Quote Originally Posted by sd5782 View Post
Yes those stutzens are pretty. A 46 stutzen was at this show for $425 and caught my eye too. I always though that flip up breech looked interesting too. On looking into the 430L, it seems it has perhaps an inch longer cocking lever. Probably pretty insignificant when cocking that 11-12fpe spring. That is why I went a bit less.

As to barrel bending, do a bit or research and you will see it is not so unusual. We are talking an almost imperceptible amount. It is best accomplished on break barrels though. The Dianas I have from the "safety" era all seem to be harsh and oversprung to me in stock form. Here in the USA it is that .125-.128" diameter wire stock spring. That is probably in the 46/430 guns too with their shorter strokes. A stock HW .122 spring often fits the Diana guide nicely and with a top hat gets rid of all the harshness and still gets nearly 12fpe. It is almost too easy.
Another school day for me on the forum! To be honest I'd probably still shim the rear mount or get a droop compensating one but I guess re aligning the barrel achieves the same thing. Unfortunately I've had two Dianas that have come to me with an upward inclined barrel but I suspect these are due to the owner having slipped and released barrel during cocking process. I've had to re align in both instances.
It beats me as to why manufacturers would want to build a downward inclined barrel into their guns. HW used to be prime suspects bit it seems Diana going same way. Most unfortunate but I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it.
I have one of the last model 46s off the shelf from SWS in Germany in standard trim and it's a good rifle. The transfer port is lengthy and it loses efficiency due to this but it's a safe method of loading. The 430 is also another safe gun also with stepped arrestor in the cocking stroke.
I'd be very interested to hear further feedback on your take on the gun in time.
Best regards
Dave