New Gun

[clavinr]

I am looking to upgrade and can't decide which gun to go with. I have a JBL 38 special.

Looking to buy either a JBL sawed off magnum 53" in three bands or the triple magnum 63" triple band.

I freedive, shoot mainly tautog and flounder. with the 38 special, but have pissed off (and lost) some big fish. (In the peoples republic of Massachusetts we are not allowed to shoot some fun fish)

I will be going to RI to shoot stripers and blue fish.

What do you recommend?

Thank You

[fernandezh]

I have a JBL Woody Magnum 63" gun and it works fine for the shooting I do from 3 lb triggerfish and flounder to 60+ lb Amberjacks. The only problem I have had was finding replacement shafts in the Tampa Bay area. If the Dive shops there readily carry JBL shafts and you are making a choice between the 2 guns I would go for the Woody Magnum 63".
The problem I have had with JBL shafts is that the gun comes with a 48 inch shaft with a 6mm. thread on the end with a screw on tip. Since March I have broken 2 of these shafts at the threads:

1. Once while shooting a fish that was right next to a metal tank turret on the bottom and the speartip penetrated his head and hit the metal on the other side. I guess the shock of impact into the metal hull weakened the threads and broke off the shaft at the threads. Causing me to lose a Red Snapper that was in the 40 lb range.

2. Last week, I was shooting an AJ using a Powerhead and when it detonated on the fish I guess the recoil of the bulled exploding put too much stress on the threads and it again broke.

I am now using the single piece 5/16" shaft that is once piece with the flipper and point on the end.

I hope I helped.


Hector

[clavinr]

Roger that. Sounds like it works well for you. I will go with the same. I ordered some tahiti or flipper style points also.

[lionfish]

Hey Hector,

which tip were you shooting when the shaft broke? what size shaft, 5/16ths?

what'd ya do with the broken shafts?


just curious

Leo

[fernandezh]

with the first break with the snapper near the tank I was The tip and shaft that came with the gun. I was using the tri-cut break away tip with the steel cable and the 48 inch shaft.

With the second break it was the same type of shaft but with the swivel tip that prevents accidential screw off by a swirling fish.

Each break is expensive. I had to buy a new shaft as well as a new tip because either the old one was lost or the threads were stuck in the speartip. For cost alone is why I am going for the one piece shaft and tip.

Now I have 2 broken spearshafts sitting in my garage.

Hector

[lionfish]

I've heard the one piece shafts are more likely to get bent by a large fish than a shaft with a break-away tip.
personally i've never seen a shaft snap. i've talked to a couple of folks who have experienced the exact same shaft snapping problem you describe.

you might want to consider cutting some fresh threads on the end of those broken shafts with a 5/16ths thread die, use a tip from a certain other gun maker and save the shafts. this mod would make the shaft/tip connection even stronger. it should shorten the shaft by only about 3/8ths of an inch.


fwiw

Leo

[f94gator]

I think the lengths that JBL provides on those guns are a bit misleading. I had a JBL Woody Magnum, the one they bill as 63". This gun stands as tall as a 52" SS Commercial. I know I'm talking about the right thing because I've seen Hector's gun, (ew, that sounds dirty), and it's the same model I had.

[IyaDiver]

Hector,

JBL thread breaking is not new, the 6mm thread is a weak link. My gang have broken more than 20 shafts when were using the JBLs.

If your camp has a machine shop, usually you can machine a new thread at least once before it runs out of length. My gang always do that here, it is cheap to machine in Jakarta.

One day you will break the Tri-Cut detachable tip where the small rubber insert hole is. It is very sharp but brittle. We have broken too many already.

The 5/16" 24 thread Lionfish mentioned is much stronger but you can't use JBL spearhead anymore. Try using LocTite on your speartip. The moment it unscrews a tiny bit, the speartip will wobble and break the 6mm thread even easier when a fish pull side way.

Make sure your single flopper shaft ( Hawaian shaft ) is tuned properly. This is how to do it if you don't know how.

Hold the rear end of your shaft, keep it horizontal, the notch up like when loaded on the gun. Hit the middle of the shaft with the palm of your hand. The flopper should now open and remain open. The last 20 degrees of the flopper opening must contain a resistance. Shake the shaft wildly like a fish fighting, the flopper must remain open. If your flopper is loose and closes easy, you will likely loose a fish that swim upwards during a struggle.

[omni]

Would you be willing to sell one of the shafts cheap? I am always looking for parts to tinker with.

[fernandezh]

I wrote JBL about the problem of spearshafts breaking at the threads and they acknowledged the fact that they are aware of the defects but continue to sell their guns with spears with inherant defects. I am not a happy camper. My feeling is this . . . that when you buy a product from anybody you make the purchase under the impression that it does not have any defects and that you will have problems with it. You should not have to worry about sending parts back to be replaced by other defective parts.

Hector


Here is a transcript of the emails:

I wrote:

Capthector@aol.com wrote:
JBL Representative,
I do quite a lot of spearfishing in deep water for fish in the
70 lb range in the Gulf of Mexico. I bought a JBL Woody Magnum 63 in. speargun in February. In the past 7 months I have broken 2 spearshafts and lost 2 tips while shooting fish. Both spearshafts were broken at the the 6mm. thread. I am not sure if you are aware of this problem. I know the tips were completely tightened down using lock-tight and pipe wrenches. I am not sure if you are aware of this problem. I am awaiting your response.


Respectfully,

Hector Fernandez
Captain, U.S. Army Infantry


This is the response I got back:

Dear Hector,

Yes, we know of this problem. If you return the shafts to us we will repair or replace them and the spearpoints under warranty. Our mail address is JBL Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 1105, Orange, CA 92856.

Good Hunting,
JBL

[clavinr]

Thank you for all of your help and info. I am such an amature. I hope to use it next Saturday at the RI Picasso open. Maybe get something better than the little guppies I'v been pounding.

[Slay Ride]

I sent mine back to JBL and they fixed or replaced them. Enough people do this and they'll fix their tooling that makes the threads. I chunked my whole gun and went with a Spearfishing Specialties Rhino and love it. Les@charlestondiving.com

[f94gator]

Hector, I agree. That's bullshit. "Um, yes, we know our shafts suck, but we'll replace them for those that complain"

I just don't know what you could do to remedy the situation. cough. cough ... Rhino ... cough cough...

[fernandezh]

I know. . . I know. . . I have been thinking about a rhino too. I am just waiting to see if I can get a woman to buy one for me. . . but hell will proboly freeze first :D

[IyaDiver]

Geee, you are lucky Hector that they wanted to send you new shafts. The Jakarta dealer once told my group to bring all the broken shafts and speartips to them, they said they will replace them. They were shocked to see so many were damaged, so they said, they will call JBL HQ to claim, and we wait and wait and wait.........:rolleyes: ...it never happened.

[fernandezh]

Originally posted by IyaDiver
Geee, you are lucky Hector that they wanted to send you new shafts.

Oh Iya, You have no idea how lucky I feel right now. :rolleyes:

[kitefisherman]

Dived this morning in Staurt with a friend. Saw a 20 pound class gag down current and pursued, but he evaded me. Turned back upcurrent to check on my buddy and heard his gun go off. When I got to him, I saw that the line shaft line from his SS rhino was undone and he was trying to reload and gestering about a big fish. Finally he restrings the the gun and shows me the point. The double barb shaft broke off at the closest pin. He points me to the ledge, and I swin over and peek under and can see the 8 inch botton jaw of a fish that is hooked upwards like that of a salmon. I drop down for a better shot at the whole fish and a 4 and a half foot gag pops out, of the ledge about 12 feet from me. I level my 52" SS Commercial and squeeze the trigger - nothing - my safety was on. The big gag - kicks his tail and loses us upcurrent. My big bad.

Spoke to my friend on the surface and he said the gag swam right up to him, recognized him and turned broadside. He lined up the shot hit him at a 45 degree angle behind the gills near the lateral line from the rear. The gag then charged the ledge thrashing wildly and popped the shaft all with minimal if any line pressure. The stock shaft apparently broke at its weakest point. My friend is now shopping for a few new shafts and a spare shaft holder for his gun. Not saying that anything was defective, just that some of the big fish we hunt are amazingly powerful - maybe more so than our equipment - no matter how well made.

My question to you guys: do you usually hunt with the safety on? My Riffe pin safety (which has since broken off) was easy for my left hand to find as I was using it to brace the stock with my left hand. The SS safety is on the right side of the stock and is harder for me to find in a hurry. I find myelf disengaging the safety in the Middlegrounds upon arriving on a fishy spot. Am I the only one?

[fernandezh]

I personally look at the speargun as being a weapon. Like all weapons they are indescriminate as far as what they shoot at, whether it be a fish or another person. I personally always leave my safe on until I see the fish I am shooting at then take the safety off and shoot. After I reload the gun, the first thing I do is put the gun back on safe again.

Leaving the gun on fire the whole time leaves too much to chance that you might accidentially squeeze the trigger or that a piece of equipment might set it off. The equipment setting it off is pretty reasonable because of all the other shit we carry with us from octopus, to stringers, d-rings etc. I personally would rather lose 10x 40 lb gags than to take the chance of shooting myself or another diver.

I know that there are going to be people here that say, "Well, I have made 1,000 dives with my gun on fire and nothing like that ever happened." My reply to a comment like that will be that it'll be that 1,001st dive is where that'll happen.

To train yourself to properly use your safety mechanism and to minimize missing fish is to practice it out of the water. Go through the motions of cocking the slings (without actually doing so), aiming the gun, taking it off of safe, squeezing the trigger, then shooting and reloading and putting the gun back on safe. Repeat that several dozen times out of the water just to get that muscle memory going and that should minimize missing fish when you are in the water. My .02 cents. anybody want to add to this?

Hector

[kitefisherman]

Hector: I appreciate, respect and share your opinion; however, I have posted a poll so that people can respond more freely and anonymously.

[greyface]

I'm like Hector, except I put the safety on before I cock the gun.

[clavinr]

I shot a 22" tautog with the woody magnum. Broke the curse. I wasn't hitting anything.

Talk about a rookie, I took shot with the butt(of the speargun) about 4" from my face, I'm lucky I didn't lose my two front teef. The snorkel saved me. That was very humbling!

Nice gun.

[jason33318]

is JBL really that bad? i was looking into either a 38 special or a 38NW or a competition magnum,but now i have doubts any suggestions on which of these three or any other ideas

[fizisition]

Originally posted by fernandezh
I personally look at the speargun as being a weapon. Like all weapons they are indescriminate as far as what they shoot at, whether it be a fish or another person. I personally always leave my safe on until I see the fish I am shooting at then take the safety off and shoot. After I reload the gun, the first thing I do is put the gun back on safe again.

Leaving the gun on fire the whole time leaves too much to chance that you might accidentially squeeze the trigger or that a piece of equipment might set it off. The equipment setting it off is pretty reasonable because of all the other shit we carry with us from octopus, to stringers, d-rings etc. I personally would rather lose 10x 40 lb gags than to take the chance of shooting myself or another diver.

I know that there are going to be people here that say, "Well, I have made 1,000 dives with my gun on fire and nothing like that ever happened." My reply to a comment like that will be that it'll be that 1,001st dive is where that'll happen.

To train yourself to properly use your safety mechanism and to minimize missing fish is to practice it out of the water. Go through the motions of cocking the slings (without actually doing so), aiming the gun, taking it off of safe, squeezing the trigger, then shooting and reloading and putting the gun back on safe. Repeat that several dozen times out of the water just to get that muscle memory going and that should minimize missing fish when you are in the water. My .02 cents. anybody want to add to this?

Hector

BEHOLD , HECTOR THE AUTHORITY ON SAFTEY:D
muscle memory hmmmm???:D