Diana Chaser- any opinions?

[wilkinss77]

From what little I've heard, this pistol is very powerful, very accurate & very cheap. Is it really that good, or is it too good to be true?

[wilkinss77]

Anyone?

[Neil.]

From what little I've heard, this pistol is very powerful, very accurate & very cheap. Is it really that good, or is it too good to be true?

Its the Artemis CP2
Its very, very accurate, I can hit a 20mm spinner everytime @ 30 mts with the long barrel. As for power, its about 5.5 flbs with the long barrel.

[jefrs]

Anyone?

SMK Victory CP2 .177

Fairly recent. Out of the box and zeroing the sights very good accuracy. Grouping within a 1p at 10m, but braced on a bag, I am not that good. But as is my wont I took it apart and rebuilt it properly.

Main issue was the "Action Tube" the hammer rides in was burred and scuffed. This seemed to be causing the hammer to hang up and move inconsistently. So I wrapped wet and dry (half width of sheet) around a mandrel and span it on a cordless drill rather like a flap sander down the tube. Switched to finer stuff but not mirror polish, only to take the burrs off and make it smooth enough. This is easy to do and does not require much skill.

The fps went up from around 470 to a little over 500, and consistent. But note I am not looking for more power but better consistency, better grouping; I am using is as a target practice pistol. And for that slightly lower power would be more desirable if consistent. The advantage of CO2 over unregulated PCP is you always have 850psi until the liquid is gone. Pressure will vary with temperature but on any given day will remain the same. Disadvantage is less shots per fill and less regulated. But CO2 are cheap and I cannot justify the expense of a compressor, I cannot use a stirrup pump. Whilst is has been shown elsewhere that it is very easy to make this airgun more powerful, it is less easy to bring the power down whilst keeping it regulated, the CO2 release valve is a form of regulator; I'm getting some 4.5-ft.lb. The pistol is simply more efficient now, I'm still getting about 40 good shots per CO2.

What else have I done?
I aligned the transfer port with the valve body during reassembly, there is some slop there. When the CO2 cylinder is loaded the valve is pushed hard up the tube, but it cannot be allowed to move; but the screw holding it in place is small and must not be overtightened.
If a spacer is added to the spring guide the hammer cannot come back far enough to engage the sear fully, the trigger becomes too light.
I have polished the trigger and sear faces, and taken the corners off them and the hammer so that they slide smoothly. This is something to be done very carefully and kept dead square to the faces. This requires machinist skill with special tools to maintain alignment. I have stretched the sear spring. I do not like light triggers and now have good two-stage without it going off.

Accessories.
I have quite severe arthritis in every joint and ageing eyesight. I have made some adaptions to suit me.
I have fitted a wooden Zasdar CP1 pistol grip, only a little carving required. Easily changed back, one screw. Much better fat grip for me.
Hawke Vantage 1x20 on the tail, remove rear iron sight.
Foresight blade painted Humbrol fire orange fluoro, so I can see it.
The small rear sight from the extended barrel transferred to the short dovetail above the breech. It clears the mag. Two small pits drilled and filled with Humbrol signal green fluoro. No height screw, propped up and held with a blob of Blu Tack. This gives me a crude co-witness, my arthritis yaws the pistol.
Hawke spirit level added in front of and below the red dot. My arthritis rolls the pistol. Being 9 to 11 it drops the screw side, I had to put a spacer under it to calibrate it to the pistol.
Trigger is set about as heavy as possible. My arthritis lacks fine movement. I do not lack strength, I lack fine controlled movement.

Why pistol?
Our garden is 25m but only 20m range available, it would not challenge a rifle.
I can shoot seated. Standing for any length of time is a real problem.
Shooting is good exercise for arthritis, it maintains fine control.
Covid pandemic. I've not been allowed out as "at risk". Double jabbed now but I've lost more mobility over the past year. I actually need to do physical stuff, like riding the motorbike, to maintain what I still have.

Accuracy?
My grandfather's Webley Junior, the only other airgun I've kept, will chrono 340fps, but would only hit the shed door if I moved it a lot closer. It can maybe hit a spinner at 6 yards. The CP2 can reliably hit the same spinner, as pistol, at 20 metres. Ok so I would have to brace it, I've never been that good a shot. It is so accurate that all the pellets go into the catchers. I have back stops but it doesn't need them.

Some of the parts are a bit budget but I'm well pleased with the CP2.

I have not taken a photo of it as yet.

Jeff