• 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!

Wood gun Recommendations

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.

Tbo

Member
Nov 23, 2017
33
7
23
21
Hey guys, after taking some advice about gun material and trying some guns, Im looking for a new wood gun. With so many options out there, I need help with finding the type of gun I am looking for or I need to find someone who can build it for me. I am looking for a slim wooden gun made out of teak with decent shape that tapers from butt to muzzle,(not too blocky). I would prefer an enclosed track but open is fine too. I'd probably go with a AR handle but almost all of these details depend on the builder or the guns available. Please recommend some gun builders or guns.
 
triton roller by ante perica from rijeka croatia
triton.jpg
triton2.jpg
 
What is slim? What do you consider a “decent shape”? Lots of ambiguous terms there so it’s very hard to give a good answer.

How about providing the length & diameter of spear. Then how much power you would like ( number of rubbers & diameters). Mid handle or rear? Are you after a fast tracking gun, or would you prefer accuracy, etc?
 
What is slim? What do you consider a “decent shape”? Lots of ambiguous terms there so it’s very hard to give a good answer.

How about providing the length & diameter of spear. Then how much power you would like ( number of rubbers & diameters). Mid handle or rear? Are you after a fast tracking gun, or would you prefer accuracy, etc?
Yeah I understand that my description is very vague because I don't want to limit my options too much. But I will be more specific here. I want a rear handle, that shouts a 9/32 spear with either 2 16 mm bands or 3 14 mm bands. I would prefer to have the handle high up in the gun. And the ability to mount a reel.
 
As for the shape, I would like a small cuttle fish style shape that gets slimmer towards the muzzle.
 
Daryl Wong in Hawaii? @Bill McIntyre swears by them.

Forum member @Setting Steel in the USA.
 
Last edited:
Daryl Wong doesn't make rear handled guns but Ulusub does and they are very nice. And compared to similar quality guns they are a good value, with two shafts included. The Ulusub reels and reel line are nice too. And Jon is on the Big Island right next door to you, so you should be able to avoid shipping costs.

 
Last edited:
Perhaps one of our MAKO Enclosed track teak guns would meet your needs. It should be considerably less expensive than most stock guns and definitely less than a custom gun.

 
Please reconsider your preference for a enclosed track. In all likelihood it will have more friction than an open track gun which will impact performance.
And definitely so if the gun warps by just a mm. (Which a wooden gun shouldn’t do any way...)

As for AR handle, it might make it harder getting a high handle placement - which is a way to get recoil forces better under control and even more important the slimmer the gun is.

Also, 3x14 is actually a lot of power. So don’t expect a builder to be willing to slim down the muzzle too much on a classic gun. An Abellan albacore has 3x15 which is quite a punch and that gun is considered to be very optimized by many - but in my book it’s not small and slim. Though slimmer and definitely not as blocky as many others.

Definitely not a Wong. But yeah, Ulusub and it might be able to get customized a bit?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Andrew the fish
Please reconsider your preference for a enclosed track. In all likelihood it will have more friction than an open track gun which will impact performance.
And definitely so if the gun warps by just a mm. (Which a wooden gun shouldn’t do any way...)

As for AR handle, it might make it harder getting a high handle placement - which is a way to get recoil forces better under control and even more important the slimmer the gun is.

Also, 3x14 is actually a lot of power. So don’t expect a builder to be willing to slim down the muzzle too much on a classic gun. An Abellan albacore has 3x15 which is quite a punch and that gun is considered to be very optimized by many - but in my book it’s not small and slim. Though slimmer and definitely not as blocky as many others.

Definitely not a Wong. But yeah, Ulusub and it might be able to get customized a bit?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Andrew the fish
Please reconsider your preference for a enclosed track. In all likelihood it will have more friction than an open track gun which will impact performance.
And definitely so if the gun warps by just a mm. (Which a wooden gun shouldn’t do any way...)

As for AR handle, it might make it harder getting a high handle placement - which is a way to get recoil forces better under control and even more important the slimmer the gun is.

Maybe the smaller ones from Abellan will work for you - though they may still be too big?

Definitely not a Wong. But yeah, Ulusub and it might be able to get customized a bit?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah I heard about the enclosed track thing from a couple people. Maybe I'll go with an open track then. I wouldn't get a wong as all there designs have extremely low handles and very tall guns. I've been talking to Paul from Hot Rod Spearguns (fantastic guy btw) and we've been talking about a custom gun design for me. I gave him some of my ideas and he said he can make it work so I'll probably go with him. The best part is I can design it any way I want then so I greatly appreciate any advice you could give me on cool and practical design features you think I should implement. I was planning to go with the ar style handle just for ease of use and modularity but the gun is going to be pretty thin anyways so I don't know how high he'll be able to get it without sacrificing too much strength.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Diving Gecko
Daryl Wong doesn't make rear handled guns but Ulusub does and they are very nice. And compared to similar quality guns they are a good value, with two shafts included. The Ulusub reels and reel line are nice too. And Jon is on the Big Island right next door to you, so you should be able to avoid shipping costs.

Yeah I've been looking at ulusubs too as they have a good shape and come with alot of features, a bit pricey but I could make it work. They don't quite have the size I'm looking for so I've been trying to contact john so see if he could make a custom length with a few design changes for me but no response yet.
 
Sorry, I made the mistake of breezing through your original posts and didn’t pick up on the 3x bands. I’ve edited my post above accordingly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yeah I've been looking at ulusubs too as they have a good shape and come with alot of features, a bit pricey but I could make it work. They don't quite have the size I'm looking for so I've been trying to contact john so see if he could make a custom length with a few design changes for me but no response yet.

Exactly what length do you want? And what custom features? I lived in Hawaii for a few years long before there were good gun choices, but I think that Ulusub 145RH would be ideal. Take a look at some of Jon's videos taking 100 foot drops and shooting fish. If I didn't already own an Abellan that was almost identical in length and band stretch, I'd own that gun for California. If you think its too pricey, then I don't see how you expect to get a custom gun cheaper and it comes with two shafts. You could get one flopper and one threaded for slip tip, or two of either one. And BTW, two 14.5 mm bands are more than enough for a gun that size. Three would be way too much. The gun has a high AR-15 handle. Not quite as high as my Abellan, but higher than most. It has compartments fore and aft with lead disks so you can customize ballast and balance. In my case I like guns that barely float with the shaft in, and I was able to remove enough lead to make that happen.

Do you want a bigger gun? The Ulusub 155RH has three 14.5 bands and is a real beast. A friend just shot a 60 pound yellowtail with mine last week.

Since you seem to be on the Big Island, I'll mention a couple of other brands made there. KAP seems to be very popular, although the handle doesn't look to be mounted high. And old dive buddy of mine who moved to Oahu said that Maohi guns were highly regarded, so he ordered one last February. He had to pay up front and still doesn't have the gun. The owner, Jake Wong, keeps making excuses. The gun is at the engraver. It seems to have been there at least twice. He is caring for his sick mother, etc. He "hopes" to ship it by the end of September, but now it's October. Maybe his excuses are all valid and his mother is truly ill, but I wouldn't order a gun from him right now.
 
Last edited:
Please reconsider your preference for a enclosed track. In all likelihood it will have more friction than an open track gun which will impact performance.
And definitely so if the gun warps by just a mm. (Which a wooden gun shouldn’t do any way...)

I think the main trouble with ET’s is channel flooding. I still like them, so easy to load, and you can use thinner shaft as there is no whip issue. If I were to build a wood gun, it would be laminate with ET with flood ports along the track. Some guns come close to it, by having partial or interrupted track. I think this is something we will see more of. Jesse also identified the chief advantage of mid handle, this cannot be ignored. I also like the aestetic look of seahawk rollers, and apparently the “look” has a function, supposedly it helps tracking fish. Envisioning a new gun I would keep these ideas in mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. X
Whats channel flooding? “Vacuum” left behind shaft as it exits? If so, I’m not sure that’s a real thing. For throttling to be happening I would think that there would need to be a smaller opening behind the shaft that the diameter of the channel bore. But as soon as the shaft has travelled out of the trigger the combined area of the opening just gets bigger and bigger as more channel is left exposed behind the shaft. I could be totally wrong though.
The tests I’ve seen have shown ETs not to generally rob the shaft of speed and it was concluded that it was down to friction. Now, if it’s down to water not filling in the gap fast enough then that’s is indeed interesting and should be tested. Might give ETs some performance back.

As for low handle and mid handle it’s hard to intermarry the two in a happy relationship.
At least in the mishandles I’ve seen so far.

Btw, who’s Jesse?:)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Exactly what length do you want? And what custom features? I lived in Hawaii for a few years long before there were good gun choices, but I think that Ulusub 145RH would be ideal. Take a look at some of Jon's videos taking 100 foot drops and shooting fish. If I didn't already own an Abellan that was almost identical in length and band stretch, I'd own that gun for California. If you think its too pricey, then I don't see how you expect to get a custom gun cheaper and it comes with two shafts. You could get one flopper and one threaded for slip tip, or two of either one. And BTW, two 14.5 mm bands are more than enough for a gun that size. Three would be way too much. The gun has a high AR-15 handle. Not quite as high as my Abellan, but higher than most. It has compartments fore and aft with lead disks so you can customize ballast and balance. In my case I like guns that barely float with the shaft in, and I was able to remove enough lead to make that happen.

Do you want a bigger gun? The Ulusub 155RH has three 14.5 bands and is a real beast. A friend just shot a 60 pound yellowtail with mine last week.

Since you seem to be on the Big Island, I'll mention a couple of other brands made there. KAP seems to be very popular, although the handle doesn't look to be mounted high. And old dive buddy of mine who moved to Oahu said that Maohi guns were highly regarded, so he ordered one last February. He had to pay up front and still doesn't have the gun. The owner, Jake Wong, keeps making excuses. The gun is at the engraver. It seems to have been there at least twice. He is caring for his sick mother, etc. He "hopes" to ship it by the end of September, but now it's October. Maybe his excuses are all valid and his mother is truly ill, but I wouldn't order a gun from him right now.

Hey. Just a quick note to say thanks for an elaborate, informative and well-balanced post (as always is the case from you). It’s not easy telling people what to perhaps not buy but you did it as tastefully as it can be done - and as you said “maybe not right now”. If they want, people can still track said builder down, enquire with this information in hand and then make up their mind. More info is almost always better in my book:)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Exactly what length do you want? And what custom features? I lived in Hawaii for a few years long before there were good gun choices, but I think that Ulusub 145RH would be ideal. Take a look at some of Jon's videos taking 100 foot drops and shooting fish. If I didn't already own an Abellan that was almost identical in length and band stretch, I'd own that gun for California. If you think its too pricey, then I don't see how you expect to get a custom gun cheaper and it comes with two shafts. You could get one flopper and one threaded for slip tip, or two of either one. And BTW, two 14.5 mm bands are more than enough for a gun that size. Three would be way too much. The gun has a high AR-15 handle. Not quite as high as my Abellan, but higher than most. It has compartments fore and aft with lead disks so you can customize ballast and balance. In my case I like guns that barely float with the shaft in, and I was able to remove enough lead to make that happen.

Do you want a bigger gun? The Ulusub 155RH has three 14.5 bands and is a real beast. A friend just shot a 60 pound yellowtail with mine last week.

Since you seem to be on the Big Island, I'll mention a couple of other brands made there. KAP seems to be very popular, although the handle doesn't look to be mounted high. And old dive buddy of mine who moved to Oahu said that Maohi guns were highly regarded, so he ordered one last February. He had to pay up front and still doesn't have the gun. The owner, Jake Wong, keeps making excuses. The gun is at the engraver. It seems to have been there at least twice. He is caring for his sick mother, etc. He "hopes" to ship it by the end of September, but now it's October. Maybe his excuses are all valid and his mother is truly ill, but I wouldn't order a gun from him right now.
Yeah I've talked to him before, he says he is booked for the year. As I said before I want a 115 gun the the ulusub is a 135 band stretch. They are real nice guns though.
 
Whats channel flooding? “Vacuum” left behind shaft as it exits? If so, I’m not sure that’s a real thing. For throttling to be happening I would think that there would need to be a smaller opening behind the shaft that the diameter of the channel bore. But as soon as the shaft has travelled out of the trigger the combined area of the opening just gets bigger and bigger as more channel is left exposed behind the shaft. I could be totally wrong though.
The tests I’ve seen have shown ETs not to generally rob the shaft of speed and it was concluded that it was down to friction. Now, if it’s down to water not filling in the gap fast enough then that’s is indeed interesting and should be tested. Might give ETs some performance back.

As for low handle and mid handle it’s hard to intermarry the two in a happy relationship.
At least in the mishandles I’ve seen so far.

Btw, who’s Jesse?:)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm not too informed on these matters but I have heard people say it is because of the "vacuum" I find it hard to believe because in most cases the shaft is already smaller than the ET and has room for water to fill the track. Same goes for the friction, it's really only touching the bottom of the track exactly how an open track would be, but maybe if you had a tighter ET it could be a problem.
 
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