Dummies Guide to Rigging a Speargun

[Bill McIntyre]

Here is a way to rig a breakaway with no holes in the barrel.

Size the shooting line so that the loop in the rear end of the mono or cable is a few inches from the trigger-activated line release. Stretch a loop of bungee cord from the shooting line over the line release and clip the float line to the loop in the shooting line. When you pull the trigger the shooting line and float line are released.

This set up is commonly called the Hawaiian Breakaway. Its simple, cheap, and fail-safe.

[Fondueset]

Put this thread in my favorites

[smee]

Thanks Bill, that set-up looks much simpler.

[Polystigma]

Nice rig Miles! If its not to much trouble could you explain(or show) how you made that little bungie?

[miles]

Hiya

I do mine slightly different to Bill McIntyre's way. Same principle, but slightly different rigging.

With the way Bill McIntyre has rigged it up, your snap clip from your float line is attached very close to your gun. Causes scratches on your barrel. I make my loop slightly longer, so that the clip is now well away from the gun and it doesn't interfere with the tracking or aiming of the gun.

The pic's are pretty much self-explanatory!!

Regards
miles

[miles]

Reels!!!

There are quite a number of reels on the market. Virtually every gun manufacturer has built a reel. Some are quite easy to fit, like picasso reels on picasso guns as well as Omer reels on Omer guns. They generally have a bracket already on the gun and the reel simply slides on.

How-ever, most other reels will have to be mounted. This entails drilling holes in your barrel, so as to anchor your reel. Different reels requiring different ways of mounting them. Some reels are mounted vertically, whilst others horizontally. Some spearo's prefer the vertically mounted reel, claiming less drag when tracking with the gun. I use both and can't really tell the difference between either way.

Here's a selection of reels and they way they're mounted.

[miles]

Once you've figured out how to attach your reel to your gun, you're going to need a eye ring at the muzzle for the line to pass through. Most guns don't come with it fitted, but they can be purchased from most dive shops. The Rabitechs have a welded O ring whilst the RA's have a SS bracket with a hole in it, which allows the line to run through it.

Refer to picture for the Rabitech set-up.

Some spearo's simply don't use the ring or bracket and simply thread the line through the hole in the muzzle which is normally used for a second band. Obviously, this only works for guns that have a double muzzle and only used a single band.

Some spearo's also advocate running the line straight off the reel. Not using any rings or brackets. I've never used it this way, so can't comment.

[miles]

Now that the reel is mounted and the ring/bracket is on the gun, you run the line from the reel, through the bracket/ring. I normally attach a clip to the line now. This allows you to remove the shooting line should the need arise.

[miles]

Fully rigged and ready for action!!

[miles]

Reel line:

Everyone has their own preferences, so here are some choices:
1.8-2.0mm Dyneema/Spectra. Good line for area's wheres there's lots of reef, as the abrasion resistance of this line is very good. The downsides is that its quite slippery and not that easy to grip and its quite costly. Tangles quite easliy in the thinner diameters too.

3.0mm Dyneema/Spectra, same as above, only slighlt easier to grip, because it is a thicker line.

Parachute cord. This is a cheap line thats freely available. VERY easy to grip and good enough strength. Not as abrasion resistant as Dyneema, but roughly a quarter of the price.

Thats as far as my knowledge on lines go. Bill McIntyre will hopefully add in some more options as he's done quite a bit of experimenting with different types of reel lines!!

[miles]

Tie-ing your own bands

Generally, you get two type of gun muzzles. Those with screw in bands and those with bulk rubber muzzles. The manufacturers of guns with bulk rubber muzzles, claim that the extra bit of rubber gives additional drive to the spear. Sound pluasible.

They great thing about bulk rubber muzzles is that it allows you to use bulk rubber bands!!! These bands are CONSIDERABLY cheaper than screw in bands. It also allows you to modify your bands to your specific needs. For instance, you're looking for more power, you can shorten your bands, alternatively, you can set up different band length and sizes for different spears. This way you could shoot with a 16mm band and a 6.5mm spear and with-in a matter of minutes, switch it over to a 7mm spear and a 20mm band.

A short while back, euro adaptors became available. This nifty product allows spearo's with screw in bands now also to use bulk rubber. These little things simply screw into your muzzle and you can then tie the bands onto them. (See picture)

[miles]

Here's the way to tie off your bands as well as a chart which offers suggestions as to what length your bands should be.

Note: every batch of bands are different. Always tie your bands a bit longer, as its easier to shorten them but IMPOSSIBLE to make them longer once you've cut them too short!! (ask me, i've kicked myself for doing that waaaay too many times!!! )

[miles]

Removing bands or installing bands into a bulk rubber muzzle is easy. I simply spray silicone spray onto my bands, where it is inside the muzzle, and pull down hard on both bands, close to the muzzle, This will stretch the bands and allow you to slip them out of the muzzle. Some brute force will sometime be required here!!! (soapy water will also work in place of silicone)

If you're not going to use you guns for a while, it would be worth your while to remove your bands, wash them in fresh water, dry them off and put them in a plactic bag in the fridge/freezer. Your bands will stay healthier for much longer this way!!

[Bill McIntyre]

This is great stuff.

Since I use "American Style" guns for want of a better term, they have line anchors under the muzzle that the reel line can be run through, so there is no necessity to add a ring of some kind. However, I don't run the reel line through there anyway. I prefer to have it just running off the reel to the fish without pulling my gun around so that its always pointed at the fish.

I use both 2 mm and 3 mm Spectra, depending on the capacity of the reel. If he reel is big enough to hold at least 100 feet of the 3 mm, then I prefer it because its much easier to grab as well as easier to see down in murky water wrapped through the kelp. But of course few reels have that capacity, so I use the 2 mm on the smaller ones. I'm not sure what value this will have, but here are photos of a reel with 145 feet of pink 3 mm Specra, and two others with 170 feet of yellow 2 mm and white 2 mm.

I agree with Miles about horizontal vs. vertical reel mounting. I can't really notice any difference in handling, although I suppose its a bit easier to reel line back onto the reel with the vertical mounting.

Edit- in case anyone wonders what I meant when I mentioned the line anchor under the muzzle of tree trunk type guns, I notice that the photos with the yellow reel line shows one. In this case, its where it is for use as a rest tab when cocking the gun, but its the same thing that is screwed to the bottom of the front end of most tree trunks- Rifffe, Alexander, and Wong for instance.

[Huan]

Originally Posted by miles

Here's the way to tie off your bands as well as a chart which offers suggestions as to what length your bands should be.

That is a handy chart Miles, could it be stickied? it would be a good reference for many people.