Good Choice?

[Archerr]

I'm thinking about getting a 110 Sea Sniper open track.. I usually hunt in the 50ish foot range and occasionally some small open/blue water as well. Is this gun appropriate for a mix of these two environments? I usually don't shoot much over 40 pounds either. I'm out of Boca Raton and would love to join someone for any kind of diving- shore, boat etc and would gladly pitch in for any expenses. Please let me know what you guys think

[Muay Thai]

Might want to check out Mako. Good gear at a good price.

Scott

[Originalspearch]

Originally Posted by Archerr

I'm thinking about getting a 110 Sea Sniper open track.. I usually hunt in the 50ish foot range and occasionally some small open/blue water as well. Is this gun appropriate for a mix of these two environments? I usually don't shoot much over 40 pounds either. I'm out of Boca Raton and would love to join someone for any kind of diving- shore, boat etc and would gladly pitch in for any expenses. Please let me know what you guys think

Mako Enclosed Track Railgun 110 better gun for less money...

[steve-oh]

sea sniper and mako are not even on the same level!!!LOL!. Mako is a good entry level gun. i have used one for years, and yes for the $$ it is a descent buy, but there is so much better out there. If you can afford the sea sniper GET IT!!!!

[Originalspearch]

Originally Posted by steve-oh

sea sniper and mako are not even on the same level!!!LOL!. Mako is a good entry level gun. i have used one for years, and yes for the $$ it is a descent buy, but there is so much better out there. If you can afford the sea sniper GET IT!!!!

You're a 100% correct steve oh. I guess I worded it wrong. Sea Snipers are like a Porsche. Makos are like Ford. They'll both get the job done only difference is one you can show off to your friends. And the other one no one will care about unless its in the picture with a big fish. Sea Snipers make a great euro, priced decent around $700 - $850 is what I've seen. So if you're talking designer guns then you should compare them to a Koah, Riffe Euro, Andre, or Wong. The only fair comparison for qualiity for Mako would be Rob Allen, Hammerhead, Cressi, or Omer all cheap and pipey. I was speaking in terms of ability to whack fish. Because you spend $800 on 1 gun won't fill the cooler any quicker than a $275 gun. You can get a Mako 90, 110, and 130 for the price of 1 Sea Sniper w/ Reel. To just say Entry Level isn't fair to me because my friends in South Africa kill some of the biggest fish I've seen with a cheap pipe gun with 2 16mm bands so its preference and budget that should be the real factors in your choice..

[jstiver09]

Now we are comparing Mako to Sea Sniper...LOL.
Obviously the people comparing these have not used both. I have no problem with guys who use them, but the sea sniper is a very well thought out and designed wooden euro gun with maximized band stretch, great trigger, etc that is well worth the asking price. The only thing I don't love is the handle, but still better than the Mako.


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[Archerr]

Thanks for the feedback fellas but I guess I should have worded my question better. I'm by no means an expert or a beginner but I want a gun that I will take pride in and will stay with me throughout my progression of skills. I realize that I can shoot fish with either and the sea sniper is much more expensive but I've never shot one before or talked to someone that has one- I've heard great things but my biggest question I guess is if it's actually worth it? I've gotten so many mixed reviews about riffe so I'm not sure if I want to go down that road or not but it seems to me that a step up after the "riffe" category would be something along these lines. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

[Scubadood]

Originally Posted by steve-oh

sea sniper and mako are not even on the same level!!!LOL!. Mako is a good entry level gun. i have used one for years, and yes for the $$ it is a descent buy, but there is so much better out there. If you can afford the sea sniper GET IT!!!!

x2 on the old style Mako, the New ETR Mako is a great gun.I have owned one for over a year then sold it.My pick would be a Death Stick , Black Tip , Sea Sniper and yes a Koah . The guys plugging the Mako are sponsored by Mako ,go figure.Never liked Riffe or Wong , paying way too much for the name.
If you choose a Mako you wont be disappointed ,awesome gun for the $.
110 ETR ,will kill just as many fish.Good Luck.

[Dr.P]

Originally Posted by PropMan

x2 on the old style Mako, the New ETR Mako is a great gun.I have owned one for over a year then sold it.My pick would be a Death Stick , Black Tip , Sea Sniper and yes a Koah . The guys plugging the Mako are sponsored by Mako ,go figure.Never liked Riffe or Wong , paying way too much for the name.
If you choose a Mako you wont be disappointed ,awesome gun for the $.
110 ETR ,will kill just as many fish.Good Luck.

+1 for the Blacktip. IF you want a wooden gun, I'd rather have one built exactly how I want it than just another gun off the rack. I'm sure the Makos are great, but that is comparing apples to oranges.

[joespy66]

I have a 110 Mako rail gun. I've tagged plenty of fish more than 30' away and most were not very big. (I love trigger) It has been very accurate and reliable. A good musician can play the worst instrument. Save the money on the gun and put it into more trips. Both put fish in the box.

[jstiver09]

Wow. That is a HUGE range for a 110 (or even 160cm) railgun. 30' from the tip of the spear, right? You have any video of these shots? Do you realize that you have to be using more than 3 wraps of shooting line to get 30'.


FWIW, in my experience from using different guns to shooting fish and by testing in a pool at measured distances...I have been unable to find a 110cm (band stretch) gun to penetrate a foam target at a distance greater than 19' from the tip of the spear accurately. I have tested the Abellan Denton 100 (112cm of band stretch,7.2mm shaft), Ulusub 130 (110cm of band stretch 7.2mm shaft), Aimrite 110 king venom (7mm shaft), Pathos 110 (7.2mm shaft). The Ulusub and the Abellan were the best performing of the 4 both maxing out at just under 20'...due to having a more stable shaft flight. I have used but not tested the Sea Sniper 110, it is a nice gun. I would opt for the open track unless you are planning to use it for freeshafting or prefer the enclosed track for some other reason (which some people do).


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[Shorediver]

Any shot over 20 feet is considered a long shot(even for bluwater guns)so a 30 feet accurate shot seems to be a exaggeration.

[RBainer]

Haha my 110 manny sub Inverted roller I wouldn't try to hit a fish at 30ft and it was more power than 160cm 4 band gun . I know sure as hell maybe only getting 15ft out of a mako 110 and that's stretching it


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[SEA_ARCHER]

Originally Posted by Slinginsteel87

Haha my 110 manny sub Inverted roller I wouldn't try to hit a fish at 30ft and it was more power than 160cm 4 band gun . I know sure as hell maybe only getting 15ft out of a mako 110 and that's stretching it


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I guess you have not actually fired the gun then because your claim of stretching it at 15 ft is completely wrong. I recently purchased the mako 110 gun as a backup while waiting to get one of the guns that jstiver mentioned.
I was pleasantly surprised by the way it shoots. Shooting in my pool at 15 feet from spear tip it is dead on and easily penetrates my 3 inch high density construction foam target with ONE 16 mm small ID band. So to say that 15 feet is stretching it's limits is not correct even if you are only loading one of the two bands.

I have not tested further than that distance (15 feet from tip or 20 feet from grip) because my shaft is single wrap and reaches the end of the mono.

I do not make any claims comparing the mako to Any of the pricey guns because I have not done any side by side comparisons, but I do know that 15 feet is easily within its effective range and not at all stretching it.

[jstiver09]

There is a big difference on how some people test their guns and also on how they define "effective range". This is how I do...my subjective opinion on how to measure "effective range" is if I am able to consistently put shots inside of a 6" circle from a distance measured from the tip of the spear in a controlled environment of a pool through a substantial amount of foam (I use 5"). The Abellan 100 (112 cm of band stretch) can definitely take fish from a greater distance than 19'...if you shoot at a downward angle or taking a big targeted thin fish such as an African pompano, permit (and don't hit the spine). Things such as shooting line weight, current, etc can also negatively effect the range of course. So real world situations change things a bit..for better or worse. It is amazing what a slight downward angle will do for accuracy and penetration. At the end of the effective range of a gun you will actually miss high...due to the tail end of the shaft dropping and causing the tip to raise. If you are missing low you are WAY beyond this gray area. It took me pool shooting to figure this out (with video) but you can test for yourself. The effective range of a 110 cm railgun (Mako) is probably close to 15', maybe 16' or 17'...but could still take a fish at a little further but it would become a much lower percentage shot and you would be at a higher risk of tear out etc.

Another good point is that once you start talking about shots over 20', each additional foot becomes much harder to claim. I have still yet to see ANY gun with an "effective range" of 30'. You may have seen arguments on these boards between a few of us, with some claiming "this gun can shoot 30', or this gun can't" or "a gun is a tuna gun if it can shoot XX distance"...and we were promised video of these claimed shots but so far they have not been presented. The Abellan Albacore 130 (142cm of band stretch) has an effective range of 25', and now that they will make a 140 (152cm of band stretch) maybe that 30' range is in reach but I still have my doubts that I would call it "effective". If someone claims to have a gun that shoots 30', take 5 consecutive 30' shots from the tip without cutting the camera off, and if 2 of those 5 hit within a 6" circle I will agree. But the difference between 25 and 30' is HUGE and it takes it to a new level. Any gun that shoots 30' would be lights out (5/5) from 25' and I would pay big bucks for it.

Pool shooting, although not as satisfying as shooting fish, is very educational and humbling.