Ammo Shortage? Pfft... Another New Airgun

[Jeff Higgins]

This time it's the classic RWS Diana Model 34, a timeless spring-piston rifle that has pretty much defined the genre for over 50 years. Still made in Germany, still one of the biggest bangs for the buck.

Mine is in .22 caliber, since I much prefer that caliber over .177. It's going to be the new backyard pest rifle anyway, so bigger was better. It's replacing my now semi-retiring 1963 vintage Sheridan Blue Streak 5mm pneumatic, which I had rebuilt and hot-rodded by Mac1 Airguns about five years ago.

Make no mistake, though, the old Sheridan is actually just a touch more accurate and significantly more powerful than even this "magnum" springer. They both shoot 14.3 or 14.5 grain pellets, with the 34 getting 670-ish fps over my Chrony, and the Sheridan getting about 790 fps. The Sheridan tears one ragged hole when bench rested across the back yard (about 25 yards), where the 34 might open it up to 1/2" or so. Still nothing to sneeze at.

The 34 is far easier to scope, which is its real selling point for this duty. The Sheridan wears an old Williams peep and a Williams white bead front sight I grafted on years ago. It's an absolutely wonderful carrying/hunting rifle. I bet it doesn't weigh five pounds. The 34, however, at 7 1/2 pounds a full size rifle by any standard.

Here they are, the old Sheridan and its new stablemate:



Just by way of comparison, here is the new 34 alongside my Model 70 in .375 H&H:



And, finally, here is a close-up of the powerplant. The bluing and overall fit and finish of the rifle are outstanding:



Looking forward to many happy plinking sessions, right in my own back yard.

[vash]

you found it used? super nice. can i ask a question?

my neighbor lady is selling her late hubbies BEMAN R1. it is super tattered. the stock looks like an unfinished baseball bat. near the barrel break, there is dime sized surface rust spot. the old lady is delusional and thinks it is worth alot. it is a .20 cal. it has some goofy scope on top. i would dump it. i think she wants $400!! i was speechless. i didnt want to hurt her feelings. how much?

[Jeff Higgins]

No, no, no, vash - it's brand new. I bought it from Pyramid Air. That's what's cool about it - in continuous production for over 50 years, and still made in Germany. Still made to a standard that is unfortunately too often forgotten in this day and age.

You can still buy brand new R1's for about $600. An ugly used one would be lucky to fetch $100. A really nice used one, $200-$250, tops. Even "classic", out of production air guns are really not worth much, unless it's something really rare. They are certainly not rare, nor out of production. Pyramid Air has used ones, refurbed to original factory specs, for about $500. She's nuts...

I sure wish RWS made rifles in .20 caliber (5mm). You can get the same weight pellets as .22 caliber, but they have significantly higher ballistic coefficients. Everything helps when dealing with only 15-20 foot pounds of energy. I think Beeman is onto a good think offering that caliber, which was formerly only found in Sheridan pneumatics.

[Hydrocket]

I had an RAWD/Diana Model 48 for years. It was a very serious air rifle. I loved it!

Congrats on your new purchase.

[Jeff Higgins]

I shot a 48 for years, probably 20-30 years ago. I loved that thing, too. I like the side lever, which allows for a fixed barrel. It was a .177, though, so I traded it off for some long forgotten whatever. Wish I would have kept it.

I always thought the break barrels were a bad idea, and would loosen up and droop over time. I was considering another 48, but in .22, because of that concern. Many airgunners insisted I was dead wrong; I guess I finally am willing to take that chance. Nothing stays in production, and so well respected, if it had a flaw like that.

The 34 is about half the price of the 48. While it's a big rifle, it's still smaller than a 48 as well. The stock lines are more traditional, and it's much narrower in cross section. It locks up like a feakin' bank vault, too, so I'm not worried in the least about it "shooting loose". It's a great rifle.

[Hydrocket]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I shot a 48 for years, probably 20-30 years ago. I loved that thing, too. I like the side lever, which allows for a fixed barrel. It was a .177, though, so I traded it off for some long forgotten whatever. Wish I would have kept it.

I always thought the break barrels were a bad idea, and would loosen up and droop over time. I was considering another 48, but in .22, because of that concern. Many airgunners insisted I was dead wrong; I guess I finally am willing to take that chance. Nothing stays in production, and so well respected, if it had a flaw like that.

The 34 is about half the price of the 48. While it's a big rifle, it's still smaller than a 48 as well. The stock lines are more traditional, and it's much narrower in cross section. It locks up like a feakin' bank vault, too, so I'm not worried in the least about it "shooting loose". It's a great rifle.

It is quite good....but overall, I think the 48 is the better rifle (I owned a 34 too, as well as a Beeman S1, and RX1).

I have long been a lover of air rifles. In years past, I consistently put over 20,000 rounds per year through my various guns...either target shooting, plinking or hunting.

[Jeff Higgins]

Yup - I agree, the 48 is overall a better rifle. I'll probably have another one someday.

I've really never been much of a fan of the springers, which is another reason I gave up the 48. All the noise and commotion, along with the "double whammy" recoil had always kind of put me off. Much more difficult to shoot well than other platforms.

I do like the fact that they are fully self-sufficient, though. When looking for a powerful hunting class airgun that require no support equipment, it really is either that or a multi-pump pneumatic. Having a very capable vintage Sheridan, I'm a little put off by the newly made ones, with their plastic parts and "hardwood" rather than walnut stocks, so another Sheridan was out. Besides, this one is for after dark duty, so it needs to be scoped, and Sheridans don't scope well. Plus, while they shoot great and everything (my son has one), they don't have the fit and finish or the RWS. I wish someone would step up and produce a really nice pneumatic with the fit and finish of the RWS guns, for a reasonable price.

[Hydrocket]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Yup - I agree, the 48 is overall a better rifle. I'll probably have another one someday.

I've really never been much of a fan of the springers, which is another reason I gave up the 48. All the noise and commotion, along with the "double whammy" recoil had always kind of put me off. Much more difficult to shoot well than other platforms.

I do like the fact that they are fully self-sufficient, though. When looking for a powerful hunting class airgun that require no support equipment, it really is either that or a multi-pump pneumatic. Having a very capable vintage Sheridan, I'm a little put off by the newly made ones, with their plastic parts and "hardwood" rather than walnut stocks, so another Sheridan was out. Besides, this one is for after dark duty, so it needs to be scoped, and Sheridans don't scope well. Plus, while they shoot great and everything (my son has one), they don't have the fit and finish or the RWS. I wish someone would step up and produce a really nice pneumatic with the fit and finish of the RWS guns, for a reasonable price.

Get the 54 then. Same as the 48, but recoil-less. The action floats on rails, and recoil is greatly, greatly reduced.

[Evans, Marv]

I never owned an air rifle & only shot one a couple of times when I was a kid. I bought the model 48 in .177 four or five years ago to shoot ground squirrels around here. They are numerous and I really, really dislike them. I don't have a scope & just use the iron sights. After I zeroed it in I got 9 of the little bastids on the first day of use. Since then the population has gotten down to three or four I see once in a while. If they hang around for a minute or two, they're gone if they're within less than about 125 ft. or so. I really like the rifle & it does exactly what I wanted it to. My next victim is going to be that damn bird that keeps attacking the mirror on my truck.

[911boost]

I bought my father a 34 a few years ago for Christmas. It is nice and solid.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by Hydrocket

Get the 54 then. Same as the 48, but recoil-less. The action floats on rails, and recoil is greatly, greatly reduced.

Sounds inviting...I'll look around for a good price.
Meanwhile, my RWS Diana Mod. 38, .177 cal. As I recall, it's over 1,000 fps.- does that sound right?
RWS Mod. 400 (2x7) scope.
It can hit a tuna can lid at 210'...the length of my back yard.
Good fun.
.



.
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ps Good shootin', Marv.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Hydrocket

Get the 54 then. Same as the 48, but recoil-less. The action floats on rails, and recoil is greatly, greatly reduced.

That one is certainly intriguing. Lots of added complexity and weight, though. I guess that wouldn't be so bad as a "backyard gun", though, as long as I didn't have to pack it around.

I do tend to cross over into the firearms realm once I reach that price point, though. That's where the 34 really shines - it's so darn cheap compared to their side lever guns. Living here in the U.S., we simply have no restrictions on our firearms ownership, so really high end airguns tend to be a bit of a tougher sell to us. If I'm going to spend that much, I'm usually looking for a sweet rimfire of some kind.

That said, shooting in the basement and the backyard certainly has its advantages. So does the cheap and easy availability of ammunition. Just can't beat the appeal of an airgun on that level. Then again, I live ten minutes from my gun club, replete with a 300 yard rifle range, 50 yard pistol, trap, skeet, indoor rimfire, and archery. that's pretty hard to beat, too.

[Rusty Heap]

Jeff you should post pictures of that other new air-pistol and the gorgeous box it came in.........sweet craftsmenship

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Jeff you should post pictures of that other new air-pistol and the gorgeous box it came in.........sweet craftsmenship

Already did:

New Webley Tempest

[gtc]

Pfft.... that's not an airgun.

THIS is an airgun.