Originally Posted by
Amac
...and finally, make sure it has a straight barrel.
Andy
Good point!
The barrels are a little on the soft side, and the pistols can suffer from heavy handed use during cocking. The heavy detent on the Model 10 I know from my own experience can cause the upward "banana barrel", but a heavy handed downward action during cocking can also bend the barrel downwards as well!
I have just had my early Diana Model 10 that had a "droop" barrel corrected as it was not possible to raise the sights high enough to hit the target at 10 metres - even after a complete rebuild with all three springs being changed and a re-seal (!), and when the rotatable barrel shroud was removed and a straight edge applied the barrel was definitely taking a nose dive.
I have a later Original Model 10 with the exact opposite problem with the more often seen upwards bent banana barrel, and this one shoots over the target at 10 meters, and is now having the barrel corrected in the opposite direction.
Both of these pistols are in pristine condition and show no outward signs of any abuse whatsoever, and both have new breach seals that show the same amount of breach seal protrusion and compression when compared with each other.
Conversely, I also have a fairly well abused ex-club early model Original Model 10 that has clearly been around the block a few times with a barrel that is as straight as a die and after a re-seal it shoots really well with plenty of sight adjustment available to cover any normally used sight picture at 10 meters.
The current generation of Giss pistol owners could be some of the most careful owners these old pistols have enjoyed as they have now become prized collectors items as well as popular classic target pistols, and if a barrel has been corrected and then given careful and respectful use there is no reason why they should ever bend again.
All three of these Model 10 pistols perform and group the best with RWS Meisterkugeln pellets - better than they do with RWS R10 pellets, and even more surprisingly it seems to make little difference if they are 4.49 or 4.50 - both work eqaully well ( but maybe not if mixed - although I have not tested this).
Last edited by zooma; 05-05-2013 at 06:02 PM.
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