Riffe's Accuracy

[Hunter]

I hope someone out there can help me. I have been spearfishing since 1986. Since that time, my primary guns have been the JBL. I currently shoot a Gulf Magnum. My problems is that I have purchased two Riffes, a Standard #3 and a midhandle Hawaiian. The Standard #3 has 3 5/8" bands and the Hawaiian has 3 9/16" bands. Both guns consistently shoot low, probably due to the recoil. I am using two hands when shooting with my weak hand on the butt of the guns. In addition, I have purchased a front pancake stabilizer for the Hawaiian. Still the guns shoot low and I have missed severalnice groupers. Can someone give me some suggestions on how to correct the problem? Will a shorter stiffer shaft help reduce flexing or whipping?

[Reef Raider]

Have you tryed to aim looking down the side and not over the top most shooters will have a error in the vertical if they aim from the top .If you try aiming down the side your error will be a horizontal one and it seem that is easyer to compensate for.
Do you keep fresh bands on the gun .Just my .02

[swimndive]

I'm not a Riffe shooter, but from what I've learned from Spear One I can make a few guesses. If you could answer a couple of questions, I'm sure you'll get some more specific answers from the others. It sounds like you might be taking some horizontal hail mary shots no? If not, at what range are you experiencing this drop and how much of a drop (drop to distance ratio)? Are you still using the standard length and diameter bands for this gun and the standard line setup? Are you perhaps using a spring loaded single barb spear tip with the barb on top? To reduce any shaft whip or flutter you most likely will need to de-power the shaft. You really don't gain anything by stretching bands more than three times their unloaded length (270% seems to work even better). Hopefully JC or Eric will chime in on this one (They shoot mostly Riffe's).

ed

[Hunter]

Thanks for the responses. I am using the bands that came with each gun. The bands on each gun are new. I am not taking long shots or hail marys. I have shot both guns in the pool with the same results. I have also picked out shells in the sand, as targets, with the same results. On my Hawaiian, I have the double wrap SST coated cable and on the Standard #3 I have have a double wrap 500# mono. My spearhead is a 6mm threaded JBL rock point spinner. I am aiming down the shaft. I will try to aim down the side of the gun next trip.

I hope this additional info helps and thanks again for the ideas.

[Spear One]

Those guns do not have any kind of muzzle. If you have no muzzle to guide the shaft you must keep the gun powered up!
ie. all three bands. The guns accuracy is obtained by reducing drag... no muzzle, no slide ring, and very thin line. Therefore you must get that shaft flying as fast and with as much momentum as possible in order to maintain an accurate flight path.

If you only load two of the three bands you are not accomplishing what I just described. Therfore the tip of the shaft tends to dive as soon as more than half of the shaft has exited the barrell of the gun. That is probably why you are consistently hitting low on your target.

Keep that gun powered up and kickin like a mule or you ain't gonna hit anything consistantly. You may also be having a problem adjusting to a gun which is set up drastically different than the guns you learned on. You may have to make some minor corrections in the way you hold and aim the gun. However this can be difficult for some shooters to break old habits.

You may never adjust and have to go back to the style of gun you learned on. You need to be patient and work at identifying the true problem and try to adjust accordingly. I have never been able to shoot that style of gun. I am just too engrained in my shooting style to ever change and I just can't handle that incredibly difficult reloading procedure associated with that style of linegun. Just my opinion. Hope this is helpful. Shoot Em Up!

[kitefisherman]

The only gun I have ever owned and shot is a Riffe Hawaiian. I have never had a problem with it shooting low. It has always been very accurate even with year old bands (which have recently been replaced with new 5/8" bands). Perhaps your sighting problem has to do with the safety pin intefering with your sight. Can't say for sure, but just wanted you to know that I have never experienced the problem you are describing - even when the gun was new and I was just learning to spear fish. I'd give Riffe a call and see what they say.

[kitefisherman]

It is my understanding that Riffe only makes an enclosed track for the metal guns (not the teak guns).

I wonder why Hunter would be getting so much whip when I'm not. And I'm curious why he's having the same problem with both guns. That's why I think a call to Riffe is in order. They have always been responsive when I've had questions.

The location of the safety pin may be a factor. Unlike at least one other Spearboard member, I left my safety pin on. I like having a safety (particularly when I am diving around others which is not often). I haven't found the pin to be as big a distraction as I thought it would be. If you have time, you can always tuck it into the gun to form a back sight, but I usually don't have the time or don't bother.

I am planning on buying a SS gun before I hunt the NE Gulf on the JRII in late May. I wonder if I am going to be shooting high with my new gun? Hint: I sure wish Kevin would do a SE Florida seminar - in part so that he could help me select my new gun.

[IyaDiver]

I used to shoot pneumatics and later JBLs and later Riffes. Unfortunately the only JBL I have not tried is the Gulf Magnum (open muzzle, correct ? ).

I have a Standard #2 and #4. The aiming is different between the JBL I know compared to the Riffe. With a Riffe you must aim with the speartip, not the shaft plane. Raise the muzzle a bit ( or down the butt ) until you see more of your speartip. Try a few shots with this sighting method. For ur #3 and Hawaiian, a good practicing distance is about 14-16 feet.

I am assuming u are using a 5/16 shaft. Try not to use Spinner type of head, anything that spin or has its floppers here and there is not that good during a flight. The Riffe Medium spearhead is also 6mm, it can take a lot of beating from rocks.

Spear One is correct, old habit die hard. U must adjust to this new aiming. I have to admit that shooting ur JBL to ur current Riffe is a big jump in recoil. Live with that recoil because high power guns tends to have a bit of muzzle kick, thus the rear of the shaft get kicked up and the front hit low. At ur powerband setting as it is and assuming 5/16" shaft is used, shaft whip does not occur yet.

My #2 has 4 x 9/16 bands with 5/16 shaft. My #4 has 4 x 5/8 bands with 3/8 shaft plus that pizza wing. I am doing OK with them even for small targets.

Try my aiming method in ur pool and see how it turns out. Remember you are not to aim above where u want to hit, you are to raise the shaft tip (muzzle ) untill you see more of the spearhead. Don't aim dead straight like a JBL. You may start with two bands at 10-12 feet and progress from there. The Hawaiian is more for two hands shot due to the mid-handle design but the #3 is easier with one hand. I shoot single hand shot even with 4 bands of 5/8. It is painful from recoil if doing practice shooting, but in the real hunt, the ardenaline kill the pain.

Have fun shooting the target and do try the Riffe large spearhead that comes with ur Riffe, I am more familiar with that spearhead, if on a Riffe.

IYA

[fishhunta]

in my opinion and experience with riffes, the only shaft i could get to shoot straight were the hawiian shafts, no speartip. i now shoot a rob allen and a homemade gun and just keep my riffe around for pelagics.

[FredT]

Just as different pistol models (even form the same manufacturer) will shoot to a different point due to recoil differences so will different styles of spear guns.

Riffes will consistantly shoot lower than the JBL, but I think you'll find you are already compensating for the fact that JBLs tend to shoot a bit high. With the Riffe Icepick the shaft tends to be good to go to the shaft aim point.

Just as a wingshooter has to compensate for changng between a Beretta O/U and a Remmington 1187. The stock and grip differences make for significant "fit" issues, and recoil differences make timing for the follow up shot on doubles differrent. It takes me a few rounds when changing gun types to get "back on target" well enough to compete effectivly.

[swathdiver]

You gotta use all the bands first of all. I noticed the same with my 42" metal tech. 3" drop at the end of the line. This little gun came with the biggest tip and thick shaft. I changed the tip to the smallest one made and the shaft to the 9/32 from 5/16. It now shoots straight out to nearly 17' with no drop at all, none! Hits the fish harder too and the little tip doesn't make such big holes anymore. I would first add a fourth band to see if she straightens out.

[dlock]

When I owned a Riffe(48") I like Fish Hunta used the stinger shaft and it shot very accurate. I also only used one band on it...a 5/8 22". However until you've used a Commercial SS gun you wont know what EXTREME accuracy is! I can't believe how much that custom muzzle improves the shot! Do some of you guys agree that you should'nt really have to be "aiming" when you take youe shot. You have to learn how to "feel" the shot, "be" the shaft. You usually don't have much time to "take aim". The best way to get better is to SHOOT MORE OFTEN!!!! Go out and KILL some fish...shells don't fillet out worth a damn;) just my .02

[201proguide]

i too noticed the extreem accuracy of the ss guns when i was doing some target practice in a pool. i had a milk jug tied to an anchor, with a little dot drawn on it about the size of a brain on a fish. the shaft went exactly where the barrel/muzzle was pointed. i was blown away by this. what made me even more impressed was the fact that it did this every time, not only one and a while.


with this pool practice, i have become more "in tune" with my gun, and have come to expect almost exactly what will happen when i pull the trigger. this pool practice has improved my shooting ten fold, and i suggest it to everyone to try.

[scrounger]

I have never had any problem with my riffe the way it came, the only problem was when i switched the muzzle to the aluminum muzzle to the gun. it would shoot high within 5 feet of the muzzle. this was only about an inch. at the end of the line it is dead on so the problem isn't a bad one. other than that it shoots exactly where i point it as do all the riffes I have ever owned. If you don't use all the bands you will have problems with drop and penetration but around rocks and bad vis. It doesn't matter at all, your not shooting that far.

[bgbill]

I have a Riffe #3 Standard with 1 3/4" band and 2 5/8" bands, I also have a Hawaiian with 3 5/8" bands.

You have to aim them differently.

On the #3 you sight down the shaft like any other gun.

On the Mid handle guns you look at the tip og the spear as your aiming point.

I use the 3/8" shafts most of the time and I free shaft with them also, I have never had a problem with not having a muzzle.

Depending on the situation I use a band on the rest tab, or all the way back or 1, 2, 3 or soemtimes 4 bands depending on the situation.

In the Riffe owners manual it tells you how to aim the different guns.