Original 24 and smaller Diana's.

[Drew451]

I managed to pick up a 24 after a period of many years and it is just as good as I remembered. A wee delight.
The smaller Diana's 24/26 seem very thin in the ground these days and seem to be unacclaimed. Why isn't there HW30 style love for the wee Diana's?

[Geezer]

I like them a lot.

I have a 24 (Webley Air Wolf), a later 26 or 28 (can't remember which and it's locked away), 25, 25D, and a 27S. The ones with the ball-sear trigger (from that list the 26/8, 25D and 27) are better - the simpler triggers on the 24 and 25 are average by youth gun standards.

[Drew451]

That's a great collection. I do agree that the 24 trigger is a bit unrefined and imagine the ball sear would suit these guns down to the ground.
I wonder why they do not get the recognition some other small Germans get?

[jonnyone]

That's a great collection. I do agree that the 24 trigger is a bit unrefined and imagine the ball sear would suit these guns down to the ground.
I wonder why they do not get the recognition some other small Germans get?

I think there's a degree of herd following in regards to guns Drew. Everything right with buying guns based on the good experiences of others. But on other hand it does mean that other equally good guns a little off the beaten track are overlooked and missed.
The concept of shooting a nice quality low power springer at close range targets is actually growing on me.
Dave

[Drew451]

I think there's a degree of herd following in regards to guns Drew. Everything right with buying guns based on the good experiences of others. But on other hand it does mean that other equally good guns a little off the beaten track are overlooked and missed.
The concept of shooting a nice quality low power springer at close range targets is actually growing on me.
Dave

I think that makes perfect sense, Dave. I like to do the opposite from the herd as long as it doesn't mean I have to shoot crap. I think Diana's maybe just fell out of fashion, even before prices went silly.
You won't regret getting a smaller Diana. There is a nice thread over on General Airgun extolling the virtues of wee springers.

[TonyL]

Yep, bought a mint little 24D (with the T01 trigger) three or four years ago for the bargain price of just £69.

Lovely. The trigger, once adjusted to my taste, is lovely. Very, very easy cocking effort, the thing barely moves on firing, it's very accurate and has a lovely, precision, quality feel to it.

Popularity.....My theory.....Back in 1977, before Airgun World was launched, many airgun users had little knowledge of the German makes. BSAs, Webleys, Relums and Milbro Dianas would have been the main staple diet. Once the magazine came out, we were introduced to wonders such as the HW35, Feinwerkbau Sport, Original 35/S, BSF B55 and the Anschutz 335. Although they all seemed rare and very exotic at the time, the '35 was featured in a very early issue, so maybe earned recognition amongst UK shooters earlier than the others?

For a long while, I'd guess that the 35 and FWB Sport were more in the limelight and also, seemingly, more widely available?

Then came the mighty HW80 which really boosted popularity and exposure of the Weihrauchs. The way the 80 easily made the power was a huge attraction, at a time when many rifles' outputs were not perceived as "full power".

I can't remember if the Original 45 arrived before or after the HW77, but the 77 was a massive game changer and, quite justifiably, gained huge popularity. I guess that HW had very much become the norm by then, and it was hard for other rifles to get a look in.

This would also have had a knock on effect of lower exposure / popularity of the Original / Diana brand. I seem to remember that marketing of the Originals was not non-existent, so would guess that poorer availability and less recognition were the reasons?