What are the advantage of a hybrid over a wood gun?

the biggest advantage is that the hybrid is easier to maneuver, when it's well ballasted and balanced there is no better gun for most situations, it can shoot a 5/16'' shaft with 3 5/8'' bands with great efficiency but it's not a bluewater gun. yes, i know really big fish have been taken with them but a wood gun has the advantage of weight and can handle thicker shafts and more bands.

the gun i'm building in this tread is intended for southern california to hunt mostly wsb and some yt. as you know, most of the hunting in this area is done in thick kelp and the whites can be pretty big so you need good power and the ability to move the gun fast because you tend to see the fish late and only for a brief instant, it's situations like these that the gun shines.

i think the best setup for these guns is 3 5/8'' bands and a 5/16'' shaft or 3 15mm bands (in-between 9/16'' and 5/8'') and a 9/32'' shaft both shot from an semi enclosed track. 3 9/16'' bands and a 9/32'' shaft on a lighter open track gun also work great. the hybrid is a light gun, it works best when set up as such.

i try to use the right gun for the right situation as best as i can. in areas where viz and/or movement is not limited or you are better off with other designs. for example, to hunt reef fish in the Mediterranean, hawaii and areas with good visibility a wood euro is best, in bluewater a big heavy wood gun is the better choice but for medium/large fish and the ability to shoot from the hip the hybrid is my go to gun. much like a golfer who uses all the clubs in his bag to shoot a round i think the right gun for the right situation is best. just my opinion.

I have a thought that's probably crap, but here goes.

I think that one advantage to a hybrid design is that it "potentially" allows more freedom of distribution for the gun's mass. I think that a gun will experience less muzzle jump if there is weight concentrated in the muzzle. It's the old principal of the ice skater spinning slowly with her arms extended, and spinning faster with her arms tucked close.

For a typical wood gun, both the buoyancy and the mass of the gun are uniformly distributed throughout the wood. If you try to add more weight up front, it gets muzzle heavy unless you add additional buoyancy. With a hybrid, it is possible to provide buoyancy using a lightweight air filled tube in the middle, and independently position ballast in the muzzle and / or butt. That is one of the main reasons that I am playing around with the hollow carbon fiber construction.

Taken from another thread from another board from another time:

Quote from seacrecher

In my experienced honest opinion, it really depends on the length of the gun, the size shaft intended for said gun, and how much power is on the gun.

If you are going with a mid-handled gun over 55" that is designed to shoot a 9/32 shaft or bigger with 3 9/16" bands or more, there is absolutely no advantage over a solid wood gun that is built or fabricated to similar dimensions. In fact, I feel that there is more of a disadvantage as the front-end of the gun is usually negative, making it difficult to carry the gun for extended periods of time. If the bands are not tuned tuned correctly, there will be issues with muzzle flip, unless a longer shaft is used, or unless enough wood to tubing ratio is used in the fabrication of the gun. I feel that a 1:1 ratio is right. That meaning, that the wood portion of the gun is of equal length to the carbon portion of the gun, and the gun is then ballasted and balanced correctly, with the shaft taken into consideration.

The difference is less noticeable on a mid-handle gun than it is on a rear-handles gun. But, it has been my experience that there is indeed, a noticeable differeance. Some may not agree, but that is my experience.

As for hybrids, I really like the concept for guns under 55", as long as they are mid-handle. Any length over that, calls for a different gun design. usually consisiting of a heavy, extremely well balanced gun, capable of handling extreme recoil by means of heavy ballasting.

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Quote from fuzz

I agree with what John has said, with a few additions.

Hybrids are often touted as the best of both worlds:

• more mass(less recoil) than a pipe gun
• smaller cross-section(more maneuverable) than a wooden speargun

The flip side - hybrids also have the negatives of both worlds:

• more muzzle flip(recoil) than a beefier wooden gun
• more mass(less maneuverability) than a pipe gun *

*decrease in maneuverability as purely a mass issue and not a debate between rear/mid handles.

As John stated, there are many advantages/disadvantages of styles and it's a personal preference issue; however, there are a few circumstances that maximize the advantages of the hybrid design. As he mentions, the proper ratio of wood to pipe helps the balance quite a bit. The hybrid also shines in shorter lengths like the 50" model.

Another key factor not discussed is shaft diameter. 9/32" is a good match with this style of speargun. When trying to throw a bigger shaft(i.e. 5/16"), the increased recoil just exacerbates the disadvantages. Even with the magnum models, the 9/32" shaft provides a much smoother and more accurate shot. Of course big fish can be and are frequently taken with bigger shafts, but to me, 9/32' seems to be a sweeter spot.

Everyone has their visions of what's ideal in a speargun. For hunting in the kelp for big fish, my personal priorities are good balance and the ballast to throw a heavy shaft. For others, maneuverability may be their top priority. Different strokes for different folks.

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Quote from Tin Man

I have a thought that's probably crap, but here goes.

I think that one advantage to a hybrid design is that it "potentially" allows more freedom of distribution for the gun's mass. I think that a gun will experience less muzzle jump if there is weight concentrated in the muzzle. It's the old pricipal of the ice skater spinning slowly with her arms extended, and spinning faster with her arms tucked close.

For a typical wood gun, both the buoyancy and the mass of the gun are uniformly distributed throughout the wood. If you try to add more weight up front, it gets muzzle heavy unless you add additional buoyancy. With a hybrid, it is possible to provide buoyancy using a lightweight air filled tube in the middle, and independently position ballast in the muzzle and / or butt. That is one of the main reasons that I am playing around with the hollow carbon fiber construction.

As John (seacrecher) also mentioned in that thread I quoted - what Chad (& you) come up with... really shouldn't be considered normal for a hybrid. Your mad scientist concoctions are far removed from commercially available hybrids.

i haven't weighed a 60'' hybrid that shots a 5/16'' shaft with 3 5/8'' bands but i would guess it's under 10#, probably around 8-9# at that weight recoil is very manageable. the key to any gun is balance and it's been my experience that a hybrid can be as well balanced as an all wood gun regardless of handle location. it's my preference that a gun sinks slow and level with the shaft and tip in and that's just the way i balance them.

Since I can't offer anything constructive I'm only going to throw this in here for someone who gets interested in a hybrid, tries it, and then wonders what's wrong with them because they don't like it. I like an all wood gun precisely because wood is such a naturally well balanced material. The mass and flotation combination is just right for a speargun and the weight is evenly distributed, often no additional ballast is necessary. I don't like guns that need ballast in the front, it may reduce recoil but makes the gun more difficult to swing. A wood gun does everything I want in the conditions I hunt, namely reef and some artificial structures. I tried a hybrid once, a Wong gun, and found it inconvenient to carry around, I couldn't find a good place to grip it where I could carry it balanced. I also believe hybrids must not be overpowered, even a little bit. Steve's words about the hybrid being more suitable for certain conditions such as hunting in kelp leave the possibility open in my mind, but only for those conditions (which I've never experienced yet).