Understanding speargun size vs shaft length is the detail that saves beginners from buying the wrong gun — or worse, getting to the airport with a bag that won't close. The short version: a speargun's advertised "size" is the barrel length, and the shaft that comes with it is always longer, usually by 35–40 cm. Get this clear before you buy and every other sizing decision becomes easy.
This is one of the most common surprises for first-time buyers, and it directly shapes which gun fits your travel plans. It pairs closely with picking a model in our guide to the best budget speargun under €100, and it's a key piece of the bigger picture in our travel spearfishing in the Mediterranean guide.
Why Gun Size and Shaft Length Differ
A speargun's size refers to the barrel — the rigid body from the handle to the muzzle. But the shaft (the actual spear) has to protrude well past the muzzle so it can be loaded under tension and so it reaches the fish. That overhang is typically 35–40 cm. So a "75 cm" gun carries a shaft of roughly 110–115 cm, and a "90 cm" gun carries one around 125–130 cm.
That single fact explains a lot of beginner confusion: the number on the box is not the length of the longest part you have to pack, store or travel with. The shaft is.
How to Read a Speargun's Specs
Most listings give you the barrel length (the headline number), the shaft diameter (6, 6.5 or 7 mm — thicker is stiffer and better for bigger fish), the band diameter (14 mm is standard for entry guns), and sometimes the total length. If total length is listed, that's your real travel dimension. If it isn't, estimate it as barrel + ~40 cm.
The numbers that actually matter for travel
For packing, you care about total length and whether the shaft detaches. For hunting, you care about barrel length (reach and manoeuvrability) and shaft diameter (stiffness for your target fish). Beginners over-focus on the headline size and ignore the total length — flip that priority when you're flying.
Matching Length to Water and Target Fish
Barrel length is a trade-off between reach and manoeuvrability. Short guns (55–75 cm) swing fast and shine in caves, holes and tight rock where fish are close. Longer guns (90–110 cm) reach further and shoot harder for open-water fish like bream and mullet, but they're clumsy in rock. For Mediterranean shore diving as a beginner, 75–90 cm covers the most situations.
Your target fish also sets shaft diameter: 6–6.5 mm is plenty for the small reef fish beginners take, while 7 mm is for bigger, tougher fish. Don't over-gun yourself — a thinner shaft flies flatter and is easier to load.
Travel Shafts and Break-Down Guns
If the shaft length is blowing your baggage limit, you have two fixes. The first is a travel shaft — a shorter or multi-piece spear you pack separately. The second is a break-down gun, where the barrel itself disassembles. Both let a longer gun fit in luggage that its full shaft never would. Many travelling spearos carry one gun and a couple of spare shafts, which also covers you if you bend one on rock.
If all of this feels like too much engineering for a holiday, remember the simplest option exists: a break-down pole spear sidesteps the whole shaft problem. We compare the approaches in pole spear versus speargun for beginners.
Baggage Limits vs Gun Length
Standard checked luggage tops out around 90–100 cm in its longest internal dimension for many cases, and airline oversize fees kick in beyond that. A 75 cm gun with a 115 cm shaft already exceeds a 90 cm bag — so either the shaft detaches, you use a dedicated tube case, or you size down. Plan the bag and the gun together, not separately.
Common Sizing Mistakes Beginners Make
The big ones: buying to the barrel number and ignoring shaft length; buying too long "to be safe" and then struggling in rock; over-speccing shaft diameter for small fish; and forgetting that the shaft sets the travel dimension. Avoid those four and you'll buy a gun that fits both your diving and your luggage. The rest of your kit is covered in our beginner gear kit list.
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