Open Sights ?

[45flint]

To me one of the great open sights are on the old BSA Standards? Have a 1923 that just never misses and I have old eyes. I agree the Diana 50 is a treat but I have a early 1950’s with detachable diopter and front post carousel, crazy cool.

Understand the Crosman “crude” comment but the early 101, 102 peeps are very effective. The double sight of the 108 nothing short of brilliant, and rarely misses as well. Probably the most unique open sight ever made, reason I made it my Avatar.

[Blackrider]

Hi John

Not sure if Dioptre sights are deemed as 'Open' sights! (No optics though?).



I've also a Gecado mod35 (Original mod35) in .177cal..



There's also the other 35's too, The HW ones!!



Mk1 HW80



Type 01 Original mod50..



Webbo mk3




Let me know if you want me to bring any of them over next week- The scopes come off easily enough


John

Aw Heck, make yer mind up time .....
The HW 35E looks nice as well as the Webbo Mk. 3.
I like the Tyrolean job but owing to my "left handed affliction' I wouldn't be able to shoulder it !

How do they Shoot ?

Great stuff John, Thanks.

[MDriskill]

The classic era Dianas all have good iron sights. As said above, the late 60s onward ones have really usable "iron" sights. On the better models, usually an alloy front with interchangeable elements and a plastic rear with click adjustments and a choice of four notches (square, which I always use, U, and - from memory, mine are locked up - two versions of a V, or a V and shallow U).

The earlier up-market Dianas have great rear sights, which can be converted to peeps with the right add-ons and moved to the rear sight rail. The sight radius on opens with the 50 is about perfect for shooters with OK eyesight. The front sights vary from sub-optimal (but period charming) beads on tapering post to the more target-oriented models that offer a quickly changeable range of four blades included in the unit. Considering their cost (lots were made), they are a great buy. You can get a great 50s model 50 for £200. Or less.

All those high-end 50s German rifles were set up for the nascent sport of 10M match. So their open sights are a cut above most British equivalents, which were set up for farmyard pests, let alone the American multi-pump and CO2 ones, which are frankly crude, no better than those on a Webley Mk1 pistol.

Absolutely agree with this--for my money, the sights on the 50's through 80's Dianas are some of the finest "notch" sights ever made for any kind of rifle.

The excellent, mostly-plastic model that Geezer mentioned was replaced in the late 70's by a larger and even better all-metal unit, still with the 4-notch plate. Very smooth windage and elevation adjustments over a good range via nice knurled finger knobs, and was used on the models 25D, 27, 35, and 50 for several years. Slightly simplified versions of this were used on their newer models up until fairly recently.

I usually go with aperture sights, but I have a hard time making myself remove these!