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What is the recommended use of a bangstick? What type of 12 gauge shot shell should one use and when using a bangstick is it still tournament legal? Thanks for your help.

 

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Thanks for the quick and helpful response Paulie.I have A couple of more questions. Where do you place the shot? Behind the eyes into the brain? or can you place the shot in the vital area of the torso? and would you recommend using the bangstick on other fish than sharks such as Giant tuna or any other powerful fish of size?

 

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Thanks for all the feedback. I just received the bangstick I ordered 2 days ago. I'm amazed at it's simplicity. It's like Paulie says : It's a gaff handle about 5'long with a springy brass barrel at the end,and a stainless steel pin that activates the 12 guage shell. This raises more questions on my part. I own several 12 Guage shotguns which I use for hunting and target shooting at my cabin. They have alot of kickback once the shot is fired.I can visualize the bangstick doing the same,is this true? Another question that enters my mind is when I pull the trigger on my gun the firing pin has a rapid strike against the shotgun shell to activate it. Do I have to make a rapid strike manually with the bangstick? And I was always taught to keep my ammo dry. The bangstick is actually submerging the shotgun shell, does this result in mis-fires? or do I have to get the sharks head out of the water?

 

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Paulie, Thank you again for your quick responses and sharing your experience and knowledge with me and everyone here on the forum. I would just like to add that I can see this bangstick as being a safe and highly accurate piece of equipment, far better than a pistol or shotgun that other shark fisherman use. My experiences on the offshore grounds are still rather youthful since I started a couple of years ago, but I did get my first dinner table Mako last year and was surprised at how long a shark can stay alive. I can see the bangstick as being a safe,quick and humane way of dispatching ones catch. Hopefully I will be fortunate enough this season to try it out.

 

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Blue eyes, I actually came across it by chance. I was on E-bay and looked at a harpoon for sale (which I have 2 of) just to see how much they go for. I saw the picture with the harpoon and there was a bangstick laying next to it. I E-mailed the guy selling that harpoon and asked him if the bangstick was for sale. He told me it was but it was against E-bay policy to sell it,so we made a private deal. I paid $125 + $15 shipping. Ironically,I got the new Freeport Marine catalog this morning and they sell them for $169.00. Hope this helps- I'm glad I got one now.