95cm Roller gun build

  • Hi Spearfishing World Members,

    I am embarking upon my first roller gun build and would like to share my progress as the project progresses.


    After much research I decided upon building the gun to 95cm, which should be a great all-around gun for my purposes. It will use 2-stage loading to make it easier to load the band onto the tab. I will employ Chris Coates' data as much as possible for this build (14mm band, not 16mm and a 52" 9/32" shaft) as he has done all the research and I don't want to invent any new mistakes!


    I will be using mostly Neptonics components, including the AR15 handle (which is removable from the base to facilitate travel, or just to change out grips) and Reef mechanism. For the roller I am going with the Meandros single roller system. I like the system because it can be upgraded to steel or ceramic roller bearings and is well built.


    The stock is a 4-way teak laminate made from repurposed boards using the West System epoxy to hold it all together. I ripped it to a basic size and the wood has now aged for a couple of months, now ready for final planning to the finished dimensions of 1 3/8" wide by 1 3/4" deep.


    In the pics I am also showing my router bit set. For this build I will be mostly using the 1/2" plunge bit for the handle and mechanism, the 1/4" plunge bit for the line release and the 3/8" round box bit for the open channel.


    Once my buddy gets back from the Phillipines I will visit his shop to get the wood down to the proper dimensions and proceed with the build.


    Stay tuned....!


  • It just takes patience and GOOD TOOLS!

  • Hi Peripatetic,

    Even the cheap plastic grip is nice, but the rubberized grips feel phenomenal! This is my first build with these grips, but being able to break it down like that makes transporting a gun so much easier. My next entry to the story will be showing how to take a mock up piece of soft wood to set up the router so all mistakes (and router set-up) can be made ahead of time on a test piece. When I worked on it last night I assumed the width of the handle base and mechanism was 1/2", turns out it is 5/8" and I don't have a straight bit that size, so off to Home Depot to pick one up!

  • Hi Spearfishing World,

    Here is an update of my 95cm roller gun build.

    Today I cut up a piece of soft pine to the same dimensions (width and height, not length) as the actual gun stock. After laying everything out I used a 5/8" straight router bit to carve out the mounting positions for the handle base and Reef trigger mechanism housing. I then came back with a 5/16" straight bit to cut the channel for the trigger itself. After drilling and pinning both I made several passed with a 3/8" round box bit to cut the shaft channel to the proper depth. Satisfied, I can now embark on transferring these details to the real stock once I plane it down to size. My next update will cover that. Stay tuned.....




  • Hi Spearfishing World,

    I hope I'm not boring all of you with my gun builds! I build and race motorcycles and have always been 60% about the bike and 40% about the race. Guess I'm that way about spearfishing too!


    So the roller journey continues. If you look at the pic with the pine mock up on top of the stock you may notice that the wood is very thin at the muzzle, almost infringing on the 3/8" shaft channel. I found this unacceptable so decided to switch gears. You may also notice that the stock, with its beautiful grain is now planed down to the final dimensions of 1 3/8" wide and 1 3/4" tall. The length may change with the build. I am thinking more of 100 cm instead of 95 cm, but we'll see....


    I will now widen the muzzle area, but in order to do so I must go from the polished axles and plain bearing rollers to threaded axles and real stainless steel bearings for the rollers. This way I can make the muzzle area as wide as I like. Which I will do!

    I am now in full build mode!


  • So made significant progress on the roller gun today. Three major cuts: Handle base, mechanism and trigger channels. Next will be to drill and pin the mechanism mounts then cut the shaft channel. After that, cut in the line release window and drill/pin the base (temporary pin only). Then on to the muzzle, which will be the biggest challenge (I think).


  • Finished up the roller gun today, less rigging, which I will work on tomorrow. Weather is crap and the ocean is chocolate milk so what better way to spend the day?

    The gun came out perfect! Length is 103cm with 82cm back under the gun. I installed 3 tabs on the back side for load assist and reef fish shooting. It will be a reel-only setup and should be ideal for a variety of conditions. Enjoy the pics!



  • Thanks Dan!

    Here is a pic of the gun rigged less the band.


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