by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
I’m going to the Roanoke airgun show this week. I’ll be on the road starting Wednesday morning, and I’m asking you veteran readers to help the new readers with their questions, as I’ll have less time on the road to devote to the blog. My wife, Edith, will more closely monitor the blog comments and jump in whenever she can.
I’ve also selected a special gun to report this week — the Diana model 23. I did all the photography and testing before leaving, so I’ll be able to write the report while I’m on the road.
The model 23 is the largest youth rifle Diana made after the war, but that’s still very small. When you see one in person, it isn’t very impressive; but when you examine it in detail the way I have, you begin to appreciate all that Diana put into this gun. The size may not be there, but the quality certainly is.
My late friend, Mac, loved airguns like these. He used to buy them, fix them up if they needed it and give them to young kids with their parents’ permission. It was his way of perpetuating the sport. I never used to give these small airguns a second glance before I saw them through Mac’s eyes. So I guess this report is a sort of memorial to him.
About a month ago, I was prowling though the Gun Broker website and happened upon a listing for a Winchester model 432 air rifle for $30 with no reserve. There were only a couple days left on the listing, yet there were no bids on the gun. A look at the photos told me why.
Not as pretty as I would like. This Diana 23 has led a hard life.
The finish was mostly gone from the gun! But I read the description and looked more closely at the detail shots and realized this might be a project gun that somebody abandoned. The seller said it was still smooth and powerful, despite the loss of blue. Had the owner simply stripped off the old blue in hopes of refinishing it?
A word about Winchester airguns
The name Winchester is magic in the gun community. Real Winchester firearms do command good prices, and they always command attention. But Winchester never made an airgun. The Diana-series air rifles made for Winchester are all numbered in the 400-series, and this is a model 423, which translates to a Diana 23. Winchester had about as much to do with the making of this airgun as any of you! So, in the grand scheme of things, the Winchester name on an airgun should mean nothing.
Except, it sometimes does! Firearms owners who are unfamiliar with the Winchester/Diana relationship of the 1960s and ’70s sometimes place a high value on these guns, regardless of the fact they’re neither rare nor made any better than any other Dianas from the same timeframe.
The mottled blue hides the Winchester name. The model number is at the right.
The listing noted the great loss of blue and also said there were no cracks in the wooden stock. The pictures were detailed and not flattering. Therefore, I made the assessment that the dealer was honest.
For just $30 ($50, total, with shipping) I thought this rifle was worth a gamble. Even if it was trash, the parts were worth that much since it can always be rebuilt. I took a risk, made a bid and won it!
A week later, a large box arrived through the U.S. Postal Service and inside was my new air rifle, well-packed in bubble wrap and peanuts. After unwrapping it, the first thing I did was drop 10 drops of silicone oil down the air transfer hole and work the piston up and down until I heard the leather seal squishing. That told me it was pliable. Then, I loaded the rifle and took the first shot — keeping the muzzle over a box to prevent the oil droplets from hitting the table.
The rifle did seem to have all the power it was supposed to. Next, I examined the entire gun thoroughly, looking for defects. I found none. I’d given it a quick once-over before firing it, of course, but this examination was longer and slower.
The date stamp on the left side of the spring tube told me the rifle had been made in February 1969, making it an early one with the Winchester name.
The date stamp of 02 69 means the date of manufacture is February 1969.
The rifle
The Diana 23 is either a small adult rifle or a fully-developed youth model. The model 22 that’s farther down the price scale has a brass liner barrel with a sheet metal outer jacket, so the 23 is the smallest model with the full features of an adult gun.
This model came in both rifled and smoothbore versions. It was made from 1951 to 1982, according to the Blue Book of Airguns, and came in both .177 and .22 calibers. Mine is a .177 that curiously does not have the European caliber designation of 4.5mm anywhere on the gun.
The only caliber marking is .177.
The rifle is 35.50 inches long with a 14.50-inch barrel. The length of pull is 13 inches even, which is a quarter of an inch longer than the Air Venturi Bronco pull. The rifle weighs 3 lbs., 11 oz.
The stock is beech wood and cut from a thin slab, so the rounded shape is more in your mind than in reality. But the edges are all nicely rounded to promote the look of a fuller stock. The stain is medium brown and even. There are no spots of wood filler like Chinese rifles often have, but the rubber anti-skid button found on the models 25 and 27 is missing from the bottom of the butt.
The trigger is a direct-contact type, and there’s no adjustment. It’s 2-stage, and the second stage breaks very crisply — much more so than I was expecting from a rifle in this class.
The sights are a fixed, tapered blade at the front (called a Korn sight in Germany) and a rear leaf that’s adjustable only for elevation. Both the front and rear sights can be drifted in their dovetails for small windage corrections.
Front sight is a tapered blade.
Rear sight is a leaf that adjusts for elevation.
I was pleased to discover that the seller was correct about the condition. The metal is mostly smooth, despite the appearance. Only the barrel has any roughness to it. I wonder if I could refinish the whole gun with Blue Wonder cold blue?
A little gem
As I examined the rifle, I began to see Mac’s fascination with it. In every way, it’s a perfect little 3/4 replica of a Diana 27. It’s beautiful in that respect. After wiping down the stock with Ballistol, I was surprised to find the wood is in 95 percent condition! It’s as nice as the stocks on all my other Dianas! Only the metal parts need refinishing to make this little gun a bright new penny, again.
I think I’m going to have fun with this one.
It’s these slim, svelte, well built, accurate airguns that help me relive a childhood with airguns that I didn’t experience.
Shouldering and shooting these short range accurate beauties really brings a smile to my face.
Hey Edith!!!
That comment was posted with my iPad!!! Thank you!
Kevin
Kevin,
That’s good news. I’ll tell Edith when she awakes.
B.B.
Kevin,
Looks like IT fixed it. I’m sure you weren’t the only airgunner with an iPad who couldn’t post a comment, so you helped some other people by reporting the issue.
Thanks,
Edith
Thank you for the information re the Diana 22. My d22 does have a rifled brass barrel. I read your article about the Diana 16 (2011). I compared it to my Slavia 612. It is a copy of the D 16. I am very interested in these older youth rifles. I have two grandsons, and we enjoy shooting them.I like the fact that they can cock them without too much effort.
B.B.
I can’t believe this!! This was my very first airgun & introduction to the world of airguns by my Dad when I was around 10. We got it from my Uncle in a very poor condition & it was repaired by Dad & was like new after. We had it for a long time & did some great shooting with it. I can’t count the number of crows we downed with it. Unfortunately, it was taken away by someone and never returned. It brings back all my childhood memories. I never thought I would see even a picture of it again. I remember its great accuracy and it was quite powerful although small. THANK YOU SIR for taking me back………..
Errol
Errol,
This is what we strive for — your best memories.
Thanks for the feedback!
B.B.
B.B.
You are most welcome Sir.I haven’t felt this good for quite a while! This was the trigger. Please continue your Magic! Look forward to the test. By the way mine was an original Diana made in Germany. Can’t remember the DOM though.
Errol
Errol,
According to the Blue Book of Airguns, original Dianas with the finger groove in the stock are worth 20 percent more.
B.B.
B.B.
Wish I still had my old faithful Diana 23. Don’t think I would have got a good price here though. There is no appreciation anymore for old things of quality. Its all about the latest & the fastest now.All the top Brands are available here including Diana.
Errol
Tell me who took your air gun from you I will get it back for You ! Or I will give you my Benjamin .22 in box it just needs a small seal replacement the company will probably do it for free. And it’s an air gun not a real gun but you will love it. Email matthew72@live.com every one deserves an good new air rifle it’s a right of passage . I have a large collection, so it’s an easy reapare your Dad will probably get I fixed for just fine ,it’s a great gun powerful and accurate.
B.B.
The one we owned had a long deep groove along the forestock.
Errol
Why do you always do this?! Right before the show, you do a blog about some great old air rifle and sure enough, they will be dragged from the closets and be on the tables, but the price tags will have doubled. I won’t be able to touch one of those things now.
RR,
Roanoke always does have a couple Diana 23s, and $60 is a very reasonable price for one. In fact, Mac bought several at that price. What you have to worry about are the ones going for $100.
B.B.
I am hoping to find a nice trigger with a sproinger attached this year, even if it does come out of your trunk.
Seriously though, I would desire your learned opinion concerning sproinger triggers this show.
RR,
It’s called manipulating the market…. BB probably has his trunk full of them…. JK! 🙂
/Dave
I know. I bought the TSS he built for Mac last year. We’ll see what he lays on the table this year.
RidgeRunner,
I expect to see a picture and hear tales of the Falke 90 that should be on B.B.’s table.
kevin
Kevin,
The Falke 90 will indeed be on my table.
B.B.
🙂
My goodness – the Falke! Does it still work?
Vince,
Well, of course it does! You fixed it for life, didn’t you? 😉
B.B.
Yes. It was a lifetime repair. In other words, when it stops working its lifetime is over. That’s the one you had the stock repair done on, right? Do you mind if I ask what you think it’d fetch?
Vince,
I have no idea! I am not going to put a price on it. I brought it to show, but if someone has an interesting trade I would consider it. But since I have owned almost everything by now, I don’t even know what that would be!
B.B.
I love these, it think they are my favorite type of springers. They’re not the nicest looking, the most accurate or most powerful but man are these fun to shoot! These small rifles can be shot all day long, you’ll go thru a tin of pellets before you realise it.
J-F
Remember these in the “Boys Life ” magazine ads of my misspent youth. Seemed more like a “real” rifle to me back then compared to my Daisy. Always wanted one , and now I have a more modern Diana Mod 24 because of those memories.
These are some of my real favorites for all the mentioned reasons.Their small size is just eclipsed by the quality.They are an express ticket back to childhood and beyond.My favorites are the small Dianas,the CZ’s and of course the Belgium Hyscore and the Haenels Model 1s.Heck I guess I just like them all.LOL
BB,
I love the little rifles. One of my favorites is the Slavia 618 which is a tiny break barrel.
I was surprised to read that the 423 is 177 caliber. All of the other Winchester Branded Diana Springers I have seen have been 22 caliber. I had been told that all Winchester branded Diana airguns were 22 caliber. That is obviously wrong. Were any of the Winchester 425, 427, or 435 models made in 177 caliber?
Speaking of the 435, I wish you would do a blogs about the old Diana 35 and 45s. They are great rifles as well.
Have a great trip. I wish I could make the trip myself.
David Enoch
David, I have a very nice Slavia 618 offered on GunBroker. When that is sold, I’ll be down to 6 air rifles. I have no air pistols. Have to ask Tom what he thinks is a good back yard quiet air rifle. I do not want a PCP. I am moving to the city so I am cutting down on air guns.
Pete
California
David,
I never gave it much though, but now that I do I don’t think I have ever seen a .177 Winchester 425 or 427.
B.B.
David,
I had the exact same thought. I thought all Winchester Diana’s were .22cal.
Now I wonder if the 23 was ever made in .22cal? If it wasn’t then that would answer the question.
Maybe the Blue book will tell me.
Mark N
Mark,
Indeed they were made in .22 cal; I have one in my gun closet right now. It is no powerhouse – mid 300’s velocity with 14 grain pellets.
Paul in Liberty County
Could it be a Frankengun… If all the “Winchester” markings are on the receiver, is it possible someone swapped a .177 barrel for a .22?
Had three Diana 23 air rifles. These have to be the best low cost quality beginners air rifles. Two of mine where Hy-Score 806 and the third was a Diana 23. With Tom’s non-detergent 30WT. 8 drops (or so) down the barrel, they shot like champs.
Pete
California.
Pete,
For low power I’d recommend the Bronco. The TX 200 for high power.
B.B.
I found an old HW 30s with a similar dovetail front sight. The problem is that it moves with the slightest touch. Are there any old tricks to affix/lock it? I’m thinking that if I could find a peep that fits the 13 mm scope rail, I’d be able to make all adjustments with the rear sight.
Thanks!
Spritzer,
A thin piece of brass shim stock (found at hobby stores) underneath the front sight with take up the slop.
If you don’t have enough room for thin shim stock, consider taking a punch to either side of the sight. The raised area around these lightly punched indents should tighten up the sight.
kevin
I have owned a few of these, but not until I was past 45 or so. To have had one as a kid in 1969 would have been amazing. My favorite was a Diana smooth barrel from the 1930’s that was very accurate and easy to shoot. I thought that it might fare better with round balls due to the lack of rifling, but it was at its best with pellets. They handle like an airgun version of a Winchester 92.
Since they were not intended for a peep sight an R7 with a Beeman \ Williams aperture is still better for actual field use, but if you just want some plinking fun they are hard to beat.
Avoid the .22 caliber versions however, the pellets are moving so slow they will ricochet all over the place. ( rather than flattening they bounce off objects similar to a steel BB )
I must ask a question. Is it legal to ship an airgun through the post office? I’ve heard two stories. One says yes it is because it isn’t really a firearm. The other says no it is not since the postal service classifies them as a firearm thus hazardous and illegal to ship through the post office. Will the real answer please stand up?
John,
Yes it is legal to send long guns, both firearms and airguns, through the mail. Handguns of both kind are not permitted.
B.B.
B.B.,
Remember when we lived in Maryland? The post office refused to mail anything with a trigger. They guy said guns violated Postal regs. I asked him to show it to me, but he couldn’t find it because he was too busy. Then, I asked a sarcastic question, to which he gave a really stupid answer:
Me: So, if I want to ship a sprayer from my garden hose, I can’t do that because it has a trigger to activate it. Is that right?
Postal dude: If it has a trigger, you can’t ship it via the Postal Service.
Another reason I’m glad we moved to Texas!
Edith
That’s where “sporting goods” comes in handy.
That’s always what I’m shipping.
J-F
Sounds like you lived in a liberal controlled state back then. The gun paranoia has gotten so bad. I hear Obama is trying to renew his push in light of the Navy Yard shooting to further restrict gun sales. Apparently he doesn’t understand that most “bad guys” don’t go to a gun shop to buy a gun. In the case of these mass shooters they have no criminal record so they pass background checks with no problem. That or they steal what they intend to use. In the case of the Navy Yard shooter he took Joe Biden’s advice and bought a shotgun. Yet Obama still wants your “assault weapons” even though criminals are now buying shotguns….legally too.
The local post office is clueless. Some staff member told me with absolute certainty that you cannot mail rifles through the post office. Naturally, online regulations said otherwise. Why is it that the dumbest people are the one’s most sure of themselves. It turns out that the head of the branch whom I called later didn’t know the regulations either.
Matt61
Matt61,
After UPS went on strike years ago, FedEx picked up the slack and added ground shipping. It was supposed to be a temporary stop-gap measure, but they were embraced and are probably UPS’ largest competitor now. Once we started using FedEx for our gun shipments, we never looked back.
However, all FedEx offices aren’t up to date on the facts. Mac relayed this wonderful “gotcha” story to me about a FedEx office he used.
He went to deliver an air rifle for shipping, which had actually been shipped to him via FedEx. The clerk told him no firearms allowed (of course, this was in the nanny state of Maryland). Mac explained it wasn’t a firearm. The clerk refused and basically said it’s never gonna happen.
Mac walked outside, called FedEx’s home office, spoke to a supervisor who agreed that Mac could send his air rifle via FedEx. Mac gave the clerk’s name to the supervisor, and was then put on hold. Mac watched as the call from the home office supervisor came thru to the store, the clerk was on the phone him and apparently was educated about FedEx’s rules.
After the supervisor finished with the clerk, he came back to Mac’s line, told him everything was set up and to go back into the store to deliver his airgun for shipping. Mac did that and was treated well by the sheepish and embarrassed clerk. Mac made it a point to avoid all other FedEx stores and deliver all his guns to this one store. Hardheaded people need to have a message driven home repeatedly, so Mac felt it was his duty to airgundom to ensure that.
Sometimes, the good guys win 🙂
Edith
It must have been hilarious.
A few weeks ago I was reading about a guy who checked online in a big chain and went to the store who had his airgun in stock, when he got the store the clerk couldn’t find it and said they had none left. He stood in front of the clerk, took his smart phone, ordered the airgun online with store pick-up, now the clerk had to find the gun.
Some of these employees just do not care about you despite being paid because you shop there and if everyone stopped shopping there because of their attitude they and everyone around them would have no job.
J-F
John,
As correctly stated you can ship long guns (airguns and firearms) through the USPS. Firearm must be shipped to an ffl.
Would strongly advise against using the post office for shipping guns since their tracking is horrible and insurance claim handling is atrocious.
Not crazy about UPS but have had good experience shipping long guns with fedex and I’ve shipped a lot of guns over the years.
kevin
The question came up recently when I sold an air rifle. I thought I had shipped it via USPS. My customer went into vapors thinking I had shipped it illegally. When I had shecked I had actually sent it UPS since it was cheaper by a few dollars. On another gun I sold the guy had given me a P.O. box so I had to ship USPS. When I had asked that guy to give me an actual address so I could use UPS instead of post office he said there was nothing illegal about using USPS. Thus I had two stories to check out since I had two different stories. So it appears rifles are ok, but pistols are not. All these shipping rules are typically confusing as you get with any government agency.
John,
I would never ship a gun to a po box. I require adult signature for delivery unless I’ve done gun deals with you before. Over a certain amount ($500.00?) FedEx requires a signature. There’s some more gun shipping advice that you didn’t ask for.
Kevin
Yes, the USPS requires you to have a receipt for any insurance claim. And that’s only the start of the process. And if your item simply never arrives. Well too bad. You can file a claim with the Postal Inspector’s Office at a sort of online memory hole where it will never be heard from again.
I now send my guns through private carriers.
Matt61
Jan,
I installed the “Feedly” app on my phone and it works like a charm, just one touch and I am on the blog. However it does have one glitch – the comments don’t show up.
I can select “go to the website” to see them, but then the text becomes very small and is no longer formatted for the phone.
Any ideas?
The larger phone format is the other reason I was hoping for an app – otherwise I cant see the print without reading glasses or stretching it off the page.
Hi, Volvo. There are separate feeds for the blog entries themselves and for the comments, so you need to subscribe Feedly to two feeds for the full experience. Looks like the comments feed is at /blog//comments/feed/
While you’re at it…
Pyramyd videos: http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/users/pyramydair/uploads?alt=rss&v=2&orderby=published&client=ytapi-youtube-profile
Ted in Madison’s videos: http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/users/EdgunUSA/uploads?alt=rss&v=2&orderby=published&client=ytapi-youtube-profile
Yellow forum: http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/?xml=rss
Yellow Classifieds: http://www.network54.com/Forum/79574/?xml=rss
…and so on!
PS, if you use Feedly in a full-size browser, take a minute to read up on its keyboard shortcuts. Very efficient!
-Jan
Jan,
Wow, many thanks for going above and beyond!
Don’t think I would of ever figured it out on my own.
I was all hot to get on with collecting American name branded air rifles like Ruger and Winchester until I learned these American labels were made in china. I lost my taste for these guns when my chinese made guns started falling apart or breaking to pieces in my hands. Now I won’t touch most airguns because they are made in china. To me it’s a matter of safety and quality. Chinese do not do quality work. And the safety of chinese made anything is questionable at best. I prefer American made goods since I know Made in U.S.A. means something when it comes to quality. My best air rifle was made in Texas. I like the fact Airforce guarantees their stuff for life. Got an issue with the gun they’ll send me the parts I need to fix it. No problem and minimum of questions asked. That’s how it should be.
John,
I think you’ll find many airgunners agree with you.
I used to think that the Chinese were in the same place the Japanese were in the 1950s: Producing inferior goods but eventually moving to the top of the heap as they embraced technology and quality. I no longer think that way, as the attitude of the Chinese is not the same attitude the Japanese had. The Japanese coveted a good reputation…or at least so it seemed. The Chinese manufacturing machine as a whole doesn’t seem to care about quality or consistently good manufacturing processes.
I’m speaking only of the PRC. In my opinion, embracing inferior goods and services does not apply to Taiwan, which is (for now) a separate nation.
Edith
That leaves me wondering why so many companies are outsourcing to china since consumers really are tired of inferior chinese landfill products. I have a bunch of chinese guns sitting here I’m practically giving away and I can’t find anybody that wants them. Some were made for chinese companies and the lack of quality really shows. So it looks like they have just slightly better standards appearances wise when it comes to making products that other companies outsource to them. But internally it’s all the same junk manufacturing. I’m thinking of the two ruger guns I have. I bought them thinking Ruger, an american company would at least protect their name by insisting the product had some kind of standard. But apparently my ruger airhawk and ruger explorer are both pretty much junk. The Explorer isn’t even useable since the barrel fell apart on the first use. The Airhawk never shot straight. But at least it shoots. Then little pieces began to vanish. First it was the tru glo fibers. Then screws and bolts. Amazing since I don’t handle that gun much. Then I noticed the gun beginning to seriously corrode. God only knows what is happening inside.
John,
Your blame is mis-placed.
You need to be angry at the importers. They set the specs for manufacturing, no matter where it occurs, and its their specs and/or lack of inspection that is to blame. The china plants that are manufacturing are only meeting specs that importers dictated. Chinese manufacturing is not to blame. They’re producing what was contracted.
Kevin
That doesn’t speak well for importers either. Just about everything that I have that was made in china was cheaply made and doesn’t last. I have a couple of chinese made guns that were made in china for chinese companies. Let’s just say that these guns are excellent examples of just how poor chinese manufacturing is when you let them set the standards. One rifle I had I had to wrap part of it in electric tape because it would slice up my fingers every time I cocked it. I still have two others here I can’t get rid of. One is a B3-1. Sights are kinda worthless. It always shoots to the left. It has no windage adjustment I could find. The other looks to be made from the same wood they make shipping pallets out of. It shoots straight, but I hear that most do not. I bought a brand new trailer made in china. Not one hole lined up. All brackets were welded crooked and I had to redrill everything to put it together. The innertubes were already blown in the box. Rims were bent. Tires were not round, Basically I paid a lot of money for a piece of trash. You can’t tell me that the importer had such low standards. That was very much in line with chinese standards based on chinese guns I have.
The ruger explorer I have here….Well It never fired. First time I tried to cock it I got a face full of springs and other stuff. Made in china. I’m still trying to get umarex to take care of their product. After that, I swore no more chinese made guns. I’ve had too much bad stuff happen with chinese made products. But if you like chinese guns. I have some for sale.
John,
We agree. Chinese manufacturing when wide tolerances are allowed by the importers/contractors and/or minimal inspections are conducted by the importers/contractors usually result in hit or miss quality in any product.
The b3-1 is an old but good example. Amazing what some air gunsmiths were able to do with that gun given time though. Back in the day there seemed to be a friendly competition between air gunners to see who could make the best shooting gun out of that platform. Some incredible guns came forth!
Back to the main topic.
When we’re talking about the ruger explorer and
airhawk Chinese manufacturing doesn’t set the standards. Importers set the standards/specs. Again, blame the importer.
Never met a Chinese airgun from recent manufacture that interested me but thanks for the offer.
Kevin
Kevin,
I know of a specific instance where standards were set for a Chinese plant, they failed to deliver according to the set tolerances/specs. The U.S. importer opted to bring the mfg to the U.S. and produce the darn thing themselves. The Chinese eventually retooled & got it right and are now producing the product again. Sometimes, some plants, some managers get the point…do it right or we’ll pull the job.
However, you are correct that the importers are also to blame. They go to the plants, set the specs and expect to see what they ordered. When they don’t, they should not accept the product. This HAS happened in at least one case of scopes that were made in China. The importer opted to accept none rather than sully their name with low-quality scopes. Unfortunately, the scope line for that mfr was out of stock for a pretty long time until the Chinese plant produced a quality product. It’s better to hurt the bottom line, which you can eventually make up, than to ruin your reputation forever with low-quality goods.
Edith
Bingo!
RIP Mac. His good work goes on through the guns he restored. That rifle looks like my Winchester 94. That is so unfortunate that the ones from the 1970s cannot be restored because they were made of some mystery metal that does not respond properly to the regular bluing procedures. To my mind this is outrageous. Winchester must have used some chemical formula that was written down somewhere, and surely it hasn’t been destroyed.
The Tesla Model S seems to be able to convert a lot of auto buffs to electronic. J-F that is good point about where to get what in The Road Warrior, the called the “precious juice” although this refers to electrical power and not gasoline. I understand that the plan is to put up recharging stations all over the country that are all within driving distance of each other. But we’ll see if that comes to fruition in an environment where our highways are falling apart. On the plus side, I understand that you cannot beat the acceleration of an electric car over a gas-powered one. Short of the Model S, the next best bet to me seems to me the new Chevy Impala which has displaced everybody including the Toyota Camry which was the best car for a number of years.
Just got back my Daisy 747 that Derrick worked on, and it’s like a new pistol. The gas compression is working perfectly of course with a considerable new (and reassuring) stiffness in the cocking stroke. He also did something else, I don’t recall reading in his report to tune the trigger to a first class level. I finally understand what B.B. meant about “wishing off” triggers. This one is not far off my Anschutz trigger. With it, I was able to shoot a large single hole at 5 yards. This wasn’t hitting the head of an pencil eraser 10 times out 10 like it says in B.B.’s report. Not unless you’re talking one of those big handheld erasers. But I was gratified.
And for all this, Derrick’s pricing had me shaking me head in disbelief. All I’ll say about that is that he must have been reading the Bible verse about giving away your possessions and trusting in God.
Matt61
Matt61,
Glad it arrived in fine shape. Don’t shoot yer eye out. My pricing for you was right on the money. You’re a good guy–and that actually counts for something with some of us.
Derrick,
You have been and continue to be one of the good guys in airguns.
Your skills never cease to amaze me and what you charge for the time spent in your workshop kinda reminds me of Kris Kringle.
Kevin
Even with recharging stations within driving distance, charging the car batteries doesn’t take the same as filling up a car, you’d need around 8 hours of charging time so you’d need to sleep there.
I went from my Canadian province to Florida a few times by car, we’d do it in about 30 to 36 hours, it would be impossible to do in an electric car. That’s why I don’t like electric cars, that’s what I have against electric cars.
J-F
I have 4 Chinese ……….22 cal bolt rifles. I had an atd (copy of the browning .22 cal rifle) and another bolt gun . All were and are fine shooters (I compete in sporterifle and indoor sillouette).my son in law has a Chinese bolt rifle as does one of my friends, they are as good as mine. I have owned Chinese sks rifles and shot several others belonging to club mates. The Chinese have turned out a lot of very good firearms. I cannot understand why they have so much trouble making air rifles. Ed PS the major parts of my atd interchanged with a browning made in Belgum. The Chinese barrel was more accurate in either rifle.
How and why did Winchester and Diana get together to make these air guns happen?
GF1,
That’s one of the benefits of trade shows like SHOT and IWA. You can talk to the principals and start a dialogue about a project.
B.B.
BB
I guess that’s how it happened back then also. Winchester was a prominent gun manufacturer in the US and Diana was the same in Germany with airguns.
Is that noted anywhere in the history books of who actually made the connection happen?
I have always liked the Winchester guns and the Diana air guns. Just looking for a history lesson to put in the ole memory bank. 🙂
Gunfun1,
To answer your question, who was it who sold the corn dog to Mickey Mantle at the 1953 Wold Series 3rd game?
A lot of stuff doesn’t get recorded.
B.B.
BB
Wouldn’t it be funny if I knew the answer to that one.
And true alot of stuff doesn’t get recorded. But the important stuff usually does (well ok sometimes). Or somebody knows it.
And hope you got your sight adjustment covers on your scopes this time. Or do you have the ones that have the lock downs this time if you know what I mean. Or was that a different show? Dang old age getting me again.
It is indeed legal to send any long guns through the mail. Handguns are only mailable for law enforcement, unless they changed the regs. I’ve received many airguns via the post office – use priority mail, not standard post.
DaveG sent me 3 rifles to display at the Arkansas show last year. They came priority mail, arrived in two days, and were in perfect condition. I sent two of them back via priority mail. Same results.
Anyone can have bad results via any carrier. I’ve found UPS to be a pain to deal with.
As far as knowing or not knowing the regulations, you’re a lot more likely to find clerks with the correct knowledge south of the Mason-Dixon line. From reports there’s a lot more unreasoning hostility the farther north you go, or maybe just northeast.
You can always complain online. Managers hate to hear complaints from customers (when the customer is right).
well bb I hope you find that ” certain ” gun you always wanted. I like the review on the d – 23 . my fwb 300 s arrived today . and I must tell you it was just as you said , real nice crisp break when shot and light pull too. easy cocking . and it is very accurate . I did get to get mabe 10 shots done before the skeeters wanted me for supper . but after 3 shots it hit a pop can on a small rod in the back yard at about 25 yards . im very impressed so far . I want to thank you on your reply to my questions about the fwb . tell edith to buy, buy , buy any air gun she likes haha . you 2 go have a nice time and be safe while driving too