Neptonics

Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt
Filter by Search Items
Yes
MENUMENU
  • Search
    Generic filters
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Search in excerpt
    Filter by Product Categories
    Spearfishing Accessories
    Spearfishing Apparel
    Dive Watches
    Spearfishing Essentials
    Spearfishing Floats, Floatlines & Reels
    Lobster Diving Gear | High-Quality Lobster Diving Equipment
    Spearfishing Slip Tips, Shafts, Lines, Wishbones & Bands
    Spearfishing Rubber & Powerbands
    Speargun Parts
    Spearguns and Polespears
    Spearfishing Weight Belts, Dive Lights & Knives
  • MY CART
    No products in cart.
MENUMENU
  • PRODUCTS
    • Spearguns & Polespears
      • Wooden Spearguns
      • Euro Spearguns
      • Roller Spearguns
      • Polespears & Slings
    • Wetsuits
      • Wetsuit Glue & Cleaner
      • Riffe Wetsuits
      • Neptonics Wetsuits
      • Waihana
      • Salvimar Wetsuits
    • Essential Gear
      • Dive Watches
      • Freediving Fins
      • Spearfishing Masks
      • Snorkels
      • Dive Knives
      • Gloves
      • Booties
      • Power Heads
      • Bubba Blade Products
      • Flashlights
      • Anti-Fog Gel
      • Spearshaft Protector
    • Accessories
      • Flashlights
      • GoPro Accessories
      • Bags & Travel Cases
      • Certified Scales
      • Shark Shield
      • Flashers
    • Rigging, Rubber, Shafts
      • Mori Shaft
      • Rob Allen Shafts
      • Neptonics Shafts
      • Custom Shafts
      • Speargun Rubbers
      • Slip-Tips
      • Euro Shafts
      • American Shafts
      • Shooting Line
      • Crimping Kits
      • Muzzle Bungees
      • Tuna Clips, Swivels, Tackle
    • Apparel
      • T-Shirts
      • Hats
      • Spearfishing Stickers
    • Floats, Floatlines, Reels
      • Floatlines
      • Tuna Bungees
      • Floats
      • Reels & Accessories
    • Weight Belts
      • Weight Belts
      • Lead Weights
      • Weight Belt Accessories
      • Carter Floats
    • Speargun Builder
      • Speargun Triggers
      • Speargun Handles
      • Enclosed Speargun Tracks
      • Roller Gun Parts
      • Speargun Components
      • Speargun Building Tools
    • Lobster Gear
      • Lobster Gauges
      • Lobster Bags
      • Pry Bar
      • Lobster Snare
  • ACADEMY
  • ABOUT
    • LOCATIONS
    • CONTACT
  • ACCOUNT

Rail VS Wood Spearguns – How to Choose the Best for You

by neptonics / Saturday, 03 April 2021 / Published in Product Reviews, Spearfishing 101
Wood Vs Raill 600

Rail VS Wood Spearguns

There are hundreds of different spearguns on the market, and each has its own quality that makes it different than the others.  That being said, there are two very broad categories of speargun styles.  There is the Rail speargun, also known as the pipe gun, or Euro style speargun.  The other is the wood speargun, or more generally, the American style speargun.  Both have their benefits and their detractions.

Rail/Euro Style Spearguns

Rail spearguns are simple.  Their design is generally an aluminum or carbon fiber tube, with an open track to guide the shaft.  The tube is sealed off with plugs and the ends have the handle and trigger mechanism on one end and the muzzle, which holds the bands, on the other.  Rail spearguns are streamlined in the water, which allows for quick tracking of fish and makes them easier to dive with.  The other major benefit is they tend to be less expensive than their wooden counterparts.

Rail guns do have some challenges. Because they are so light weight they become inaccurate with too many bands on them.  Two bands are pretty much the limit for most rail spearguns.  Any more power than that and the muzzle will jump and cause inaccuracy.  Another drawback to rail guns is that there are only a few modifications that can be done to them.  Muzzles can be changed, ballast can be added externally, and reels can be added to some spearguns.  Other than that they tend to be factory stock spearguns.

Wooden/American Style Spearguns

Wooden spearguns tend to be bulkier and shoot larger diameter shafts. Wood guns vary dramatically in design and style from size and track style.  Some wood spearguns are small and simple with an open track and one or two bands, others can look like a rounded-off 4X4with six bands or more and an enclosed track. The variations in styles is one of the qualities people love about wood spearguns.  Another benefit is the ability to modify the speargun.  Because it doesn’t rely on a plugged tube for its buoyancy it is able to be adjusted and screwed into if the owner wants to.

The down side to wood spearguns is that they tend to be more expensive.  A large number of them tend to be hand crafted by individual speargun builders, so every gun is a little different.  Another big risk is that they are made out of wood, and while wood spearguns are treated to prevent water intrusion, it can still happen.  When water comes in contact with wood the wood runs the risk of warping or rotting.  It’s not a guarantee it will happen, but proper care and maintenance certainly help prevent this from happening.  

The best thing to do is to try out a couple different options and determine what works best for you. Over time, as you get further in the sport you will inevitably end up with a few and you will use them in many different applications.

  • Tweet
Tagged under: blog, neptonics

About neptonics

What you can read next

Speargun
The Ultimate Guide to Selecting Your Perfect Speargun
Guns
How to Pick the Right Speargun Length For You
A5 Flyer
Properly Loading Your Speargun – Factors Involved

Recent Posts

  • Speargun

    The Ultimate Guide to Selecting Your Perfect Speargun

    Spearfishing has been a popular activity for mu...
  • Guns

    How to Pick the Right Speargun Length For You

    How to Pick the Right Speargun Length For You T...
  • A5 Flyer

    Properly Loading Your Speargun – Factors Involved

    Properly Loading Your Speargun – Band Siz...
  • Olympus Digital Camera

    The Secret to Landing Big Fish Spearfishing!

    The Secret to Landing Big Fish Spearfishing! Wh...
  • Mentor

    Mentoring Mentoring New Freedivers – Why Its Important to Bring New People Into The Sport

    Mentoring New Freedivers – Why Its Import...

Categories

  • Gear Maintenance
  • Gunbuilder Tips
  • Neptonics Videos
  • Product Reviews
  • Spearfishing 101
  • Spearfishing Techniques
  • Travel
Shipping
Return Policy
Privacy Statement

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Unlock $10 Off

  • GET SOCIAL
Neptonics

© 2022 All rights reserved. Spearfishing Solutions, LLC

Neptonics

  • PRODUCTS
    • Spearguns & Polespears
      • Wooden Spearguns
      • Euro Spearguns
      • Roller Spearguns
      • Polespears & Slings
    • Wetsuits
      • Wetsuit Glue & Cleaner
      • Riffe Wetsuits
      • Neptonics Wetsuits
      • Waihana
      • Salvimar Wetsuits
    • Essential Gear
      • Dive Watches
      • Freediving Fins
      • Spearfishing Masks
      • Snorkels
      • Dive Knives
      • Gloves
      • Booties
      • Power Heads
      • Bubba Blade Products
      • Flashlights
      • Anti-Fog Gel
      • Spearshaft Protector
    • Accessories
      • Flashlights
      • GoPro Accessories
      • Bags & Travel Cases
      • Certified Scales
      • Shark Shield
      • Flashers
    • Rigging, Rubber, Shafts
      • Mori Shaft
      • Rob Allen Shafts
      • Neptonics Shafts
      • Custom Shafts
      • Speargun Rubbers
      • Slip-Tips
      • Euro Shafts
      • American Shafts
      • Shooting Line
      • Crimping Kits
      • Muzzle Bungees
      • Tuna Clips, Swivels, Tackle
    • Apparel
      • T-Shirts
      • Hats
      • Spearfishing Stickers
    • Floats, Floatlines, Reels
      • Floatlines
      • Tuna Bungees
      • Floats
      • Reels & Accessories
    • Weight Belts
      • Weight Belts
      • Lead Weights
      • Weight Belt Accessories
      • Carter Floats
    • Speargun Builder
      • Speargun Triggers
      • Speargun Handles
      • Enclosed Speargun Tracks
      • Roller Gun Parts
      • Speargun Components
      • Speargun Building Tools
    • Lobster Gear
      • Lobster Gauges
      • Lobster Bags
      • Pry Bar
      • Lobster Snare
  • ACADEMY
  • ABOUT
    • LOCATIONS
    • CONTACT
  • ACCOUNT
There are no products
Search
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt
Filter by Product Categories
Spearfishing Accessories
Spearfishing Apparel
Dive Watches
Spearfishing Essentials
Spearfishing Floats, Floatlines & Reels
Lobster Diving Gear | High-Quality Lobster Diving Equipment
Spearfishing Slip Tips, Shafts, Lines, Wishbones & Bands
Spearfishing Rubber & Powerbands
Speargun Parts
Spearguns and Polespears
Spearfishing Weight Belts, Dive Lights & Knives