ss xhd ?

[bluewater]

I am looking for a bigger gun than my current 38 special metal gun . I really like my 38 for doing ledge and wreck hunting but it is a little small in the tooth for longer shots and open water I tried my friends riffe today and it seems a little cumbersome. I saw a ssxhd steel three band gun in my local dive shop I like the way it feels out of the water at least but I am concerned with the shaft diameter it is 5/16 the riffe is 3/8 i believe. would the extra diameter change the range or power of the gun, I think the riffe shaft is longer too. how about the steel versus wood thing . I know that the wood guns look really cool any input would be appreciated.

[fernandezh]

Definitely you will need a larger gun than the 38 special. Don't choose a gun on how cool it looks. The fish don't care. About the whole wood vs. metal gun thing goes, that is personal preference, IMHO. The only differnces between the two might really be in bouyancy characteristics as well as how they look after being beaten up on multiple trips. There are several criteria you should look into when buying a gun such as bouyancy characteristics (pos. vs. neg. with and without shaft), likelyhood of accidential discharge when on safe etc. I recommend you read other threads on this site concerning the pros and cons pertaining to the various types of guns on the market. If you are serious about spearfishing in the area I highly recommend you move up several notches on the gun size level. At least a gun that is designed to shoot anywhere between a 48 and 60 inch shaft. That way the gun you purchase, will hopefully be the last one you need.


I have a JBL Woody magnum, which I have been pretty happy with as it has recently saved my ass, litterally. But the problem I recently encountered with JBL guns is that not many shops in the Tampa bay area carry bands for it, or the shafts which is pretty important because eventually you will need to replace these items. Everybody has their preferences on the various guns but spearfishing specialties, AB Biller seem to be the way to go at least in the Tampa bay area as they are by far the most popular I have seen among the UW hunters I know of. Let us know what kind of spearing you hope to do, and how often you like to go, and I am sure somebody on thise site could make a better recommendation than me.


Good Luck and hope I helped.

Hector