spear gun selection

I have a store credit at my local dive store. I was thinking about using it for a smaller size speargun. They don't have a huge selection but I was looking at the Sporasub Instinct Pro 55cm for 190.00 or the Sporasub Instinct Pro 75cm for 210.00. Would these be usable for halibut and ling diving? I know this is probably not the best deal out there, but it is way over priced? Thanks guys.

-Brian G

i think a sporasub would suit you well for lings and halibut. try to get something like a 75 cm as opposed to a 55 since a 55 is pretty short. i had a 55 cm and ended up using the parts for my longer guns.

sporasub guns have been serving myself pretty good, zero issues and my local shop can always get parts.

enjoy!

john

What do you use of the smaller rockfish?

I thought I read a post that someone uses a JBL minicarbine for 'plinking the blues'.

-Brian G

What determines the gun length up here is usually visibility.  The tip of a 75cm euro gun is about 6' away from you when you hold it out at arms length and about 4' when you hold it close.  It's very difficult to use it in visibility less than 4'.  4' is very crappy vis though (albiet typical for linda mar), on the north coast you can generally count on 6-10' vis, and in monterey it's usually double that.

The other reason for a larger gun is range and power.  Longer spears have more momentum to go through the water (and fish) and longer guns accelerate the spear to greater velocity.  You really don't need much range for rockfish, but if you dive for halibut or kelp bass in monterey you'll appreate a little extra range.

I have a 75cm gun, and if the vis is too poor to use it, it's not really good enough that I will enjoy diving a whole lot or have much luck finding fish in the murk.  Euroguns usually have the spear stick out a good 10" beyond the muzzle, but you can buy a shorter spear to make the overall rig a shorter, short range gun.  It worked well for me.  My 75cm with a shaft for a 55cm is the same length as a 55cm gun overall - but more powerful, and I can always put the longer shaft on for other types of hunting.

I guess in all, I'd definitely reccomend the 75 over the 55.  If I could go back I'd probably even go for a 90cm gun with a shaft meant for a 75 (which is 105cm), and use it with a relatively weak band when shooting into rocks.

$210 for Sporasuck Instinct sounds high. A couple months ago I saw a brand new 75cm Instinct for sale on ebay for $99 and there was no bidders. John loves his Sporasub Black Viper 90cm, but I hate mine. IMO, it's just a low budget gun built with low quality parts. The barrel leaks and the butt is so fragile, I heard someone had the butt break on him while loading the gun, that stabbed him good. The shaft is also thin and fragile. Mono shooting line get frayed easily in the attachment hole. I think John swapped out his spear for the Riffe Euroshaft.
I doubt Instinct improved on the quality. I played with it in my local dive shop. They now even did away with the rail, which is the only appealing feature of Black Viper. The rail makes the Black Viper fairly accurate.
Also, I'm now very cautious when loading a Eurogun with articulated wishbone. It happens to everybody, you thought you cocked the gun correct, but the metal wishbone might actually only caught on the notch by a thin edge. It will suddenly spring back and can take a nice chunk out of your finger even with your gloves on. The dyneema cord is such a better idea.
I now use a 90cm Rabitech Alum Stealth. WAY better quality. I bought it on ebay brand new from the dealer (Eric, who is the sole distributor of Rabitech in US) for something like $230. It uses dyneema cord (safer) and is deadly accurate. The spear is slightly thicker/heavier than a "true" euro-spear, but I think this actually improves the accuracy as it does not flex as much and doesn't feel as flimsy.
For local diving, I personally would not use a speargun with 2 or more bands, it's just too much trouble loading 2 bands and there is really no need for the fish we have here.

 

What do you use of the smaller rockfish?

I thought I read a post that someone uses a JBL minicarbine for 'plinking the blues'.

-Brian G

My nephew bought a mini-carbine after he started diving, don't get one. He was complaining after his first outing and was more successful with his old homemade polespear. It's only good for nearly contact shooting and has very little power. The comparison would be like using a derringer or a rifle,big difference in power and accuracy and range.
 You won't be sorry if you buy a good Euro gun. Plinking blues is more fun if you can hit them. The hole in the fish is the same. I had a store credit for a return and got a Rob Allen 75 railgun it shoots great. I put on a open muzzle and dyneema wishbone, super accurate for a short gun.I also rarely use 2 bands up here(norcal).
 

Ya gotta have two guns.
 I have the same situation and its just a fact that real halibut spearing is serious business that requires more punching power in open water at the end of a longer shot....whereas close-in rockfish, cab and lingcod hunting requires manuevering in kelp and rocks.
 They are different sports and like golf, need different clubs.
 Sincerely, Steve

leony is right and i do like the sporasub guns a lot. the sporasub vipers i have came with the integrated rail and shoots true. the shafts have been replaced with riffe shafts and i drilled and installed a second flopper. those guns never lose fish with a good shot.

the reason i think the sporasub viper guns are a good value is because they are pretty tough, they shoot good and the trigger mechanism can be removed and cleaned real easily. you can put two bands on them and get pretty good power.

i think the instinct is a downgrade made by sporasub and after talking to someone sponsored by sporasub who said that gun is "more of a gimmick" it made me want to pass on the instinct models.

i have wood american style guns and euroguns but for freediving i would much rather have a eurogun that shoots well than have the bigger wood gun in the water. the euroguns are so quiet and fast. the fish dont even know the shaft is on its way. the gun itself is so light and maneuverable.

the wood guns are great for longer distance but i rarely see myself needing one in the waters locally. in baja i took the wood guns and the euroguns but ended up using more of the vipers because we were shooting calicos mostly.

i think given the proper care and tuning a eurogun can be so fun to use. i have had my vipers for over 5 years now and the only maintenance i do is rinse them after a day of diving and make new bands for them when the originals rot out.

i have taken more fish with my 75 cm viper than all the other guns combined. i actually sold some off and am about to sell my jbl which i customized due to lack of use. ; (

john

Check ebay.
I have a  JBL 38 Special Northwest and the mini-carb for plinking the small guys. So far they have served their purpose.
Can I get some feedback on the 38 Special NW?

I picked up the sporasub 75 instinct last friday. I am going to do some pool testing later this week once i rig the shooting line.

Does anyone make their own shock cord?

-Brian G

the sporasub should suit your needs just fine. rig it with mono and a shock cord + swivel and you will be all set.

you can add a second band to that gun too.

enjoy!

john

i have a jbl 38 and i like it lots. its been very reliable, has plenty of punch for penetrating even the nastiest of lingskulls yet it is still very maneuverable in the kelp. riffes are much better built but cost so much more.