Diana overlooked/underated?

[Bluefan]

I've always liked Diana's 45/34/38/52 etc they are well built accurate airguns but my opinion is the equivalent HW's are just that bit better.

Dave.

Me too but I'm just a glutton for buying guns, and a change is nice

[bill57]

What issues did it have? I find it hard to believe that me and others on here have found them made to tighter tolerances than hw's but you say they have no QC and are worse than chinese rifle?

I'm happy to be proved wrong tho I just find it hard to believe bud.

Barrel bent to left, terrible barrel droop, breech/pellet seating area cut off-centre, so it chopped the skirt off the pellet when you closed it, scope rail not mounted in the centre of the cylinder but off to one side - I've seen this fault on a Diana Mauser 98k as well. It was just junk.

And no lube either.

[mattyw1987]

Barrel bent to left, terrible barrel droop, breech/pellet seating area cut off-centre, so it chopped the skirt off the pellet when you closed it, scope rail not mounted in the centre of the cylinder but off to one side - I've seen this fault on a Diana Mauser 98k as well. It was just junk.

And no lube either.

That is shocking I mean there is a Friday afternoon job and then there is that, make no wonder you don't like em.

[Geezer]

No experience of new ones.

Old ones are good. Similar or better (often better, in performance terms) than Webley, BSF or BSA. Not quite classic HW or FWB quality and performance. But close, depending on the model.

Dianas were appallingly marketed and priced for about the last 20 years. 700 quid for a factory springer, even the 56TH, is silly.

Back in the mid-80s, they competed well with everything: a base Diana 35 cost about the same as a standard HW35 or a (non-S) base model BSA Mercury and a tad less than a Webley Vulcan; a 45 cost a little less than a (non-S) Airsporter, or an HW80 and only a bit more than a Vulcan. And about three-quarters the price of an FWB Sport.

The original (no pun) model 34 undercut all of the above, a few pounds below even the basic Mercury.

The 50 was a premium model, selling for much more than it was actually worth (IMHO) - more than an Airsporter S, 20% more than an 80, 40% more than an FWB.

[bill57]

The Mayer and Grammelspacher guns were beautifully made, a member of my club has an Original 35 which is just lovely. Years ago I had a Diana (not Original) Model 5 pistol, with the embossed and stippled wooden grip, how I wish I'd never sold that.

Don't get me wrong, I have seen photos of newer Dianas which look very well made, lovely guns, but I'm sure that at some point their manufacture left Germany and those days of quality, for me anyway, are over.

[mattyw1987]

So are they not made in Germany any more? My new 34 has made in Germany stamped into the cylinder along with 2016, Bit of a con if they are not made there is that.

[Bluefan]

So are they not made in Germany any more? My new 34 has made in Germany stamped into the cylinder along with 2016, Bit of a con if they are not made there is that.

I'm guessing mine and yours are from the same batch from Kirklees in so much as they are older made in Germany stock, so we touched lucky. It's a good shop and the staff know there onions (that's Yorkshire business men for you)

[jonnyone]

Ill second that regarding the 46 Stutzen Ken. Well happy I have it.

Squirrels not quite so well pleased.....

[gingernut]

The problem with Diana is their pricing and odd marketing strategy. Unless they handle that better they'll stay the unknown gem for most over here.

Spot on.
Try and buy one through your local Gunshop!

[enfield2band]

Obviously, from what I read on here, Diana has improved its engineering from the mid 1960's. My older brothers had Diana's and they were fairly good. When I managed to persuade my parents to let me have a gun I got the Diana G36 which was boasted to be the first air rifle to have a safety catch.

Well, it turned out to be a pile of junk. Everytime you closed the gun it nipped a bit off the breech washer. The first shot was good out to the range I expected, but, from then on, each shot dropped slightly until it reached the point where I could throw a stone further!

My Dad had shot for the Royal Navy so he knew a bit about guns so he came on the canal with me (in the days when you do that without any hassle) and he had a few shots. He agreed it was not very good, so, much to my delight, he took me to the nearby gunshop and bought me a single barrel .410".

From then on I had always looked on the Diana as being poor quality. A couple of years ago I bought a new Gamo made BSA Supersport and that did the same as the Diana. I took it back to the shop and the dealer tried different washers and it still nipped it when the gun was closed. He gave me my money back and thats the last I have had to do with air rifles.

[Barryg]

Diana airguns made in the old factory are perhaps the best magnum springers in the world and a custom 34 would also take some beating, but since GSG bought them and they moved to a new factory there are reports that they are only assembled in Germany.

My personal favorite is the old factory mod 460 as its light weight and better constructed than the sidelevers and looks a bit like a mod 46

[Spitzer]

Obviously, from what I read on here, Diana has improved its engineering from the mid 1960's. My older brothers had Diana's and they were fairly good. When I managed to persuade my parents to let me have a gun I got the Diana G36 which was boasted to be the first air rifle to have a safety catch.

Your Diana G36 was not a German Diana. It was made here in the UK when after WW2 the machinery was moved from Germany to the UK and they were produced in Scotland by Milbro.

The later UK Diana's were not as well made as the German guns, although the early UK Diana's probably were for that period.

[Spitzer]

Diana airguns made in the old factory are perhaps the best magnum springers in the world and a custom 34 would also take some beating, but since GSG bought them and they moved to a new factory there are reports that they are only assembled in Germany.

My personal favorite is the old factory mod 460 as its light weight and better constructed than the sidelevers and looks a bit like a mod 46

Well according to the Diana rep at the Shot Show on YouTube, all the premium spring piston Diana's are still made and assembled in West Germany.
Their new PCP range is made in China by SPA, but they look very nice and are not over priced.

[Barryg]

Well according to the Diana rep at the Shot Show on YouTube, all the premium Diana's are still made and assembled in West Germany.

I would be pleased if that is right
But
https://translate.google.co.uk/trans...na&prev=search

[peddy]

I'm not sure where he bought one for that price but I bought my new one from kirklees guns last week for the same £220 price tag, it's a 34 classic in .22 and a bargain for that price they have had it a while upstairs it's stamped 2016 but was fresh in the bag and box.

Did you buy the last one, very interested at that price, especially as it's new old stock