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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here!

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Old 04-13-2020, 11:05 AM   #1
Homestead_Dad
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How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

Looking at purchasing a new speargun and have read that older spearguns have really fallen behind on power and accuracy. Are Ocean Rhinos still competitive in today’s market I wanted one since I first saw one years ago. What is considered the best guns in the $500 range today?


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Old 04-13-2020, 03:38 PM   #2
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Originally Posted by Homestead_Dad View Post
Looking at purchasing a new speargun and have read that older spearguns have really fallen behind on power and accuracy. Are Ocean Rhinos still competitive in today’s market I wanted one since I first saw one years ago. What is considered the best guns in the $500 range today?


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Don't believe all that you read. The gun's ammo is the spear (bullet) and the bands (propellant) and they are used on a gun body for cocking and release and that principle is the same on all of them. Some guns mount more bands, but that is to propel a heavier projectile for inflicting greater damage where required. An Ocean Rhino will do the job as cocking stock guns have done for decades and has a quick rigging system in terms of its shooting line.

There may be a few of the special edition "Wind Song" guns left if you are lucky, they are a very nice gun.
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Old 04-13-2020, 04:37 PM   #3
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Originally Posted by Homestead_Dad View Post
Looking at purchasing a new speargun and have read that older spearguns have really fallen behind on power and accuracy. Are Ocean Rhinos still competitive in today’s market I wanted one since I first saw one years ago. What is considered the best guns in the $500 range today?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Give me call tomorrow and I will do my best to explain the advantages and disadvantages of our spearguns. 727-743-7686 Kevin
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Old 04-13-2020, 07:14 PM   #4
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

[quote=Homestead_Dad;2197157]Looking at purchasing a new speargun and have read that older spearguns have really fallen behind on power and accuracy. Are Ocean Rhinos still competitive in today’s market I wanted one since I first saw one years ago.

I did as well Homestead_Dad. And I got one. And I LOVE it!!
Take up Kevin Bruington on his offer. He is a wealth of knowledge. He is a great guy and full on dedicated to what he does. Feel free to reach out to me as well.

His gun is set to carry up to 3 spears which is what I do. But you can go with one or two if you like. You can quickly convert to line shaft if needed. Integrated flash light into muzzle is a super touch. Beautiful gun. Exceptionally tough. Works perfect every time. The amount of fine tuning that has gone into the current product is admirable.
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Old 04-13-2020, 10:44 PM   #5
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

I'd say it depends on how you dive, too? I'd venture a guess that Dbrown hunts on scuba and I am sure that an Ocean Rhino is a well sorted out gun for that, but for freediving, I think there are other interesting options.

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Old 04-13-2020, 10:53 PM   #6
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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I'd say it depends on how you dive, too? I'd venture a guess that Dbrown hunts on scuba andI am sure that an Ocean Rhino is a well sorted out gun for that, but for freediving, I think there are other interesting options.

Yeah he "shoots" on scuba and there are so many "better" options out there for guns today
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Old 04-13-2020, 11:00 PM   #7
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Yeah he "shoots" on scuba and there are so many "better" options out there for guns today
Haha, I am just trying to keep the thread peaceful
BTW, I sent you a PM a while back on an unrelated matter. Just if you have a sec to check it out.
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Old 04-13-2020, 11:09 PM   #8
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Haha, I am just trying to keep the thread peaceful
BTW, I sent you a PM a while back on an unrelated matter. Just if you have a sec to check it out.

getting right on it....


peaceful doesnt count anymore its still winter and lockdown, trouble is a brewing
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Old 04-13-2020, 11:33 PM   #9
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Originally Posted by Diving Gecko View Post
I'd say it depends on how you dive, too? I'd venture a guess that Dbrown hunts on scuba and I am sure that an Ocean Rhino is a well sorted out gun for that, but for freediving, I think there are other interesting options.
Ocean Rhino’s are geared toward “Scuba Shooting” and that is why I recommended that he call me. I need to ask him a bunch of questions about what type of spearfishing he plans to do and what his short term and long term goals are. After I get his answers I will either recommend one of my guns or advise him to buy another brand/style speargun that will better suit his needs. I would much prefer a customer purchase a competing brand and be happy with it than buy one of my guns and be unhappy with it.
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Old 04-14-2020, 07:07 AM   #10
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

Best line ever and so true:
"I would much prefer a customer purchase a competing brand and be happy with it than buy one of my guns and be unhappy with it."
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Old 04-14-2020, 10:14 PM   #11
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

The Ocean Rhinos are really well built, sort of an Abbiller on steroids. I purchased 4 of them as a gift for a friend of mine few months back but unfortunately due to the Corona Virus, he was not able to try them out. This friend of mine who I got him hooked to spearfishing about 25 years back can get any gun he wants, and has tried all sort of newer guns, but he always goes back to the old Abbiller guns we started off with 25 years back. For the type of spearfishing he does (brown spotted grouper) he just prefers it. For me I prefer a smaller more compact speargun with much more power and accuracy … but I could never get him to switch and gave up on that and just got him a "better" Abbiller gun. I can attest that when we go spearfishing … I am not the one who gets back on the boat with more fish. For sure I have a much higher percentage of stone shots, but he gets more fish. He has an incredible system where he hooks a SS fish stringer on the bottom of his gun … and can shoot and load 2 fish on his stringer while I am still struggling to load my gun after the first shot. The way we hunt in the area we spearfish we usually are drifting over quiet areas and then hit a big cut in the sea bed that usually has lots of fish. So action comes fast and furious and you need to make many shots in a short time. I guess when scuba diving … that is also an advantage where you also have a limited amount of time on the bottom and need to get off many shots in a short period of time.

Obviously with the Rhino and Abbiler type guns, you won't be able to get the range of a finely tuned modern speargun where you can comfortably take a fish at 6m or even longer distances. But for close in shooting where you need to make multiple shots fast, you really can't beat the older setups.

What I do think are really obsolete today though … are the huge 4 band and even 6 band + spearguns used for tuna or other large pelagics. They just don't make any sense any more. You can get much more power and performance out of a well designed well tuned 2 band or 3 band speargun or a well tuned roller or invert roller. This performance is in both accuracy and power … and of course a much smaller footprint and better maneuverability with the speargun. Those big guns can be basically impossible to free dive with deep … they will totally wear you out … plus the idea of having so many bands loaded for the little amount of power that comes out … let's just say there are much better options.
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Old 04-15-2020, 02:09 PM   #12
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

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Originally Posted by Diving Gecko View Post
I'd say it depends on how you dive, too? I'd venture a guess that Dbrown hunts on scuba and I am sure that an Ocean Rhino is a well sorted out gun for that, but for freediving, I think there are other interesting options.
Totally agree!

And totally disagree with this: "you can comfortably take a fish at 6m or even longer distances."

Nobody can "comfortably" take a fish so far away. Some of us can't even see them...

And this is wisdom: "I would much prefer a customer purchase a competing brand and be happy with it than buy one of my guns and be unhappy with it."
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Old 04-15-2020, 03:37 PM   #13
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

One thing that has advanced over the last 10-15 years are bands. Small ID 14.5mm or 16mm Bands are simply better than the old Larger ID Bands.

Majd, There has been a big comeback of the Great American Tuna Gun.. 4, 5, 6, band guns are the go to for California Bluefin and NorthEast Yellowfin/Big Eye. A lot of us have tried to get away from them, but there is a place for them. You don't need to dive too deep. But particularly for the larger fish ie 250#+ those bigger guns do make the difference. Honestly, I don't know anyone who regularly lands Tuna over 200# who is using anything else. Sure, every now and then someone lands a 250# Bluefin using something else, but if you look at the guys who land 95% of the Tuna over 225#. They are all using 4,5,6 band Mid Handles. Maybe that's because it's California, and that's what people have been comfortable with, but it is what has proven to work for these Bigger fish.

Kevin Bruington and Ocean Rhino have an excellent reputation as a company and for the Tools they make for commercial Spearfishing.
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Old 04-15-2020, 05:07 PM   #14
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

That is correct, spears and bands have got better. Spring stainless steel made a big difference and rubber compounds have improved out of sight compared to the stuff from years ago, hence in a sense the ammo has improved. A lot of this is due to the re-expansion of the sport since a lean patch in the eighties when spearfishing was being condemned as an activity commensurate with baby seal clubbing and that of axe murderers. In that bad time a lot of dive gear companies abandoned or hid their spearfishing product lines as they concentrated on scuba customers. That was when scuba expanded and the equipment developed way beyond what had been available before with computers and advanced buoyancy aids. For many the old saying about being equipped with everything but the kitchen sink became a reality.
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Old 04-15-2020, 09:10 PM   #15
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Re: How far have spearguns advanced in the last 10-15 years?

Almost all of the best scuba shooters I know use either a Rhino, Biller or JBL or a gun made from components from those companies. That being said, with recreational limits being what they are, any gun you like and are comfortable with will be your personal best gun.
Unless you shoot commercially, no one really needs to get off 3 shots in under a minute.
As far as range goes, I take 1/3 to 1/2 max of any claimed range as being the limit most people can use it effectively and have enough penetration to kill or hold a fish.
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