Diana Pictures added! Help me figure out why someone would destroy a diana 66

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zrman27500

zrman27500

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Apr 21, 2023
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grand island
So recently bought a pretty nice condition diana 66 to go in my giss rifle collection, but.....when the rifle showed up, the barrel is stamped 4.5/.177 as one would expect, but a .177 pellet just fell right through the barrel when I went to load it. What does fit in there perfectly is a .22 pellet, and there is no rifling inside the bore......you read that right, it's now a .22 smoothbore! Please help me understand what reasoning someone would have had to do this? Dart gun for a club maybe? That's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. Or is there a possibility this was done by the factory for some reason? I'm pretty upset, as this was not disclosed when I bought the rifle. Am thinking of returning it, which sucks because I love the rifle otherwise....but if I kept it the odds of me finding a good barrel are about as good as getting struck by lightning I'm thinking🤣 any info or opinions on this strange rifle would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
rwsmike said:
Return it for sure
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I'm contacting the seller tomorrow morning to see how they want to handle it. But it shouldn't be a problem, just sucks because it's gorgeous otherwise. Only way I'm keeping it is if the want to refund me 75% of what I paid for it, and I don't think they are going to want to do that, so probably going to have to give her up😭
 
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Motorhead said:
If bore views as VERY smooth viewed via / under a strong bore light ? It likely was a factory set up as DRILLING can in no way replicate a factory smooth bores finish or consistency.
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It's like a mirror in there. The other strange thing is this rifle has no barrel sleeve, there is no evidence of it ever having one, no milled step for it to sit on, no threads at the end of the barrel, and it does not look to be cut and crowned. It's a VERY strange rifle!
 
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Motorhead said:
If bore views as VERY smooth viewed via / under a strong bore light ? It likely was a factory set up as DRILLING can in no way replicate a factory smooth bores finish or consistency.
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Good tip though! I didn't even think about the fact that it would never be as smooth as a factory smooth bore....I do have a old jung roland german smoothbore I just compared it to, and the bores look IDENTICAL! Any guesses what the reasoning behind this rifle could be? The rifle dates fron 1974 if that helps in any way.
 
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The only guess I could make is that it was rebarreled for use as an indoor dart rifle.

Hector Medina has, or had, a Diana 65 redone that way.
Post #5 in this thread.

smoothbore airgun ?

Has anybody ever tryed a smoothbore for pellets ? I hear they are shaped like shuttlecocks for a reason of flying straight, and there is so little roo...
airgunwarriors.com airgunwarriors.com
 
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Well...I shoulda read Hector Medina's note that Chuck linked above before my previous post! Hector has a model 65 Tyro with a .22 smoothbore Weihrauch barrel, that was indeed made for dart shooting. So your gun is NOT a one-off.

Factory or not, if it's pro-quality work ya gotta admit it's VERY interesting! You could even argue that it gave a legit second life to a rifle that was considered obsolete for top-level 10-meter matches. My guess it was a post-factory conversion (otherwise, as BABz58 noted, there would be a corresponding breech marking).
 
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Figure out what darts it likes and you have a winner.

No doubt it is a rare rifle that was done for a specific purpose. It may not be what you expected but it may be really rare and special too.

I've spoken with Hector and he seems like a guy who is willing and able to share knowledge. He is VERY articulate and an expert in his field. I'd contact him about it. If it says "DIANA" on the side he knows the story. You just might have a very unique rifle.
 
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the man bought a Diana model 66 in .177 and got something it is not and that is a problem
the rifle has had a professional rebarreling to .22 smooth bore + or - ?
does the rifle now have the same value, that my friends is a good question
would i be disappointed enough to return it and or ask for a reduced price 100% but then again it is a very rare conversion
my question is if you can afford the rifle and the cost was very good keep it if not return it but in the end, someone will want it, and they will own a rare rifle factory or not
 
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marflow 777 said:
the man bought a Diana model 66 in .177 and got something it is not and that is a problem
the rifle has had a professional rebarreling to .22 smooth bore + or - ?
does the rifle now have the same value, that my friends is a good question
would i be disappointed enough to return it and or ask for a reduced price 100% but then again it is a very rare conversion
my question is if you can afford the rifle and the cost was very good keep it if not return it but in the end, someone will want it, and they will own a rare rifle factory or not
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So my collection is broad enough I'm not too mad it's "different" I think I'm going to keep it, but definitely going to ask for a partial refund. I got a pretty good deal on it, so I can't be super upset🤣 and I sure don't have a designated dart gun!😅 appreciate your post!
 
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Sorry for horrible pics.....I'm terrible with a camera!🤣 it's a very odd rifle indeed! I'll probably keep it because I really like the grain pattern, and it's just a very unique....well thing, that's what it is!🤣 I am going to contact the seller and see if I can get a partial refund on it, but if I cant.....I still got it cheap enough to keep it, and the rifle mist have been resealed because she shoots pretty hard for a giss rifle. Appreciate the info fellas!

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Diana 60 Tyro...perfection by committee

A bit of history to begin: + 1963: DIana's model 60 introduced. First of their double-piston, recoilless Giss-system rifles. + 1968: Model 65 supercedes the 60 as Diana's top match rifle. Locked breech, heavier barrel sleeve, better stock, internal changes. + 1974: Model 66 replaces the 65. Very...
www.airgunnation.com www.airgunnation.com
 
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