by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
The Diana Chaser is a new CO2 pistol.
This report covers:
- Trigger
- Piercing the CO2 cartridge
- RWS Hobby
- Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
- JSB Exact 8.44-grain dome
- Cocking
- Shot count
- Report
- Discussion
- Summary
Today is the day we find out about the velocity of the Diana Chaser air pistol. There are a couple other things to learn today, as well. Let’s go.
Trigger
The first thing I wanted to know was whether that trigger really is adjustable. So I got a fine Allen wrench and started adjusting. Turning the screw in the trigger blade counterclockwise did nothing at all. The pull remained where it was — two stage and around 4 lbs.
Then I turned it in — clockwise. Bingo! I got to the point that the gun couldn’t be cocked. That tells me the trigger is adjustable and also that the adjustment works on the sear contact area. I had to back the screw out several turns and then I got a single-stage trigger that fired at 8 ounces. That’s FAR TOO LIGHT for an inexpensive direct sear! I kept turning and testing until I got a great 2-stage pull. Stage one is 12 ounces and stage two breaks cleanly at 2 lbs. 4 oz. The trigger can’t be “bumped off” which is important for a light trigger — especially one that has a direct sear adjustment. I’m staying where I am.
Piercing the CO2 cartridge
Next came installing the CO2 cartridge. Remember that I told you that rod in the CO2 chamber cap wouldn’t be needed? Maybe not to get the cap off after the CO2 is expended, but certainly to screw the cap down tight enough to pierce the cartridge. The first cartridge was very hard to pierce and I needed the extra leverage of the bar. However, once pierced, the pistol was ready to go.
RWS Hobby
First up was the lightweight lead pellet — the RWS Hobby. These loaded stiffly, as if the edge of the flat nose was clipping something in the breech. Hobbys gave me a strange shot string, so I will show it and then talk about it.
Shot……….Velocity
1……………..513
2……………..525
3……………..535
4……………..543
5……………..546
6……………..545
7……………..549
8……………..547
9……………..547
10…………….547
11…………….546
12……………541
13……………534
14……………551
15……………551
I show the string because I didn’t just want to take the first 10 shots and average them. That wouldn’t be representative. But we can argue about where to start and stop the string all day long; what will it prove? The “average” with Hobby pellets seems to me to be something in the 540s, perhaps 545. I wanted to shoot some more pellets to confirm that this first CO2 cartridge had settled down. So that’s what I did.
Normally a CO2 gun has one or two extra-fast shots at the start of the new cartridge, then it settles down to shoot normally until the gas is exhausted. I think this is the first gun I’ve seen where the velocity actually increased as I went. And, I waited a minimum of 10 seconds between all the shots in today’s test.
By the way, at 545 f.p.s. Hobby pellets produce 4.62 foot-pounds of energy. Because this pistol is CO2, heavier pellets are going to be more powerful.
Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
Next I tried some Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets. You know I am going to test them for accuracy. They averaged 600 f.p.s. with a spread that went from 594 to 607 f.p.s. That’s a range of 13 f.p.s., which suggests that the CO2 cartridge and the gun have settled down.
At the average velocity, this pellet produces 4.2 foot-pounds. It’s following the rule that lighter pellets produce less energy in gas guns. And they also loaded hard at the breech, just like the Hobbys.
JSB Exact 8.44-grain dome
The last pellet I tested was the JSB Exact 8.44-grain dome. They averaged 512 f.p.s., with a low of 505 to 519 f.p.s. That’s a 14 f.p.s. spread. At the average velocity these pellets produce 4.91 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. This pellet loaded easily.
Cocking
Having the bolt on the left side of the receiver speeds things up a lot for a right-handed shooter. It’s the right way to go.
Shot count
After all these shots, plus a couple others for testing the trigger, this CO2 cartridge had 37 shots on it. I went back to Hobbys for what follows.
Shot……….Velocity
38……………555
39……………552
40……………547
41……………542
42……………540
43……………541
44……………539
45……………537
46……………535
47……………530
48……………528
49……………512
50……………515
51……………516
52……………Did not register
53……………498
54……………490
55……………483
56……………469
57……………464
58……………454
59……………437
60……………426
I stopped after shot 60, though you can see there were still a few more shots to be had. The Pyramyd AIR shot count of 50 seems to be realistic and conservative, though individual CO2 cartridges do vary somewhat.
Report
How loud is it? Well, when the CO2 cartridge is fresh it’s pretty quiet and when you get down to the final shots it starts to bellow. That’s common for CO2 guns. The Chaser is no louder or quieter than other CO2 pistols of the same power.
Discussion
The Chaser is certainly right there where it should be on velocity. The adjustable trigger can be adjusted very nicely and is one of this pistols best features. The pistol grip, on the other hand, is one of its worst features. That “fin” on the back of the grip gave me fits during this test. I will know more about that after the accuracy test.
Summary
Readers have asked me whether I think the Chaser is worth the money. As of this point in the testing, I do think it’s a great value. It still has to be accurate, so I will hold off my final thoughts, but this is one to consider.
“Readers have asked me whether I think the Chaser is worth the money. As of this point in the testing, I do think it’s a great value. It still has to be accurate, so I will hold off my final thoughts, but this is one to consider.”
Brave man, to offer any opinion so early.
Seantheaussie,
He’s hedging his bet.
Siraniko
Siraniko I just realized that he has probably watched Tyler’s review. I am now changing my opinion of his stance from brave for a hedged opinion, to cowardly for not nailing his colours to the mast 😉
I hope some of our readers know why nailing your colours to the mast requires bravery.
Sean.
Seantheaussie,
You ought to know by now that B.B. doesn’t trust anybody’s accuracy report unless it’s his own. Who knows he might have a lemon. 😉
Siraniko
Sean,
No, I haven’t watched Tyler’s report. But I have read comments about it and also comments about the pistol’s accuracy.
I purposely want to remain neutral on this one until I test it. But everything I have seen so far tells me the designers have done a good job.
B.B.
Ahoy Sean,
If by colors you mean the Ensign then that means you will give no quarter and will fight to the death of the vessel. If on the other hand you are referring to nailing your personal flag to the mast personal colors, then it means you yourself are not going to leave the ship. Striking (lowering) the colors means surrendering the vessel or leaving the vessel respectively.
shootski
Shootski, I never knew about personal colours. That must be part of the captain going down with his ship.
Sean.
B.B.
Why do CO2 powered airguns get louder as the cartage gets depleted?
-Y
B.B.,
Very nice on the trigger adjusting. I do suppose you gave the breech end a quick look-see for any burrs or such?
Looking forwards to the accuracy test on this one. I know your a pistol guy, but I would love to see the rifle version of this tested.
Good Day to one and all,….. Chris
Chris,
Watch the vid.
/product/diana-chaser-co2-air-rifle-kit?m=4613
Chris USA,
Dennis Adler reported his 0.177 Chaser accuracy results for Airgun Experience at this link.
/airgun-experience/diana-chaser-pistol-part-4/
Yogi,
I think it is because the valve remains open longer when the pressure gets low.
B.B.
I know that like me, some are just not into CO2 and have been thinking of ways to convert this. Well, we don’t have to.
/product/diana-bandit-pcp-air-pistol?m=4637
RR,
Just when I was thinking about a 2240 you drop this one on me – THANKS (I think 🙂 )
Now this is the way to go!!
Hank
Has anyone else noticed that all of the Diana ” Sporting ” guns, or whatever they are calling the China imports, all have their names printed in all lower case letters? Odd choice, I think.
Half
Totally off topic announcement…
Many know that I live in a rural area with lots of critters that are comfortable with me being close by.
We have several large snapping turtles in the beaver pond and this one decided to dig a nest in my driveway. The little ones hatched yesterday so I gathered up all 18 of them and escorted them to the pond. Not knowing any better, they had no issue with being fussed over and photographed.
Thought I would share the picture…
Hank
Hank
Nice. When they ate baby’s anyway.
We had them in the lake at the farm when I was a kid growing up. Seen them snap 2″ branches in half.
And my dad as a kid use to wade around the banks at the lake and take a old branch or pole and poke in the water. If it didn’t sink in the mud but made a solid thump. More then likely they found a snapper down in the mud. They use to get them and eat them. I never ate them. And knew what they did when they snapped.
All I can say is yep cute when their small. But know what they do when their big. They are dangerous.
GF1,
Yep, they are cute when they are small, once they have a shell more than a couple inches across they can give a nasty bite if provoked.
This one lives by what we call the “first bridge”. When I was building the bridge she used to come over to see what I was doing and followed me along the shore like a puppy. Guess she was watching for what ever food I might stir up. If she got in my way I would just push her aside – she never hissed or snapped at me. Known her for quite a few years. This is the first time I saw the babies hatching (was always at work before) and I was surprised on how many there were.
Hank
You probably saved a lot of them. Baby turtles get eaten by birds and predators on their way back to water. That’s the reason they hatch so many…only a few normally survive the trip from land to water. Good job. Hope you haven’t upset the ecosystem by allowing them to all survive. You’ll have more snappers than you know what to do with.
This is what I was thinking. If you fish that pond you won’t pretty soon. I would definitely think about harvesting them for meat.
Larry from Algona
Geo,
The raccoons devastate most of the nests with very few eggs surviving – never see more than a couple of baby turtles each year. I can only guess that with the nest being located in a high-traffic area that the raccoons missed it. Was real special to have a brood like that hatch.
My property backs on to a 55 acre spring fed beaver flood which is directly connected to a chain of large ponds. Don’t think that there is any danger in upsetting the ecosystem. You are right – the way mother nature works, it’s not likely that many of them would get to be adults.
There was a season for harvesting snappers but that was closed years ago and now there is a concern about the populations. Too many wetlands were being drained.
Anyway, I know a lot of shooters on the blog are also avid outdoors people so I though I would share the pictures.
Cheers,
Hank
Hank,
You live in an ideal area, sounds really nice to me. Thank you for the pictures you posted of the baby snappers and also the doe. I have a salt lick out back of the house and a couple of days ago a small fawn was out there licking on it. The fawn seemed pretty small for this time of the year and I did not see the mother anywhere. We’ve seen a pair of twins several times this summer in the back yard. I love to see the deer out there. I was a deer hunter for many years but gave that up a long time ago. Now I just enjoy watching them. I bought some sunflower seed at TSC today and while I was there I bought some deer corn to put out back by the salt lick too. Our does don’t normally get to 200#. Most are in the 125# to 175 # range I would guess.
Geo
Geo,
Like you I used to hunt deer but haven’t since I bought this property. It’s hardly sporting when the deer come right to you rather than run away.
The small fawn you saw probably is from a doe that was bred in the second rut (December) is is a month younger than the normal fawns.
We have four does that hand around all the time and an other half dozen or so that visit regularly. Yes, nice to watch them.
Hank
Hank,
Here in Michigan they give out permits to shoot does. When I was younger and a serious deer hunter, I wouldn’t think of using a doe permit to shoot a doe. I would always apply for the permit and then throw it away. I always enjoyed the hunt much more than the kill. But our family liked eating venison. A friend of mine at work would hunt deer and shoot whichever presented itself first. I used to tell him, “why don’t you just wait until she is close enough and then just hit her with you butt stock, and save the ammo”. I said that because does will often walk right up to you in the woods if you don’t move. I’ve had them come up to me within 10 yards and lie down.
Geo
Geo,
We have the same “apply for a doe tag and throw it away” thinking up here but it is really bad for the deer herd and managing it for quality bucks.
I have talked with a couple of deer biologists and their (expert) opinion is that there should be one buck for every two or three does in order to ensure that they are all bred during the first rut (in November around here).
If there is not enough bucks to go around a great many does will be bred in December or even January, their fawns will be dropped late in the summer and not have enough time to put on the bulk they need to survive the winter. As a result, the breeding potential of the herd is seriously impacted because most of those fawns die.
One of the biologists bought a 350 acre tract of deer bush in New York up near the Canadian border. It had a few small bucks and lots of does. He invited people to hunt but restricted them to does only for the first three years then for does and eight-point (or better) bucks for the next three years. He had had his property for ten years when I talked to him and said that there was three times as many deer as when he had started, the population is balanced and many of the bucks are trophy class ten-point or better animals. He had pictures he was showing of some VERY nice bucks.
When I first started hunting there was a 3 month season for bucks or does. Regardless of gender they were all very good at avoiding people. Then they brought in the bucks-only rule. I found that does are not stupid, its just that they learned that they are not being hunted and have the fear the bucks have of humans.
One of the guys I hunted with was a CO (Conservation Officer) and he preferred to take a fawn over a doe because the doe had a better chance to survive the winter. He also preferred take a doe instead of a buck because the bucks were over hunted and the does were better venison.
I loved the hunt and I like venison but now I get a huge amount of pleasure just watching the deer interact – burgers are good by me :-).
Hank
Interesting concept. Our deer season is only two weeks long, Nov 15 thru the 30th. My brother-in-law still hunts with a crossbow, then gun season, and then the whole month of Dec is for muzzle loaders only. He usually get one or two and gives us some of the venison for chili. We don’t care so much for the steaks or roasts, so most is ground into hamburger.
I like to watch a show on TV called “Northwoods Law”. It depicts real fish & game officers in New Hampshire and Maine performing their actual duties. A camera man rides with them and films in real time. Those guys are VERY serious about protecting their state’s animal life against poachers and such.
I don’t think I could bring myself to shoot a fawn. They are so cute, and it would be like shooting a dog…nope, could not do it. I guess we need to leave the management of the deer herd to the DNR.
Hank
That’s cool that the mother turtle followed you around. And I never seen much baby snappers on the farm as a kid but I know there was a good amount of adult snappers around. So yep cool to see them born.
Suppose to say are nice when baby’s. Not ate baby’s.
thought so. Becoming a grandparent is our reward for not eating our young.
Fred formerly of the DPRoNJ now in GA
Fred
🙂
I must admit I did not toy with the Chaser combo (cp2) in its pistol incantation very much. The heel insert certainly does intrude in the hand. The hard edge on inserting a pellet into the breech benefits greatly with a rubber point tip on a dremmel, the two tiny O rings often need replacement however each time the barrel is removed. As a Carbine however this kit works and shoulders very smoothly. Diana certainly has influenced improvemnts with the trigger adgustments and larger bolt.
Hucklbery
Nice set up on the gun.
B.B.,
I received my 0.22 Chaser pistol / rifle kit yesterday. The shipping box looked liked it hadn’t been handled very gently because the breech end of the rifle barrel was sticking out of the end of the Diana Chaser box.
A word of caution is needed regarding the barrel o-rings. My rifle barrel o-ring had fallen out of the barrel. I found it in the shipping box among the paper packing material. Both the rifle and pistol barrels have an o-ring in the breech end of the barrel. These o-rings appear to fall out easily. So be careful not to lose them.
One of the pictures didn’t post. Here’s the o-ring by itself.
If you find loading pellets a bit of a struggle, briefly removing that O ring and inserting a rubber abrasive tip with a dremel helps to nock off the sharp edge. Also pressing on the back of the bolt with your thumb whilst working bolt handle helps to ease it in the breach.
So far today I have shot 0.22 caliber Meisterkugeln Rifle, RWS Hobby, JSB Match Jumbo Diabolo, and Gamo Match Diabolo pellets. The JSB Match Jumbo Diabolo pellets loaded very easily. The other three required a little more effort, but not enough to require using a Dremel tool on the gun.
Good morning,
I assume all your test results today were in the pistol configuration as you mentioned the loud noise when shooting. Are you also going to repeat the chronograph and accuracy tests with the carbine barrel and moderator?
Thanks
Bob
Bob,
I have the Chaser pistol — not the combo. I probably should have gotten the combo for my test, but I didn’t.
Velocity will increase and the accuracy should hold about the same.
B.B.
BB
Would be more interested in the rifle results over the pistol.
I myself like the 2240’s, 1322/77’s and Marauder pistol and 1720T better with the 1399 Crosman stock and the others in this category that use the similar pistol grip assembly than the pistol only.
I think it’s a more accurate gun that way. And I still like the performance from a long barrel on the 2240 or 1322/77’s and such.
And just to note. I do have to say the Chaser has the one up on at least the 2240 and 1322/77 factory triggers. But not the 1720T or Marauder pistol triggers. They have very good triggers on them. I would need a Chaser or the rifle version in hand to look at it’s function and the adjustability to compare to the 1720T and Marauder pistol trigger. And again good for the Chaser trigger from the factory on a lower cost gun.
But so far so good with testing the Chaser pistol. Now just waiting to see if it’s accurate since we are comparing to the 2240.
I think things are about to get interesting on the next report.
Gunfun1,
I’ve been shooting the 0.22 caliber Chaser pistol today using the open sights and the single shot tray from a bench rested position at 10 meters. Now I’m only a novice shooter, and my greatest handicap is my eye sight with my bifocals. That said, I got 1.25″ groups with 0.22 caliber Meisterkugeln Rifle and RWS Hobby pellets. I think the pistol will do much better in the hands of a more experienced shooter. I think I will do better once I install a dot sight or a scope.
Cstoehr
I wear bifocals and I shoot with my glasses on. I look through the top part of my glasses when I shoot. Open sights are doable for me. But I have to squint my eyes to get the sights and target to get into focus a little better.
But yep pretty good shooting and I would probably be more comfortable shooting with a dot sights then the open sights.
If you put a dot sight on it let me know how it does.
Love that price. The gun looks much more expensive than it is, and that reservoir makes it look like a PCP.
Just returned from a trip to Hawaii where I swam the storied Waikiki Roughwater Swim, a 2.5 mile swim off Waikiki Beach. This is one of the founding events behind the Ironman Triathlon even. Hawaii has the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, a 112 mile bike race around the island of Oahu, and the 26.2 mile Honolulu Marathon. Someone got the bright idea of doing them in succession and the Ironman Triathlon was born. I settled for just the swim. Navigation from one buoy to the next with the aid of reference points along the shore was an issue along with swimming skills. You would think that years of shooting practice would have come to my aid in staying on course, but I wandered all over the ocean before finally making landfall shortly before the awards ceremony was to start. In my defense, I’ll say that my injured arm was a factor in letting my stronger arm to pull me way to the right of the swimming course, but still. It’s time to think in terms of a tactical solution. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a fair fight. I can outswim all the martial artists at the camp I attended recently, and I can overpower all the swimmers. And where necessary, I can call on Slinging Lead for mugging the elderly…
Geezer, no argument with the combat accuracy of the SMLE, and I know that the No. 4 was upgraded for accuracy with its heavier, free-floating barrel. However, I have one reservation about their accuracy based on the mechanical design. The Lee-Enfield rifles were famously reliable, and apparently this was due to an enlarged chamber. As a result, according to one commentator, accuracy could be uncertain like a box of chocolates in that you never knew quite what you were getting between one rifle and the next. Still it wasn’t anything that the Holland & Holland company couldn’t fix with their sniper upgrades. For a highly positive (and typically entertaining) fictionalized treatment of Lee-Enfield sniper rifles, you can read the Stephen Hunter novel, Sniper’s Honor.
Matt61
Matt61
WHAT!!!!
“And where necessary, I can call on Slinging Lead for mugging the elderly…”
Matt61,
You mug the ELDERLY!
Do you also steal from the poor in order to give to the rich!
Congratulations on the Rough Water Swim!! You finished it; that speaks for itself.
My daughter always enjoyed the North Shore Swim Series while she lived on Oahu.
Some Navy SEAL TEAM members claim to be the founders of the IRONMAN type events.
It appears that story is able to hold water.
shootski
This was a comment / question from a new poster. I recommended he post in the current blog to get more views. I thought I would try to copy and paste it in today’s blog for him. Here is the link to his question also.
/blog/2018/08/hatsan-135-qe-vortex-30-caliber-pellet-rifle-part-1/#comment-426531
Mag-Man
September 5, 2018 at 2:37 pm
I have purchased 3 Hatsan rifles in the last month this might be off topic if it is I apologize this is my first post here.First I will tell you which three I got.125 sniper vortex qe .22 cal.95 vortex qe .22 cal.135 vortex qe .25 cal.The triggers on the 95 and the 135 have wobble are left to right movement the 125 does not. I’ve only shot the 125 the other two have never been shot. I have heard it’s quite common to have this play or wiggle in the trigger. If anybody has a rifle that came with the trigger like my 95 and 135 did what did you do just deal with it and get used to it. They’re both within the 30-day window but if it’s not going to hinder me in any way or have any issues down the road with it because of that sideways movement I can deal with that. Any help or advice would be appreciated thanks.
Mag-Man,
Welcome to the blog. There are a lot of savvy folk here that are glad to share their knowledge, though I’m not familiar with your guns to contribute any advice.
And if you caught the recent snapping turtle (no-that’s-not-a-new-airgun) thread, then you know that nothing polite is off-topic here.
Hi Tom,
Thanks useful information for me.
Just bought this model, for my son…… okay and a bit for myself.
We’ve been shooting and testing.
We have the kit with longer barrel and shoulder part. We’ve only been shooting with the short barrel.
At a certain moment my son mentioned that the screw in the trigger blade came out a bit. it was loose, and between your finger and the trigger.
So I just took an Allen wrench and tried to fasten it, so far so good. it felt like I could keep turning.
I stopped, and took it a bit out again. I was afraid it would drop somewhere inside.
It is so loose looks like nothing happens. Trigger pressure is very low.
How can I adjust the trigger, and fixate the screw?
We were also working on the correction (Hight) on the rear sight. According the manual we needed to turn counter clockwise.
We needed to loosen it almost al the way. And the spring under the sight keeps it elevated, you can push it down and it’ll come up again.
But the screw is also quite loose and it’ll probably turn on its own and my aim is off again.
I can also take a small part of the front sight and screw the back end more down…
For me it seems not normal to totally unscrew the Hight to get an accurate shot on about 6 meters.
I’d like to hear your opinion on this.
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Maarten
Maarten,
Welcome to the blog.
You are ahead of me so I’ll need to catch up to you on the sights.
The trigger screw can use some Locktite (blue #242) on its threads to keep it tight without gluing it in place. Clean the threads with solvent, acetone or fingernail polish remover before applying the Locktite.
B.B.
Maarten,
I thought you were referring to the Artemis PCP pistol that published this morning. The Locktite comment still applies.
Few guns are designed to hit with their sights at 6 meters. Ten meters is usually the closest they are designed for. If you want to gun to shoot higher at close range, some of the front sight can be filed off. That will alter the gun permanently, but it may fit your shooting situation.
B.B.
tnx, so I can remove the screw without consequences..
for the distance, yes I thought on filing it off.
But even if I want to shoot larger distances, the rear sight needs to come up even more….
So filing off is an option that also works in the long run.
For now we were shooting 6 meters.
The 2 youngsters (11 years) are still learning. We didn’t want to shoot the pellets into the neighbours garden.
Although they have to learn, one of the 2 exceeded me when we started the 4-th session of the day. Firs shot was dead centre. I was off 3 cm.
Next 2 shots he fired almost same hole, ok it became an oval instead of a nice circle.
But eventually we will shoot over longer distances.
maarten
Maarten,
I THINK you can remove the screw without consequences. At least I don’t know of any.
B.B.