Speargun stock shapes — Mediterranean, teak, and iroko

A speargun stock looks like a simple piece of wood. It is not. Every angle, every milled groove, and every gram of weight on the front cap is a decision that shows up in the water — either as a clean tracking gun that goes where you point it, or one that drifts left under recoil and shoots high when the bands are at full stretch.

The Mediterranean profile is the shape most divers ask for by name. It is narrow, flat-topped, and the muzzle sits low — close to the line of the barrel rather than stacked on top. That low muzzle moves the recoil axis closer to the line of sight, which translates to less muzzle climb and a steadier follow-through. Mediterranean stocks are the right call for blue water and reef hunting where most shots are at range and you need the shaft to track straight.

Teak is the wood every catalogue puts on the cover and every shop charges extra for. The reality is that teak is heavier than iroko by a noticeable margin, and that weight is in the wrong place — the front. A teak stock without a counterweight in the handle area shoots heavy, meaning the muzzle drops in the second the trigger releases and the shaft kisses the bottom of its track. Teak is gorgeous and rot-proof, but for performance we recommend iroko nearly every time. Iroko is dimensionally stable, takes oil beautifully, and weighs about 15% less than teak at the same volume.

Weighting is the lever most divers ignore. A small lead insert at the rear of the handle — 30 to 60 grams depending on length — moves the balance point back to where your hand grips, which makes the gun feel lighter even though it now weighs more total. We rough this in on a sea trial, then mill a permanent pocket once the diver tells us where the gun wants to sit at the end of a long static dive.

The last detail is the rail height. A higher rail keeps the shaft from grinding the muzzle on a strong shot but lengthens the lever arm of recoil. Lower rails are more accurate but ask more of the shaft. We default to mid-height for under-100 cm guns and step up the rail for anything 110 cm and longer.