by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
The Diana Chaser is a new CO2 pistol.
This report covers:
- Mount the sight
- Front sight?
- Cut to the chase
- The test
- The trigger
- Dialed the dot way down
- First target
- Second target
- Summary
Today I test the Diana Chaser air pistol with the UTG RDM20 Reflex Micro Dot sight we have been reviewing. The last test was done with the sight mounted on a Beeman P1 back in January, and it did quite well. I told you I wasn’t going to run a special report on the sight, but instead I would be testing it on several airguns as time went by. The Chaser test is today.
Mount the sight
The Chaser’s rear sight had to be removed to mount the UGT dot sight. There is a short rail in front of the pellet trough but I didn’t think it was quite long enough for this sight base.
The rear sight is held on the pistol by two Phillips screws. To access the rear one the elevation screw must be removed, along with the spring under the sight leaf.
The Chaser’s rear sight has to come off to make room for the UTG Micro Dot. It’s held to the Chaser’s receiver by two small screws. To access the rear screw, the elevation adjustment screw is adjusted all the way up and both that screw and the spring that moves the rear sight leaf are removed.
Front sight?
The Chaser’s front sight cannot be removed, so it’s left in place. But when the UTG Micro Dot is sighted in, the front sight cannot be seen through the dot sight. If you tip the pistol up it is possible to see the front sight, but then you can’t see the dot. So the front sight isn’t a hinderance in any way.
There is the Micro Dot mounted on the pistol. The front sight does stick up, but the dot is higher and you won’t see the front sight when you aim.
Cut to the chase
I didn’t want to retest the Chaser, so I read Part 3 of its report and discovered the RWS Superdome pellet is the best, hands-down. I should have read the whole report, however, because the magazine also did best last time. But the single shot tray was mounted in the receiver so that’s how I tested it.
The test
The test is at 10 meters off a sandbag rest. I shot two-handed and the gun seemed to be rock stable.The first step was to sight-in, which I started at 15 feet and finished at 10 meters. It took several shots to get on target, but I would like to comment on how adjustable this dot sight is. It has a huge range of adjustment and I was able to get the pellets into the black where I wanted them.
The trigger
The Chaser’s trigger is very light and went off before I was prepared a couple times. Once I became accustomed to it, though, I could feel the blade stop at stage two and I knew the shot was ready to go. After that the shots went well.
Dialed the dot way down
I had the dot set on the brightest illumination setting for sight-in, but once the pistol was on target I dropped the illumination down to the 5th position. There is only one more position that is dimmer than that.
At the low settings the dot shrinks in size, enabling the shot to be more precise. Given the bag rest I was using, this was almost like shooting an air rifle. There was no movement until the shot fired and the pistol recoiled a little on its own from the force of the gas.
First target
For the first target I fired just 5 shots. I didn’t feel my concentration was up to a 10-shot group just yet. But five went into 0.793-inches at 10 meters. They are also nicely centered in the bull, thanks to the sight.
The Chaser put five Superdome pellets into 0.793-inches at 10 meters when using the Micro Dot Reflex sight. This is pretty good!
Second target
The first target gave me the confidence I needed to shoot a 10-shot group. And by this time I had also become accustomed to the light trigger.
The second time I just shot and never looked at the target until it was all over. Shot number five went off before I was ready, but the dot was on the bull. I just don’t know that it was centered. I couldn’t call that shot a pull because I didn’t see where the dot was when the gun fired. The other nine shots were the best I could do. The group measures 0.964-inches, with 7 in 0.521-inches.
All 10 shots are in a group that measures 0.964 inches between centers. Seven of the 10 shots are in 0.521-inches. I’d call that good!
Summary
The sight was easy to install, once the rear sight was off the Chaser. The sight sits high enough that the pistol’s front sight can’t be seen.
If you buy this sight now you get the one with the upgraded battery life, which is 30,000 hours of continuous runtime. You may never need to change the batteries in your sight!
The bottom line is this UTG Micro Dot Reflex sight is turning out to be a best buy. I wish Pyramyd AIR would carry it! I do plan on testing it on other airguns as they become available.
BB,
You are beginning to sell me on that dot sight. A small reflex would be nice to have and this one seems to be doing great.
RR,
I, too, am sold. And I would get the Gen II version for the improvements.
B.B.
BB,
It will most definitely be kept in mind.
I have a RDM20 on my 41 mag. I’m hoping to shoot later today if the weather isn’t too bad. We’ll see if POI shifts under recoil or find out that my old eyes were to blame. Iron sights used to work. Not any more.
B.B.,
I hadn’t noticed this pistol before. I have spent several minutes learning about it in the pistol and rifle configurations. The reason I spent the time and effort is my attempt to understand how you mounted the dot sight.
First, I looked at the PA page and learned this gun has an 11mm dovetail. I have read about the adaptive base for the UTG Reflex Micro Dot, but I found nothing that mentioned mounting on an 11mm dovetail.
Tyler Patner reviews the Chaser in pistol and rifle configurations, showed it shooting with a tubular red dot sight mounted, but didn’t say anything about it. It appeared to use a Weaver mount, but this doesn’t seem possible with this base (unless of course, the mount can be both Weaver/Pic and 11mm.
I didn’t find an answer, and so I must defer to your knowledge of this. I am always learning more from you, Sensei.
~ken
Ken,
I used a UTG 11mm to Weaver adaptor. It’s listed in the test of the P1 I linked to in Part 11.
B.B.
B.B.,
Thank you. I forgot about that adapter.
~ken
B.B.,
I found the very thorough report in Part 10, with pictures and arrows and a description of what each part was (sorry, I always think of Alice’s Restaurant when I see pictures and arrows and explanations).
The audio story is much better than the movie made of it. The pictures and arrows comes in just past the 5 minute mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM
~ken
Ken,
LOL! I too am of that era.
RidgeRunner,
And what an era it was. The album came out in ’67 and the movie in ’69. All around this time period was turmoil and unrest, Vietnam, Civil Rights, J. Edgar Hoover, The Chicago 8, The Smothers Brothers, and on it goes.
You know, the movie was as depressing as the album was delightful. Oh, well.
~ken
Ken,
I never saw the movie.
It is a tradition in my house to play “Alice’s Restaurant” on Thanksgiving Day.
B.B.
I see in Pt 3 you consider this pistol a best buy. Do you still plan on testing it at 25 yards?
Doc
Doc,
I don’t know. I hate to use a day for a report like that. If the pistol had shot a quarter-inch group, maybe. I’ll have to think about it.
B.B.
B.B.,
O.K., so I have read this report from its start through this two times and am really thinking a Chaser is in my future, but then P.A. sends me an e-mail about THIS:
/product/diana-lp8-tactical-carbine?m=4694
Really? Now I have two air pistols I must have? Pyramyd AIR, that is just plain not fair. Not fair at all. I will have to choose. I know one is much more money than is the other, but remember the “it isn’t about the money” blog? That springer carbine simply says, “I must be yours.” But I have been coveting a Chaser for my CO2 arsenal for a long time now.
Aaaaargh! Too many great airguns.
B.B., This is becoming a problem for me, a fellow who is nearing retirement and a fixed income. Any advice? Crime is out of the question as I have a conscience that would haunt me mercilessly. Gambling? The odds are always in the house’s favor. Moonlighting? I’m tired enough at the end of the day as it is. Besides, work gets in the way of valuable airgunning time. (Except for you, the man with the best job in the world.)
Well, maybe it is time to get a spare change box. At the end of every day put whatever change (including 1 dollar bills) one has in his pockets into the slot. At the end of the year, open it up, and what is in there can be spent on something fun. For my Grandpa Roy, that box was a “Cuss Box.” Every time he said a naughty word, a nickel had to go in. At the end of the year my grandma got the proceeds to buy something nice but impractical for herself. Frankly, I think my grandpa added some extra nickels in it just to make the amount bigger for her. They loved each other madly.
Now, back to that Diana LP8 Tactical Carbine . . .
Michael
Michael,
The spare change box generates a lot for me.
B.B.
Michael,
Very cool. I haven’t seen that. Myself, I like the pistol version better, but this is very cool. I think it would have been better if RWS would have put some type of quick release on the stock so you could have both quickly in the field. All that said, after you buy the pistol or carbine from PA, check out these grips for her:http://www.galbraithbrothers.com/
Those make her look so sweet. I wish grips like this were made for the Diana Chaser!
Doc
Over the years I have managed to squirrel away about $2400. I did this by doing computer work for friends and a few referrals. Often when they asked what they owed me, I would tell them that I didn’t charge, but they could make a donation to my “computer fund”. Then sometimes I would charge $50 and they would write me a check for $125. I am still getting by with an old HP Pavilion that’s 12 years old. Last spring I took $500 out of my computer fund to buy a Gamo Urban PCP, UTG 3-12×44 SWAT scope, and a Taousa HPA hand pump. I still have way more than I need to build a new desktop computer this spring. Oh, and I’ve been retired since 2011. I made sure we were debt free before I retired and now our only income is from social security and my pension. We buy pretty much what ever we want, but we are conservative as well.
BB
I like that dot sight. I can already think of a few guns I would like to try it on.
GF1,
Pyramyd AIR now stocks it!
/product/utg-reflex-micro-dot-red-4-moa-single-dot-adaptive-base?a=8738
B.B.
BB
Thanks for the link. Going to see about getting one on my next order.
GF1,
I don’t think you’ll be sorry. And I hope you tell everyone about it.
B.B.
BB
It looks well made but still simple. I’m sure I’ll like it. And yes I will let you all know what it’s like.
I love the Diana Chaser rifle. Love the ergos, the fit and finish, how it works with the Stormchaser magazine, how easy it is to steady, the CO2 window and the looks. I’m going to get a Leapers 3-9X32 for it, but in the meantime I put orange paint on the front iron sight and white tape on the rear to better pick up black targets. If I could change anything it would come with high contrast paint or fiber optic iron sights and a set of shorter screws to put in the holes on the rail in the rifle configuration – just to keep the holes clean if I chose to stick with iron sights.
Another pix
Just one more
Just one more.
SusieQ,
That is a sweet little set up you have there! I remember when they first came and thought real hard about getting one. I have a tuff time with open sights, so that is what probably killed the deal. I like your rest. I have not seen that one before. I have the full MTM rest that does both front and rear and is one piece.
Nice pics too. That thing looks like pure, light weight fun!
Chris
Thanks! It’s a cheapo rest, but works ok. I’m really looking forward to the optic. I’m told it has a lighted reticle, which is a pleasant surprise. It’s nice to be able to target shoot at home since I haven’t been to the range for months because of COVID.
Added a scope today. Made the Chaser even sweeter.