Diana 72

[Happy-Harry]

Well, after 2 weeks of the bank holidays slowing down freight coming in from Germany - the 72 has arrived.

Described as new old stock, it certainly looks untouched - all the original sundries in the box, sealed in plastic wrappers, screw heads unmarked, metal and wood work mint, paper dust on the corners of the sights where they've pressed against the box and a price sticker on the bottom of the pistol grip detailing DM 508 (about 175 at 1990 exchange rates)

Gun in marked West Germany, with a "100 years of Diana" 1990 Tag, and a box marked made in Germany.
Fits with 1990, the year of German reunification, action stamped before and the box stamped after East and West merged.
Pentagon for German power level on Barrel.

Slight disappointment (nothings that perfect) - As predicted on here before, the seals didn't take to being left in a box for 24 years as well as the metal and wood work.

Loaded a RWS hobby for the first shot, rather tight fit, but this was a new barrel - trigger was set heavy for a match rifle, but the first stage moved cleanly to a second, which broke crisply, and a shot it the tree she was pointed at.
Second shot however didn't make it out of the barrel - cleaning rod pushed it out, a third and fourth pellet gave the same performance so I left shooting at that - rather than risk any damage to the twin piston system.

So - now I need a Mod 6 expert to have a look at resealing, and I'm penning my email to Diana, not sure how they'll take to an attempt at a warrantee claim on a gun they made two decades ago, but maybe they'll smile and provide me a seal

Mini Match Gun - http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...4.jpg~original
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...4.jpg~original
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...4.jpg~original
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1.jpg~original


Album - http://s10.photobucket.com/user/hhol...2072%20Arrival

[18 Wheeler]

That's a peach! Boxed with all the accessories is the icing on the cake, congratulations.

Until you've held one of these it's hard to appreciate just how small they are. Have fun with it once she's up and running.

Protek have the piston seal (part #D60, £8.90) compensation washer (#D62 £3.50) and breech seal (#D72 £2) if M&G reject your warranty claim.

[Happy-Harry]

Thanks 18wheeler,

Any idea how many more are floating around the UK ? I did a fair few hours of searching on the web, and found only one mention from some years ago in the UK and a handful in the states.
HH

[Garvin]

Thanks 18wheeler,

Any idea how many more are floating around the UK ? I did a fair few hours of searching on the web, and found only one mention from some years ago in the UK and a handful in the states.
HH

I doubt if there are many in the UK, although how would you know? These seem to be pretty rare guns even in Germany. Yours is the best I've seen. Great find!

[Happy-Harry]

And the one I did see on the UK web Gavin was on your Diana info resource...



Potentially hitting a quandary - bought the gun to use, well for the GF to use at Bell Target, but its condition does lean it to a collectors item, would feel less naughty if she had a more worn in item to carry back from the pub after shes had a WKD or 2

[18 Wheeler]

...Any idea how many more are floating around the UK ? ...

No idea! As Danny (Garvin) has intimated they are not common, I've only seen two in the last 10 years and both were "well used".

IIRC they were expensive and for a junior's rifle I suspect that many parents would have opted for the cheaper mod.70. I'll have a dig through some old mags later and see if I can find some prices.

If it suits your girlfriend then I'd say use it. Better to have someone involved in shooting and enjoying the rifle than for it to loiter in its box.

[big bad bear1]

i've got one and i love it, sure i had some pics of it on here a couple of years back.

[big bad bear1]

i've got one and i love it, sure i had some pics of it on here a couple of years back.

[18 Wheeler]

Belatedly got around to looking in some old magazines.

1991 prices for the mod.72 circa £180 (mod.70 ~£100), so more expensive than:

-HW77 ~£150
-HW90 ~£175
-Webley Omega ~ £130

Coincidentally the Pyramyd Air blog for yesterday features the mod.72.

The production dates given follow those given in the Blue Book (1979-93/4), however, neither model gets mentionned in Walter's The Airgun Book 1st (1981) or 4th ed (1987), whilst the May 1991 Air Gunner article states "With their new models 70 and 72, Diana have at last..." so what are the correct production dates?

[micky]

Thanks 18wheeler,

Any idea how many more are floating around the UK ? I did a fair few hours of searching on the web, and found only one mention from some years ago in the UK and a handful in the states.
HH

Hi l had one for 13 years nice little rifles, l have got it down as made from the 1970s-80s and a question mark l can't remember where l got the information from.l sold it at the Sutton Coldfield fair for £90 but it needed a reseal but was in excellent condition, it was the only one that l had seen.

[Happy-Harry]

Could be the rifle was "new" to the UK when Airgunner mentioned it, production in Germany doesn't mean it was on the then UK importers list for all of its run, or it could have had sporadic production as everything I've found out details it as far from the biggest seller in their range.

A UK price of £180 matches roughly the price in Germany in the same era, mine has a sticker detailing DM508, checking out historic exchange rates this matched to £175, and I have a US advert from 1989 detailing $166 for the 70, and $320 for the 72.

As a guideline that's £350 to £400 in todays money, for a kids rifle that they'll outgrow by the time their 11 or 12, you can see why it wasn't first choice on anyones Christmas shopping list when new.

I haven't found a serial number, but it is marked 01 91 indicating January 1991, so slightly younger than the 1990 I'd assumed from the Made in West Germany (pre march 1990) stampings on the barrel, and the Made in Germany (post 1990) label on the box, and the 1890 - 1990 100 years of Diana trigger guard tag.

I'm reading that piece on pyramydair now - thanks for the heads up.

18 Wheeler - Any chance of you scanning the adverts / Airgunner mention, I'm documenting what I can out of interest.

Thanks for the info folks
HH

[18 Wheeler]

Could be the rifle was "new" to the UK when Airgunner mentioned it, production in Germany doesn't mean it was on the then UK importers list for all of its run, or it could have had sporadic production as everything I've found out details it as far from the biggest seller in their range...

...18 Wheeler - Any chance of you scanning the adverts / Airgunner mention, I'm documenting what I can out of interest.

All the scenarios you mention could be correct, but Walter's books are quite comprehensive and it would represent an unusual oversight on his part. It was this that gave some support to the "new in '91" Air Gunner statement?

As requested, here's a scan of the AG article (various sizes and downloadable). I believe that there was a similar article in AGW shortly after (August edition) but don't have a copy to confirm. HTH

[Garvin]

It's a good article, thanks.

The author didn't seem to be aware at the time that Diana had already featured a rear diopter that attached to the standard rear sight - for over 30 years!

This cost-cutting measure probably meant Diana didn't perform well in the recoilling sporter/target market in the '50s and '60s IMO. When buyers compared this diopter attachment with the solid Walther, Weihrauch, Falke and BSF equivalents, it must have seemed like so much cheap tat!

As for the serious match rifle market (ie. that wanted recoilless, fixed barrels), despite using the brilliant Giss system, Diana's recoilless sidelever, the model 75, was delayed in production and 'missed the boat' for serious 10m shooters in a market already dominated by Anschutz and Feinwerkbau. The mod 75 came out around the same time as Walther's ground-breaking LGR single stroke pneumatic - a system that went on to dominate the '80s.

And when it caught up again with its SSP model 100 at the end of the 1980s, Diana had arguably missed the boat once again, since the Feinwerkbau, Walther and Anschutz SSPs were well established and PCPs would soon start to rule the 10m roost. At that point M&G gave up the ghost in the serious match rifle market.

In short, Diana had a record of producing fine and innovative match rifles, but a bit too late to take a decent market share!

Put the 72 in that context and it's no wonder it didn't sell in large numbers, particularly at that price.

Well that's my understanding anyway. Maybe wonky donky will correct me if I'm wrong.

[Happy-Harry]

It's a good article, thanks.

As for the serious match rifle market (ie. that wanted recoilless, fixed barrels), despite using the brilliant Giss system, Diana's recoilless sidelever, the model 75, was delayed in production and 'missed the boat' for serious 10m shooters in a market already dominated by Anschutz and Feinwerkbau. The mod 75 came out around the same time as Walther's ground-breaking LGR single stroke pneumatic - a system that went on to dominate the '80s.

And when it caught up again with its SSP model 100 at the end of the 1980s, Diana had arguably missed the boat once again, since the Feinwerkbau, Walther and Anschutz SSPs were well established and PCPs would soon start to rule the 10m roost. At that point M&G gave up the ghost in the serious match rifle market.

It does sound as though Diana M&G were perfecting the greatest propeller driven air rifles, at a time when the world was switching to Jets.
Shame, 75 I've shot a few times, and were quality items.