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Thread: My two Airgun Finds - the long and the short of it

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    My two Airgun Finds - the long and the short of it

    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.

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    They are a lovely pair of springers. The Diana is particularly elegant.

    The C1 was always a bit of a curiosity, they sold a few here, but even in the US which was its target market, I cannot quite get who they were aimed at. The straight hand is very daring and the compact size and full power (I think they do 14 fpe with an Export spring in .22) can only make me think it was intended as a saddle-gun for taking out rattlesnakes. I guess you would have to keep it cocked and loaded with the safety on while it was in the carbine bucket. The quiet report would not upset a pony as much as a .45 or .38, but really a .22 rimfire would be better.

    Good looking guns the pair of them, and well done for getting the diopter on the 50.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hsing-ee View Post
    They are a lovely pair of springers. The Diana is particularly elegant.

    The C1 was always a bit of a curiosity, they sold a few here, but even in the US which was its target market, I cannot quite get who they were aimed at. The straight hand is very daring and the compact size and full power (I think they do 14 fpe with an Export spring in .22) can only make me think it was intended as a saddle-gun for taking out rattlesnakes. I guess you would have to keep it cocked and loaded with the safety on while it was in the carbine bucket. The quiet report would not upset a pony as much as a .45 or .38, but really a .22 rimfire would be better.

    Good looking guns the pair of them, and well done for getting the diopter on the 50.
    I agree on the C1 it is a bit of a curiosity, Beeman creating a American inspired carbine springer? I have always been curious about the rifle and the price was too good to pass up. I just had to grab it and see what it was about.

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    That 50 is very nice.

    Beeman used to advertise the C1 as "quick, super light, and easy to handle" with a favourable comparison to the Winchester 1894.

    The early 1983 C1 had no safety catch. According to Thrale, that changed within a year. But most that I see, including mine, and yours, do not. I suspect that they sold badly beyond an initial flurry of interest. They were definitely discounted quite quickly over here.

    I do not get on at all well with my C1 (maybe I should try harder).

    It feels top heavy, and not as light and quick to handle as it should be (a Tracker, BSF55 or FWB Sport all feel better-balanced and livelier), the straight grip gives an unpleasant trigger finger position, and it is very boingy and hold-sensitive. More so than the other 12ft-lbs lightweights mentioned above.

    A great collection piece, but if you want a classic 12 ft-lbs level springer carbine, I'd prefer the Webley Xocet, Vulcan Carbine, Tracker, BSF55, or carbine Jackal/Air Arms models.

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    Thumbs up

    Hmmmm! Beauties!!

    I saw the mod50 on facebook a couple of hours ago, It's fab!!


    John
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    C1 + 50

    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.

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    I agree with the stock layout, you're spot- on Mr.Driskill ( as usual...I've enjoyed your detailed posts on AVA Forum ). I had one (.22/ 11ft lb ) that was very accurate with a Williams Sport peep but never felt right, minimal drop to heel as if intended for scope-only use. They are very distinctive though and are handy if you need to hike about when shooting.

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    Surprised at the power of the little C1. I shoot it for the first time and was getting over 900 fps with 7 grain Hobbys. I think that puts it just over the legal limit in U.K.?

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    Could I be so bold as to ask how much you paid for the Diana?
    Good deals with these members

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    Quote Originally Posted by 45flint View Post
    Surprised at the power of the little C1. I shoot it for the first time and was getting over 900 fps with 7 grain Hobbys. I think that puts it just over the legal limit in U.K.?
    Yes. The Webley Vulcan and variants (of which the C1 is one) were all capable in "export" form of exceeding 12ft-lbs.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eyebull View Post
    Could I be so bold as to ask how much you paid for the Diana?
    Sent you a private message.

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