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Thread: Diana 52

  1. #1
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    Diana 52

    I have recently been considering building my own springer action with lighter materials and reduced comp tube diameter , as my 21mm seems to have been well received . I was considering building it for FT, the format I came up with featured side lever cocking ( minimum interference with the barrel) and sliding comp tube.
    So it looks like I have invented the Dana 52 , So maybe convert a 52 first to see if I can get on with the cocking when I have my sightron on top , and see if the "free floated "barrel is inherently more , or less accurate than the underlever set up.
    I don't know much about the Dianas , who makes the barrels for them ?, does any one own one and what do they shoot like .177 of course .Thanks in advance.

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    The barrel is not free floated in the proper sense, in fact it is sleeved, and between the sleeve and the very skinny barrel there is a spring steel shim or liner. The front sight retains the sleeve in place, remove the front sight and the sleeve and shim slide off. Who makes the barrels for them? They are built down to a price, so either in house, or the cheapest bidder. I am not sure how the barrel is retained nowadays but there used to be a huge "rivet" under the rear sight, pressed into the breech block and presumably putting pressure on the barrel too. I could never get my 52 in .177 to shoot acceptably (and I tried...) and even my 54, seriously fiddled with, and shooting de-restricted, in .22, does not shoot as accurately as a bog standard TX200, though it's not bad - just not worth the effort. Only go down that route if you like starting from the back row...
    **WANTED**: WEBLEY PATRIOT MUZZLE END; Any Diana/Original mod.50 parts, especially OPEN SIGHTS

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    Quote Originally Posted by air-tech View Post
    The barrel is not free floated in the proper sense, in fact it is sleeved, and between the sleeve and the very skinny barrel there is a spring steel shim or liner. The front sight retains the sleeve in place, remove the front sight and the sleeve and shim slide off.
    Yes, I had one some years back. I thought it was a cheapskate idea. It meant you couldn't get rid of the foresight for a clean scope picture without exposing that tiny, spindly barrel. There are ways around that, of course, but you don't expect such an unsatisfactory solution to an ordinary air rifle requirement from a maker like M&G.
    ...history... is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. (Edward Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)

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    Diana / M&G

    make their own barrels.

    I believe they favour 8 or 12 land rifling (flat topped, of course). 12 land is what I see on my rifles.

    Regarding barrel outer dimensions - they have little importance to either a PCP or a non-breakbarrel springer for, I hope, obvious reasons.

    Air Arms used 12mm OD barrels on their AA300 series of PCP's, FX / ABwhatever used similar barrels on the FX2000 and Excalibre rilfes, again PCP's but the principle remains.


    No doubt someone will start up on "Barrel Harmonics" shortly

    (ignore them, they are ridiculous).

  5. #5
    Captain Bongo is offline I'm not falling for this again........
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    I sleeved and fitted an LGV piston to my 52 for benchrest.
    It's quite nice but the project stalled once I got my TX200SR.

    A good solid platform and capable of fantastic consistency/accuracy.

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    Agree it is an odd set up. I presume they did it to save weight from an already heavy rifle.

    You used to be able to get nice little suppressors that replaced the front sight and locked properly into the outer shroud. Not sure they did much suppressing. Diana still do a barrel weight along similar lines.

    And, yes, barrel harmonics. I vaguely understand them, but they are a great thing to say when someone has an accuracy problem. You just say it, and smile knowingly, and people think you are some kind of expert. If that doesn't work, try TP size, port pressure, or something about spring stiffness.

    Not saying there aren't experts on here (you know who you are, and you aren't me).

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    Quote Originally Posted by DSidelever View Post
    make their own barrels.

    I believe they favour 8 or 12 land rifling (flat topped, of course). 12 land is what I see on my rifles.
    Hi DSidelever, can you tell me what models you have that have 12 land barrels?
    This is the reason I ask
    http://www.network54.com/Forum/184474/thread/1364692329
    Last edited by Barryg; 24-01-2017 at 08:34 AM.

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    I must be wrong on the lands number Barry, I certainly don't have one the brief period China made barrel rilfes (it was limited to a few models in their range).

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    I changed one of my TXs to use a magnetic underlever catch - no pressure on the barrel. Didn't see any change in accuracy. Artful-bodger made a no-pressure catch for his 77 too, but I don't recall the effect.

    See the thread I started discussing this:
    http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....ght=underlever

    ProSport might be the better platform. But rebarreled with a longer barrel / sleeve.
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Budd View Post
    I changed one of my TXs to use a magnetic underlever catch - no pressure on the barrel. Didn't see any change in accuracy. Artful-bodger made a no-pressure catch for his 77 too, but I don't recall the effect.

    See the thread I started discussing this:
    http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....ght=underlever

    ProSport might be the better platform. But rebarreled with a longer barrel / sleeve.
    Looks like I will stick with the TX as my target gun then , John from reading your post it looks like you put the magnet at the end of the underlever , so still in contact , I had wondered about using a magnet right up near the pivot underneath the breech, not sure if there would be enough umph to hold it , Neil Birkin has a paul short shroud on his lgu that utilises two magnets again up near the end.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickG View Post
    Looks like I will stick with the TX as my target gun then , John from reading your post it looks like you put the magnet at the end of the underlever , so still in contact , I had wondered about using a magnet right up near the pivot underneath the breech, not sure if there would be enough umph to hold it , Neil Birkin has a paul short shroud on his lgu that utilises two magnets again up near the end.
    yeah, near the muzzle. for sure it still contacts, but it can't push fore and aft, which would deflect the muzzle.. it can only have the gravitational pull due to the weight of the lever itself. That's the theory, but I think I may be trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  12. #12
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    I have an 80's 52 bought second hand off here. It's heavily modified running a huge piston extension to shorten the stroke to about 70mm. This gun made power so easily it was untrue, super efficient set-up IMHO. The other striking thing was how good the barrel is, tolerant of a wide variety of ammo and grouping superbly with the best of the bunch. My 77 can't match the groups but I don't rate the barrel on my example.
    Plinkerer and Tinkerer

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    Hi Nick, from talking to Tony earlier this week I think he's doing Diana's with reduced pistons down to 18mm in large (ish) quantities.

    I did a 20mm TX200, took it it Furnace Mill last week, Very pellet fussy indeed. If you want too shoot Superdome & H&H Barracuda 10.1gn at 11fpe & AADF, & JSB exact at 9.4fpe then it's great.

    Not tried a 21mm like you but did a 22mm TX & didn't think there was much mileage in it.

    Now settled on a 145gm alloy piston at strokes between 72 & 77mm makes power much easier but think I need to look at the port so knocked up a dozen or so compression tube nuts to fit a std tube.

    I did a reduced stroke/bore Diana down to 25mm bore & 75mm stroke, can't remember piston weight but it works well, pity about the fulcrum points, best with a side lever imo.

    apologies if a little off topic.

    ATB
    Dave

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    imorik is offline I stick my head out and take it on the chin.
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickG View Post
    I have recently been considering building my own springer action with lighter materials and reduced comp tube diameter , as my 21mm seems to have been well received . I was considering building it for FT, the format I came up with featured side lever cocking ( minimum interference with the barrel) and sliding comp tube.
    So it looks like I have invented the Dana 52 , So maybe convert a 52 first to see if I can get on with the cocking when I have my sightron on top , and see if the "free floated "barrel is inherently more , or less accurate than the underlever set up.
    I don't know much about the Dianas , who makes the barrels for them ?, does any one own one and what do they shoot like .177 of course .Thanks in advance.
    My thoughts, perhaps insane ones, were of a side lever with 21/22mm piston with no seperate comp tube (like a break barrel set up rather than under lever). Piston being directly moved by side lever and designed in such a way as to allow it to rotate, could use latch rod type designed piston ? Very short T/P which would have to be fixed somehow into comp tube/body. T/P design similar to BAM 40. Loading port similar to TX but instead of comp tube sliding back/forward the barrel slides back and forward to enable pellet loading, similar to AirLogic Genesis.

    Like I said..ramblings of a madman
    AA TX200 MK2 .177, MK3 Barrel, long stroked & shortened T/P
    AA TX200 MK3 HC .177, 22mm internals, shortened T/P
    http://www.anstonftc.co.uk/

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    Quote Originally Posted by wonky donky View Post
    Hi Nick, from talking to Tony earlier this week I think he's doing Diana's with reduced pistons down to 18mm in large (ish) quantities.

    I did a 20mm TX200, took it it Furnace Mill last week, Very pellet fussy indeed. If you want too shoot Superdome & H&H Barracuda 10.1gn at 11fpe & AADF, & JSB exact at 9.4fpe then it's great.

    Not tried a 21mm like you but did a 22mm TX & didn't think there was much mileage in it.

    Now settled on a 145gm alloy piston at strokes between 72 & 77mm makes power much easier but think I need to look at the port so knocked up a dozen or so compression tube nuts to fit a std tube.

    I did a reduced stroke/bore Diana down to 25mm bore & 75mm stroke, can't remember piston weight but it works well, pity about the fulcrum points, best with a side lever imo.

    apologies if a little off topic.

    ATB
    Dave
    Hi Dave , you are about where I am with my 25mm ally pistons I am a tad heavier but my stroke is 77mm, makes the power with a titan or a mark two spring. I run a full piston in my 21mm , they shoot almost as good as the ally 25mm, with the benefit of very easy cocking, I have a 22mm in my target gun at present, I started off with an aussie hw45 seal but it seems to gradually lose power , so now have an o ring and have lengthened the stroke a little to make it softer, it does move more than the 25mm tunes I do though.
    I have a 20mm on the go for a tx , but I don't think the stroke is long enough , hence the Diana idea , Idont like pellet fussy, the tunes need to be able to use as many pellets as possible , so people can match to their barrel.

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