Wholly shit this was so easy for those with a drill press. So, anyhow. Wicked and I were talking about converting a shaft to a big single flopper without having to use screw on floppers. My main concern was how hard the shafts were cooked to. I knew they were not cooked to 60Rc cause that is knife blades and these flex real easy and are not brittle. So, I ordered a 28" JBL shaft online (my gun currently takes a 24" with the screw on flopper), and got to it. I filed a flat in the shaft so the drill bit didnt walk about 3 3/4" from the speartip. then mounted it in my drill press vise loaded with a 1/8 plain jane bit. I dont even know if 1/8 was big or small for the flopper, was really interested to see if the stuff would drill. Well, that bit cut the shaft like butter with liberal amounts of rapid tap. That stuff is the poop when it comes to drilling or tapping metal! Cleaned up the burrs on the belt grinder, took all of 10 seconds to include shaping the speartip from the threaded end. On to the pics.

Mounted to the drill press
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/startdrill.jpg

close up
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/startdrillCU.jpg

almost done drilling
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/holeandshavings.jpg

Rapid tap for those that dont know what that is
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/rapidtaprocks.jpg

cleaned up burrs
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/cleanedup.jpg

finished, needs a flopper. So yea the hole is not perfectly horizontal, but it will work. Next time it will be.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/gixxer01/needflopperdone.jpg

Why did I do it? Just to see what would happen, nothing more. Hopefully this rocks. Big gun features in a small package... YEA RIGHT!!!

You may also want to try drilling a hole towards the rear of the shaft to attach your shooting line to, rather than using a slide ring. How think are those bands on your jbl? I couldnt get 5/8" bands into the muzzle on mine.

9/16" bands. You are right, it is pretty tight for those 9/16 let alone 5/8"

He cant attach a line to the rear of the shaft with his gun, the way its designed it has to use a sling ring or a freeshaft only.

This is how I modded my JBL..

.............................http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s170/da4095/1436a.jpg

PS I've been drilling those holes for years with a hand drill :D

PSS Thanks for the tip on the Rapid Tap.

Don't take any shots close to rocks. That little flat area will be where the shaft breaks as it hits a rock. You can't attach the line to the shaft without a slide ring on a closed muzzle.

Don't take any shots close to rocks. That little flat area will be where the shaft breaks as it hits a rock.Wow! I didn't know they could shoot that hard.

Wow! I didn't know they could shoot that hard.


I think it's great that he is setting up his gun for better performance. Everyone has to start with something and you might as well make the most of it!!! It's not the gun,, it's the shooter. Teh Wicked and Gixxer have been hitting it hard and getting better every time they get out.

Nice work guys:toast:

It's not the gun,, it's the shooter.I think I can apply that to any gun except a JBL. Save your money and get a used riffe C3X, change the handle. The Riffe will take you 5 years before you'll move on to something custom. But hey, messing around in the shop is fun! :D

I know guys that have killed a lot of quality fish with a JBL.

You win! JBL, great gun, great price!

I wasn't competing, just giving my 2 cents.:toast:

:toast: :absolut:

I think I can apply that to any gun except a JBL. Save your money and get a used riffe C3X, change the handle. The Riffe will take you 5 years before you'll move on to something custom. But hey, messing around in the shop is fun! :D

I am saving up for a better gun, I want one REAL BAD!!! Believe me, I get reminded how much my gun blows every time I poke a hole in the side of a fish and have to chase him down and get him off the bottom cause I did not get a pass through. that photo of the gun in the trash is pretty funny! My wife was like WTF is that? I told her that everybody thinks both of our guns completely blow!! Yes, we have his and hers matching JBL's. she keeps complaining cause she feels left out, I told her to join the forum and start talking to people.

I know guys that have killed a lot of quality fish with a JBL.I killed a quality 16" sheepie and a 13" mango at the skyway last weekend, hehe.

:toast: :absolut:

That photo is gonna make my gun better how??

At least it picked the thread up a little...

Wow! I didn't know they could shoot that hard.

I grew up using a NW Special I modded with 3x20mm euro bands. broke more then a few shafts :slap:

gun kicked like my .44mag redhawk :D slayed 100's of fish over the years, few years back gave it to a new spearo, hopefully she is getting some use from it :D

just remember, after a nuclear war, cockroaches, coyotes, and JBL's will rule the world :D

I after seeing that NW Special they came out with recently with the monster 9mm shaft, I was thinking it might be time to get another one to play with.... then i remembered how big, heavy, inaccurate, clunky and ugly they were..... and decided not to :D

Three 20mm bands... Gixxer, I have some 20mm bulk rubber I'll be posting in members items.

Holy crap, 3 20mm bands on that gun would be like shooting a Tomahawk cruise missle at a field mouse....

Why put the flopper so far back? The shaft has to penetrate 4" before it toggles?

Why put the flopper so far back? The shaft has to penetrate 4" before it toggles?

That hole isnt gonna be for the barbs, He is gonna put the barbs just a bit closer to the tip. That hole is gonna be for a piece of surgical tubing to allow the barbs to spring out.

Why put the flopper so far back? The shaft has to penetrate 4" before it toggles?

Slight miscalculation on my part. I was more worried about the length of spearpoint being long enough so the fish cannot torque the spear over and have the point and barb pull back through. I know I have not had the chance to shoot anything bigger than 10lb, and I did no research on production shafts. I was just doing some shade tree engineering for fun.

That hole isnt gonna be for the barbs, He is gonna put the barbs just a bit closer to the tip. That hole is gonna be for a piece of surgical tubing to allow the barbs to spring out.

Alas, another hole will be drilled for the flopper above the present hole, and I have to go to the hobby shop to get some small glow fuel tubing.

You'll want to use a 3/32" drill bit for the flopper hole.
Also you can drill 17-4 H900 (the hardest) shafts with a simple HSS drill bit. Don't forget to chamfer the flopper hole.

Slight miscalculation on my part. I was more worried about the length of spearpoint being long enough so the fish cannot torque the spear over and have the point and barb pull back through. I know I have not had the chance to shoot anything bigger than 10lb, and I did no research on production shafts. I was just doing some shade tree engineering for fun.



Alas, another hole will be drilled for the flopper above the present hole, and I have to go to the hobby shop to get some small glow fuel tubing.

DON'T drill another hole. It will work fine the way it is. 2 holes in one shaft = weak.

At this point the easiest way to go is to shorten the shaft 1".

This is how I modded my JBL..

.............................http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s170/da4095/1436a.jpg

PS I've been drilling those holes for years with a hand drill :D

PSS Thanks for the tip on the Rapid Tap.


That is funny as hell, I don't care who you are. :lol:

Great work on the pic, but I wouldn't hate too much on those ole JBL's. I know some guys that have killled a lot more fish than you'd ever dream of with one of those things.

There are plenty of people that have killed way more fish than most of us ever will with a JBL. Especially the stainless steel shower pole model:D

That being said, when an indian wants to become more selective and be ready for that trophy when she comes along, it is nice to be prepared with a little bit of a nicer arrow....

Tim has taken alot of critters with that little gun...

Although now it sits in the garage as a memory of the past since the Deathtwig has became his primary gun.

my Jibbel is the poop. Deadly within 8 feet. I think I am gonna mod it for a 5/8 band. it dont fit yet, but I can make it fit.:FIREdevil::BoomSmilie_anim:

You should have just picked up some spears from Ray Odor. Would have saved much time and you would have had a good spear finished for less. He sells the hybrid-slide stop, slide ring, and flopper. Also free shafts. He also sells the screw on types, but why use them around here?

I had contacted him a while ago, but he has no JBL shafts short enough for my gun. He said he would have to mod a pneumatic shaft. The cost of the shaft that I purchased was not at all that expensive. A hair over $30 I believe.

You should have just picked up some spears from Ray Odor. Would have saved much time and you would have had a good spear finished for less. He sells the hybrid-slide stop, slide ring, and flopper. Also free shafts. He also sells the screw on types, but why use them around here?

I concur, but driving down the road and picking up a spear from Ray is not as fun as making four trips to Lowe's, and one to the emergency room with hardened steel drill bit shavings in your thumb

:smthumbup:

Keep it going Gixx

Because of my knifemaking adventures, my wife is a pro at removing shrapnel from fingers and toes. Mostly toes cause I am a dumbass and grind blades in basketball shorts and shower shoes. I figure when I am profiling and drilling blanks she has to help me about three times a week. Oh, this also includes removing metal from my eyes cause my goggles suck the big ween. I do not get a good seal around the eyes while wearing the particulate mask. Next on my agenda is a full face 6000 series 3M mask. I am using the half face 6000 right now.