Buying a spear gun

lildemps

Hi All,

Could someone give me advice on buying a quality speargun in Ireland? Is there good shop that you buy a speargun along the south east/Dublin or do you recommend to buy online? Are there any restrictions on importing from within the EU/any red tape?

Thanks for the info

TacT

Hi there, there are no laws governing spearfishing in Ireland and there are also no shops selling any equipment. At least there still were none before I left the country 3 years ago, that may have changed.

How much are you looking to invest in the gun? You'll need to get it sent from the UK/EU probably, there is no red tape to worry about. It will be delivered like any parcel.

I'm spearfishing crazy, so, 4 years back I invested heavily and purchased from here myself -- www.teak-sea.com

As far as quality goes the guns are pretty much the best you can get but some people prefer the riffe guns from here -- http://www.speargun.com/spearguns.html

They are both fantastic guns and neither will dissapoint but they are seriously expensive too.

Some great kit can be found at www.spearo.co.uk also and they will all deliver to Ireland no problem.

Any other Q's fire away.

pprendeville

Just want to find out which speargun did you go for? My cousin has a pneumatic gun and it seems to be pretty easy to load. Going to invest in one myself. Where do you go snorkeling in the Dublin area by the way? I've been told Sandycove and Skerries are good.

John G

Hello. Any advice on buying a speargun?

I am experienced snorkeler but want to do some spear fishing while on my hols. in West Clare. An looking for an entry level gun. What is the difference between the brands, length of guns, best place to buy etc.?

Any advice appreciated.

tedshredsonfire

hi John, depends on what your after, if its mainly pollock etc then something between 75 and 90cm should be fine. Single banded with 16 or 18mm rubbers most euro guns come with 16 I think. The longer the gun the longer the range but with irish vis its kinda pointless a lot of the time, plus if you are after bass or mulllet you need a gun that you can track ( mover side to side) easily and quickly as these are skittish fish so a long gun will not be as manouvarable. Rules closed bass season for spawning from 15thmay to 15th june I think min catch size of a bass is 40cm from tip to tail and max catch 2 in any 24 hours. No spearing of salmon and no spearing in freshwater. Those are the rules, the practised guidelines are catch for the pot, so only take the amount of fish you are going to eat. Fish appear bigger under water than they actually are.
Spearos practice release and catch so you can be selective. If done correctly its the most ecological way of fishing imho use a float/buoy to be seen and a stringer. See www.freediveireland.com to stay safe as well. Drop me a pm if you have any questions

John G

Thanks for the pointers. Just bought this http://www.spearfishingstore.co.uk/nemrod-classic-speargun-p-1354.html looking forward to trying it out in West Clare

dyer

sry for the bump, but ive been wondering about this for a while, im a keen snorkeler and would love to get my hands on a speargun to fish with, is there really nowhere in ireland to buy a gun? i know a few mates who brought some back from their travels, but i've never actually seen any being sold anywhere here.. so it begs the question, are they against the law.. or why is it so hard to get them here? if i have to order abroad, are there any legal restrictions involved?

would love to know, cheers

gavkm27

Puemactic spearguns require an arms lisence,banded guns which the majority of people use are legal.
Plenty of online stores in UK selling guns,also google search 'Deep Blue Forum' which has a Uk & Ireland section with lots of keen Irish sea hunters exploring the coast:D

John_P_S

I use scubastore they are a spanish based company, anything I've bought from them usually arrives within 3 days and is the cheapest I found, which is great.
Here's a link: http://www.scubastore.com/scuba-diving/Spear%20guns/6/f

Also apnea.co.uk is another great sight haven't personally bought anything from them but a friend has and he recommends them.
http://apnea.co.uk/

Another place is Freedive Ireland, based in Mullaghmore in Sligo. Feargus is the guy who runs it, he sells Immersion brand equipment, I think. He does freediving courses, I'd recommend doing one they are a brilliant help. He has an online shop on his webpage.
http://freediveireland.com/


What gavkm27 said is right, a banded Speargun is Legal and why most people use them. You need an arms license for the pneumatic gun. Too much hassle to get a license in my opinion. You need a gun cabinet which needs to be mounted properly, your door locks have to comply with regulations, in some cases your house needs to be alarmed and monitored, having a mobile alert system to your phone, correct doors etc. Way too much hassle and money!

dyer

thanks for the help lads! was a bit late getting round to checking this post again.

eire12

Has the law not changed that if its over a joule you need a license?

tedshredsonfire

No we have been on a few times to the firearms division in the Phoenix park. I have the number if you want. The guy there said no and not to apply for a license unless pneumatic. Asked could we have it in writing and again got a no but were told to keep the number in the phone and if we were ever challenged by a guard to cal the number. Thats Ireland for you sometimes this is good and sometimes it aint. Please make yourself aware of the angling laws that apply to you as well mainly 2 bass per 24hr periodm min catch size is 40cm, closed season on bass etc. As a small community we have a few extra rules but the main one is shoot only what you intend to eat. Shooting wrasse is like hunting cows with a shotgun. Take medium sized fish not the biggest so the big genes continue to breed, practice release and catch. If done properly it is the best eco friendly conservation minded way to fish.

tedshredsonfire

You might also like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_FEajveSY