by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
This Diana 25 smoothbore was made during World War II.
Oh, the things we think we know — how they vanish when we test! Today, we’re going to look at the Diana model 25 smoothbore that Vince sent me. You may remember in the last report that I was pondering when this airgun might have been made. Well, Kevin told me to look on the bottom of the butt, as the date stamp used to be there. Indeed it was! This airgun was produced in June of 1940, during the first part of World War II.
The manufacture date of the gun is stamped in small numbers on the bottom of the wooden butt.
The curiosity of a smoothbore is the extent to which the rifled barrel affects performance of the gun. I should have two identical airguns to test — one rifled and the other a smoothbore, but even then there would be subtle differences in their individual performance. I think it’s safe enough just to say what I expect from such a gun and then see what I get.
I would think a Diana 25 in good condition would give a muzzle velocity of around 625-650 with lightweight lead pellets. Remember — this is a .177. The last model 25 I tested was a Winchester 425 that was a rifled .22-caliber gun. That one gave an average velocity of 440 f.p.s. with 11.7-grain Hobbys, which I thought was a little slow. I expected about 525-550 from it with that pellet.
Preparation: Oiling the leather piston seal
To prepare for this test, I oiled the leather piston seal with about 10 drops of 3-IN-ONE oil. I just stood the gun on its butt and dropped the oil down the muzzle. By leaving it standing that way for a couple weeks while I was at the SHOT Show, the oil ran down into the compression chamber and soaked into the leather piston seal. I also oiled the leather breech seal at the same time so it would be pliable for this test. And I note that the gun now smells of burnt oil when it shoots, so everything was successful. We can be sure that the gun is performing up to the limit of its capability.
You may remember that Vince tuned this gun before he sent it. The mainspring inside was one he cut down from another rifle, so it isn’t exactly what the Diana had in it from the factory. But he took the spring from the harmonica gun that we suspect used to be a Diana model 27, so the dimensions of the spring are probably pretty close to original. We can guess and conjecture all day long, but a better way is to just shoot the gun and see what it does.
RWS Hobby
For the first pellet, I chose the 7-grain RWS Hobby. It’s a lead pellet that’s both lightweight and also a bit large, so it fits a lot of airguns very well. Since the gun was so well oiled, I actually shot three strings of 10, rather than my usual single string. The reason for this will soon be obvious.
The first string ranged from a low of 593 to a high of 627 f.p.s. The gun started in the 620s and progressively dropped in velocity as more shots were fired. That tells me it’s burning off some lubricant; and from the smell, I knew that it was.
The average for the first string was 609 f.p.s., but I believe that is too high. I think the dieseling caused by the excess oil boosted the velocity a lot. Immediately after the first string, I shot a second one.
I expected the second string to be slower and less variable, and I was right on both accounts. The average velocity for string 2 was 598 f.p.s., and the velocity ranged from 593 to 613 f.p.s. At the average velocity, the Hobbys produced 5.56 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. I don’t think the gun has settled down completely at this point, and I expect to see the average drop a few more feet per second as the gun continues to shoot. But there was still one more thing I needed to test.
Deep seating
I’d been seating the pellets flush with just my finger to this point. What would happen if I seated them deep with the Air Venturi Pellet Pen and PelSet? This time the average dropped to 594 f.p.s. and the range went from 584 to 621 f.p.s. What I make of that is that the pellet pen and deep-seating has little to no effect on the velocity of this rifle with a Hobby pellet. I think breech seating will be good, but I’m not going to leave it at that. I’ll also try shooting a group with the most accurate pellet seated deep, to compare to flush-seating.
Hobbys fit the breech tight and just a little of the skirt stuck out of the barrel. I expected them to increase in velocity with deep seating, but I guess this gun needs the extra resistance to generate all the power. It’s right on the cusp because deep-seating produces almost the same velocity, but the variability is greater; so I don’t think deep-seating is worth the extra effort.
Beeman Kodiak
The second pellet I tried was the heavyweight Beeman Kodiak. At 10.65 grains, the Kodiak is way too heavy for this gun. But that’s why I wanted to try it. I expect I’ll also try it for accuracy because who knows what it’ll do in this smoothbore?
After a couple shots that obviously dieseled, the Kodiak settled down to shoot in the mid 400s. The average was 461 f.p.s., and the range went from 443 to 470 f.p.s. At the average velocity, the Kodiak produces 5.03 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
Just for fun, I also tried deep-seating Kodiaks that fit the breech very loose. This time the result was more positive. The average velocity dropped to 448 f.p.s., but the range tightened to between 439 and 455 f.p.s. That’s just 16 f.p.s., compared to the 27 f.p.s. spread for flush-seated pellets. I guess I’ll also try deep-seating Kodiaks in the accuracy test.
JSB Exact RS
The 7.3-grain JSB Exact RS dome was the last pellet I tested in the gun. These fit the breech even looser than the Kodiaks, but they gave an average 517 f.p.s. velocity with the tightest spread of the test. The low was 512 and the high was 525 f.p.s., so only 13 f.p.s. between the top and bottom. At the average velocity, this pellet produces 4.33 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
Naturally, I tried deep-seating the RS pellet, as well. And to my surprise, the consistency grew even tighter as the average velocity decreased. The average was 504 f.p.s., but the spread went from 500 to 511 f.p.s., for an 11 f.p.s. difference. I guess I’ll deep-seat all the pellets during the accuracy test, as well.
Cocking effort.
The Diana 25 cocks like many vintage breakbarrel springers. It begins easy, then stacks toward the end. The max effort required is 19 lbs., which makes this a youth airgun in my book.
Trigger pull
The trigger is two-stage, and stage two is reasonably crisp. The first-stage pull is 1 lb., 8 oz., and stage two breaks at 5 lbs., 11 oz. It isn’t a target trigger in any respect, but it’s crisp enough that I know I can do good work with it.
Impressions so far
I’m finding that this smoothbore is, in fact, very similar to the rifled version of the Diana 25. The size, fit, trigger and feel of the gun give no indication that the bore is smooth. But this gun was made in 1940; and as such, has several differences from the Dianas of the 1970s that I’m used to. For starters, the sights are simpler, and there’s no rear base for a peep sight. Then, there’s the simpler trigger that cannot be adjusted.
I have to admit I’m very curious about how this gun is going to perform on target. I know it can’t be as accurate as a rifle, but I find myself hoping that it’s close. We shall see.
I am starting to be more and more fascinated with these vintage airguns. Maybe because I am becoming vintage. Who knows, I might end up with a sproinger or two yet.
Yesterday, a friend showed me a Daisy Red Ryder Carbine his 83 year old father bought back when he was a kid. I figure it is 70+ years old. It said it was NO 111 MODEL 40 and was made in Plymouth, Michigan. There is no oil hole and the rear sight is adjusted vertically by a screw. It is on the lower side of fair condition, but for some reason I find I would like to get my hands on it.
I reckon I will have to save up some change and see what shows up at the show this year.
In airguns, I tend to be more interested in performance than history, but it seems that I am slowly becoming obsolete. There is a new generation of airguns creeping in that is different from and more advanced than what was available during my big buying spree of a few years ago.
I am getting more interested in vintage firearms. The history just freaks me out; when I hold one my being feels charged with power! But they can’t be too vintage. The muzzleloading, blackpowder is a bit too much hassle for me at this stage.
Matt61
Tom, please contact me off stage, have some oil that is made for leather seals…
Why not share with the rest of us?!
I love to but the supply is limited….
No, I mean what brand, kind, etc.
Those are great fun rifles. I like them a lot, accurate, fun and easy to shoot all day long. You can sit on your porch in summer and plink with those rifles all day long.
Speaking of plinking I was looking at another report of the SHOT show from a Canadian seller/airgun reviewer and he presented the Umarex Steel Force… I WANT ONE! It’s based on the Steel Storm with the same kind of mag and burst mode but it looks like an AR rifle and shoots under 500fps! YAY
I’d like to attend the SHOT show one day, I’d probably be like a kid in a candy store.
J-F
BB,
The accuracy test will be interesting. I have one smoothbore – a Diana 16 – and it has definite preferences. The JSB Exact RS pellet was one of the worst at 10 meters but Hobbies and all other JSB pellets did far better. At 15 and 20 yards careful shooting with its favorite pellets gave groups in the 1.5-inch range.
Paul in Liberty County
Very timely review. I have a Diana 25 coming this week that is marked “West Germany”, “Foreign”
“Original”. It is said to be rifled. The rear sight elevation has a slider not a screw elevator. Also just picked up a HyScore 806 ( Diana 22) that is my new sweet Heart. Talk about a joy to shoot. And Ballistol plus Zenith Tibet Almond Stick produced unbelievable results. The HyScore 806 was bone, desert Bone Dry. Couple of drops of RWS Air Chamber Lube and six drops of RWS Spring Cylinder Oil on the spring should help. RWS Super Dome almost want to disappear in the chamber, but really zing out of the 806. Have no chrony, but lots of Dog Food cans.
Pete
California
Pete,
Some interesting history about your new Diana. It’s post WW II, of course. The West Germany rells you that, but so does the Original. Germany was forced to give some of the tooling and plans for the Diana airguns to the UK is reparations for the war and Millard Brothers (Milbro) of Scotland began producing the Diana spring guns. To tell the UK guns from the German guns, the German guns were called Original, as in the original Diana maker.
B.B.
B.B. Terrific information ! Totally unaware of the ” Original” meaning. Or what is meant by “Foriegn”.
Since this is over 50 years old, what oil would you suggest I drip down the bore and let sit for a couple of weeks. And, just ten drops ? I’ll have other air rifles to use. As you mentioned, it will sit in the corner on its butt. Sort of like me.
Thank you very much for historical heads up, B.B.
Best wishes,
Pete
hmm…Spell check did not work..
Pete,
I just use Three-in-1 oil. I always works and it’s cheap. With a 25 you’re not dealing with much compression anyway.
Yes, 10 drops down the muzzle and don’t be anal about the count. If you put in more, more will soak into the seal.
B.B.
These little vintage airguns have SO much to offer.The quality of engineering coupled with the light weight & just sufficient plinking power beg to be used indoors.I have set up indoors to shoot any of my “magnum” airguns safely (it helps that I’m a batchelor) but I find more & more that I’m much more apt to grab a small old Haenel,or Hyscore 801 or little Winchester to bang away at the paper targets.They are my inner child’s favorite posessions!
Yes, the Marlin 39A leveraction rimfire which is on my buy list (Annie Oakley’s gun!) is supposed to have the longest production run ever, but the word is that the quality of the current model is less than it used to be.
Matt61
There are lots and lots of used ones out there. I would look for one made in the 50’s or 60’s. The one I have was made in the late 1950’s and has a nice vintage Redfield receiver sight on it. It’s a great shooter.
Mike
Mine, I think, is 1952. Bought it last month at a gun show. A little beat up, but boy – does that action still work nice!
BB,
Just curious. Why did you choose to use 3N1 oil instead of, say, Pellgunoil on the seal? I used 3N1 on my Daisy when I was a kid, because my father used it on everything from carb linkage to screen door hinges. It was the WD40 of the 1950’s. But my local gun shop owner advised against using it on guns.
Why? Darn if I know. The Daisy eventually wore out completely, but not due to lack of lubrication.
Les
Les,
I used it because at the low compression of the 25, a regular household oil is ideal. You don’t need anything special.
B.B.
I agree. I have read nothing but bad reports on 3N1 Oil gumming up, etc. Yes, it was THE oil in the 30’s~50’s ( yes, I was there..). WD40 is not a lubricant, it is a Water Displacement Oil. But we all used it on our Go Karts ( yes, the trade marked “Go Kart” ) chains. Remoil or Hoppe’s ( higher Viscosity) gun oil are much better lubes.
Chasing Campbell Soup Cans,
Pete
The lube subject always stirs a bit of controversy or at least some discussions doesn’t it…
I don’t remember where or who exactly but got that but I was told the 3 in 1 oil formulated for electric engines wouldn’t cause detonation in springers and when out of other oils it could do the job.
I still have the little canister, doesn’t smell bad! Kinda like a citrus smell I’d like to be able to use more for my airguns!
But it’s not out of nostalgia as I wasn’t there in the 50’s… my parents where born in the 50’s LOL
J-F
J-F, if you still have that Red and White can of 3N1, go to eBay. A can in good condition with a cap are selling for over $10.00 or more plus shipping. Some into $30.00.
Pete
California
Who knows what happened when WD-40 (company) bought up 3-in-1…
(Hmm, Tri-Flow is owned by a paint maker — Sherwin-Willams)
Do you think we should mix them together and get WD-41 or 4 in 1 or WD-4 in 1?
Or it’s 1AM and I should go to bed…
J-F
More. An email pal of mine only works on Daisy 25 BB guns and he uses non-detergent 20 weight Oil on the leather. Note, did not say 20W, the “W” in this case would indicate “Winter” as seen in 10W~30 oils. He says you can find it at auto parts stores. I’ll have to check. Sounds like a 2-cycle oil, perhaps.
Pete
Pete,
Yes, I have a whole “back bar” full of oils. Remoil, Hoppe’s, Pellgunoil, 30W non-detergent (the W just stands for “weight”, I think), WD40. No 3N1, but it is locally available.
Les
I’ll have to check our Stihl 2-cycle oil . It seems heavier than 30W. Next time we trek to town, going to pick up some 3N1, just for display. The little classic spout can. Drop by our large sewing machine shop ( very popular in agricultural Santa Maria, California , where many of your veggies and wines come from..)and maybe pick up the famous green Singer Sewing machine oil. Is there a forum on oil cans ? Anyway, My Gamo Big Cat ( .177 ) is for pests, these little Diana pattern air rifles, though toy like, are just a joy !
Dog cans can be stronger than Campbell Tomato Soup cans !
Pete
Correction : My email pal says 30W Non-Detergent oil, only ! He is a retired Marine Captain that climbed from the ranks of Pvt. Saw lots on Vietnam action. He works only on Daisy 25 as a hobby. Fixes them up, then teaches kids how to shoot and gives them the Daisy 25. He is a hero in anybodies book.
Pete
California
Update: The Diana 25 arrived from Florida here to California. Better cosmetics than I had hoped, yet, a heavy patina cleaned up nicely using B.B.’s recommended Ballistol. The front trigger guard screw was missing. The one the secures the rear of the cylinder to the stock, so it kind of flopped , separating, but staying in the stock. The front screws were very loose as you can imagine. When I removed the stock and tried the trigger, the gun fired ! A week in travel , cocked. Not Good. Away, part er it out, added drops of RWS spring oil and put it back together. The HyScore 806 ( Diana 22 ) rear trigger screw fit, so we secured the Diana 25 and fired it. Amazing, the .22 caliber Crosman ” Hunting” 14.3 gr. pointed pellet smashed into a 1/4″ scrap of plywood.
I checked, and T.W.Chambers & Co., U.K. is back up in business ( ! ) Ordered the front trigger screw and a few minor parts. As to Non-Detergent oil, Auto Zone has the desired 30W (Only) Oil , a house brand, at $3.99. The label states not to use in engines, because it may cause damage due it total lack of any additives. Comforting to know it is Non-Detergent. Packaged in a red plastic screw top one quart. The guys at Auto Zone laughed with us that it should last a long time at 10~20 drops per air gun.
Pete
California
Pete,
And, is it rifled?
B.B.
B.B., it is rifled, yes.. Very much so. Have never seen rifling cut this deep on any air guns or firearms.
Do not know why this seems to be. I’ll run some J-B through the bore using Lewis Crown Saver. Maybe I should use an alloy rod.
Thank you B.B. for all your help and your continuing ” Primo” blogs !
Pete
California
Tom,
Seeing that you tried the Baracuda in this airgun, I was curious about your thoughts on that heavy a pellet in lower power rifles in general. I ask because I bought a JSB sampler to try different pellets in my new HW-30S, and I did try 5 of the JSB Exact Heavies (10.3 grains) and they all shot well at ~510 fps to a tight group. The shot cycle seemed about the same as with the Exact (8.4 grain) which averaged about 610 fps, but I did not shoot more than the five. When I tried one of the Monsters (13.4 grains) it detonated and registered 411 fps, but I did not do any more given the detonation. This was after over 1000 shots were on the gun, so it was pretty well broken in.
Any thoughts on using the Exact Heavies on an ongoing basis, other than the loopy trajectory?
Alan in MI
Alan,
I don’t think there will be any problems with those pellets. I would used them.
B.B.
I’m surprised that Germany was still making airguns in 1940. I thought that they had gone completely to a war footing.
Wulfraed, you’re right that I meant crosswind. David Tubb says that wind coming at you or from behind you will make no difference to your shot which makes physical sense unless you’re shooting at a really extreme distance. We had a discussion about this a long time ago, and you have identified the two countervailing factors of near and far. Near wind affect the bullet for less time but will have more of a deflecting effect. Far wind affects the bullet for longer but will have less of a magnifying effect. I did an idealized calculation to show that other things being equal, the near wind should have a much greater effect. But in real life it probably comes down to the various factors you mention. I don’t know what to make of the army snipers’ claim about wind in the middle. That seems to me to be a fuzzy concept of not much use.
Victor, you’re quite right about reinforcing bad habits. I don’t have time for 10 or 35 minute breaks in my shooting. But I try to be very strict about the number of shots regardless of how I’m shooting and which days I shoot. There’s a guy on YouTube who does a lot of shooting, and one of his maxims is never to quit on a miss. I understand the impulse, but I think that’s the worst thing you can do as it places all the value on the result and not the process.
It was a grevious trial to me to stop shooting for a day, but I put in the time, dry firing my firearms. Results are perfect! Now, I’m ready to go back and reestablish myself.
Matt61
Hello Matt61. The maxim you stated (attributed to someone on YT ), immediately caught my attention. I remember back in the early 80’s, when practicing for an upcoming archery tournament, I thought roughly the same way. Always quit on a 10. Meaning a perfectly executed arrow shot in the 10 ring. I have no idea if this helped my tournament scores, but I was a more courteous driver on the way home from the range. I was the type of shooter who would dwell for a long while over a poorly executed shot, instead of forgetting it and moving on to making a perfect one. The hard part about quiting on a high note, is the act of quiting. You shoot a 10, and you think, ‘ that was easy,’ so you try for another one. This always leads to frustration, and thoughts of dastardly deeds. Airguns seem to have the same effect. Hopefully, I have matured a bit over the years. Also, I have not yet competed in an airgun tournament. Maybe subconsciously, I’m just a bit ‘Gold Shy’ to start competition. Hmm.
Caio Titus
Yes, it seems surpising that Germany would be making air guns at that time. My guess would be to teach youth groups rifle shooting. I did see a mention that Hitler actually cut production on the ME 109 thinking that the war was winding down, in his favor.
Pete
Matt61,
You may recall what I’ve said about emotion and shot execution. You should never allow emotion, good or bad, to factor into your psychology. Yes, even when everything seems to be going perfect you should not allow yourself to get excited, or even happy. As my coaches would always say, shots down range are like water under the bridge, they don’t matter anymore, and shot yet to be taken don’t matter either. The only shot that matters is the one that you’re in the process of taking.
So, no, now you end your session doesn’t matter. I’ve ended many a shooting session where nothing seemed to be going right. The worse things were, the more I knew there was a solution to some yet to be determined problem. I am an optimist, and that is a fundamental requirement to being a champion.
Now regarding psychology, it does help to have a positive outlook, and also to feel good. For me, “feel good” music (even if just a favorite song) helped me get into a “groove”, where I had a little more kick in my stride. Feeling good is not the same thing as being excited about how things are going, or even how good things might go. Feeling good is about being at peace with yourself and the world around you. It’s about being relaxed and clear headed. When you have this you don’t want this groove to be interrupted.
A huge part of high performance is to not allow your mind to be distracted. Even a brief thought about something that you feel strongly about will cost you a point. I believe that small mental distractions are the cause of most points dropped. When a person has enough experience, they don’t struggle so much with their body. The biggest issues are all mental. Even if your body can allow you to hold the X-ring, you can still fail to align your sights perfectly.
So how you’re doing, good or bad, should not influence the shot at hand. The only thing that matters is the current shot being executed.
Victor
I am 15 years old. And only have 400 dollars. I am in between buying the ruger 10/22 and the benjamin discovery. Which would u suggest?
Ryan cole,
Tell us what your intended us for the gun is going to be. Target shooting at 50 yards? Rolling cans at 20 yards? Shooting squirrels out of your fruit trees at 30 yards? Do you have a pump or scuba tank to fill the discovery already?
kevin
Ryan,
You have found a great place to ask this advice. There is a lot of knowledge here. I do not feel well qualified to supply much of that but if you stick around with the daily blog and its comments section you can learn a lot.
I would suggest you tell us a little more about your shooting experiences. It might help to make a suggestion.
The Discovery will be less expensive for ammo and can be shot in more confined spaces. I don’t think either rifle is a bad choice. I look forward to the helpful suggestions you get here.
Mark N
I plan on using it for squirrel hunting between 20-50 yards. I want something that will hue me the best accuracy possible. Also no I do not already have a pump for the benjamin I would have to buy both. Pcp woul be new to me but I feel that it would be a good field to get into. Thnx for any help
Ryan,
Your effort for the “best accuracy possible” puts a smile on my face. So many people value power over accuracy but you seem to be on the right path.
You will do well here.
Mark N
That is a good sign. For accuracy in .22, a bolt action .22LR would be an even better choice than the 10/22, in my opinion, though. It costs a lot to get some 10/22’s to the level of the base model Savage Mk.II.
Wait, but if u were me which gun would u chose?
Ryan cole,
Don’t let anyone choose your gun. You’re doing the right thing by asking questions based on your use. Ask folks if they’ve owned both guns you’re considering and why they would choose one gun over the other. Don’t ask them to make YOUR decision.
kevin
Ryan,
Stick around and take your time. You have lots of it even if you feel a little short of cash.
You cannot make a wrong choice from where I stand. The learning process continues. Most here would give a lot to be in your shoes.
I am sure B.B. will chime in on your questions but maybe not tonight. Keep up with the daily comments and I am sure you will be most welcome.
Mark N
Ok, thanks for all the help
Ryan,
I responded to your first post rather than this one. I advised you to get the 10/22 because the gun grabbers may take it off the market.
Yes, a 10-22 out of the box is not a very nice firearm. Mine took some money to slick up and get the trigger working nice. And yes, even after the accurizing, a Benjamin Discovery will still shoot better out to 50 yards on a calm day.
But the 10-22 is a classic. I own a Marlin 39A that I love, but it’s not as accurate as my 10-22, now that it has been worked on.
I sent mine rifle to Connecticut Precision Chambering to have the chamber reamed for a target chamber. The bolt face was trued, the trigger was lightened (now breaks at about 2.5 pounds instead of the 5+ from the factory) the mag release go at extension, the bolt was jewelled and a cleanout hole was bore in the back of the receiver so I can clean the gun from the breech, once it has been disassembled. All that cost me $145 plus shipping about 8 years ago.
I have written five articles about this gun for Shotgun News in a series titled, “What can you do with a 10-22?” With a bull barrel option the rifle finally became as accurate as a Benjamin Discovery, but by that time the investment was well over twice the cost of the airgun.
Still, I recommend you get the 10-22, because it may go away and you don’t want to miss out.
B.B.
In your state are there any issues having to do with your age and what you can own and use?
Although my very first gun was a 10/22 (I was 13, almost 40 years ago), if you’re looking for accuracy I’d be sorely tempted to go for the Marlin 60, or maybe a Henry. The general consensus seems to be that the cheaper Marlin is actually more accurate than the Ruger, and when I shoot mine I get the same sense.
For what you are looking for, I don’t know if the marginal superiority of the bolt-action really amounts to anything substantial.
Ryan cole,
Ok, squirrels at 30-50 yards. You didn’t mention WHERE you’re shooting squirrels. A rimfire, like the 10/22 you’re eyeing, has a range of 1 mile or more depending on ammo. Are you safe shooting out to a mile without killing anyone where you’ll be hunting?
The most important question is the one that Vince asked, “In your state are there any issues having to do with your age and what you can own and use?”
Really want to help you but need some more answers. Thanks.
kevin
Not to muddy the waters… there’s a lot to be said for the even cheaper Marlin 60!
Vince,
Mine (actually a Glenfield 60) was once pretty impressive! Now it and I are both old and worn out. I think we are both illegal in New Jersey, also :)!
If it’s the old 18-shot version, and the spring tube hasn’t been crimped, then yes. It is a monster machine of mass mayhem and destruction. It threatens civilization and our very existence.
I’d go with the Discovery these days. Probably there is little real difference in effective range for hunting small game, but the pellets are safer downrange, esp. when squirrel hunting (i.e. shooting up at squirrels).
Also, if you want a .22 (firearm), check out the Marlin 39A that Matt is talking about above. Fast action, excellent accuracy, easy to handle…couldn’t have enough good things said about it. I guess I didn’t think about a younger person liking a classic lever action, but they have a lot going for them if one is willing to try.
Ryan,
The Discovery, or other air-rifle(s), are more versatile in that you can safely and legally shoot them in more places than a .22 caliber rim-fire. However, you might be able to find a dealer who will sell you a Ruger 10/22 Target Model for $400.00. This stock model is very accurate with the right ammo, including some of the stuff that you can find at Walmart.
Victor
15 years old? I presume you have a parent that would buy the .22 rimfire (at least, I’m pretty sure Ruger hasn’t licensed an air-gun look-alike for the 10/22).
That also may affect your planned squiddle hunts — at that age are you permitted free-range (that is, unsupervised) hunting with a firearm? (Obtaining the license is a different matter).
The air gun probably will be cheaper on ammo, safer in terms of effective distance (shorter than the 1+ mile .22LR), and offer practice sessions in more locations (got a 30+ foot basement? while 10yards is short for the hunting purpose, learning the hold/aim skills is feasible — and you might be able to adjust a scope using ChairGun Pro [do a google search for the download] feeding it your rough data to compare point of aim vs point of impact [though you really should have a chronograph to determine velocity])
I have a hunting license and I would be hunting With my dad. And technically he would be the one purchasing the gun. There is a new place I am going to check today that is close by where u can hunt squirrels. If this place checks out ok I will probably buy the benjamin discovery. If it doesn’t I may not purchase anything because the reviews say the disco is as loud as a .22 lr and I have no other place to shoot that.
That seal got a good soaking of 30wt before reassembly… and I noted the same thing. I expect that velocity will ultimately settle in the 500’s with normal pellets.
Also, I forgot to mention I currently have the TR77 with Leapers 5th gen 3-12×40 AO scope an I am getting the grt 3 trigger this weekend. I have killed to squirrels with the gun but it seems to be very hard to accurately take down a squirrel from a window.