Talk me out of a Diana 56TH

[boscoebrea]

I am going to throw this in the mix,because it is a Great springer,harder than heck to get because people hang on to them,keep your eyes open for a English Webley Tomahawk.Again they are hard to get, but well

worth it.Ten shots at 27yards.

 

[Lewis]

Can't talk you out of it. I have three and love them. The only high power recoiless springer available.
An added bonus is that as a side lever you can mount a bipod! Can't do that very easily with a breakbarrel.

 

[Vincent10]

The HW95 or HW80-R1 in .22 with custom barrel sleeve might be a good option.

 

[mh]

I have owned a .22 and a .20 and still own a .177 54 They are great guns indeed however they are really heavy. I don’t believe the 56 is being made anymore.
Mitch

 

[cjtamu]

I don't know much about the 56TH but I'm digging the 52 I got. 52 is a 48 with a Monte Carlo stock so the LOP is a little longer than a 48, so depending on your size and shooting position one might fit better than the other. Obviously not recoilless but boy it shoots well. As someone said, they're HEAVY! If I shoot it then shoot my HW95 the Weihrauch feels like a lightweight. If you're just looking for something different it's a completely different experience than shooting a HW30S, or 50S, or 95. Have seen some grumblings on the interwebs RE quality of the post-sale Dianas. Always take that with a grain of salt, but there's a lot of smoke. Might look for one 2014 or earlier whatever you decide on.

 

[AirNGasman]

"Talk me out of a Diana 56TH"

Okay. It's HUGE, HEAVY, HARD AND AWKWARD TO COCK. In other words, not particularly inviting.

You're welcome.

 

[Sqwirl57]

"Talk me out of a Diana 56TH"

Okay. It's HUGE, HEAVY, HARD AND AWKWARD TO COCK. In other words, not particularly inviting.

You're welcome.

So was my ex but we still had some fun while it lasted

 

[cjtamu]

So was my ex but we still had some fun while it lasted

This . You might be a Diana side lever kind of guy!

 

[AirNGasman]

"So was my ex (HUGE, HEAVY, HARD AND AWKWARD TO COCK) but we still had some fun while it lasted"

Fat girls are like scooters; fun to ride, but nobody want to be seen on one!

 

[1BadDart]

I had a 48 in .22 and it was a hammer, it was also heavy and took some effort to cock. It was also a certified scope killer, three before I sold it. The Vortek kit I installed did help the shot cycle though.

I much prefer to shoot and tote around my Diana 34 and TX200.

 

[Ace31269]

So I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket and think the only responsible thing to do is get a new toy. I was thinking of grabbing an HW98 but then the .22 56 piqued my interest and think I should give it a try. Opinions?

Nah don't bother unless your shooting it benched and bagged .If you want a hunter it's a bad idea solely because it's heavy and it's a side lever cocker .Hunting situation put in the field with a stalk and shoot situation is too unwieldy..Better of with a quick acting break barrel. Problem is more than likely you'll not be able to shoot it offhand and the weight of the gun needs to be supported .The game your hunting doesn't sit still for too long .side lever guns are more for bench and rest shooting .

 

[Sqwirl57]

I've got like 20 other springers I can use for hunting. This one would mostly be for the "neato" factor as well as occasionally a groundhog. Those guys are typically very predictable so its basically just set up shop and wait for them to poke their heads out.

I agree that sidelevers aren't great though and I find them significantly less desirable than an underlever. Unfortunately, Diana doesn't make an underlever sledded Magnum that I'm aware of.

As far as weight is concerned, meh. 11lbs is heavy but if it balances well I can live with it. I'm pretty much convinced that I want one now. It'll give me a chance to try out one of the Bullseye ZR mounts at least.

Thank you everyone for your replies!

 

[crosman2016]

Honestly I don't want to be talked out of it. My mind was pretty much made up prior to making the post BUT if anyone had strong opinions of it in a negative way I am willing to hear them out. Hearing first hand experience is worth a heck of alot more to me than the 100s of "reviews" out there on YouTube these days. Everyone always skips over the negatives or at the very least sugar coats them so they can keep getting free toys to play with.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but I always type in "problems" with such and such a gun, then go through those reviews first.