Possibly low sales, more popularity of the break barrel models.
Could be that production costs have outgrown sales growth due to inflation also.
But maybe I will make a post for this in the industry section
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Diana Diana 48 - Journey Update w/ happy ending
- Thread starter EquivalentDelta
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Could be that production costs have outgrown sales growth due to inflation also.
But maybe I will make a post for this in the industry section
In my opinion, I think the Diana 54 and the 56 are the popular ones with the sliding sled that absorbs the recoil?
Those two models are beautiful but are a huge heavy built gun.
Those two models are beautiful but are a huge heavy built gun.
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Yeah I think the “benchrest” crowd are the only ones interested in these side levers now that PCPs are becoming the norm.
I bet the model 350 and 460 also had something to do with the decline of the 48 and 52.
I got the 48 because it was pretty much the only side lever light enough to carry. It may not be light, but it’s certainly lighter than a 54.
I think the rise of PCPs is eroding the magnum springer market.
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I am glad your local distributor is doing the right thing.
Just in case, I sent the data to the Technical CEO of M&G (DIANA), so that we make sure he is aware of this issue.
Just a technical note: DIANAS are assembled in somewhat of a "hot line", where one step is immediately followed by another. And so the temp of the tube when assembling the side bracket can be somewhat high. The temp DIFFERENTIAL therefore between assembly and use therefore could reach 40, maybe 60 degrees Celsius.
That the spot welds didn't penetrate enough is clear and undisputable, the thing I am trying to make you think about is that it is not the same to have ONE spot weld where there is neither push nor pull sideways, than to have three that get together a part that could have been cold with a part that could have been hot and then the whole thing is "pre-stressed". Again, there is no excuse for the lack of penetration of the spot weld, DIANA has been making these guns long enough that the workers should realize that they are not spot welding 30 gauge sheet. It's fully 2.5 mm on BOTH sides (equivalent to 12 gauge sheet steel). So, temperature differential may have something to do with this.
On the lubes: traditional lubes from spring and kit makers do NOT behave the same at "normal" temperatures as they do at sub-freezing, I have no way to know what lubes people are using and there is not a hint in the initial post about the location of the user.
My Finnish friends do have special options and techniques to lube their spring-piston air guns. And, they each do something different, what I do living in Maryland is different from what they do, but probably closer to what most American airgunners do.
Lastly, MOST rubber compounds have a negative coefficient of expansion at very low temperatures, so seals DO change with temperatures, velocities drop unless the seals have been sized for THOSE conditions. Lubes thicken, even triggers can change.
Would I shoot in sub-freezing temps? Nope! What for? the FT season runs from March to November and shooting in Sub-freezing temps would require a different tune. Not a hunter (only the occasional pesky critter gets a dose of lead poisoning around here), so no need to go out during those 30 days of sub-freezing weather we get here per year. Hard to justify a specific tune for that.
Not trying or intending to BS anyone, I neither need it nor have the time for it.
I'll let you know what response I get from the headquarters in Ense.
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM
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Reading this was a shock, plain and simple. Complete equipment failure due to zero user error, with potential to permanent, debilitating injury. Airgunning doesn't get any chillier than that, even in Antarctica.
Sidelever Dianas are among my main guns, and I too shoot in freezing temps, because c. 1/3 of each year around here deals with those realities. There are endless thousands of airgunners who simply cannot choose not to shoot in freezing temperatures. It's the coldest time of year that hunting seasons are in, for one huge reason.
Sidelever Dianas are among my main guns, and I too shoot in freezing temps, because c. 1/3 of each year around here deals with those realities. There are endless thousands of airgunners who simply cannot choose not to shoot in freezing temperatures. It's the coldest time of year that hunting seasons are in, for one huge reason.
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I am truly thankful to still have all my digits. I just hope this was a fluke, for all the other fingers out there.
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What's striking in this disaster is the fact that the cocking lever base sheared off when the cocking stroke wasn't even at the first anti-beartrap notch, or at a low level of stress, compared to the later stroke (I think approaching mid-stroke is the highest, per lever base stress). But best it went at that early stage, and not when the mainspring had stored maybe five times the potential energy.
Also, people don't generally have their fingers in the breech cavity when pulling the cocking lever back. If the gun were cocked already, the piston and mainspring would be held back by the trigger, and the moving chamber wouldn't have the propulsion to do any damage.
As you say, -8C isn't much at all. Huge areas in both North America and Northern Eurasia routinely experience such temperatures.
Also, people don't generally have their fingers in the breech cavity when pulling the cocking lever back. If the gun were cocked already, the piston and mainspring would be held back by the trigger, and the moving chamber wouldn't have the propulsion to do any damage.
As you say, -8C isn't much at all. Huge areas in both North America and Northern Eurasia routinely experience such temperatures.
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A HW97 isn't really a substitute for a sidelever Diana. They are in a completely different power category, with the Dianas producing about 50% more KE, or shooting mid-weight, high-BC .22 cal pellets at close to optimal velocity for multi-range accuracy. The big Dianas are singular precisely because they offer high power and high accuracy in the same package, while weighing no more than the mid-power underlever Weihrauchs.
I personally couldn't stand the awkward, unintuitive, un-resettable HW safety, while the Diana safety is just how a safety should be. That is an often overlooked feature. I also wouldn't want the 4-kilo penalty with a measly 20J at the muzzle. Few people carry the HW97 into the woods, for a reason.
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Pretty typical of a fatigue loading failure. The damage is done slowly over time. Until finally a straw breaks the camel’s back.
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You’re not wrong. I ended up with the 48 for most of the reasons you listed.
I don’t like the plastic bits, but I can forgive those. And I am happy to give the gun a second chance.
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Wow. Since no one here, including Hector, has ever seen this before I think it’s safe to say it was a fluke. Glad you weren’t hurt and glad they’re sending you a new one.
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I wasn't trying to compare the two rifles? I have both and like them both very much.
My wife can't cock the HW97 because it is all or nothing with no beartrap but she is more accurate shooting with the HW97. Nothing wrong with the safety in my opinion either. Different strokes!
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I think he has a good point that there isn’t really a replacement for the Diana side levers if they go away.
The HW77 or a 460 would be my next choices, but an under lever just isn’t the same. Especially when you can tune to 20-24 fpe with ease
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I too have a Diana 48 in .177 which is why I was interested in this article. I bought mine for the power and accuracy it afforded me.
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My 48 is for sale too, Nikon scope and soft case included, if you know of anyone looking. Apparently I can't post until 10 days goes by as I'm a new member.
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