Dummies guide to Spearfishing - Part II
Posted By Ismail Sonday on 15 April 2006
What size gun should I get?
Gun size is dependant primarily on the visibility in your area. Generally, the cleaner the water, the longer the gun. Then there are also guns that are used for very specific purposes, such as a 75cm gun that is used for hunting in caves, cracks or crevices. Here, smaller guns maneuverability gives it a great advantage over a longer gun, even though the water might be very clean. The following is just a general idea on what gun sizes you should look at. The easiest way to find the ideal gun size is to simply speak to the succesfull spearo’s in your area.
Typical scenarios for euro or SA Railguns are:
|
Viz |
Blue Water Diving
|
Reef Diving |
Kelp Diving |
Cave/Hole Diving |
|
15m+ 50ft+ |
130 cm
|
120 – 130cm |
60–90cm |
60 – 70cm |
|
10-15m 30–50ft |
120–130cm |
120–130cm |
60– 90cm |
60 – 70cm |
|
5-10m 15–30ft |
110–130cm |
110–130cm |
60– 90cm |
60 – 70cm |
|
0-5m 0-15ft |
110cm |
90–110cm |
60–90cm |
60 – 70cm |
Typical scenarios for wooden guns are:
|
Viz |
Blue Water Diving
|
Reef Diving |
Kelp Diving |
Cave/Hole Diving |
|
15m+ 50ft+ |
63 in
|
60-63 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
10-15m 30–50ft |
60-63 in |
60-63 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
5-10m 15–30ft |
55-60 in |
55-60 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
0-5m 0-15ft |
55 in |
55 in |
55 in |
44-50 in |
Typical scenarios for hybrid guns are:
|
Viz |
Blue Water Diving
|
Reef Diving |
Kelp Diving |
Cave/Hole Diving |
|
15m+ 50ft+ |
63 in
|
60-63 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
10-15m 30–50ft |
60-63 in |
60-63 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
5-10m 15–30ft |
55-60 in |
55-60 in |
55-60 in |
44-50 in |
|
0-5m 0-15ft |
55 in |
55 in |
55 in |
44-50 in |
Hopefully you have now successfully navigated the minefield of spearguns and should be able to make a good decision on what type of gun and what length would be suitable for YOUR application.
Why not read more in Part I of our Dummies Guide to Spearfishing.







