by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Diana’s K98 Mauser pellet rifle is very realistic.
This report covers:
- Artillery hold
- JSB Exact RS
- RWS Superpoint
- Slippery butt plate
- Cocking effort
- RWS Hobby
- Shot cycle
- Cocking lever latch
- Results
- Next
Today is the first of what are sure to be several accuracy days with the Diana K98 air rifle. I started slow, shooting from 10 meters off a bag and using open sights. I shot off a bag, but I did use the artillery hold. After the test it occurred to me that I should have tried a group with the rifle rested directly on the bag, but it was too late. I will do that in a future test.
As I shot the rifle I concentrated on several comments made by reader, Zimbabwe Ed. Ed has had some negative experiences with his K98, so I will address those as I go.
Artillery hold
The first comment I will make is that Ed is right about the K98 being muzzle heavy! It is extremely muzzle heavy! I therefore rested the forearm on the palm of my off hand with the hand located out by the near end of the cocking slot. That made the rifle rest very solidly on my hand. I’m not sure if this is the best way to hold the rifle, so as the accuracy test progresses I will continue to experiment — including resting the rifle directly on the sandbag.
JSB Exact RS
The first pellet I shot was the 13.43-grain JSB Exact RS dome. No special reason — I just felt like it. The sights were exactly as they came from the factory and the rear sight was adjusted way over to the right. The group of 10 shots went into 0.604-inches at 10 meters. That’s not the smallest group of 10 I have shot at that distance, but it is a good one for open sights for me. Nine of those pellets are in 0.467-inches. That borders on great. Think back to the test of my Airsporter Mark IV a couple days ago and compare that to what you see here. You’ll see that the K98 is better. And this was with my right eye (the one that had a detached retina)!
Ten JSB Exact RS pellets went into 0.604-inches at 10 meters. Nine are in just 0.467-inches, which is excellent!
I will say that the sights on the rifle are not conducive to target shooting. The inverted vee front sight (Perlkorn in German) is difficult to level with the top of the rear notch. It is easy to center, though.
This group landed to the right of the aimpoint, so I adjusted the rear sight notch to the left a bit. Next, I tried a pellet I was sure would be a winner.
RWS Superpoint
This was the RWS Superpoint. Since the K98 is a Diana, I expected this pellet might do very well. I did miscount pellets on this one, so the group is not 10 but just 9 pellets. All 9 went into 0.871-inches, but 7 of those are in just 0.594-inches. I think when I shoot with a scope this pellet will shine.
Nine RWS Superpoints went into 0.871-inches at 10 meters, but 7 of them are in just 0.594 inches. Another good pellet.
The rifle was still shooting a little to the right, so I made a second sight adjustment. I also dialed in 2 clicks of elevation.
Slippery butt plate
Now I will comment on that slippery metal butt plate Ed talked about. The rifle did slip off my leg once when I was cocking it, so again, my experience agrees with Ed’s. I had no trouble holding it to my shoulder while shooting, but since I was shooting off a sandbag, that might be the reason. I think Ed was shooting offhand.
Cocking effort
I’ll also observe that in this test I did use 2 hands to cock the rifle most of the time. Apparently sitting close to the shooting bench is different than just sitting in my office when I chronographed the gun for Part 2. The rifle was much closer to my chest in this test, which made the cocking effort harder. I can still cock it with one hand, but on this test I preferred using 2 hands.
RWS Hobby
The last pellet I tried was the RWS Hobby wadcutter pellet. I had high hopes for this one, both because the K98 seems accurate and also because Hobbys are a good pellet for shooting this close to the target. At 10 meters ten Hobby pellets went into a group that measures 0.532-inches between centers. That’s the smallest 10-shot group of the session, and I note there are no real stray shots in this group.
These 10 shots don’t look like it, but at 0.532-inches between centers these RWS Hobbys were the smallest group.
Shot cycle
I’m shooting the K98 from the artillery hold, which means it’s as free to move and recoil as it can be. The shot cycle is quite smooth, though the rifle does tell me how powerful it is. The pellets were at the trap the moment I heard the gun fire, which isn’t common in my tests.
Cocking lever latch
Ed told us that his cocking lever falls down every time he shoots. Another reader said his lever falls under certain circumstances. I was not able to replicate that on my rifle, but I now do notice that the lever latch feels very soft when I return the lever to the stowed position. I might take my action out of the stock and see if I can strengthen the latch.
Results
Today was just a first effort to get to know the K98 rifle. I do still like it very much. I think the accuracy is way better than what you see here, but let’s give it the chance to settle down and me a chance to get to know it. Stage two of the trigger has some creep that I’m going to try to adjust out for future tests.
Next
Next I want to back up to 25 yards and continue to shoot with open sights. I am thinking about a scope, though. I think a compact scope would be nice, given what this is (a realistic copy of a K98K Mauser). There is a lot more to come, so stay with me.
BB—I shoot this rifle the same way that you described. My left hand rests on a bag and the stock contacts my hand just at the end of the cocking slot. I also use 2 hands to cock the rifle ( most of the time). The rifle did slip off my thigh when I cocked it, almost damaging the rifle, not to mention ME! I put self stick sand paper on the butt plate, and it solved the problem. I have not tried to shoot this rifle in the off hand position. I have been able to get Crosman domed magnum pellets ( and the hollow point version) to stay in the 5 meter air rifle bull ( 5 shot groups). However, even using my pellet loaders, I still have an occasional pellet falling into the action. I am loading holding the rifle in a vertical position. I think that this is caused by an oversize pellet head. I am happy to see your results with superpoints. Did they load easier than round or flat pellets? If they did, they may be the best pellets for this rifle. I will have a 16 Joule tune kit installed after the new year. I think that I will enjoy shooting it after it becomes easier to cock. —-ED
Ed,
Thanks for that. I hoped you would reply to this report.
Yes, the Superpoints loaded easily, and so did the JSB RS. The Hobbys were harder because of their large heads.
B.B.
Bah! I waited too long to hit “Post” below. Like Ed do you hold the rifle more or less upright?
Michael
B.B.,
Like Ed I am interested to know what technique you use to load pellets into this one and how easy or tricky you find it so far. Obviously, it is similar to a TX200, but I don’t recall your describing your personal process for loading that one, either. And of course this is balanced more to the muzzle than the TX in addition to the rear sight being so close to the loading port.
incidentally, I really like muzzle-heavy long guns as to me that seems to reduce recoil and vibration. The descriptions of this being a very “forward” air rifle makes it all the more appealing to me.
Thanks much,
Michael
Michael,
I just don’t find loading guns like this difficult. I balance the pellet on my thumb and insert it witn the rifle nearly vertical. It works great.
B.B.
BB—Those 5 shot groups were fired at 10 meters. I shoot 2 five shot groups, and then put the 98 down and shoot my R7 or HW 30 for 1/2 to a full hour, before shooting the 98 again. If you can cock and shoot this rifle for a longer time, well “your a better man than I, Gunga BB”. Ed
BB– I just remembered to mention that the front sight is adjustable for height. It is locked in place by a tiny set screw in the front of the ramp. I discovered this screw when the front sight blade turned sideways after the first few shots. The action screws were loose , as well. —–Ed
BB
I don’t recall too many discussions about using a sling to steady and support a rifle when shooting it. If I remember right it was almost a no brainer with heavy military rifles long ago, more than just an easy way to carry it.
I put the sling that came with my Airsoft version on this one and it is much easier to support and steady it. Makes it easy to rest your elbow on the side of your chest and steady an open palm artillery hold.
If it wasn’t for the recoil you could actually just stick a finger in the trigger housing and pull it without holding it with your right hand. It can be that steady. It removes the strain and tension in your arm.
I highly recommend using one when off hand, and any other type of shooting with heavy rifles. Lots of info on their use available on the internet and probably in the deep recesses of BBs’ memory too ! 🙂
Bob M
Bob,
It sounds like you are describing the hasty sling technique briefly discussed in pt. 2. Is that it, or is there another technique as well?
Michael
Michael.
Yes that is the one I am referring to. The other is the loop sling.
There is a web site / blog called “The Art of the rifle” and under the reference section you can find outstand information on slings and much more. Jeff Cooper wrote a book with the same title, perhaps it influenced the name choice.
In hind sight I’m not really sure how a sling would affect a ‘springer’ when using the artillery hold, or any hold for that mater. It makes it much easier to handle and aim but I did not look into how it would affect accuracy with the recoil of a springer some what subdued by a snug sling. Needs looking into.
Bob,
A hasty sling will defeat the artillery hold. The place where the sling pulls back on the rifle becomes a pressure point that changes the vibration nodes. Also the tightness at the shoulder defeats the artillery hold.
The hasty sling is great for a recoiling rifle, but not for a spring-piston airgun.
B.B.
BB
Thanks for verifying my suspicion about using a sling with a springer. Too bad…. so … if I want to use a sling I would have to get a much bigger target or hang the rifle sling from a tree limb to work with the recoil. An analytical mind is a handy thing to have… 🙂
Bob M.
BB,
You guys are making it very difficult on me to not buy one of these. I probably will not add one of these to my collection, but the way this review is shaping up will indeed make it difficult not to do so. Not only does it have massive cool factor, it looks like it can shoot.
As for the metal butt plate, I am used to that with my BSA and the various military rifles I have had along the way. I do hope that the cocking lever latch can be tightened up though.
RR,
This rifle is just as cool as it sounds in the report. I plan to buy this one.
B.B.
B.B.,
I can’t blame you. I’ve been drooling over it for some time now, and your reports are just making it worse.
Michael
B.B.,
Regarding the four different versions of this air rifle, 7.5, 16.5, 30 and 35 joules, on another forum a UK poster had a German market Diana K98 7.5 version, and he considered the cycle to have a bit of piston bounce and a prolonged lock time, perhaps because it has reduced spring pre-load. This has me thinking about purchasing the 16.5 version, if I can find one to buy here in the U.S., instead of either the 7.5 or 30 joule ones.
The discussion there turned to the subject of shortening the stroke (thereby reducing the bounce) by adding a top hat and custom made extension rings of Delrin between the piston head and piston. One of that forum’s regulars is a UK tuner who specializes in designing and selling kits to shorten cycles and reduce lock time of springers using this and perhaps other techniques.
Michael
The UK version has a transfer port restrictor in it that causes terrible piston bounce, it’s the same with the model 52 varieties, there’s a great slow motion video on YouTube showing the double bounce this causes.
The guy who sorts this out, by sleeving and shortening the stroke goes by the Airguntech moniker.
Nb
This rifle has a tapered post front sight, not a Perlkorn, not unless it is grooved to appear as a circular or oval “pearl of corn” in the sight picture
Dom,
Yes, it is a tapered post. There are no scallops on the sides of the post.
B.B.
It’s becoming a “thing” in this last decade that the tapered post is starting to be called erroneously a perlkorn, despite the clue being in the name. The British had the Barleycorn sight, as I believe did the US as a term, but that really was a little round sight, mainly on percussion guns though it hung on in shotguns
The perlkorn, by its nature is indented to appear like a grain that you nestle in the V and then make a figure of eight with the bullseye (or I do, some people cover the bull with the sight, however that doesn’t work too well at distance for fine shooting)
Stop this trend of calling all tapered posts perlkorn before it’s too late! Otherwise it makes the explanation of the name to people nonsensical 🙂
It happens to be my favourite open sight, to the point that I have modified two of my Weihrauch inserts (Perlkorn used to be included in the pack but for some reason isn’t any more)
B.B.
I’ve just now decided that after I purchase mine, I will try an aperture sight on it. That might ease loading slightly, and it also might end up being a happy medium between the open rear sight and a scope.
Michael
Michael,
I am certain an aperture sight will improve it’s accuracy, however should I go for one of these, I personally would leave it as is for the looks or find a scope that looks like one of the old German scopes they mounted on these for snipers.
R.R.,
Would a peep be historically inaccurate? If so, I would just leave it as is.
Michael
I have never seen a Mauser with a peep.
RR,
Not the K98Ks, but the 96 Swedish Mausers had a peep sight for the target models. Very classy and unique!
B.B.
B.B.,
Man, those Swedes seem to have been quite the rifle makers! I keep revisiting your reports on the K31 and the elaborate trainer accessory for it. Hey, the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes way back when were the Vikings, too. Hmmm. Quite the combat pedigree.
And one of the most prolific snipers of all time was Simo Hayha, a.k.a. “The White Death,” a Fin who in under 100 days had over 500 confirmed “kills” of Soviet soldiers in the Winter War. (Yes, I just now looked up much of that to make sure I had the details right.)
Michael
Michael,
Something you should keep in mind should you buy this air rifle. If you desire to install a peep sight, it is yours to do with as you please. You can always take it off for display purposes.
RidgeRunner,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I usually shoot well with an aperture compared to open sights and scopes at the same, short, distance. And vintage peeps are usually a LOT less pricey than vintage scopes!
I do think I’ll get one of these, in .177, and have it de-tuned to maybe 20 jules by having the shooting cycle shortened slightly with a top hat and a minor piston extension. Then I will try a vintage peep sight for a while, even if I do end up taking it off and putting the open rear sight back on.
These are just too cool to pass up.
Michael
BB
While the K98 firearm is not muzzle-heavy, my Diana 34 air rifle is. Like Michael I think it may even be an advantage in adding stability.
Decksniper
Bob M— I competed in smallbore and high power rifle matches for more than 30 years. I used a sling in the prone, sitting and kneeling positions. However , this rifle uses a side sling. It is not as good as the 1907 sling . I put bottom swivels on 2 of my Norinco “KKW” trainers so that I could use the 1907 leather sling. This cannot be done on an underlever air rifle. ——-Ridge Runner— The smooth butt plate is a problem when cocking this rifle. It can slip off your thigh . I also have and shoot military rifles with smooth butt plates. Shooting them is not a problem, for me. —–Michael—Re using a peep sight on this rifle, you will have to remove the open rear sight, or use a very high front sight. This will make a cheekweld difficult or impossible. You will probably have to raise the height of the comb ,in some way to get a good cheek weld. Ditto if you mount a scope. ——-Ed
Ed,
Yes, I should have addressed this to RidgeRunner. The smooth butt plate on the K98 is much slicker than the metal butt plate on a vintage BSA rifle. It is slick enough to warrant a special mention. I can deal with it fine, but I did have that one slip while cocking that I mentioned.
B.B.
Ed,
My idea was to remove the open rear sight altogether and go with a peep, but is an aperture historically inaccurate? If so, I’ll keep the open sight on and simply use that.
Michael
Decksniper—A muzzle heavy target rifle can be an advantage. I added a muzzle weight to my Remington 541. I use it in sporter rifle matches. But this rifle (Diana 98K ) was made as a Mauser 98 K (firearm) replica, or trainer. I would like it better if it balanced like the firearm. —–Ed
Ed
Should not be difficult to remove buttplate, drill hole in stock if necessary, and pack lead (shot pellets from pellet trap) behind buttplate. For anyone who wants to know, the K98 firearm balance point is under the bolt head when bolt is closed.
Decksniper
I have one in .177, 16.5joules model being from the UK. Shooting at 20 meters in the garden kneeling admittedly with a scope, and can get 10 shot groups of around three quarters of an inch using RWS Superdomes on a good day. The rifle has excellent potential for accuracy. Plenty of spring twang, but is mellowing with use.
Gerbil,
Welcome to the blog.
Thanks for that! Do you think the twang is from the mainspring, or might it be a product of the piston bounce Dom mentioned?
Good shooting, by the way
B.B.
That double bounce is very, very irritating, a piston extension would be a far better way to restrict these long stroke Diana’s, every single D52 I’ve owned has had the thing whipped out and are comfortably well over the limit
I couldn’t tell if it’s mainspring or bounce on mine.. I’m not that knowledgeable in regards the internals and their behavior I’m afraid. Even our UK 12ftlb versions are challenging to shoot well standing. At least I find so anyway, being on the heavy side in the first place, mine now being 10.5lb scoped, but as already mentioned front heavy with it. So for the time being I shoot it mainly from a kneeling position, partly to be able to hit what I’m aiming at and to get an idea of it’s potential accuracy. No doubt bench rested would provide a better, more consistant idea there. Either way, I am thoroughly enjoying the rifle and it has become my “go to” airgun at the moment… and I have the choice of around 20 pistols and 4 rifles.
The YouTube shows a Diana 54 with the sliding stock thing and the slow motion shows it taking off like a disco dancers hips upon firing,
“Like a disco dancers hips upon firing,” LOL — literally. I actually chuckled when I read that. :^)
Michael
BB,
Good morning! This is my first comment to this blog (or to ANY blog) and I guess a little about myself would be
warranted. I’m a seventy-seven years young retired teacher of science who became interested in air guns about
two and a half years ago. 95% of what I have learned about this sport came through reading this blog. BB, you are a TREASURE and it is easy to understand why responders to this blog love you so much. From my experience of over forty years of teaching science I can say with some authority that you are wonderful in guiding those who read and respond to this blog. How fortunate we air gunners are to have you!
I was prompted to write in today to offer some information that I think would be helpful. Reader Zimbabwe Ed
has stated that he is having a problem with his cocking lever falling down when he fires his Diana K98 Mauser air
rifle. You said that perhaps you would look into strengthening the cocking lever catch if you removed the action
from the stock. Well, by habit I ALWAYS read instruction manuals that accompany new products BEFORE I attempt using the product as I often find it very useful. The Pyramyd AIR website offers access to the K98’s owner
manual and, lo and behold, instructions to deal with this exact problem are clearly spelled out! Ed can refer to his
manual and hopefully eliminate the problem with his rifle.
BB, I want to thank you so very much for teaching me many, many very valuable lessons about air guns of all
types using language and technique I could easily and comfortably understand and benefit from. I look forward
every weekday morning to read each day’s blog to increase my knowledge of airguns and the sport. I wish you
good health and happiness and truly hope you will continue this wonderful blog far into the future and continue to make we readers very happy!
Frederick
Frederick,
Welcome to the blog!
Thank you for your kind words. Coming from another teacher, they mean a lot to me.
I read the manual several times and cannot see where the cocking lever latch issue is addressed. However, the manual online DOES have this information. Ed, he is right! Go to the online manual to page 7 and you can read how to fix the problem!
Thank you, Frederick!
B.B.
B.B.,
From what I saw, the info. was on pg. 8 and was specific for the kind of detent that is under the front sight. Unless mistaken, that’s what I saw. Chris
Chris,
That’s right.
B.B.
Frederick—Thank you for the information, But ( and this is a big but), when I clicked on the Diana 98 manual , it gave me information for 6 Diana model rifles, But not the 98 ! The part of the manual solving this problem tells you how to adjust—“the lever holder under the front sight”. The “98” does not have such a device. The lever makes no contact with any part of the barrel at the muzzle. Diana wanted the lever to look like the cleaning–stacking rod found on Mauser .22 cal trainers and service rifles. Diana omitted any kind of clamp or locking device found on most under lever air rifles. It looks pretty, but Diana created a problem that other under lever air rifles do not have. —-BB—An experienced air gunner like you can control a slipping butt without injury. I have less experience than you, but it was enough to prevent injury. However, if a newbie who only has experience with a Bronco ( or some similar rifle) cocks this rifle , an injury could occur. ——-Decksniper–Adding weight to a 10 lb. air rifle would solve the balance problem, but only after I added the wheels . I would have turned a rifle into a canon !——-Michael—-Mauser training rifles and the 98 service rifle always had open rear sights, except for the few that had scopes. Hunting rifles and some custom target rifles might have had peep sights, but they are the exception. That Is why I am using pellet loaders. Otherwise I would have to remove the rear sight. My fat, slippery fumbly thumb does not load this rifle the way BB can load it.——Ed ——–PPS—Some Swedish mauser rifles had peep sights , but they were for target shooting. They were Mauser 1894-6 models, not 98,s .
Ed,
Thanks for the info regarding the training rifles with peeps.
Hey, yesterday I thought about your (I think your) pellet-seater question as I “borrowed” my customized (with red plasticizer on the short end) tiny Allen wrench from my airgun toolbox to adjust a grub screw on an electric guitar bridge.
I find that if enough time goes by that I do not shoot my FWB 300 or 150 or my TX, my loading technique takes a dozen or so shots to begin to come back to me. It sounds like B.B. and I use a similar technique, but I have big hands (3XL-4XL glove size) with fingers like oil drums. Even when the “hang of it” comes back to me, I fumble probably one in seven or eight pellets and have to turn the whole thing upside down to get the pellet to tumble out. It is frustrating enough that there are plenty of times I just go to my 124 or HW30S to avoid the hassle, especially if I intend to shoot for only a short session.
Michael
This must be an issue with the more powerful models, as thus far (around 2000 rounds in) I have not experienced the underlever dropping whilst shooting.
I just solved the balance problem with my Diana 98K air rifle. I am going to dig a trench in my backyard range. I will rest the rifle on the edge of the trench, and no longer have to worry about it being too muzzle heavy. trench will be great for mini-sniping !——-Ed
Ed,
See reply to B.B. just above. Be careful there with that trench digging. You are going to get Matt61 all jealous as he likes to go for full reality reenactment’s. 😉 Chris
I think that trenches look pretty cool although I would not have wanted to be in a historical one. I’m not set up to dig my own trench anywhere, so I have settled for dry-firing indoors in a kind of mini-Stalingrad full of cardboard boxes.
Did you know that the phrase “stand down” which has entered common language was originally a command from the trenches. It referred to stepping down from what was called a firing step cut into the bottom of the trench that raised you high enough to shoot over the top. The opposite command was “stand to” which was to get up onto the firing step.
Matt61
Oh well, sometimes good intentions gang aft agley
Decksniper,
Oh wad some power the giftie gie us!
B.B.
How delightful to see the first tests of this rifle. If its rear sight can adjust for windage, that’s an advantage over the original firearm whose rear sight could adjust for elevation only. The windage was adjusted by drifting the front sight although I’m not sure how that was done with the sight hood. Thankfully, mine came adjusted fairly well with the front sight visibly offset to the left.
I’ve also been considering the value of the inverted vee sight. True it’s more difficult to get a precise sight picture than a post sight, at least for target shooting. However, I’m starting to think that this sight might actually be superior to the aperture and post system for rapid, combat style shooting. Like the very thin front post on the Lee-Enfield, the spike of a front sight on the Mauser makes you want to poke it into the target and feels more natural. I wonder if the Europeans weren’t already looking ahead to an assault rifle concept with their bolt-action battle rifles in optimizing performance for a combat radius. Much has been made of the U.S. Marines at Belleau Wood in WWI dropping their enemies from great distances with their ladder-sighted Springfield rifles. And, apparently, before the battle, they astonished French marksmanship instructors by hitting targets at 900 yards during practice. However, that battle was not decided by long-range marksmanship but by fighting it out in close combat. There I would much have preferred the Mauser sight.
Interesting too to hear that the airgun version is more convenient to shoot rested than standing. I’m finding the opposite to be true for myself. From a rested position, the carbine length rifle packs quite a wallop and that spikey front sight does not return great groups at 100 yards. Not with my vision anyway. But standing up, that rifle really sings. The ergonomics are just perfect, and you can poke that front sight into the target to get some astonishing groups. My only gripe about the Mauser so far is what I guess you would call a high comb or a flat top that forces the head sideways to get a sight picture and this really interferes with the enormous ear muffs that I wear. But it’s a great rifle all the same. It’s nice than an airgun version is available for people to enjoy.
Matt61
Zimbabwe Ed,
Please excuse me for offering incorrect information relating to your Diana 98K cocking lever. I failed to study the photo of the rifle shown on the PA site. Had I done so I would have seen that indeed the front sight has no connection to the cocking under lever on your rifle. I mistakenly assumed that the manual listed with the rifle was proper for the K98 and thought I had found information that would solve your problem. I’m sorry to have raised your
hopes for an easy fix that was not to be. In any event, I’ll bet that B.B. will come up with a cure for the problem!
Frederick (new old guy on the block)
Fred,
I wish there was an edit option on the site. There has been a few times that I would have used it!
Welcome to the blog and I hope you stick around. We have had a few new comers lately and it is quite refreshing. This blog was my first blog as well. I was awful at it. That was a couple of years ago. Your opening comment was quite fitting. Again,… welcome and don’t be stranger. 😉 Chris
Slippery butts?………There are those slip-on, rubber recoil pads they sell for shotguns that might work.
Michael:
For the record, the Finns are not Scandinavians. They are ethnically (and linguistically) distantly related only to the Hungarians and the Estonians. The Scandanavians (Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, and Icelanders) are of Germanic origin and related (ethically and linguistically) to the Dutch, Germans, Austrians, and some of the Swiss. Just in case you were wondering…
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
Motorman,
I was not wondering. Finland is part of Scandinavia to those of us who look at a photograph of the Earth from space.
My argument regarding ethnic defining is in a paragraph below (as is linguistic defining). Linguistic, cultural, and political definitions aside (because they can change greatly in as little as a thousand years), geographically what constitutes Scandinavia is not entirely agreed upon.
The Finnish Peninsula is indeed across the narrow Baltic from the Swedish Peninsula and Norwegian Peninsula, but all three of these geographically precise land masses are parts of Fennoscandia. Therefore, Finland is sometimes referred to as part of “Scandinavia,” a region entirely within Fennoscandia People usually also consider close neighbors Denmark and Iceland to be Scandinavia. Some even consider Greenland and the Faroe Islands to be part of the greater Scandinavian region. It’s that North Sea, northern Europe club.
Ethnicity is becoming shakier ground for defining a “people” practically by the day because of genetic research of archeological remains. For example, regarding ethnicity as a defining characteristic of a group also often defined by geography, recent DNA genome research has shown that while the Scots and Welsh are Celts, the Irish are for the most part not. That’s right, the Irish are not of Celtic/Keltoi origin. The Irish seem to have populated the Emerald Isle for some time (perhaps 3000 years) prior to Celts making it out that far.
O.K., now linguistics. Finnish is indeed a distant Germanic cousin to Swedish or Norwegian. But English is a Germanic language as well, despite the majority of its lexicon entering through Old French, a descendent of Itallic. Less than a thousand years ago the events of one single day in 1066 forever made English a useless measure of a “people.” Quebec is surrounded by “Germanics.” Are they not North Americans? Are French speaking Swiss not Swiss?
I’ll stick with geography over other, muddier defining tools. One can see that Finland is part of Scandinavia from outer space; it is that obvious.
Michael
Motorman,
Please accept my apologies for the tone of my response to you. I had just had a very rough day, and that made me susceptible to being a horse’s hindquarters.
And, it is entirely possible that many Fins have a strong opinion on the matter and are offended by my comments. I, for one, am 25 percent of Danish ancestry, and my family always considered, as you point out in your comment, that the Danes are Scandinavians.
Again, my apologies for being a jerk.
Michael
Michael:
I wasn’t offended (perhaps credit that to decades of working in industrial sales), but thank you for being sensitive to how you are received by others. In any event, no apology is necessary. Likewise, I didn’t mean to come off as a know it all.
My wife’s family is first generation Hungarian. In the process of learning some of their language I became aware that Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian are the only known branches of the Uralic family of languages. These languages are not related to the Latin, Germanic, nor Slavic languages, all of which spring from a source called Indo-European. These three (Latin, Germanic, and Slavic) language groups account for English, Scandinavian (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, etc.), Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, etc. In short, most but not quite all of the European languages. Further, my sister used to live next door to a Finnish immigrant family and they were quick to assert that they were not Scandinavian. This is the basis for my assertions.
I took a “History Of The English Language” course in college. It was very interesting. You are quite right about English being the fatherless off-spring of Germanic and Latin linguistic influences…brought about by the English losing the Battle of Hastings to the Normans in 1066. It has made our language rich with synonyms, but has left our grammar a chaotic jumble of the two languages.
Have a safe and enjoyable week-end!
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
frederick— Your excuse is not necessary. The fault lies with the people who write manuals, but have no first hand knowledge of the product. I just wrote to Kingston Arms. In the middle of their .22 M1 Garand instruction manual some one inserted instructions for an AR 15! When China began to send us plastic working ship models, the instructions read ” water not included”! This brilliant remark was in the section describing how to adjust the ballast , when sailing the model. ——–I am an 80 year old retired science teacher, and I am happy that you have joined our blog. ——Ed
Matt 61— Firing steps have been with us ever since high walls were built for defense. Jericho probably had them , and the original stand down order may have been given in an ancient Cananite language. ——-Ed
Everyone,
A long top hat DOES NOT shorten the stroke of the piston. It still has to engage the sear at the same place and travel just as far. A longer piston crown will do the trick.
B.B.
B.B.,
Unless mistaken, a longer top hat would also (increase) spring compression,….. producing the (opposite) results if one is trying to “smooth” things out. I do believe also that top hats and shimming are some of the ways that the power can be “turned up”,.. assuming that there is anything to be gained from further spring compression.
Chris
B.B.,
I think the top hat was part of a larger “kit” that had a number of tuning goals.
A smaller, cheaper kit consists of a couple Delrin washers to add length to the piston plus a new (perhaps superior, longer?) piston seal.
By the way, the kits are for air rifles other than the Diana K98, but on a UK airgun forum the fellow who does this mentioned that he could in the future produce a kit for that one as well.
Michael