DIY Aimrite Roller

    Hunted yesterday with my new 110 Aimrite roller and have to say I AM SOLD! It's nice to shoot a target in the pool while testing and rigging, etc. it's another to land fish with every shot, smooth release, no tangles, no muzzle lift or noticeable recoil, and increased range. Being a part-time Phoenix resident now makes it hard to jump in the ocean so off to Mex we went and I can say I am looking at converting every gun I have into a roller. So my next question is:
    Has anyone built or converted a hybrid into a roller? I want to convert my DIY 55" Hybrid Rear Handle Plus. It's been my bread and butter gun for reef and open water with three 5/8" bands. But it really has a "pop" to it when powered up and I want to get that same smooth but powerful shot I now have with my 110 roller without sacrificing range....so roller muzzle and set up makes sense. The only issue I'm thinking about is the width difference between the barrel and the wood stock. How would this affect the way the bands sit along side the carbon barrel.


    Any thoughts?


    Makoa


    The hybrid is the one pictured.

    You could always change the bands for the hybrid to 3 x 14mm's. 3 x 16mm's is too much for a light weight hybrid, even a full wood gun would still feel a lot of kick with that setup. I believe that Daryl Wong rigs his hybrids of that size with the 3 x 14mm setup. My buddy has a custom Wong gun with this setup.

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    My hybrid is equivalent to Daryl's "GR Plus. It has a larger diameter CF Barrel of 1.25 and is semi enclosed track, shoots a 7.5 mm shaft and is weighted/ballasted so it handles the thicker bands and heavier shaft. I do like 14mm bands but like the punching power of the 16mm. The great thing about the roller that is proving ideal on my Aimrite is that you can shoot powered up but without the muzzle lift or pop of a powered up standard set up and not sacrifice range or punching power! I can attest to this because of the comparison shooting I've been doing with standard and roller muzzles on targets...the penetration of equivalent equipment is exponentially greater with the roller muzzle AND the shot goes off much smoother. Youtube's got a couple vids showing this same test.

    HUI KOA KAI O HAMAKUA
    MAHALO KE AKUA
    E MALAMA I KE KAI

    Quote from makoa

    My hybrid is equivalent to Daryl's "GR Plus. It has a larger diameter CF Barrel of 1.25 and is semi enclosed track, shoots a 7.5 mm shaft and is weighted/ballasted so it handles the thicker bands and heavier shaft. I do like 14mm bands but like the punching power of the 16mm. The great thing about the roller that is proving ideal on my Aimrite is that you can shoot powered up but without the muzzle lift or pop of a powered up standard set up and not sacrifice range or punching power! I can attest to this because of the comparison shooting I've been doing with standard and roller muzzles on targets...the penetration of equivalent equipment is exponentially greater with the roller muzzle AND the shot goes off much smoother. Youtube's got a couple vids showing this same test.


    Hearing this from a diver of your experience has sold me on the next gun I buy being a roller!

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    With 14mm bands you could cut them short at 350% stretch. Shorter bands means they should guide the shaft down the barrel more while still being way smoother than 3 x 16mm. If your setup was superior you wouldn't be thinking of changing it. If you look at koah fatback it uses 3 x 16mm bands but fires an 8mm shaft with 40cm over hang and people still complain that with that setup it kicks like a mule. And I believe koahs are weighted and ballasted as well.


    Anyways, if the gun is a reef gun your running an overkill setup right now. 2 x 16mm should be all you need. Even 3 14mm is a lot for reef work. My buddies $1300 Custom Wong hybrid has 3 x 14mm and its a pain to shoot.. also weighted and ballasted

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    Quote from Chase

    With 14mm bands you could cut them short at 350% stretch. Shorter bands means they should guide the shaft down the barrel more while still being way smoother than 3 x 16mm. If your setup was superior you wouldn't be thinking of changing it. If you look at koah fatback it uses 3 x 16mm bands but fires an 8mm shaft with 40cm over hang and people still complain that with that setup it kicks like a mule. And I believe koahs are weighted and ballasted as well.


    Anyways, if the gun is a reef gun your running an overkill setup right now. 2 x 16mm should be all you need. Even 3 14mm is a lot for reef work. My buddies $1300 Custom Wong hybrid has 3 x 14mm and its a pain to shoot.. also weighted and ballasted


    Sorry to disagree, but my smaller guns like my Koah reef euro and even my biggest reef gun the fatback are balanced and accurate as all hell with 16mm bands, its how you set up your gun Chase, some guns are just shit but a refined ballasted gun can be tuned to be a instrument of death. Your friends who complain of the fatback kicking need to check their loading sequence. Also have them fire a Riffe before complaining about kick [emoji6]

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    You can't honestly say 3 x 16mm bands is nice to shoot. And that's still too much power. What can your fatback kill on the reef that your koah euro with 2 x 16mm can't. 2 x 14mm can handle most anything on the reef.. 2 x 16 is perfect imo. To each his own though, I hope I see Moby on the reef one day :laughing:

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    Quote from Chase

    I respect your opinion and I hope you know that, but I doubt Daryl Wong makes shit guns George.


    I probably don't deserve your respect but thanks for it. Never shot a Wong hybrid so can't say one way or the other, I have shot a few riffes, and they are the best selling guns worldwide, and responsible for more records I am sure than any other gun. My opinion of them is they are mediocre at best... I don't believe in hype, I believe in what I experience [emoji6]

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    Quote from Chase

    You can't honestly say 3 x 16mm bands is nice to shoot. And that's still too much power. What can your fatback kill on the reef that your koah euro with 2 x 16mm can't. 2 x 14mm can handle most anything on the reef.. 2 x 16 is perfect imo. To each his own though, I hope I see Moby on the reef one day :laughing:


    I can say three are nice to shoot, properly ballasted refined gun makes a difference. Had my two band gun fail on big reef fish many times, it's my favorite gun on the reef for many reasons, but if there is even the chance of a beast fish I take my three banded 54 rear plus, that is no hog fish gun...lol and it has taken down everything it has been shot at, even at long range.

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    So what about makoa's over powered gun? Like you said, properly ballasted and refined. If his had these traits he wouldn't be trying to switch it up. I think for his gun which is CF and a little wood with a part of an enclosed track that 3 x 16mm is way to much. Your fatback is way beefier than his little hybrid. Apple's to oranges..

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    Quote from Chase

    So what about makoa's over powered gun? Like you said, properly ballasted and refined. If his had these traits he wouldn't be trying to switch it up. I think for his gun which is CF and a little wood with a part of an enclosed track that 3 x 16mm is way to much. Your fatback is way beefier than his little hybrid. Apple's to oranges..


    I can't speak for Makoas gun or guns, l can say he has wayyyyy more experience as a diver, and more experience shooting different guns in different conditions than I probably ever will. So I listen to what he says about his equipment.

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    Nobody is the "all knowing" George. Someone with no experience with a lot of common sense might learn you something every now and then... I don't have the track record you guys do nor the pool to test shoot. But I do dive 3-4 Times a week when most on this website dive once a month if they're lucky. And my first year of diving probably equals most 4 year once a month divers...


    It can only be.common sense from anyone even without dive experience that makoa has over power his hybrid gun, which is mostly a CF barrel with a wood butt and 1/3 an enclosed track by equipping 3 x 16mm bands.... That's a lot for even a ballasted and refined gun like your koah. Why do you think Daryl Wong uses 14mm bands on his hybrids instead of 16's..... he must not know shit though I guess.. shame on Daryl(joking Daryl Wong).....:thumbsup2:

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    One band for small fish, under ledges, two for most med size, and three for blue water, ulua, and other Pelagics. All my wood guns and hybrid are ballasted and have the mass to handle 7.5 & 8.0 mm shafts and three 16 mm bands. All the guns hit their mark...no, I HIT THE MARK, with these guns. There are as many ways to rig a gun as there are shooters. Each has their opinion. Each has mastered their set up or they change it. I love the pioneers for their ability to land fish with primitive gear. South Pac island cultures, Cuba, and other cultures are still doing it. It's the shooter that makes the gun. I didn't come from the small shafted-gentle-single-banded-small-fish-shooting euro school of hunting. We did that stuff with three prongs and slings. I enjoy shooting powered up teak wood guns and the beefier multi banded euros that have evolved for taking big fish. I have learned to tailor how I shoot with what I'm shooting. So in the end my opinion may not be valid for someone else. I love Uncle Daryl's guns and his experience and respect the guys that are assassins with them. I don't have one of his guns because I think every waterman should build his own at some point in his quest. Any way, I have been curious about the roller concept, so I tried it. And I love what it did. Smooth release with the punching power of my beloved 16 mm bands while keeping the range of a longer barreled gun. Oh yeah, did I mention no tangles in the bands so far. Oh yeah, and only one band to load. It's still too early to have it all figured out but it's all moving in the right direction.

    But in the end, roller or no roller, 16 mm vs 14 mm, production Riffe or custom Wong, ITS THE SHOOTER, NOT THE GUN that gets the fish. My10 year old can prove THAT point!


    Mad respect for guys like Sonny Tanabe and the true watermen of our way of life!

    HUI KOA KAI O HAMAKUA
    MAHALO KE AKUA
    E MALAMA I KE KAI

    One 18 mm band under tension from muzzle end to load tab on shaft. I'm not a physicist or even technically minded so I can't give you the equivalent coefficient this and that...but I can tell you what I enjoy shooting. I rarely swim with all three bands loaded. I know what I'm hunting so I load for that. With a single band roller I have the smooth release of a less powered up gun (one band loaded) but with the power and penetration of standard 2-3 bands. But the biggest benefit is in the fact that a shorter barreled gun, easier to maneuver, can now take a bigger fish in open water. When hunting caves and reef having a longer gun is a pain in the neck. The roller allows the convenience of the smaller gun without sacrificing to a large extent the power and range of a longer gun. I don't know if it matches or exceeds my current set up of my conventional hybrid, but the goal is to reduce the length of the barrel and still have the range and penetration of the longer gun at the power setting most used. And it does that exactly.


    I'm not here to prove one way over another. I'm enjoying the new versatility of the roller concept. It has proven to be a new tool in my tool box that I REALLY enjoy using. I also enjoy my conventional set ups, and my Lance Ohara 8' three prong. I apologize if this threatens spearos that want to believe a conventional set up is as good as it gets. I'm not trying to preach the gospel of roller muzzles either. In the end, go shoot fish. That's what we all like to do. Shoot em with 14 mm bands, 16 mm bands, 1000000000 mm bands. Do it with a euro, a woody, or a hybrid. Slings or three prongs. We spend way too much time talking about shooting fish and not enough time doing it. IN fact I'm going to poke fish right now. So you all battle on about the physics. The only effort I'm going to put out is how am I going to prepare my catch today?


    ALOHA!


    Makoa

    Quote from Chase

    You can't honestly say 3 x 16mm bands is nice to shoot. And that's still too much power. What can your fatback kill on the reef that your koah euro with 2 x 16mm can't. 2 x 14mm can handle most anything on the reef.. 2 x 16 is perfect imo. To each his own though, I hope I see Moby on the reef one day :laughing:


    Come on dude don't get ahead of yourself. Shooting a 100lb ulua or a 11 foot shot on a large uku in 75+ fsw is nothing like shooting barely legal mangroves in 30feet of water off Fort Lauderdale beach.

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    When would you need 2 bands for barely legal grovers bud? I think you are getting ahead of yourself. I've seen videos of guys shooting marlin with single banded rail guns... What reef fish requires 3 x 16mm bands that you can legally shoot? You sound ridiculous coming out of left field like this....

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

    Quote from Chase

    When would you need 2 bands for barely legal grovers bud? I think you are getting ahead of yourself. I've seen videos of guys shooting marlin with single banded rail guns... What reef fish requires 3 x 16mm bands that you can legally shoot? You sound ridiculous coming out of left field like this....


    Long shots on tough fish.


    Your concept of "on the reef" doesn't exist. Unless your referring to the shallow stuff off southflorida as "the reef". Hence the barely legal mangroves

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

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