JBL Spearguns......................Need some infomed advise

I have the polespear thing pretty much down so now I am looking into a speargun.  I am considering a JBL D-6 or D-7 given my budget and the visibility/kelp issues here in NorCal.

What do you think?

Any owners out there willing to give a nod?

Mostly looking at blue/black rockfish with the occasional "other" tossed in the mix.  Not really looking at Cabs or Lings due to size limits....Afterall, it is a little hard to release a fish once you speared it.

Might shoot some perch as well but that is what my polespear was really designed for.

i think that if you feel that spearing would be something you would maybe want to get more involved with pass on the mini carbines and get a gun which will suit your needs for a wider variety of fish. i think a decent eurogun like the hammerhead or a sporasub with an integrated shaft rail would do the job well with accuracy for not a bad price. these guns can fling a shaft quickly and the power from these guns will be far better than the jbl's you are considering. also think of getting a gun that is equivalent to maybe a 75 cm gun so you can take shots from farther away. you'll be pleased with a better gun and spend less time kicking yourself after misplaced shots and shots which the shaft didnt go through all the way.

i have used one of these carbines in the past and as crass as it sounds these guns are just not built to take anything other than a fish thats sitting on a rock. you shoot one way, the shaft goes another because it lacks a rail. the single band begs for more power when you see a big lingcod head staring at you and due to lack of power if you come up to a halibut you may be best not pulling the trigger because it might not even penetrate all the way and you'll just watch the fish swim away after getting poked.

for 100.00 more you can get a decent gun that will be a lot more fun to use.

check out the hammerhead 75cm guns, they are built well and affrodable. i have a jbl woody myself but cant really recommend it over something like a hammerhead. i know jbl has new lines out now for more money but its a substantial price increase too for a jbl gun. their technology is good with open muzzles now and custom made triggers but with an increase in performance the price also exponentially increases. so if you want to keep costs to a minimum yet still land the variety of fish we get in nor cal then i would opt for a good eurogun over a carbine d-6 or d-7.

john

  I agree with JohnGuineaPig, get a Eurogun for a do it all.  I started with a JBL.  It is an ok gun, but bulky and very muzzle heavy.  It is ok for scuba, but not very freediving friendly.  You can make it work, but there are better options for the same money.  I picked up a little Omer 2000 excalibur in 82cm.  It is well built, very streamlined and much lighter/quicker.  I am turning my JBL into a halibut gun and will use the Omer as my freediving/kelp gun for the north coast. 

I like those Hammerhead Guns, I may switch out my Omer muzzle one of these days. 

If you are set on the JBL, it will work.  But I would look around and see some of the other options out there. 

Matt

DSRTEGL,
  If your stil in the market, give me a buzz. I have some contacts on some real good used Euro's and some more info. I'm in Santa Rosa and I would be glad to meet up and show you some of mine. I've got Wood and Euro's so you could compare, I even have a JBL that I use more than anything out here for a hole gun but mid-water stuff I like the Euro's and my Garcia-sub.

DSRTEGL,
  If your stil in the market, give me a buzz. I have some contacts on some real good used Euro's and some more info. I'm in Santa Rosa and I would be glad to meet up and show you some of mine. I've got Wood and Euro's so you could compare, I even have a JBL that I use more than anything out here for a hole gun but mid-water stuff I like the Euro's and my Garcia-sub.

Lost my job in January and only just landed a position with Comcast so it will be a while before I can afford the gear I want but as soon as I am back in the black I will be in touch............UNEMPLOYMENT SUCKS!!!!!