want to know what kind of spear gun is good. I would like one with a reel, with good power and accurate distance shots, i don't mind spending some money but wanted to know you folks opinions on which guys are good and what not. Thanks in advance, Im in hawaii and wanted to see what other folks use.
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New to spear guns, any suggestions for a beginner?
- Thread starterjohnnyman88
- 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 moved your question for you - I think a lot depends on what you intend to shoot?
Perhaps you could also ask here Hawaii - DeeperBlue Forums but anyway there will be plenty of guns to choose from.
Perhaps you could also ask here Hawaii - DeeperBlue Forums but anyway there will be plenty of guns to choose from.
what Island are you on? if you live Oahu go to hanapa`a and ask the guys there
for a basic entry reef gun they recomended a picasso century 90cm with a open muzzle it goes for roughly $200 i would say skip the reel for now, you can always add it later
with this gun you'll be fine shooting goats, uhu, ect.... your basic reef fish
for a basic entry reef gun they recomended a picasso century 90cm with a open muzzle it goes for roughly $200 i would say skip the reel for now, you can always add it later
with this gun you'll be fine shooting goats, uhu, ect.... your basic reef fish
im on the big island... i just want the cheapest but with good quality, can you guys narrow it down to 2 or 3 pics. I would say 250.00 at the most if possible?
For under 250 here are my top two for Hawaiian spear fishing
Picasso century open muzzle, that's about $250 if you get the shaft pined i would recommend that will save you money on bands in the long run
this was recommended to me at a dive shop
mako predator, lots of great reviews from Hawaii spero's plus great customer service, comes with pined shaft thats right around $200
length is all preference
longer =more range
shorter= more maneuverability
i would recomend a 90 or 100 don't go shorter than a 90cm
i was going to buy a Mako but i got the opportunity to make a my own so have a big reef gun but i like the long gun its about as long as a 120cm (its 53") probably shouldn't have been my first gun but i got used to it and i love it.
i would recomend a 90 or 100 don't go shorter than a 90cm
this is a revew on Hawaii skin diver
hey guys just wanted to share with you my experience with my mako 100cm pro predator.
well shipping only took 3 days, got it last saturday. but didnt get it wet untill yesterday.
decided to head out west for a mid morning dive. unfortunately the current was small kind pulling and had plenty chop. well jumped in loaded up. and within five minutes seen a nice size nenue swimming by. figure it was about an 8ft shot and was not stopping for me. lined up and POW hooked up. wow i actually hit it. nice. this gun is so accurate, packs a punch with minimal recoil. everything about this gun i love which dano promised i would. only negative thing is its a little heavier than im used to but thats compared to my 90 comanche... manueverability took a little getting used to but was fine after 30 mins. long story short this gun is all in all excellent. shot some dinnah. and stopped by westside dive to show kris my new toy. he had some good things to say about it as well...
after the dive scaled and cleaned the fish, and froze untill i get off work this morning before i prep it.
i was really sceptical because other than frying fish i havnt done much else. lets just say i need to improve on my culinary skillz...lol anyways decided to get brave and try bottomdwellers Kala poke recipe w/ my nenue's... it looks like i did alright. lets see after it chills for a few hours how it taste's
also i must add... filletting fish is not as easy as it looks. it took me two hours to fillet 2 nenues and lemme tell you i SUCK!
lets hope these pics post up as well...
mahalo's for reading
aloha
dive bombajr
Picasso century open muzzle, that's about $250 if you get the shaft pined i would recommend that will save you money on bands in the long run
this was recommended to me at a dive shop
mako predator, lots of great reviews from Hawaii spero's plus great customer service, comes with pined shaft thats right around $200
length is all preference
longer =more range
shorter= more maneuverability
i would recomend a 90 or 100 don't go shorter than a 90cm
i was going to buy a Mako but i got the opportunity to make a my own so have a big reef gun but i like the long gun its about as long as a 120cm (its 53") probably shouldn't have been my first gun but i got used to it and i love it.
i would recomend a 90 or 100 don't go shorter than a 90cm
this is a revew on Hawaii skin diver
hey guys just wanted to share with you my experience with my mako 100cm pro predator.
well shipping only took 3 days, got it last saturday. but didnt get it wet untill yesterday.
decided to head out west for a mid morning dive. unfortunately the current was small kind pulling and had plenty chop. well jumped in loaded up. and within five minutes seen a nice size nenue swimming by. figure it was about an 8ft shot and was not stopping for me. lined up and POW hooked up. wow i actually hit it. nice. this gun is so accurate, packs a punch with minimal recoil. everything about this gun i love which dano promised i would. only negative thing is its a little heavier than im used to but thats compared to my 90 comanche... manueverability took a little getting used to but was fine after 30 mins. long story short this gun is all in all excellent. shot some dinnah. and stopped by westside dive to show kris my new toy. he had some good things to say about it as well...
after the dive scaled and cleaned the fish, and froze untill i get off work this morning before i prep it.
i was really sceptical because other than frying fish i havnt done much else. lets just say i need to improve on my culinary skillz...lol anyways decided to get brave and try bottomdwellers Kala poke recipe w/ my nenue's... it looks like i did alright. lets see after it chills for a few hours how it taste's
also i must add... filletting fish is not as easy as it looks. it took me two hours to fillet 2 nenues and lemme tell you i SUCK!
lets hope these pics post up as well...
mahalo's for reading
aloha
dive bombajr
i was looking at the predator pro rail gun, what should i get, 100cm or 110?? twin band, or single band? and im guessing the open muzzle is the best right?? let me know, it seems my price range plus they have 4 monthly payment finanacing and thats even better. can you tell me why the black is cheaper then the blue predator pro rail gun??
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Sorry for the confusion Johnnyman88. Pay more attention to willoomy and other local spearos on the forum (e.g. Blaiz) or that you meet than me on this one but I'll try to provide a little bit of peripheral info. for you.
For myself, I'd probably go for a single 20mm band for quick loading, or possibly 2x16mm if I was only taking one gun and needed to cover bluewater & reefs. However, I'm quite big, I know I can load a 20mm RA band and I know a few tricks that help. However, I suggested 2x14mm as that is a classic Hawaiian combination and would offer a beginner ease of loading, versatility and power - although not speed of loading and power at the same time! I suggested 100cm, because shorter guns should be easier to load for a beginner and it's a compromise with willoomy's suggestion on getting a 90cm gun, based on his local knowledge (however, I've often used a 90cm gun in the UK where the water is much less clear and can't help thinking something longer would be my choice for Hawaii).
BTW I see Mako offer a 3x14mm band option for some models. Seems excessive to me but if you have 2x14mm band and feel a need for more power, it might be nice to have that as a fallback option. For most of my spearing though, 1x16mm Rob Allen band has been perfectly adequate for the UK & 1x20mm seems like overkill.
For myself I'd get black because its hard to see in our murkey conditions and I'd probably loose a camo gun
. If you have white sand and beautiful clear blue water, the blue barrel option might provide better camoflage (don't drop it though or you might not find it - the South African's normally/often clip their spearguns to their floats via a float line when shore diving to avoid loss & provide drag for playing larger fish). Black is default for most companies & models. Camo & colour probably require a little paint or transfer work, which can go wrong and/or add expense - also it means having to stock yet another product (e.g. Omer T20 comes in black, blue camo or green camo). I would think blue camo might be the thing in Hawaii but do you have dark ash beaches or white coral sands? You could always buy stick on camo (Omer sell it and others) or tape (used by paintballers) later.
Re. open muzzle v. closed. There is currently move to open muzzle designs which probably originated in Hawaii, where Hammerhead makes...open muzzles! It might be a passing fad (but probably not in Hawaii) or it might be the future. Actually the Beuchat Marlin has an open muzzle that grips the spear - perhaps the best of both worlds? All my guns have closed muzzles. Two of them can be configured for open muzzle easily and I plan to try it, my other gun is a Rob Allen for which I could now buy a Rob Allen or Hammerhead open muzzle but probably never will. Seems like about half of people prefer open and about half prefer closed, even among those that have tried them. I suspect that I would be able to load an open muzzle slightly quicker but that the spear will be slightly less secure. For Hawaii, I would get an open muzzle if it's a cheap or no cost option because it's what the locals seem to prefer for the local conditions - but if you get a closed muzzle you can always change it later (might be a tad easier for a beginner but you'll get used to which ever one you use).
Cheapest AND quality?! Actually for that money you should be able to get a very nice gun. You could comfortably get a really nice Mako for that - they're a new company, so haven't heard any reports back on them yet. They look a lot like Rabitech's which enjoy an excellent reputation. Some say the parts are made in the same factory in Taiwan but whether that is true or that whether than means they are of the same quality, I couldn't say. You might even be able to get a Rabitech or Rob Allen for that price. They are all railguns, fitted with heavy duty hardware, suitable for even very large fish.
I've never dived Hawaii so I'm making educated guesses. From what I've seen and read, if I were heading on spearing trip to Hawaii, I would probably buy a 110cm Rob Allen; I like Rob Allen gear, it's well suited to big fish and I've seen Hawaiian spearos using them, albeit modified with open muzzles. I like Omer & Beuchat gear too, although the stuff I have is not as well suited to the big fish that you might encounter (fish bigger than 10lb are hard to come by in the UK) - but they do each offer some models that seem like they'd work better with long barrels (>100cm) and bigger fish (Omer Cayman & Beuchat Marlin) than others but I've not used them, so can't be sure of that. Was hoping somebody else might comment on them - hence question marks.
For myself, I'd probably go for a single 20mm band for quick loading, or possibly 2x16mm if I was only taking one gun and needed to cover bluewater & reefs. However, I'm quite big, I know I can load a 20mm RA band and I know a few tricks that help. However, I suggested 2x14mm as that is a classic Hawaiian combination and would offer a beginner ease of loading, versatility and power - although not speed of loading and power at the same time! I suggested 100cm, because shorter guns should be easier to load for a beginner and it's a compromise with willoomy's suggestion on getting a 90cm gun, based on his local knowledge (however, I've often used a 90cm gun in the UK where the water is much less clear and can't help thinking something longer would be my choice for Hawaii).
BTW I see Mako offer a 3x14mm band option for some models. Seems excessive to me but if you have 2x14mm band and feel a need for more power, it might be nice to have that as a fallback option. For most of my spearing though, 1x16mm Rob Allen band has been perfectly adequate for the UK & 1x20mm seems like overkill.
For myself I'd get black because its hard to see in our murkey conditions and I'd probably loose a camo gun
. If you have white sand and beautiful clear blue water, the blue barrel option might provide better camoflage (don't drop it though or you might not find it - the South African's normally/often clip their spearguns to their floats via a float line when shore diving to avoid loss & provide drag for playing larger fish). Black is default for most companies & models. Camo & colour probably require a little paint or transfer work, which can go wrong and/or add expense - also it means having to stock yet another product (e.g. Omer T20 comes in black, blue camo or green camo). I would think blue camo might be the thing in Hawaii but do you have dark ash beaches or white coral sands? You could always buy stick on camo (Omer sell it and others) or tape (used by paintballers) later.Re. open muzzle v. closed. There is currently move to open muzzle designs which probably originated in Hawaii, where Hammerhead makes...open muzzles! It might be a passing fad (but probably not in Hawaii) or it might be the future. Actually the Beuchat Marlin has an open muzzle that grips the spear - perhaps the best of both worlds? All my guns have closed muzzles. Two of them can be configured for open muzzle easily and I plan to try it, my other gun is a Rob Allen for which I could now buy a Rob Allen or Hammerhead open muzzle but probably never will. Seems like about half of people prefer open and about half prefer closed, even among those that have tried them. I suspect that I would be able to load an open muzzle slightly quicker but that the spear will be slightly less secure. For Hawaii, I would get an open muzzle if it's a cheap or no cost option because it's what the locals seem to prefer for the local conditions - but if you get a closed muzzle you can always change it later (might be a tad easier for a beginner but you'll get used to which ever one you use).
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I think most of what was said on this thread covers all angles. If you want my opinion I would say stick to a 90cm or a 100cm. these are all around good sizes for our waters. I made a 90 not too long ago and have actually been using that gun more than my 110. I have also shot my two biggest UKU with the 90.
Makos from what I have heard so far are good quality and affordable guns. Seems as if customer service is one of there strong points so If something were to go wrong with the gun (manufacturing defect) im sure they would take care of the problem asap. Another plus is that unlike rabitech, which are awesome guns so dont get me wrong, MAKO has reps in Hawaii, and california so shipping wouldnt be long and If you needed to send it back for what ever reason it shouldnt take long to get it fixed or replaced.
I think it all boils down to your skill level. If you are hanging out in depths from 20-40 ft and shooting mainly reef fish in holes or in the flats a 90-100 will suite you fine. When you have gotten a little more experience and start moving into deeper waters you then have an excuse to buy a new gun to suite your experience when the time comes. And that also comes with targeting different fish such as peligics like ono or mahi which is a completely different type of diving.
As far as the band and muzzle set up this again is all personal preference. There really isnt much difference between the single 20mm band compared to the 2 14mm bands. The single 20 is a lot harder to pull back but makes loading much quicker. The 2 14mm bands take a little more time to load but are easier to load. I like the 2 14mm(9\16) bands with my riffe shafts (17/64? i think) as it seems that they are matched perfectly and there is no shaft whip or lack of power. Plus I can make my own bands which adds for some modifications and money savings.
Makos from what I have heard so far are good quality and affordable guns. Seems as if customer service is one of there strong points so If something were to go wrong with the gun (manufacturing defect) im sure they would take care of the problem asap. Another plus is that unlike rabitech, which are awesome guns so dont get me wrong, MAKO has reps in Hawaii, and california so shipping wouldnt be long and If you needed to send it back for what ever reason it shouldnt take long to get it fixed or replaced.
I think it all boils down to your skill level. If you are hanging out in depths from 20-40 ft and shooting mainly reef fish in holes or in the flats a 90-100 will suite you fine. When you have gotten a little more experience and start moving into deeper waters you then have an excuse to buy a new gun to suite your experience when the time comes. And that also comes with targeting different fish such as peligics like ono or mahi which is a completely different type of diving.
As far as the band and muzzle set up this again is all personal preference. There really isnt much difference between the single 20mm band compared to the 2 14mm bands. The single 20 is a lot harder to pull back but makes loading much quicker. The 2 14mm bands take a little more time to load but are easier to load. I like the 2 14mm(9\16) bands with my riffe shafts (17/64? i think) as it seems that they are matched perfectly and there is no shaft whip or lack of power. Plus I can make my own bands which adds for some modifications and money savings.
thanks guys, now im up for grabs on open and close muzzle, probably get 110 or 100cm. probably go with 2x16mm. awsome guys thanks alot.
i usually hang in the 20-40, rarely 40, usually hit the coast and run into some nice fish. Im debating between a 110 and 100cm gun. But shooting more foward to 100cm. i usually come across some mamo koles, goats, uhu's but hard to get close to uhu's in 25 and less ft. if i get 2 bands rubber, which thickness should i get to be able to shoot far when both are cocked, but be able to shoot a close shot with 1 rubber( shots when theres alot of rocks, i don't want all the power just some) what would you prefer. Im pretty strong and i have cocked some guns but not under water and had pretty easy time. Let me know, also i heard theres a techinque in wraping the shaft line so it holds the shaft on the gun securely when u use a open muzzle.
It really depends on the thickness of your shaft. If your using a heavier shaft i.e. 5/16s to 3/8s then maybe 2 5/8'' bands, if a thinner shaft like 17/64 then maybe 2 9/16 bands.
Yes the open muzzle has a pin which the line wraps under and then over your shaft, back down the muzzle to the release. The pressure of the line is what keeps your shaft in place.
Yes the open muzzle has a pin which the line wraps under and then over your shaft, back down the muzzle to the release. The pressure of the line is what keeps your shaft in place.