Original 24 and smaller Diana's.

[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?

[Drew451]

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?

Good post. I'm with you on all of that, Tony but I do think Frank Dyke promoted and distributed Originals pretty well. I'm not sure when Dykes ceased the concession but I do think Leslie Hewitt /RWS/ Ruag didn't do Diana's justice. It was then that marketing and availability suffered. The HW boom definitely was an issue for all the other manufactures too.
The 45 arrived in 1978, before the 80 and well before the 77. It did well for a spell but faded. They ran til 1988 but personally, I have seen very few dated after about '82/'83.

[jonnyone]

Good post. I'm with you on all of that, Tony but I do think Frank Dyke promoted and distributed Originals pretty well. I'm not sure when Dykes ceased the concession but I do think Leslie Hewitt /RWS/ Ruag didn't do Diana's justice. It was then that marketing and availability suffered. The HW boom definitely was an issue for all the other manufactures too.
The 45 arrived in 1978, before the 80 and well before the 77. It did well for a spell but faded. They ran til 1988 but personally, I have seen very few dated after about '82/'83.

I also agree. I think a trawl through some of the dedicated airgun shooting press back in the day would be quite telling both in terms of the marketing profile of Diana and their price point against the competition.

I'm heartened to see Diana doing well and long may they continue in that way. Of course we now have a new crop of low powered/ junior airguns in the range these days. I wonder how these will be viewed in years to come against their more popular higher profile stablemates?
Dave

[Geezer]

Two thoughts:

1. The 70s-80s were "power mad". I was a teenager then. We all wanted "full hunting legal limit 12 ft/lbs power" even if that meant we ended up at 14 trying to manage an HW80, and probably failing.

2. The Original Dianas were better marketed than later (or now) but they were typically anything from the same price as a BSA Meteor (24 and Meteor both about £44-45 in 1984) to 5-10% more expensive. Those youth guns were mostly bought by dads - who (a) probably didn't want to spend more than needed to start junior shooting, (b) still had a patriotic attachment to British brands.

[Drew451]

Two thoughts:

1. The 70s-80s were "power mad". I was a teenager then. We all wanted "full hunting legal limit 12 ft/lbs power" even if that meant we ended up at 14 trying to manage an HW80, and probably failing.

2. The Original Dianas were better marketed than later (or now) but they were typically anything from the same price as a BSA Meteor (24 and Meteor both about £44-45 in 1984) to 5-10% more expensive. Those youth guns were mostly bought by dads - who (a) probably didn't want to spend more than needed to start junior shooting, (b) still had a patriotic attachment to British brands.

Very true. I also remember some of those with junior guns had dads who were into shooting and were gun savvy. These were often bought new. But yes, a lot of 14 year olds were wrestling with 2nd/ 3rd hand HW's, BSA Mercs or big Webleys.

[TonyL]

Good post. I'm with you on all of that, Tony but I do think Frank Dyke promoted and distributed Originals pretty well. I'm not sure when Dykes ceased the concession but I do think Leslie Hewitt /RWS/ Ruag didn't do Diana's justice. It was then that marketing and availability suffered. The HW boom definitely was an issue for all the other manufactures too.
The 45 arrived in 1978, before the 80 and well before the 77. It did well for a spell but faded. They ran til 1988 but personally, I have seen very few dated after about '82/'83.

Two thoughts:

1. The 70s-80s were "power mad". I was a teenager then. We all wanted "full hunting legal limit 12 ft/lbs power" even if that meant we ended up at 14 trying to manage an HW80, and probably failing.

2. The Original Dianas were better marketed than later (or now) but they were typically anything from the same price as a BSA Meteor (24 and Meteor both about £44-45 in 1984) to 5-10% more expensive. Those youth guns were mostly bought by dads - who (a) probably didn't want to spend more than needed to start junior shooting, (b) still had a patriotic attachment to British brands.

Thank you for that, Drew.

And yes, Geezer, fully agree with your observations.

And I did mean to make those points too, but brain power was fading.

[original45]

I sold alot of my smaller junior diana air rifles but I did keep one that appealed to me and less seen but never the less a well made model the original model 228 and I love it's size weight and how it shoots.

Most of the 45 models I still retain in fact had were between 78-83 stamped just a couple date stamped post 83.

I had Been going through them few months back to reduce somewhat but struggle to let any more go.

Still love them

[jonnyone]

I sold alot of my smaller junior diana air rifles but I did keep one that appealed to me and less seen but never the less a well made model the original model 228 and I love it's size weight and how it shoots.

Most of the 45 models I still retain in fact had were between 78-83 stamped just a couple date stamped post 83.

I had Been going through them few months back to reduce somewhat but struggle to let any more go.

Still love them

So do I mate. I think it fair to say that anyone who takes an interest in the Diana threads has a soft spot for them. I always have had a focus on hunting power air rifles but these smaller Diana's are certainly catching my eye.
Without wishing to hijack Drew's fine thread here about the smaller Diana's I want to throw a question into the mix about Diana's in general including the smaller guns :
Taking account of all the different qualities of the marque and reflecting on the older (Original) Diana's and the modern crop of guns- which do you consider has the better quality feel to them? Old or modern?
I'll throw my three pence in. I think the older guns have more character and slightly better quality of finish than the modern Diana offerings. I'm not saying modern Diana's are poor. I'm just saying older guns had that little something extra.
And before I have to retreat to a bunker and take cover I think the same can be said of many other makes. Hw especially!
Dave