Diana 48BP and 31 Panther Pro Compact

[hwtyger]

I almost never see info or reviews about Diana here. That's a real shame. Probably they're not marketed enough here. They really improved lately; the 54 I saw recently was far better blued than my old T01 54! Anyway, I recently acquired 2 lovely Diana's: a 48 Black Professional and a 31 Panther Professional Compact.
And I must say, I LOVE them! And I'm pretty critical, owning several lazaglided rifles and all.
About the 48BP:
It's the 48 black (wood painted black)but with the Pro finish= matte glass beadblasted. Looks very 'stealth'! No open sights, but a HEAVY (350gr!?) muzzlebrake. It's FAC version (no problem here), bought it in Spain though, cause no stock here! Spain is max 18Ftp so it's 18Ftp (.22). It's the T05 version of course. Initially, I had a problem; it would cock, but wouldn't close:eek:! Was something real small; the anti bear release lever was slightly wrongly bent..Rebent, solved. Sloppy they didn't check that, I agree, but maybe it happened during transport I don't know.
Anyway, the outside was covered with oil, barrel was clean though (no grease). Internals, spring etc are DRY unfortunately, allthough other internal places have oil..It dóes smell a bit when fired. Shame they forgot proper lubrication. But can't réally blame them; most manufacturers don't grease properly!
It ís a tad front heavy because of the brake. Allthough it's a pretty short rifle. The overdone it with the brake's weight imo. It also loosens after a few shots. Will loctite it.
How does it shoot:?
GREAT! Don't hear any twang, trigger is actually very good, no creep and pretty light. Better than the Panther's. I hás more recoil than my maccari 52 FAC but that's kinda logical. The 52 has véry little recoil, awesome!
Will post 1st groups soon!

The Panther: looked for something to replace my BSA tactical; found it! The 31 Panther Pro Comp! It has a synthetic stock, same beadblasted finish and heavy brake. Thís is a 7.5J version though cause, agáin, no stock here! So bought it in germany, saved some bucks too. Therefor, of course, it's 4.5mm.

[hwtyger]

Had to quit above post prematurely, so here's the rest! Diana make a nice range of sidelevers now: the 48, 48B, 48BP, 52, 52 superior, 52 luxus, and the 54 and 54 laminated.

Some more info about the Panther. It's same action as the 34. It's a long rifle. Even though this is the Compact version, it stíll has a 15" barrel! Not réally compact..There ís a 'fullsize' version too, with 18/19" barrel. Also, there is the normal Panther (non-Pro) with open sights, without brake. And then there are the normal 34 and the 34 premium etc. As is the 48, it's finish is matte beadblasted. No open sights. With heavy brake. It ís a brake/weight ónly, when you remove it, it's empty. The muzzlebrake makes it VERY FRONTHEAVY. Brake came loose as well, like with the 48. I guess the brake is too heavy for it's 2 little screws. The Panther is very well finished. As is the 48. Cocking the 31 gives sóme noises. I believe it's the hollow cockingarm you hear. Of course, as it's 7.5J, cocking is very easy. Cocking of the 48 is fine very doable but heavier than with maccarikit.
Yesterday and today, the 48 shot ragged holes at 25m with EASE (baracuda match). So it's very consistent. Imo, the 48 series is (one of) thé easiest magnums to shoot accurately! FAR easier than Patriot, Tommy..It's FAR easier to shoot than the Panther as well.
There's virtually no play on the cockinglink, which is good. Panthers internals are dry as well, as were the 48's. It's also a T05 version. Trigger is pretty good, maybe a tiny tad heavier than the 48's. The synthetic stock has VERY sharp edges and chequering! When you remove it, you can see it's hollow. The Panther doesn't twang éither but you can hear there's a spring inside. Pronounced by the synthetic stock maybe? The Panther'scheekpiece is on the low side for standing shots imo.
Anyway, the front heavyness makes FTposition and standing shots hard to balance. It's VERY hold sensitive too! First attempts in FT position gave 10CM groups at 25m!:eek:Bút I found it's favourite stance! Sitting, rifle on the fist! That way I get very small groups!(10 shots under 1 eurocent, our smallest coin!). It shoots best with JSB, with FTT close second. Superdome also does well. It's choked, hence not pellet fuzzy.
Dunno really why, but I'm VERY fond of the Panther! I love it's looks, how it feels, shoots..I have a few tunekits for it too.
It dóes shoot like a 12Ftp though. Which ís a tad strange for a 7.5J I thought. Not so, according to Steve Pope. Too weak a spring and too little preload can make a rifle kinda harsh to shoot! And since it's developed for twice this power..He'll be right..Don't mind though, I like it's shooting behaviour; quick and lively. Steve is making a lighter brake with original looks for FAR better balance.
Conclusion for now: I LOVE these 2 rifles; shame they added súch a heavy brake. It totally destroys balance, espécially with the 31. And the lubrication is...none. Besides thát, they shoot VERY well, don't twang, and are very well finished with good looks and decent trigger.
Will post pics of the rifles and groups later.

[hwtyger]

Some pics!:
Panther Pro:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/yana_044/Panth31Prof_mitt.jpg
48BP: doesn't come with bipod and scope!!:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/yana_044/48BP.jpg
10 shots group with Panther. With JSB. Other 2 groups in white are with FTT and Superdomes iirc:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/yana_044/groepjepanther.jpg
First results with the 48BP:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/yana_044/MVC-139F.jpg
Other holes are 4.5mm, other gun. Coin is our smallest one, a 1 eurocent.
The 48 dóes have barreldroop though. The 52 T01 maccari I have does nót. The Panther doesnt have any/much éither. Bút I bought some RWS Lockdown mounts in the US. The have build-in droop compensator. I know about the new anti droop mount of...Leapers? But with the weaver on top, it's too high for looks imo..And adjustable mounts? A PAIN to set up correctly..I'll try the RWS mounts, or shim.:)
Bought allen screwcup kit for the 31 by the way, better than those silly crossheads!
Pitty there aren't any for the 48 series..
Also downside of the 48 series in FTposition: it's stock isn't flat on the underside. Hence the rifle tends to cant during the shot. The sidelever on 1 side seems to make it worse as well.

[crunch61]

Nice review. and you're right, Diana rifles don't get nearly enough coverage in the UK. I used to have a Diana 52, which was a very nice rifle, which met a sad end by dropping it down some concrete stairs when the sling mount came away from the stock! :(

[hwtyger]

Ow:eek:that indeed sounds painfull for yr 52!:( I álmost had a similar problem when the zipper of my gunbag failed and my Stingray slipped out. Fórtunately, it landed on my óther gunbag, undamaged..:eek:
Maybe they're not marketed well? Sad, cause their finish is now easily up to par with HW. Ok, they still have those plastic parts, but never heard of them failing and it doesn't feel bad/weird either.They might be overpriced.
Here, in Holland, also very little Diana..:(
They're all on the HW tour, while HW álso has it's downsides imo.
At least Diana has some nice different versions, finishes and stocks to choose from. HW only has 1 stock for most models, kitchentabel-look..:D
In one of the recent mags, a tester noticed exactly thát while testing a HW95? I believe. Was stated by HW as 'walnot-look'. Well, the tester didn't 'really agree'so to speak!:D
They usually twang a lot too and their cockinglinks usually have play.:D
Évery brand has it's good and bad points imo.

[crunch61]

Maybe they should coat rifles in rubber so they bounce!! It would also solve spring noises, you just wouldn't hear them anymore! :D

[ora8i]

I had one of the big side levers, at 12 fpe too big too heavy but for FAC :):):):)


Ora

[Pagoda113]

You can`t say a 52 is big when stacked next to a 45. Now a 45 is bbbbiiiiiiiiggggg!

[hwtyger]

Wouldn't call them big, and heavy, yes, quite heavy but not heavier than HW/AA. Internals are made for FAC though, so it'll perform best at FAC levels.
The 54 is 4.5k, that's far heavier..Too heavy for me..

[hwtyger]

A little about the 52 maccari I have: it's the older version, T01. It has a very good looking grain in the stock !
It's .22 FAC, doing about 22/23Ftp with maccari kit and insulator.
It has VERY little recoil!:eek:Almost FAC unworthy!:D It's straight backwards as well, no twisting.
It has another bullbarrel made for it, from copper I believe. It tames the recoil even further and it helps holding still. It looks GREAT too!!
It had a few owners though, so blueing wasn't 100% anymore, a bit thin here and there. Blueing is too much hassle (have to disassemble) so decided to spraypaint it gloss black. Looks VERY luxureous! It's been done with professional spray kit and 2 component paint.
Stock wasn't smooth enough to my liking so polished it with steelwool (it already was oiled). It also had one ugly dent, it's almost invisible now. Probably with strip the stock again soon with paintstripper cause it's too dark now to my liking. The grain isn't showing it's max beauty now. Will keep you posted!