Diana 54’s and 56TH… What to do???

Interesting post, thanks marflow.
I wonder when the 56 production started and ended, and how many were made.
I’m a sucker for a wooden hole stock, especially a thumb hole…….😍
Believe in 2012-2013. I know by 2013 people were posting about experiences with it. Discontinued in 2019 or 2020 I think? Assume Marflow’s info is from the Blue Book. Possible they stopped production after 3 years but continued to put the guns together for several years with parts they had left. Was apparently a common practice for Diana. Believe mine is an early version made in Rastatt rather than Ense because mine has one rivet in the receiver shroud rather than two and Hector said the two rivets started with the move to Ense factory. Nothing is ever 100% with Diana rifles so who knows? These guns don’t have a production stamped on the receiver. Emailed SN to Diana and asked, never got a response.
 
Thanks for your valuable insight cjtamu.
In New Zealand I don’t think I’ll be able to find anyone who could tweek the trigger or make up a new and better barrel weight.
If I buy it I’ll just have to love her the way she is 😂
LOL. Mine shot very well out of the box. Trigger fix you could do yourself. As far as the muzzle weight, put on some Vibratite and carry a 2 mm hex with you ha ha.
 
So I did it, I pulled the trigger and I’m now the proud owner of a 1996 D54 (.177), and a much newer (T06) D56 (.22).
I’ll post some pics in the next few days.

Only just got the 56, havent had a chance to play with her yet, need to put a scope on her and get her zeroed, but I’ll get there…

The 54 I’ve had for 3 weeks but had little time to play with her. I zeroed the open sights at 10m (shooting in my lounge), but at 46 years old my eyes are starting to go and I can’t see a 1/2 inch target at 10meters over open sights any more, so I decided to put a scope on her. Mounted a 4-16x44 and on Friday I took her to a range to zero at 30m. Well…. At 30m she was shooting very low. Cranked the scope all the way up, still low. Shimmed the scope and still 2 inches low which was very disappointing 😞.

I decided to put her away until I could get some adjustable mounts. Was feeling frustrated and dissapointed. The only good news was that before I put the scope on, she was shooting one hole groups at 10m 👍🏻

The next day I invited a mate of mine to come rabbit hunting with me at a clients farm, a place I call the Bunny Factory. If u follow my YouTube channel @Precisionpellet, you’ll know about the bunny factory!!!
This was to be an afternoon of two mates getting out and spending some time together and doing some hunting, this was NOT work!
So we decided to leave the PCP’s and high tech thermals and infrareds at home and go old school and get our springers out 😃.


My mate has an old 2007model Diana 350 and I planned to take my 2019 Gamo CFR. As I was walking out the door I thought let me grab the D54, if I get a chance I’ll pull the scope off and see if I can hit a metal spinner at 10m…

We arrived and hunted for 2 hours, knocked over a few rabbits and had lots of fun. Took a drinks break and I pulled the D54 out.
We had a plinking target out at 30m which we had been using to check our scopes and I took a shot… plink!
What! I couldn’t believe it. With out even aimming off or adjusting the open sights. Let me see if I can do that again.
Another shot, plink!
And another, plink, and another…!
WHAT??? I couldn’t believe it!
I put the Gamo down and took the 28year old, open sights D54 out for a walk.

Man, did I have fun with that rifle!!!!
I haven’t had so much fun in years!
I was knocking over rabbits the rest of the afternoon at 30m, 40m and more, with open sights!
What a blast!
From being so disappointed with this rifle on Friday, to having an absolute ball on Saturday 😃
I will definatly not even think about putting a scope back on this beautiful old girl, she is going to stay just as she is, and I can’t wait to get her out again.
😃😃😃
 
So here they are…
1- my 1996 .177 D54 (that shoots like a laser beam, knocking over bunnies at 30m+, with open sights!)
2- and my 2015 .22 D56TH (that I haven’t gotten to shoot yet 🙈)
Beasts both of them!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know them both a lot better 👍🏻

IMG_2082.jpeg
IMG_2081.jpeg
 
Managed to spend some time with these two ladies and a chronograph this last week.

The D54, in .177 seems to really like the 8.44gr or the 10.3gr pellet. And she is pushing out about 11.5 FPE. Seeing as I enjoy shooting this rifle so much with open sights, the sights (or my eyes) are going to be the range limiting factor, and I doubt I’ll use this rifle for hunting out past 40m, so I’m going to leave it at 11.5FPE, because she shoots so nicely just as she is 👌🏻.

My D56th, “Lady Di”, in .22 is pushing out 21FPE. And seems to really like the JSB hades 15.89gr. I’ve also changed to a 4-12x44 scope and fitted adjustable height mounts.

Next step is to check all the pellets I’ve just chronoed, at 30y for groupings, because the proof is always in the pudding! Final pellet selection will be made based on tightest groups at 30y, because if it’s not accurate, it’s not worth Sh….. 😉
IMG_5371.jpeg
IMG_5273.jpeg