I recently got hold of a very nice rifle which I'd hankered after for some years; a Diana 52 'Ultra Carbine' in .22 calibre.

It's a rifle I'd always liked the look of, especially in this configuration with ultra short barrel and to top it off this one is cosmetically near perfect and has a lovely looking stock. As far as I'm aware, it's bog-standard internally. It has the open sights present (although I use a scope on it) and is the model with T05 trigger according to previous owners.

So, I'm pretty happy with it BUT....

I know that, like most springers, they can be fettled to shoot a lot better. My options are as follows:

1. Simple route- buy new seals and a drop in kit from either Tinbum or V-Mach etc., to keep costs down.
2. Complex route- spend £200-£300 sending it to a professional for something like a proper short-stroke job & sleeved down piston.
3. Leave it as it is and put the cash towards another rifle.

I know that option 1 should smooth things a little and get rid of the bit of 'twang' the rifle currently has. Option 2 should seriously transform the shot cycle of the rifle and currently Tony Leach is favourite for the work if I go that route, as he's done quite a bit of development with the 52/54 platforms.
Option 3 is least favourite but, given that I've recently got myself a new shooting permission, I'm after something more suited to hunting; I know the 52 is perfectly capable but my preference is a break barrel or possibly even a PCP in .177 calibre...

Decisions, decisions.

Would you get it fettled? If so, which option & why? I know ultimately only I can decide but opinions on here are always welcome...

Cheers