest on the boat. In the grand scheme of things, it's actually a smaller-sized gun, but no less serviceable.ok. so in proportion to other guns out there, the JBL is not a big gun? fin fine, im going to get the JBL then. what is the smallest spearshaft/largest band combination it will accept? and how many wraps of line should i use?
hello DB? is anybody home? nobody responded to my last post yet. please respond, i need information on this.
please respond, i need information on this.
if you buy the JBL just keep it as it comes.
I would hazard a guess people are reluctant to respond as all of the info you need has been covered on this board many times before and 5mins witht he search function would do wonders for your learning.
I would hazard a guess people are reluctant to respond as all of the info you need has been covered on this board many times before and 5mins witht he search function would do wonders for your learning.
ya some... getting the freediving package for my birthday. should have it by april 17 hahaha. problem is i wont be using it for a while because its freezing up here in MA, were 10 degrees colder than we should be, and the boat doesnt go in the waters of RI till may. maybe i can take it into the pool at the ymca or sumthing. also the wetsuit, my mom does definately not want want to spend over $200 on it, and she also doesnt want me getting a custom made suit, so im sort of stuck with that. ill give another update if anything else happens....
maybe i can take it into the pool at the ymca or sumthing. also the wetsuit, my mom does definately not want want to spend over $200 on it, and she also doesnt want me getting a custom made suit, so im sort of stuck with that. ill give another update if anything else happens....
The pool is an excellent idea. You can get used to the sensation of having a mask on your face and breathing through a snorkel. It's also a great place to get used to clearing your mask and learning proper finning techniques. Very good.
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=588316#post588316"]JBL 38 speacial NW on EBAY, CHEEEEEEAP[/ame]
Check that out. I'd highly recommend it; in fact I'd go for it, but I already have one. Good luck with everything.
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=588316#post588316"]JBL 38 speacial NW on EBAY, CHEEEEEEAP[/ame]
Check that out. I'd highly recommend it; in fact I'd go for it, but I already have one. Good luck with everything
.hyper squid
I would lean towards a longer gun like a 90cm euro or a riffe comp2 the biller is to small for decent bass. I dive in narragansett ( live in south kingstown)and the vis can be up to 15' from shore and even better from a boat. Some days outside the center wall it can be 20' and a short gun can be frustrating.
I just don't want you to be undergunned and wanting a new one in a week.
just my 2 cents
Brad
I would lean towards a longer gun like a 90cm euro or a riffe comp2 the biller is to small for decent bass. I dive in narragansett ( live in south kingstown)and the vis can be up to 15' from shore and even better from a boat. Some days outside the center wall it can be 20' and a short gun can be frustrating.
I just don't want you to be undergunned and wanting a new one in a week.
just my 2 cents
Brad
I had the JBL 38 special NW edition, and loved it. What sold me over the Billers was the metal trigger assembly and sling gathering wings at the front. That gun brought home many a lingcod. I'd buy JBL every time over Biller. I sold it to move to NZ, but now I just bought the Magnum 450 XHD. Can't beat their prices either, as some folks are quite proud of their stuff. The JBL also has 3 slings. Mine never failed me either. JBL's always been good to me. And no, I don't work for them.
Last edited:
Hypersquid1...
You remind me of myself around this time last year! Although i am over seas in the uk, i faced exactly the same investigation as you. Last season i purchased a 90cm seatec gabbiano from the spearo site. It served me amazingly and i came home with my share of the fish! Remember a float is also a VERY importany peice of equipment to remember, and also it doesnt necissarily have to be expensive to be effective. Also i can remeber like you having to prioratise which gear i needed to buy first. After a while i decided to push through the season in a £30 pair of plastic fins :head . As the saying goes - you get what you pay for, and although they were not by any means a great choice - they served their purpose and gave me enough time to save over the winter for a decent pair ( i am now looking into which ones i shall buy for a permenant pair). Similarly i faced the dilemma of growing out of gear, which also affected my choice to stick a season out with cheap fins.
Anyway hit me bac if you think i can help you with anything - i think the other guys have served you more than well - just like they did with me last year!
Cheers
Huw
P.S: i also am thinking of a riffe mask for this season along with the riffe silencer knife and kevlar gloves (im not keen on the spines on those bass!).
You remind me of myself around this time last year! Although i am over seas in the uk, i faced exactly the same investigation as you. Last season i purchased a 90cm seatec gabbiano from the spearo site. It served me amazingly and i came home with my share of the fish! Remember a float is also a VERY importany peice of equipment to remember, and also it doesnt necissarily have to be expensive to be effective. Also i can remeber like you having to prioratise which gear i needed to buy first. After a while i decided to push through the season in a £30 pair of plastic fins :head . As the saying goes - you get what you pay for, and although they were not by any means a great choice - they served their purpose and gave me enough time to save over the winter for a decent pair ( i am now looking into which ones i shall buy for a permenant pair). Similarly i faced the dilemma of growing out of gear, which also affected my choice to stick a season out with cheap fins.
Anyway hit me bac if you think i can help you with anything - i think the other guys have served you more than well - just like they did with me last year!
Cheers
Huw
P.S: i also am thinking of a riffe mask for this season along with the riffe silencer knife and kevlar gloves (im not keen on the spines on those bass!).