Diana Model 56 Target Hunter Thumbhole Recoiless

[TMS]

http://www.diana-airguns.de/index.php?id=289&L=1&width=1280&height=1024

Just been told today that Ruag are now bringing in this model of side lever recoilless springer. I've fancied one of these for some time now, but it's just about the most expensive springer on the market. I was going to have one over a year ago, until I was told that Ruag weren't bringing them into this country as they deemed them to be too heavy. Indeed they are quite heavy, but not as heavy as something like a EV2 with a Big Nikko on the top.

Funny how things come about. I was searching the web for the importer of Aeron pistols and was some how directed to the Gun Trader website and stumbled across a secondhand Model 56 at Kibworth Gun Shop. A reply to an email I sent to the shop asking for information and some photographs told me that it was only four weeks old and hadn't had a lot through it. However, I had to wait a few days for the photographs, but I mentioned it in my local gun shop today and it was then I was told that they are now available new, and if I order one from my local shop I might get it in the region of the same price as the secondhand one .

However, at somewhere like £650-£700 it's probably the most expensive springer going. Just got to make my mind up now. Perhaps my .177" B.S.A Superstar will make way for it and hopefully help towards it .

Still, I suppose on the plus side, if I did add one of these to the collection, I wouldn't have to devise a plan to riflenap Gnome of the Wood's SR .

Chris.

[DaveTV]

I'd very much like to have a look if you do end up with one, like the look of the under lever version as an alternative to a TX

[TMS]

There's a new light weight underlever model too. The 470 TH if I remember correctly, but it's not recoilless. Diana's are arguably the best springers around on build quality. Shame about the prices of most of them. Many of them are way more pricey than an equivalent, say HW.

However, for lying on the ground a side lever should be the most practical. A Prosport cocking lever is so very awkward to cock lying down, as would any break barrel rifle. The TX is also awkward, but no where near as much as the Prosport and obviously a TXHC would be better still.

Chris.

[rancidtom]

I'd have one myself if I had the cash, you know me and Diana/Original rifles, even though this one's a FWB300 in disguise  Buy one Chris, I bet you won't want to put it down and would probably sell half of the pcp's you've got stashed away doing nowt! 
I really want to get my hands on one of these and get it in bits on the bench, although Diana rifles are good there's always room for careful fettling and stoning the trigger sear faces etc (yes, I even do that to Mod 75 match triggers and it does improve an already damn good trigger!)
I can't see any reason for these guns not to rival pcp's, even top end ones such as Walther, Feinwerkbau, Anschutz, Steyr and AA EV2's
The rifle was originally exported to the US and of course was FAC rated (a claimed 1100fps for .177 but no pellet weight specified) so I suppose we'll get them with a "derated" spring. Now knowing how certain other German manufacturers "derate" their export guns for UK I wouldn't even shoot a new "out of the box" one until I'd had a look inside. I wouldn't want a badly chopped spring doing damage to spring guides or pistons even if teh gun's stil;l under warranty. I have decent mechanical sympathy as my top priority and can't stand to hear/see mechanisms compromised with shoddy workmanship like I've seen inside some "quality" guns.

[TMS]

Most of the PCP's doing nowt Tom are B.S.A's, namely the T.R.U and the T-10, which have crossed my mind on more than one occation to move on.

The Air Arms rifles are just too dam good to flog on, or at least not without good reason and moving some others on first, but that would be for a Series II/IIa .

Regarding how some makes of rifle are "down rated", i.e. HW, as you know, they are chopped off at Hull Cartridge, but Diana's are all done in Germany at the Diana factory. I know this because last year a batch of Stutzens came over, everyone doing 19ft.lb. They all went back to Germany for tweaking.

I notice too that the Stutzen has been updated for 2010.

Regarding the "FWB 300" in disguise, please explain Tom. I don't fancy even thinking about delaying a Series II if it's just a blatant copy on a larger scale.

Chris.