riffe gun recoil

[cohan]

Hi everyone
I have decided to buy a Riffe mid handle for a upcoming trip chasing doggies in Bali.
i currently shoot with a Riffe euro 1.2

i cant decide to go with the NO KA OI or the Island.

the main reason being that i think the Island will have much more recoil than the No Ka Oi therefore needing a full stabiliser kit, making it more of a log in the water which im not too keen on.

or will is the island fine without stabilisers?
will the no ka oi have the same problem and need stabilisers as well?

basicly i want more range but dont want a log in the water. haha, yeah i want it all.

my other option is to just buy a 1.3 euro which i know well and wont need practice on my aiming as i would with the mid handle.

i really want to hear from people who have used the two guns.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I sold my Island at least 10 years ago, but it had a very serious recoil problem. I couple of times when I didn't get a chance to lock my elbow and back up the butt, it hit me in the chin very hard. If it had been higher, I think I would have lost a tooth. And the recoil caused muzzle flip, which made it shoot low. When I tried to point it around some kelp with one hand, it almost dislocated my wrist when I pulled the trigger.

I put the muzzle wings on it, and they helped a lot. It was accurate even with four bands. But then it became hard to handle. It was pretty easy to move the muzzle vertically by just rolling in on its side. But the biggest problem was that the muzzle wings wanted to steer it. If I didn't have it pointed exactly in the direction I was going while diving or ascending, the wings would catch water and cause the gun to veer off. I might start up with the gun pointed up, and by the time I got to the surface, the gun would be pointed down.

I should add that the gun came equipped with three 5/8" bands back then. I think I've heard that it comes with 9/16" bands now. If so, that would help with the recoil, but of course reduce the range.

I've never used the No Ka Oi, but a couple of friends did long ago. It had the same problem with muzzle flip and shooting low. One guy added the muzzle wings, and the other went to a 9/32" shaft.

After I sold my Riffe, I went to Wong guns and I've been happy ever since. They are properly ballasted for the bands and shafts that they come with.

 

[ROBERT REYES]

A 5/16 shaft will kick more than a 9/32 shaft , but will have more penetration on long shots, you can buy the island with a 9/32 or do as Bill says, and buy a diferent brand with the 9/32 shaft also.

But your 1.2 euro is almost as long as the island, and longer than the No ka oi, and the 1.3 Euro is actually longer than the island if you measure the band stretch.

So you can basically buy a 1.3 and add an xtra band.

We like to use the 7.5mm shafts for our euros, and wong is got some awesome new shafts, also 7.5mm.

Bill has landed a lot of big white sea bass with his wongs.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

A 5/16 shaft will kick more than a 9/32 shaft , but will have more penetration on long shots, you can buy the island with a 9/32 or do as Bill says, and buy a diferent brand with the 9/32 shaft also.

Just to be clear, Wong magnum hybrids and ono guns come with 5/16" shafts, even if I choose to use a 9/32" shaft in my 57.5" magnum.

 

[cohan]

thanks for the info. after what you have said bill i think ive been put off buying either of the two guns, i don't really like the sound of all that recoil.
and i don't really like the sound of the muzzle wings.

sounds like 1.3 might be more like it.
Robert do you have 3 bands on your Euro i would have thought if you put any more on a 7.5 shaft it would whip once fired?

if you do have 3 what size are they?

 

[behslayer]

Since you are coming to Bali, why not pick up a Nice Gun specifically made for Doggies from a local gun builder in Bali. The guns we make here are made specifically for the Heavy Current conditions you will be diving in and have very little Recoil for their size.

Have a look at some of our guns. www.ulusub.com

When are you coming? Hopefully not this week as the Surf is forecasted to be huge all week and this will put a damper on the Doggie chasing.

 

[ROBERT REYES]

Just to be clear, Wong magnum hybrids and ono guns come with 5/16" shafts, even if I choose to use a 9/32" shaft in my 57.5" magnum.

Yes, I hope i did not confuse anyone, Bill is right, they do come with 5/16, I just love the thin shafts, I have many guns, and my wong ono gun comes with a 5/16 also.

 

[ROBERT REYES]

Normally you would use a "softer bands" when you upgrade to an extra band, you dont want to loose acuracy,I sold my euro 130, but i did installed 3 bands on it, and it was acurate with a 7,5mm shaft, I had it with 2 shafts, one with flopper and one with a slip tip, you should look into that, and of course, there are lots of diferent brands of guns,
1.3 means the size( euro style rear handle), not the brand, I personally am using now 1.4,but when I travel for bigger fish, I use a thick shaft gun with multiple bands,BUT be carefull you dont buy something, that you will keep missing shots with, there is no sustitute to acuracy.

 

[behslayer]

The Recoil Issue is directly related to Mass vs. Power. Our big guns are Heavy out of the Water.. @ 7kgs with Bands, Reel, Shaft. In the Water they are perfectly balanced, but they still have the MASS of 7Kgs. The gun stocks are oval shaped essentially offering a Full Length Wing, they are ballasted with Lead, and come standard with a Big Reel, which packed with line offers a good chunk of Mass at the pivotal Crux of the gun.

The best recipe for Wrist Jarring Recoil is a Thin Gun Stock, Loaded with Lots of Band Power, and a Heavy Shaft. I tried a Mule Kicker once.. and once was enough.

 

[ROBERT REYES]

Its very diferent using a mid handle gun, copared to an euro type gun,I dont care that my gun kicks as long as it shoots were am used to aim at.

 

[cohan]

Normally you would use a "softer bands" when you upgrade to an extra band, you dont want to loose acuracy,I sold my euro 130, but i did installed 3 bands on it, and it was acurate with a 7,5mm shaft, I had it with 2 shafts, one with flopper and one with a slip tip, you should look into that, and of course, there are lots of diferent brands of guns,
1.3 means the size( euro style rear handle), not the brand, I personally am using now 1.4,but when I travel for bigger fish, I use a thick shaft gun with multiple bands,BUT be carefull you dont buy something, that you will keep missing shots with, there is no sustitute to acuracy.

Thanks im aware of how the sizing for euro guns work.
What i didn't realise is that the mid handles are not measured in the same way.
as you said accuracy is the most important factor, there's no point in lots of power if you cant even hit a fish.