To all wong's speargun user

[x-frog]

Hi, I know there is a lot of happy DW guns users in this foum, and wants to know which model is the most popular, which one is the best value, for the money ,the one you use almost in all condittions(viz,big-small fish, reef)
Plan to buy one, but don't which one, my prefences is between " 60" Hybrid - Magnum " and "MG Special".
Thanks for your help.

[StretchArmStron]

why don't you call Daryl and ask him yourself?

He's a very nice guy and more than willing to talk spearfishing w/ you...

Its kind of like buying a dog from a reputable breeder, you tell the breeder what you want and they set you up w/ what they feel will suit you the best. Wong gun owners should just solidify the fact that Daryl does indeed make a good product and is good in his judgment about what kind of gun you need for your surroundings.

[x-frog]

StretchArmStron, thanks for the reply, I know Mr. wong's great coustomer service, but before I ask him, want to here other's opinion too.

[rigdvr]

If its opinion you want....I am full of that!
I have several Wongs, the list includes
50" open track cf hybrid
55" semi enclosed track cf hybrid
60" Ono bluewater gun
110cm Aimrite railgun
and I just sold my 57" MG Special

You havent really mentioned where you dive and your typical species and conditions but I would vote for the 55" hybrid for the all around gun. Not too big to use on the smaller fish and definately big enough for the bigger ones. I use mine on the oil rigs and it is perfect for the large fish we encounter but I just returned from diving with Daryl last week in Hawaii and I used Rick Bettua's 55" hybrid on the small skittish reef fish found there.
I like my MG but I liked it more for scuba diving than freediving and I just dont have time to do both right now.
The biggest thing is that I seem to prefer the mid handled hybrid 90% of the time. It just has a good feel to it. Others prefer the traditional style guns like the MG or Florida Freeshafter. Its a personal thing and I cant tell you whats right or wrong.
Definately give Daryl a call. I cant say enough good things about him or Rick. They are first class all the way.

Final answer....If I was in your shoes I would take a long look at the 55" cf magnum hybrid.

[Bill McIntyre]

As rigdvr said, its hard to recommend a particular gun without knowing where you dive and what fish you hunt. I have 5 Wong guns and like each one for some feature. They are the 55" hybrid, the 60" hybrid, the 60" ono, the Mahi, and the 55" magnum hybrid. But as rigdvr also said, its hard to beat the 55" magnum if you want one gun to do it all. Its still short enough to swing and aim very well, but its got some power to reach out and touch someone.

It also depends to some extent on what other guns you have. For instance, one of my dive buddies already had the 50" hybrid, so when he recently bought a magnum, it made more sense to go to the 60" so as to have more of a jump between guns.

In general though, I like the hybrids, both the standard ones and the magnums, because they handle so well.

[shaun748]

where do you live and what do you expect to see when hunting? that will help you and daryl decide.?.I will tell you that he has an outstanding reputation with his customers and that helped me choose him also....

I recently got a WONG MAHI(smallest bluewater gun) for California..kinda big for freediving from shore but I often see HUGE fish come out of no where here and I have gotten a couple of 4 ft long white sea bass (and similar size halibut and rare yellowtail) only 100 yards from shore and seen MUCH bigger fish just out of range of my smaller guns..

it is a smaller version of the 63 inch ONO (the MAHI is only 57inch overall with weight ballast so you dont need wings)..I live in southern California and my Rob Allen and Riffe MT3 will actually do most everything I really need however sometimes a REALLY big fish will swim by that a bit more range and power would help on..I did not need the big ONO model and the MAHI is only slightly longer than my MT3 so I can get thru kelp with it easy.
In my mind( and for me) the MG or HYBRIDS would have just been "MUCH" nicer copies of my other guns and their capabilities, so that is something to consider also.

the MAHI wont swing as fast as the MG you want since it is thicker and heavier, but I really like it the few times I have taken it out..

of course now days I dont even shoot my gun unless a fish is over 3-4 ft long..if I just wanted "dinner" I would pick the HYBRYD since they are smaller and lighter..

of your choices I would choose the MGS(middle grounds special) it comes with the aluminum alexander muzzle(the others have wood muzzle) and it has a bit more size than the hybrids and other models to help with recoil while still being a good size..it will do everything 99% of us need it for....

the all wood muzzle enclosed tracks of the MG kinda freaks me out..it is possible to chip out the track a little bit if you dont load it just right with the right angle(wont really affect much unless its bad)..

the alexander muzzle helps bear the weight of the shaft and align it into the track if you rush a reload and have an off angle. I noticed that I did this(my fault and not the guns) but the butt of the spear just nicked the wood track behind the muzzle so I am glad I had that alexander muzzle to alighn it or it might have been worse..

you will get a great gun and great customer service either way.

[shaun748]

Darn BILL, you are everywhere..I dont care what some say about you on SPEARBOARD because in reading most of your post you honestly try to help people with their questions...to bad these chat rooms get that way..

[Spinal Tap]

Originally Posted by shaun748

I recently got a WONG MAHI(smallest bluewater gun) for California..kinda big for freediving from shore

Shaun,

If you're planning to take your Mahi from shore then I would warn you about fine grains of sand getting into/between the track and the shaft when you're entering and exiting. The sand will jam your shaft and you'll have a hard time taking it out without scratching up the track. I learned this the hard way.

Tell me where you saw those 4' long fish from shore and I'll come up and escort your mahi in and out of the water over my head.

Nate in S.D

[shaun748]

thanks for that sand/track info NATE..
most of the places I go out are rock shore so not too much issue with sand..

I live next to Palos Verdes so I go out in that area moost of the time.. you probably know the world record WSB was taken here in 1994, but I dont know if it was from a boat or not.
my first white see bass was in Redondo beach breakwater a few years ago when they were thick in the area and it was literally only 100 yards from shore in 20 ft deep water( I never really weighed fish so I only measured it at 46 inches tip-tail, dont know what that might weight)....in the same area a friend shot a solid 48 inch Halibut and fortunatley I saw the chaos and got another spear in him so he didnt tear off(it is rare for that beach though)...

..most of the "few" other WSB I got were legal to 37 inches..when in the Kelp bed off Palos Verdes I saw 2 huge WSB "hunting" the rocks in 30 ft of water and I dove down a few feet to get it after it past by but my rob allens safety was on(darn).. on later dive I saw a bigger WSB in the area but it was out of my guns range.
about 2-3 years ago I had a friend(much better diver than me) shoot a yellow tail just off the point at PV on a shore dive. granted from what I heared then it was a hot year for fishing also

Of course all those sightings were before I got married and had a kid so we were in the water 3-5 times a week..so I think getting a big fish is "a statistical chance" since the more you are in the water the more likely you will see a big fish at least once.
made me realize you never know what might swim by out there.

[shaun748]

also NATE I wanted to ask what band/shaft combinations you have tried so far..I know BILL told me some good info, just curious what experiances others have had..
I must also admit that if I were a good enough fisherman to guide you to big fish I might take you up on the offer to carry the MAHI, big differance from a Rob Allen and Riffe #3..

due to my child-like lung capactiy my hunting skills seem to work best slowly swimming on the surface as calm as possible till I see something I want then slowly dropping down to it( I weight my self heavy)..so you know I have probably spooked off many others that i never saw,,for you divers that have better bottom times I bet you can get some big fish out of Palos Verdes, even just shore diving.