Quote Originally Posted by 45flint View Post
Picked up these two rifles at my local Airgun Show today. Beeman C1 was mint and a great price. I love the the long sleek look of the Diana 50. Talk about opposites.
Wow those are two really mint guns! Great finds both.

I added some comments on the model 50 to your “ID” post. Those are elegant rifles indeed, to my mind rather underrated by collectors, especially those early ones with milled cocking arm, etc. Yours is an absolutely stunning example.

Here in the US at least, the C1 appeared in three variants:

1. First version (like yours) had light barrel and no safety. This gun is basically a Webley Victor (old youth version of the Vulcan) with a shorter barrel and different stock.
2. Same gun, with safety lever added. This version seems to be the most common here in the US.
3. Last version added some improvements from the “Mk 3” Vulcan: a heavier barrel, and a wider more rear-ward curved ribbed trigger blade.

I have had a couple C1’s, and always found them easy to shoot well, in spite of the fact that they make my wrist hurt! I certainly agree the grip position was uncomfortable. IMHO, the flaw in Beeman’s logic was making an old Winchester lever-action straight grip, on a stock that has vastly less drop at the heel of the butt. I must say this straight-line butt design controls the effects of recoil very well indeed, though.

FWIW, the trigger on the last C1 version seems to helps with the grip position, and I like the more muzzle-heavy balance of this version better too.