FreeDivers Speargun Review

FreeDivers Spear Guns
Last week I was contacted by 2006 US National Spear Fishing champion Mike Hickey who asked if I would be interested in checking out a line of guns he has been using for the last several years. The guns, made in South Africa from a company called FreeDivers, are well known in places like Australia and South Africa but have had very little exposure here in the US. This opportunity was a no brainer as I am always looking for something new and exciting to bring to our area!! Mike arranged to have a 90cm and 100cm shipped up and after spending a little time with them this week here is my review.

First Impression
My first impression was this is a simple gun, nothing fancy just a straight forward euro stick. The handle is very slim with no loading pad (similar to rob allen), the barrel seemed a little odd to me as I couldn’t tell if it was aluminum or plastic and the muzzle is your basic closed style. Out of the box features also included a single band (5/8” on the 90 and 3/4′” on the 100) powering a 7mm notched flopper shaft. The 90 had gray accents on the handle and trigger while blue panels adorned the 100.

A Second Take
I am the kind of person who needs to look at something, let it sit, and then revisit the situation. The next day (after speaking directly with Mike- who explained some of the features) I sat down with the guns again and began to really appreciate their simplicity. When it comes to spearguns, or anything else that is exposed to the effects of salt water, simple is often times better and while this gun is basic, there are some key features that really captured my attention:
#1
FreeDiver guns are built and tested in South Africa and from what I am told the diving there is extremely harsh. Conditions are often times very rough and your gear must hold up to the constant beating it is exposed to. One of the major problems that South African equipment faces is the amount of sand and silt in the water. This is something that can’t be appreciated fully unless you have experienced it firsthand. Mike has told me stories of taking his wetsuit off to shake out the sand which built up just from the water flow. I can only imagine the amount of grit that must get into the trigger mechanism of your gun. A lot of guns on the market are machined so precise that if the mechanism is not kept spotless you can run into issues with misfiring or not releasing at all. Knowing that with this gun you do not have to worry about rusty shafts or sand in the trigger causing issues is a good feeling.
#2
The Barrel of the gun is somewhat of a hybrid. They start with an aluminum stock (round on the bottom and flat on the top) to which they add a full length plastic sleeve encompassing the top half of the barrel. This sleeve slides onto the barrel and is married to it by grooves on each side. It is fully attached when the muzzle and handle are mounted to the gun. The sleeve features a very deep track for the shaft to sit on. This is one of the best shaft guides I have seen (outside of a fully enclosed track).
#3
The shaft, while not stainless, is made from a hardened spring steel which goes through an additional plating process to help avoid rusting. They come with a large flopper that is tuned to engage upon impact. A lot of shafts on the market don’t lock in well and require some adjustment to properly work, but these seem to pop perfectly.

Customization
While this gun would work very well just as it is, I made a few preliminary changes to the 90 before taking it out.

First I added a second 5/8” Gansett powerband. For hunting bass, a single 5/8” band may be slightly underpowered (esp with a 7mm shaft). The original 5/8” band measured about 24” and the one I added was about 26”.

Next I installed a 50m reel. Freedivers left plenty of room on the handle end of the barrel to screw in a reel bracket before getting to the plug. I wish other manufactures would take that into consideration.

The bungee anchor on the muzzle did not have a guide to accommodate the reel line so I sawed it off flush with the barrel and sanded the ruff ends. I then added a stainless steel line guide utilizing the same screw hole used to secure the muzzle to the barrel.

Finally I removed the heavy tuna clip on the handle and replaced it with a mono loop to cut down on unwanted metallic noise.

The whole process took about 5 minutes.

Field Test
I took the gun out Saturday morning to a spot in Newport where I have been seeing some nice fish. It only took one dive to realize I was having equalizing issues which relegated me to diving very shallow (less than 12’). This was a bit disappointed because I really wanted to test the gun out and it was looking like it might not happen. As I kicked around in the shallow water a nice bass came underneath me. Most experienced spero’s will tell you that vertical shots are very difficult and with this fish swimming away any shot would have to be near perfect. When I pulled the trigger she was approximately 8’ away with just her tail visible. The trigger pull was seamless and the shaft exploded down towards the fish. While I didn’t see the impact I heard it and watched as my shooting line circled slowly behind me. The shaft had gone straight through the top of her head and out the bottom of her jaw. This was very encouraging both from an accuracy and power standpoint. I strung the fish and continued my hunt.

Drifting around on the surface I could barely make out a yellow lobster trap on the bottom. Not having enough weight to stay down on my own in such shallow water the pot made a great anchor. About 20 seconds in and a decent Striper appeared just inside the haze, presenting a target practice shot. Test number two ended with the same result as the first, shaft though the head and fish on the stringer.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the guns handling, accuracy and power (with the second band). It is safe to say that I will be bringing this gun with me on the remainder of my trips this year.

Price Point
I have shot a lot of guns, from cheep POS beaters to high priced custom jobs and this gun preformed as well as anything I have ever shot. That being said I was happy to learn about their retail price. The 90cm Aluminum is available for an introductory price of $235 and they go up $10 per size to 140cm.

FreeDivers also offers a reel which runs around $70 (with line).

Replacement shafts are offered at a very reasonable $35.

Other items available from FreeDivers include gear and gun bags as well as floats and carbon fin blades.

Newport Free Dive Co. is very excited to be represent the FreeDiver line in New England. If you would like to stop by and check out some gear please give us a call to make an appointment, 401-662-5618

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
www.newportfreedive.com

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