Just so you know, I’m leaving for the SHOT Show in Las Vegas tomorrow, So I will be unable to read the comments for some time.
Today is a guest report on reader Motorman’s Diana Two Forty spring-piston air rifle.
He told me about this airgun and I asked him to write this guest blog about it. This is an air rifle I would like to hear about!
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me at blogger@pyramydair.com.
Take it away, Motorman.
Diana Two-Forty
by Motorman
This report covers:
- Curiosity
- Packaging
- Markings
- Stock
- Sights
- Trigger
- Fit ‘n Finish
- Weight And Length
- Chronograph Testing
- Accuracy
Diana Two-Forty.
Curiosity
I have a number of classic spring piston air guns…Diana 27, FWB 124, Marksman 70, Diana 34, HW 30…as well as just some older air guns (i.e. HW25, Slavia 618) that are decent old guns, but perhaps not quite so classic. I’ve always got my ears up for a new classic.
Some of my younger grandkids are also getting to an age when they’re ready to learn to shoot. I’ve got a pristine old Diana 24D and a nice HW30, but I didn’t want to subject them to the inevitable, if unintentional, abuse that results from children using almost anything.
Sometime in early December I got a mailer from Midway USA. One of the items in the mailer was a Diana model Two-Forty (not 240??) with a sell price of $99.99 plus shipping and handling ($119.96 USPS Priority, includes in-state taxes since I live in Missouri and MidwayUSA is in Missouri as well). A brand-new Diana for $100.00? My curiosity got the better of me. I told myself I’d give it to my grandkids to learn on.
Editor’s note: Midway listed it as a .177BB gun with no explanation that it shot pellets.
I ordered it on 5 December 2021. The website said it was due in stock 9 December, but it didn’t actually arrive at Midway USA and ship to me until 24 December. It arrived at my house on 28 December 2021.
Packaging
The gun came in a clear plastic bag surrounded by Styrofoam blocks inside a cardboard box equivalent to a number of other quality European air guns that I’ve purchased over the years. The outside of the box was printed in black on a white background without the visual and verbal fanfare common to some of the brands found in retail stores. That box was, in turn, inside a plain brown box when it arrived.
Markings
On top of the compression tube is says DIANA two forty with two forty not being capitalized and without a hyphen…huh. On the Diana factory website it appears as two-forty…with the hyphen, but still not capitalized. My college journalism teacher just won’t let me NOT capitalize a proper name and use a hyphen for a written number. May the Diana marketing department forgive me, but I’m using Two-Forty for the name.
The Two-Forty markings
Anyway, on the rear left of the compression tube it is says designed by DIANA, GERMANY. A serial number appears just above the barrel pivot bolt and cal. 4.5 / .177 as well as the letter F inside a pentagon.
Nowhere on the rifle does it say where it is manufactured. I didn’t realize until it was already on order that it was made in China. When it arrived, its country of origin was only mentioned by reading the small print on the outside of the box it came in. I’ve briefly owned a few of the Chinese air guns typical of the 1990 to 2010 time period and it’s fair to say I was profoundly unimpressed. Did I say that nicely? However, there was nothing that would associate this rifle with those of my previous experience.
All of the markings are neatly applied (gold colored paint?) as opposed to stamped into the metal, but they seem quite substantial. I’m guessing they would be difficult to remove intentionally or otherwise.
Stock
The stock appears to be the usual medium stained beech hardwood. The finish is reasonably evenly applied, but there is some very slight marring on the sides of the pistol grip area where it rubbed against the packaging during shipment. Was the finish still slightly wet when placed in the box? Who knows?
The action is secured by two angled screws on the sides of the stock just behind the barrel pivot bolt plus one of the two trigger guard screws. When I removed the stock I noted that there was what appeared to be a blue LocTite-type product on the stock screws. I also noted that they were snug, but not quite what I would call tight. Each stock screw has a plain flat washer to seat on instead of bottoming on the wood of the stock…a nice touch for a gun in this price range.
It has a hard rubber butt plate secured with two Phillips screws as well.
The Two Forty has a rather hand-filing thick stock; it’s 1 7/8-inches thick at the fore end tapering slightly to 1-3/4-inches at the grip and 1-1/2-inches” at the butt. It extends from about 3 forward of the barrel pivot back about 27-1/2-inches to the butt (including the butt plate). The length of pull is approximately 13-3/4-inches. No checkering, stippling, nor finger grooves are provided.
For comparison purposes, my Diana 24D stock is 1-5/8-inches at the fore end tapering to 1-1/4-inches at the butt. The HW 30 is about the same, so the Two-Forty feels chunky. I happen to like that feel, but others may prefer something more svelte. The length of pull on the 24D and HW30 are 13-1/4-inches and 14-inches respectively, so the Two-Forty is somewhere in between.
Sights
BB won’t like this one. There are two green dayglow dots in the rear and a red dayglo dot in the front. The rear sight is a combination of blued metal and black plastic parts. The assembly is adjustable for both elevation and windage with audible click detents for each.
At my age my depth of field is such that open sights don’t make much difference anyway. I’m going to make an attempt to test for accuracy with the stock sights, but I suspect that a more accurate assessment may require mounting a scope and repeating the procedure.
Happily, the top of the compression tube is grooved for scope mounting and includes a 0.1685” (about 4.25mm) diameter scope stop hole.
Trigger
The Diana Two-Forty comes with a black plastic trigger and trigger guard that seems sturdy enough, despite it being plastic.
Diana Two-Forty trigger and triggerguard.
The compression tube cap carries the usual Diana-style automatic safety. Both the cap and safety catch are plastic, but seem to be adequately rugged to serve without issue. The safety snaps off with a quiet, satisfying click. Not bad. Nothing remarkable. It just works.
The safety release.
The trigger pull seemed heavy initially, but after a few dozen shots it’s lightened up. The first stage is about 0.20-inch of movement with less than 1 oz. resistance. The second stage requires about 0.07-inch of additional movement and releases at a five-shot average of 3 lbs. 5 oz. The variation off the average was three or four ounces one way or the other.
There’s no binding, grinding unpleasant feel or change of resistance as you pull thru its release. A Weihrauch Rekord it’s not, though I’ve certainly shot a number of guns with far worse triggers. It’s not a surprise at this price point, but there is no provision for trigger adjustment.
The trigger outside the stock.
Barrel
The Two-Forty’s barrel length is 16-3/4-inches by my tape measure, but Diana says it’s 16-1/2-inches. It has a ball detent that was initially pretty stiff to break open! However, it’s lightened up nicely with use. The breech seal is a pretty standard looking white plastic washer. The muzzle is capped by a black plastic sleeve/front sight assembly.
Cocking is accomplished by a simple single cocking lever in the standard fashion.
When I had the stock off I noted that the spring and piston seemed rather dry. I was temped to paint some “Tune In A Tube” onto it, but decided to evaluate the gun in “as received” condition. Despite the dryness, the gun isn’t twangy by my subjective judgement.
Fit ‘n Finish
The Two-Forty’s action-to-stock fit is as nice as any of the other air guns I own. If the bluing isn’t the equal of the 24D and the HW30, it’s certainly not far off. It’s dead black with a creditable polishing job. Could it be something besides real bluing? Yeah, but I couldn’t tell.
There are some coarse machining marks in the scope rail slots, but that might be there to assist keeping the scope in place and, thus, might be intentional? Even after removing the stock and inspecting the “innards”, I don’t find any other coarse machining marks.
Overall, the fit and finish are quite nice and exceed what I expected for either a $100 gun or a gun made in China!
Weight and Length
The overall length of the Two-Forty is 40-1/4-inches. The weight is 6 lbs.
Chronograph Testing
Advertised velocity: 575 FPS
RWS Hobby’s (7.0 gr.)
Hi: 590 FPS
Low: 575 FPS
Ave: 583 FPS
Extreme Spread: 15 FPS
Standard Deviation: 4 FPS
Muzzle Energy: 5.5 ft.lbs.
It should be noted that my chronograph, a five-year-old Competition Electronic ProChrono Digital, tends to give me higher numbers than others cite for a given gun, so these number might be a smidge high. That said, it would appear that the Two-Forty performs as advertised in this regard.
Accuracy
Accuracy testing was done at the available 20-foot range in my basement. Yeah, I could go outside and test it at 33 feet, but it was 18 degrees here this morning!!!
For me, accuracy testing is tough. I’m the variable in the equation that makes it difficult to be absolutely sure of the results. Here’s the best I can offer:
Let me start with the caveat that I’m shooting with 73-year-old eyes that don’t focus on the front sight, rear sight nor black-dot target nearly as well as they did 60 years ago. This open-sight accuracy report is, therefore, suspect and rather subjective:
RWS Meisterkugeln (7.0 gr.): 1/2-inch group
RWS R10 (8.2 gr.): 7/16-inch group
RWS Hobby (7.0 gr.): 3/8-inch group
Crosman Premier (7.9 gr.): 5/16-inch group
Target shot with open sights.
So, I mounted a scope on it to see how THAT worked out. I have an older 3 – 9 X 32 UTG “Bug Buster” scope in a set of Sports Match mounts that seemed appropriate.
Two-Forty scoped with a Bug Buster.
Happily, I can still shoot a little better with a scope than with open sights. The groups closed up somewhat:
The target shot with a scoped rifle.
RWS Meisterkugeln (8.2 gr.): 3/8-inch group
JSB Exact (7.87 gr.): 1/4-inch group, maybe a smidge less
RWS R10 (8.2 gr.): 1/4-inch group
RWS Hobby 7.0 gr.): 1/4-inch group, probably a little more*
Crosman Premier (7.9 gr.): 5/16-inch group
*The far left shot with Hobby’s was operator error. Given credit for that, the group would still have been a smidge over 1/4”.
Granted, I’m still shooting at 20’, but the Two-Forty seems creditably accurate and not particularly pellet-picky. I’ve shot some other pellets thru the Two-Forty and it doesn’t seem to like 7.0 gr. pellets as much as some closer to 8 gr. I think the JSB Exact 7.87 gr. suited it best!
Summary
The Diana Two-Forty is a surprising value at $99.99 plus shipping! Without an adjustable trigger, it’s not equivalent to my old Diana 24D nor the HW30, but at this price point that’s an unfair comparison. Overall, it’s a quite nice gun. After I give this one to my grandkids, I might buy another for myself!
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
You have a HW30 and are holding out on it? Shame. Get the kiddos using quality early.
Motorman,
Seems like the bean counters are learning how to get a product produced at low cost without sacrificing too much quality. I hope whoever they posted for Quality Control doesn’t get replaced for some time.
Siraniko
BB what a surprise – I just received my new Diana Two-Fifty in .22cal. I must admit that the price-performance ratio is amazing. I changed the rear sights to a standard Diana (35EUR additionally), which is unfortunately not a standard for D250 but I still was able to adapt it… Anyway the German F limit is 7.5J which may be ok for a small .177 rifle like 240 but it is not ok for .22 medium power rifle like D250 is. I installed the export spring and it is now 20J of energy (14,75ft.lbs). The reason to change the rear sights is that they won’t hold the recoil of the gun…
What Diana did is this spread – they still have the premium line which is made in Germany without any compromises like plastic sights and they put additional product line which is manufactured in China. The difference to many other “made in Chinas” is the quality control. It is my 4th Diana made in China which I have to say is quite OK. And value for money is top. They have to do some cut for the price – the sights, the stock finish etc. But the barrel is high quality rifled with a good finished crown. Accuracy is on a very good level.
Edw – why not? I really like to buy stuff like this and tune it. You will not believe but I have one .22 springer which was 50,96EUR new, tuned for 7,50EUR, now accurate like any other good springer with very smooth cocking and shot cycle. Bought for fun and trial, now one of my likely used plinker.
The great thing about good tuned cheap rifle is that you don’t care so much, and it just makes more fun. It may be very accurate and smooth too. Especially when you would like to show “how it goes” to kids 🙂 There is no “be careful, no no you will make some scratches, not like this, bla blaa” all the time.
It is nice to play with some high quality equipment of course – but I have this feeling that you automatically switch to some kind of a “safe mode” with it. So the fun factor is different 🙂 Example – my special one HW50 full custom… I’m always pretty tensed when someone else is shooting it.
For me there are no springers “out of the box” which are optimized enough. At least the zero check with proper grease-ing etc. needs to be done anyway.
BB – one thing about the F-germanized springers. There is often a small bore in the piston. Even if it is delivered with cut, weak spring they do like this small hole in the piston as additional safety to hold the limit… Just in case you will go for a full power with one of these. This small bore must then be closed 🙂
Motorman,
An excellent, detailed review — very well done! And you produced some nicely shaped and tight groups with the Two-Forty.
Michael
Motorman,
I agree with Michael. Nice groups there and they are better than mine would be. 🙂 Very interesting to see that Diana is delivering some good value-to-price airguns through their new production approach in China. I am still a fan of the old world construction. But I have to give them credit.
StarboardRower
I tend to agree with Tomek. This would be a fine starter gun, and once safe gun handling is ingrained, the kiddos can graduate to shooting the finer guns. However, I am pleasantly surprised by the out of the box quality and accuracy. Nowhere does Motorman mention the typical 1,000 shot break in period, creepy, heavy trigger, buzzy shot cycle, or misaligned bore. He apparently did not need to clean and polish the bore with J.B. Nonembedding Bore Cleaning Compound or mess around with Tune in a Tube. And he didn’t have to go through 100 different pellets to find respectable accuracy. I think this rifle is a real bargain, and a great entry into the Diana line.
Actually, I’m a bit jealous because this rifle without the stock looks a LOT like my Umarex Embark without the stock (also the Ruger Explorer), but seems to be far higher quality. I may have to take some pictures to share.
I was going to get the Crosman 362. Now I may need to get this Two Forty too!
Thank you, Motorman, for an excellent report.
Roamin Greco – it is not unusual, I found out that the D250 trigger is the same unit as Stöger X20… so there is a lot of intermixture inside the “madeinChinas”.
It is not important where it is produced – what is important is the quality control. I know that if you buy same name miC stuff in Germany it would be twice better then same model bought in Poland.
Diana seems to have it under control so far. Nevertheless there is some issue with Stormrider .22 and P-five pistol (delivery issues, I’m waiting for weeks now…). Weihrauch has also similar issues – where is my new HW30?… and it is supposed to be produced in G…
The barrel in D250 was clean, out of the box it was accurate and without dieseling after 30shots. So it might be OK out of the box even in this price level. I know some expensive stuff which was not OK out of the box… so the quality control is the key.
RG,
With the 362 and a two forty, you should have quite a plinking pair there.
The trigger of the Two-Forty looked so familiar, I had to take a peek inside my Umarex Embark for comparison. Here are some more pictures. I had taken a plastic cap off the back end of the spring tube to allow the peep sight to sit properly on the dovetail. I also had to remove a small metal tab screwed onto the top of the spring tube near the back end that looked like it was intended as a scope stop. The automatic safety pushes straight in. The front sight does not have a fiber optic insert (recall that this rifle was intended as a target rifle for the SAR program), but the Ruger Explorer version does. The trigger looks similar, but the cocking arm is different enough that I think this Two-Forty has different DNA.
Thank you for your kind words about my review here!
Other than the initially tight trigger and hard-to-break-open barrel hinge, I’ve not really experienced much change after a couple two or three hundred shots with it. An extended break-in period doesn’t seem to be required.
I usually shoot a new springer a couple dozen times to blow or burn out most of the factory lube in the compression chamber. After it’s settled down and quit blowing smoke rings or whatever, I then push (not fire!) a handful of Ballistol-soaked felt pellets thru the bore with a wooden dowel rod (so as not to scratch the bore). My object is just to clean out the combustion by-products and start with a nice, oiled bore. Another dozen shots and I’m ready to check muzzle velocity, accuracy, etc. I’m not saying this is right, it’s just what I do.
I was curious to see how much barrel droop this thing had. Most of you know that Diana break barrel rifles are historically famous for tons of barrel droop. However, I think Tom talked to Diana at one of the recent SHOT shows and commented that they were trying to improve this. Maybe they’ve made some progress. I usually put a layer or two of common “friction tape” under the scope’s rear mount and start compensating for barrel droop from there. With the Two-Forty, that’s all I did. It was “on paper” and I just fine-tuned the elevation and windage adjustments down and to the left…voila!
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
For comparison, here is how my Umarex Embark was packaged (without the peep sight or trigger lock). I note that the label on the otherwise plain packaging says “distributed by Umarex.” They don’t make this, either.
Roamin Greco – it looks nice! Are you happy with it?
Diana sold in Germany is well packed, all models have now uniform box with D logo on it and very good safe package.
Not very happy. I suspect the barrel is either slightly bent or the bore is off center to the barrel. And not very accurrate. I struggle to get a good group. For a kids’ rifle to introduce them to shooting competitively, it should have been at least as accurate as Motorman’s Two Forty. In retrospect, I should have returned it right away and tried another. But that was my first airgun purchase after 40 years away from them. So I have learned A LOT since then.
It is always kind of hard to just find the brand new airgun useless at the very fist time shooting because of “something very wrong with the barrel”.
I had once Gamo CF30 full power. I gave it back after the first session. It was just terrible dissapointing, nice looking new rifle with 10 minus 10 equals 0 accuracy :/
Well, the good thing is that now it’s a project gun, and I can try my hand at bending the barrel and also try to polish/modify the trigger and maybe add a trigger stop, without having to worry about ruining our only airgun. Now we have several more! We may yet turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse.
Motorman,
Thank you for this blog. It reminds me that not everyone is trying to produce the Uber Magnum Sproinger. I really do believe that sproingers seem to perform best when designed to be 12 FPE or less. It really takes a good bit of engineering to get above that in a sproinger and have something worth owning.
RidgeRunner – again fully agree with you. Most of my springers are below 12ft.lbs. Actually the only D250 is above it, as mentioned almost 15ft.lbs. It is too much for me regarding recoil and cocking effort already. I don’t know how people handle 20ft.lbs+ springers at all…
tomek,
I have but one sproinger that is above 12 FPE and it is not going to stay that way. Actually, I will slowly reduce its power until I find what I consider optimum operating conditions versus power level.
Actually I found the 9 FPE to be the top-limit for smooth .22 for short distance (up to 30yards) in rifle weight class around 3kg. I did never expect that smoothness and accuracy from a springer. Of course it is not a hunting power. But I don’t hunt anyway. The .177 in 10 – 11 FPE range is a laser up to 40yards. I don’t need more energy from a springer.
The D250 I will first leave cocked for a day to see if the spring reduces a bit, it might be very nice in 13 FPE range. But 15 FPE is already a bit brutal to shoot. I don’t really understand this “run for power” in a springer class airguns. They just do not make any fun up certain level. If you would like to have 18 FPE plus then go to PCP and you are welcome, lets make 40 FPE out of it or more. But springer like Diana 350 with 24 FPE? The scope is dead, your hand is dead after 50 shots from cocking it… and the accuracy will not follow the power at all.
First time I shot D250 after the sprong change to full power, I don’t know maybe 150 shots, the next morning my left arm hurts… I can shoot 500 pellets out of my Comet220 and not even noticed I’m tired.
For me important is to hit first. Must always lough when I see some guys trying to hit small target with these over-powered springers, and me just making pink…bäng, pink…bäng 🙂
Tomek,
On another site I have the signature statement “What good is 500 FPE if you cannot hit what you are shooting at.”
The race is not necessarily about power, but speed. Many of the newbies these days are coming from the world of firearms where many of them are used to 2500+ FPS.
The sproinger manufacturers want a chunk of that change, so they try to deliver the highest speeds they can. Most of the newbies are ignorant of what it takes to get a sproinger to shoot over 1000 FPS. I myself was, but fortunately for me I was always concerned with accuracy. I grew up shooting at very small targets at very long ranges.
Because of the costs involved, many of the powder burner folks never get to the PCPs, although some of those folks will spend an incredible amount of money on one of their firearms.
Sproinger wise, mostly what I shoot these days is pre-WWII, although recently I have obtained a few post-WWII in my “collection”.
When I want to go long range, I break out the PCPs.
RR,
I’m going to disagree with your observation that the firearms owners who are coming into airguns are going for the cheaper springers and avoiding the PCPs. What I see is guys with $1,500 ARs who find $800 PCPs affordible and $2,000 PCPs worth the price because they deliver. There is a whole different mindset, from what I see.
BB
Woohoo! They have named this winter storm after my air pistol, Izzy!
Good report. We should all know by now that Chinese quality is equal to whatever is required.
This Diana two forty is a good buy at $100 but the price here is already up to $150
Deck
Midway is out of stock and I don’t think PA carries it. Hint hint, PA. Crosman 362 is in the cart, though.
Motorman,
Nice report on a good shooting rifle.
Nice, but not too nice. Perfect for young abusers.lol.
Since it was not delivered for Christmas, will this be an Easter present for them?
-Y
Yogi, I’ve been saved by omicron! Between them being sick and us being sick, we’ve still not gotten together to open Christmas presents! LOL! I’ve got it all nicely broken in for them!
Nice report Motorman. So, this is a Bronco. Dont be deceived by that ‘other’ Bronco. Not even a detent.
Pretty sharp with the BB scope on it. Battery powered dot sight too? I think the Umarex Fusion, it comes with a pump, is too expensive compared to this one. The Bronco version of that would sell well.
Rob
Motorman,
Enjoyed reading your Guest Blog on your DIANA Two-Forty very much.
Will the cocking effort be appropriate for the grandchildren? Will you have them learn on the Iron Sights or provide a scope? I ask because i’m in discussions with my son and daughter-in-law about the airgun(s) purchases to get for my grandsons. Lots of choices and different opinions are how we all learn from each other.
Thank you again for your effort and hope the results are that your grandchildren and you have great fun! I hope your efforts cause them to become members of the shooting sports community for life.
Well done my fellow Grandpa!
shootski
I figured you would have been getting them into the dark side right away, Darth Shootski, or at least CO2, like 1077W or single stroke pneumatic.
Take it from me, open iron sights or a peep sight is the way to learn first. Then scopes. Otherwise, they’ll never learn open sights. Most folks will never know the benefits of a peep sight because they think of it as the rear sight instead of learning to just look through it like looking through a hole in a fence. I think kids should learn a peep sight first, as then they learn to focus on the front sight, and then open sights, and finally optical sights. I say this with the perspective of a person who is re-learning open sights after hunting deer with a scoped rifle for many years.
Again, thanks to all for your kind words about the review!
Cocking it is a little more than the seven-year-old granddaughter is going to manage for another year or two. Doesn’t matter. She’s not going to be shooting on her own for those couple years anyway.
Shootski, I argue with myself about teaching the kids to shoot with open sights or a scope. On the one hand, I want them to build confidence early, so that supports using a scope. On the other hand, they need to learn open sights.
To further confuse things, I recently had the opportunity to teach a friend’s 19-year-old granddaughter to shoot. I started her with the Diana 24D which has a Williams scope-rail-mounted peep sight on it. She did great and we moved on to a .22 LR with a scope.
I’ll bet we could get an extended conversation going on this blog with all the pros and cons of open sights, peep sights, scope, red dot sight, and such for training new shooters. Some of the decision might depend upon the new shooter…grade school kid? College kid? Adult? Boy? Girl? Wife? Girlfriend? Your kid or someone else’s kid? There might be different answers depending upon those questions?
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
Motorman, our Embark was difficult for my then-seven year old to cock as well, but not for long. Those muscles build up quicly at that age. Our biggest issue was length of pull on the stock. Even with a 12″ LOP, they were contorting madly to .get a sight picture..
And I agree with everything you just said. There will always be special considerations, but I have become a big fan of peep sights over the last year and I would say, generally, peep sights first, then open iron sights, then scope / red dots last. Confidence can be built by simply starting closer to the target. Have you read the post about BB teaching his father in law how to shoot an air pistol? Or the serial posts about guy teaching his new girlfriend how to shoot? Lot’s of wisdom in those posts.
Motorman,
You are totally correct on the difficult decisions facing us on what system to use as the introduction to target acquisition for new shooters. I think the problem stems from the same area of the ballpark that causes benighted shooters to bring their .357/50BMG to the range to teach a new shooter. That area of the ballpark is in the dark area under the bleachers. Fortunately B.B. and others on this blog have provided numerous instances of good and SIMPLE technique(s) on teaching new shooters the art of target acquisition. You will note I never use the term Aiming…that is how people wind up under the bleachers in the dark. Most non shooters understand you to be saying Point At and that is simply not what is happening. With Iron Sights the facts of Taking Aim are out in the open and can be easily understood.
Quite frankly a simple bead at the end of the barrel is how I first learned after being told: “Look down the barrel for the bead then find the target.” When I got to shoot a peep i never thought to look at anything but the front sight bead.
KISS
shootski
Good report – no pun intended. 😉
FM’s probably redundant/irrelevant observations on the subject of sights: learned to aim and shoot with a Ruger 10-22 rimfire using “open” sights. This was in an indoor range not far from home. Despite nearsightedness requiring prescription eyeglasses starting at age 10+, developed adequate accuracy at 50 to 100 yards with the Ruger and other non-scoped firearms over time. No competition shooting for FM, though – not good enough for that.
Eventually moved on to shooting a scoped 10-22 and admit to enjoying that experience greatly. Having said that, still try to become proficient with firearms and/or airguns equipped with fixed sights first, before moving on to scoped versions. As the eyes age out, unfortunately, we start requiring more visual aids with their attendant complications. When starting out to learn the craft of sighting and shooting, start with fixed or “open” sights unless you have very impaired vision.
I am in the same boat, I always had a hard time with open sights, but I found that peep sights increase one’s depth of focus so it appears that the target and front sight are both in focus.
Motorman
A really great blog. I have very high opinion on clear thinking, especially if it is followed by clear presentation. All the comments from fellow gentlemen whose opinions I also have in high esteem seem to agree.
Hope to read more from you.
All the best
Everyone, I realized that this must be a new incarnation of the Diana 240 Classic:
/blog/2017/05/diana-240-classicpart-4/
PA used to sell them for $150, and BB was charmed by that one. This one seems to be very similar with the addition of the scope stop pin and the deletion of the adjustable trigger.
Roamin Greco,
You would think the Dark Lord shootski would tempt them to te Dark Side immediately…but you would be wrong.
My concern is at least twofold. First is the joy I found as a child having my own gun that I learned to use and then could use totally independent of adults. That may no longer be possible in most places around the World but there are still a few! Granted the degree of freedom of even a responsible child is much more limited compared to when I and most of you grew up. The Second reason to not choose a PCP is that any fill pressure above 200PSI/1378.951 kilopascals/13-14 BAR brings you into the High Risk region. You can teach in a rather straight forward way, even most young people, the risks involved with shooting projectiles and how to mitigate them. The risks of High Pressure Air is a much more complex group of possibilities that are even less forgiving than most adults realize. Not to belabor the issue I’ll give the 1st Commandment of PCPs:
IF a PCP is Charged (Filled) it must be considered LOADED
So the debate our family is having centers around that major issue and which airgun powerplant is the most INHERENTLY safe.
As far as sights all of us learned on and currently use Iron Sights. We also use all the other sighting systems but the basics of target acquisition were all learned on Iron Sights…we as a family never even debated that.
shootski
Well said. Safety always must be the highest priority lest someone gets hurt or we lose our beloved sport to an unfortunate incident used against us. So if a PCP is loaded when it has air in it, then so is a CO2 gun if you store with any CO2 still in it. A multi pump with only one pump is probably not much of a concern. A ssp loses its pressure rather quickly if left pumped.
Then again, the first rule of gun safety is to treat all guns as if they are always loaded. Wonder how others weigh in on airgun safety..
Wow, good fodder for the weekend. Happy Friday everyone.
Roamin Greco,
Exactly for the other powerplants that can be stored charged. That even includes a Gas Spring or metal spring that is cocked. The issue with the PCP is that a pencil, clod of dirt, glob of Grease, you name it introduced to the bore doesn’t even need to fit the bore all that well to become a deadly projectile when propelled by the typical minimum of about 2,000PSI/13789.515 kilopascals/140BAR when the valve opens to deliver a comparatively large volume charge. None of the other airgun powerplants has both the charge volume delivered at the HIGH pressure that PCPs do routinely.
shootski
Random, somewhat-but-not-totally off-topic comment – hope B.B. is having a nice time at the SHOT Show; ever since he mentioned his trip there, can’t get Elvis belting out “Viva Las Vegas!” outta my skull. On the other hand, Ann-Margret comes into mindful view as well. That’s not a bad thing. 🙂
Literally laughed out loud at your Elvis comment. The sound of his voice singing that song came INSTANTLY to mind!
Basil,
BB is in Vegas. Everybody here wears masks! BB isn’t used to this, having lived in the Republic of Texas for so long.
BB is tired and achy right now. Poor BB! 🙁
BB
B.B., feel your pain, leaves me breathless. Not so “Viva Las Vegas,” one supposes, but hopefully the show compensates – there will be no lack of air there! Guess all one can do these days depending on the venue is go with the flow.
FawltyManuel,
I must be Tone Deaf!
Ann-Margret images fill all the channels available.
shootski
Firearms safety at my home growing up is a cherished memory. It forced me and my childhood friends into early maturity if only on the subject of guns. I got my first dove at age 8 with a .20 gauge Parker Trojan. But at that time I was only allowed to carry my Daisy No. 25 quail hunting. The sudden and heart pounding rise of a covey required instinctive reaction with a shotgun. Quail may be behind other hunters, between you and other hunters or bird dogs. Fellow hunters were carefully chosen not for their wing shot skills.
Yeah times are way different now. Wouldn’t be a good idea to take the shotgun to school in the car trunk for the dove hunt after school like we did every dove season. The media doesn’t get this but the idea of shooting someone out of hate was not cool.
BB, enjoy the Shot Show.
Deck
Motorman,
I was offline yesterday; hence, I did not get a chance to read through your excellent report till today. Well done, Sir! You kind of did a combined version of a typical B.B. 3-part report (overview, then velocity, then accuracy), but you packed a LOT of information into a very easy-to-read report. And I am very happy to see an air rifle at this price point performing so well and reflecting a decent level of quality. This would not only make a nice trainer rifle for kids, it would also be a great “loaner” here at the farm (like if a visitor reached for my HW30S, I could hand them this instead; that way, if they dropped it, I wouldn’t cry as much…hahaha! =>). Thank you for the nice read. 🙂
Take care & God bless,
dave
thedavemyster:
Thank you all once again for your kind comments on the review. I’ve been reading Tom’s reviews and such since the days of The Airgun Newsletter in the mid-1990’s. I’ve had a number of superb examples to follow with this review!
Yeah, it’s actually kind of a shame that these guns seem destined to be “the gun I hand someone when they reach for my HW30”, but it’s a needed role. Not that I would purposely allow it to be abused. I’d have been over the moon if someone had given me a Diana Two-Forty when I was about 12!
Addressing what some others were saying, gun safety is a big deal to me…well, for all of us. While my older brothers and I sometime did some back yard plinking, when I was about 14, Mom got me into a Saturday morning NRA target shooting program thru the tiny YMCA in the little town I grew up in. I don’t remember the guys that taught that class, but they did a great job planting “point it in a safe direction, keep your finger out of the trigger guard, open it up and check to see if it’s loaded (and leave it open unless there’s a compelling reason to close it)”.
In the ensuing years I became a Boy Scouts merit badge counselor for both rifle and shotguns, and I’ve taught dozens of friends, family members and business associates’ wives and kids how to shoot. The first thing I teach, something that I repeat several times while we’re going thru the learning experience, and the last thing I teach are those three behaviors. There is more to gun safety, of course, but if those kids don’t remember ANYTHING else, I want them to remember those three things.
Y’all have a great week-end!
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
“I’d have been over the moon if someone had given me a Diana Two-Forty when I was about 12!”
I am with you on that one!
“point it in a safe direction, keep your finger out of the trigger guard, open it up and check to see if it’s loaded (and leave it open unless there’s a compelling reason to close it)”.
Amen! My first ever gun was a Winchester model 37A in 20 gauge, and those same rules were drilled into me (thank God!). My second gun was my first-ever air rifle, a 1974 Sheridan C-model…and by then, those rules were second nature. 🙂
B.B. and Readership,
First off hopefully your trip to Shot Show this year will be productive and fun B.B.!
For those of us you left at home…well we will just need to grin and wait for you to report about all the new goodies and fun you had.
Over at HAM they have a piece about a new PA Service; tuning a buyers new Avenger PCP.
We now know how much a competent PCP tune is worth at retail.
shootski
Gunfun1,
Don’t want to appear mechanically inept but what’s the secret to removing a 362’s buttstock? Both of mine arrived here Friday. One has a trigger that will wear in just fine the other one needs some help! Removal of the screw hidden under the pump arm is pretty straight forward but nothing budges for me after that. Was wondering if there is a tab cast in the butt that would mesh into a slot in the pump tube requiring a fore and aft movement for removal but the trigger assy. being fixed won’t allow that. The screw that holds the rear sight isn’t long enough to act like one on a 130 where it passes completely through and threads into the grip. Before I get radical I thought contacting the resident 1377/1322 expert was a smarter course of action.
I will say this, whoever designed that stock really knew what they were doing! Except for maybe a little more swell in the palm the stock actually fits me better than just about anything else I have. Using the irons is a joy not a chore. If someone scopes it a little more comb height may be required but not much.
BobF
Bob,
There is only one screw. The one you mentioned under the pump arm. The stock fits tight once the screw is removed work the stock up and down at the butt till it loosens up. I also looked for two screws at first. Good luck.
Don
Benji-Don,
Thanks, thats the info I wanted to hear! I kind of figured as much but since finding this blog and all the good info it has access to I’ve come to ask questions first and not pay the piper later.
Thanks again!
BobF
It is snowing pretty good right now. Earlier the deer were up and about foraging. Now they have settled in under some pines in the back to ride the storm out. I hope I do not disturb them today.
That’s way cool, RidgeRunner; I’m glad we rescued our dog, Reno; but he does keep the deer away from the front yard…no more cool pics of deer eating pecans under our front light. That’s great that you are getting snow…be happy! All we are getting is a cold nasty rain…I’d much rather see snow. 🙂
Goselyn, our rescue pittador mostly leaves the deer alone. She knows she cannot catch them. Rarely does she chase them.
Now the small, furry woodland creatures live in absolute terror of her.
Mrs. RR and I really like the snow. I am hoping we get over a foot. My snowshoes are ready.
“Goselyn, our rescue pittador…”
Man, that’s cool that you rescued that doggie. 🙂
RR
Enjoy the deer and snow. We have deer but just ice in trees so far.
You do some small game hunting at long range. Have you tried .22 FX slugs in a PCP?
Deck
Deck,
I do not do any hunting at any range these days. I quit hunting back in ’86. I have not had to hunt to feed myself or my family since then.
Now I do have a Maximus in .22 that I am beginning to work with some. After I get it regulated and install a longer LW Poly Rifled barrel, I will start shooting cast bullets in it.
“There are no guns, not even airguns, on Canadian farms.”
Well, dear readership, perhaps one of you (besides Hank, Vana2, who will know, of course) knows the answer to this issue I’ve been pondering. My wife and I live in a farmhouse built back in 1900; hence, we really enjoyed watching this season of a new show called “Farmhouse Facelift,” about a brother (master carpenter) and sister (designer) team who renovate old (usually at least a century old) farmhouses in Canada. These aren’t just farmhouses, they are generally on active farms, complete with cows, chickens, and old barns. Billy and Carolyn do some excellent work; I particularly like the custom pieces that Billy builds, often out of old re-claimed barn wood…that’s very cool, and much reminiscent of Hank [Vana2].
When we finished the 10th episode (the last of the season) yesterday, I finally figured out what had been nagging at the back of my mind throughout all the episodes: even though they are working on living rooms with fireplaces, and mud rooms, I never once saw a gun while Carolyn and Billy were doing a walk-through as the owners as they discussed the changes they wished to see.
To me, this seems extremely odd, especially if I contrast it to where I live, middle Georgia farm country. You’d be hard-pressed to find any farm here without a gun; that would be like a farm without a shovel; guns are common tools around here. Most every farm has a gun over the mantel, usually an old family heirloom, and pretty much everyone keeps a long gun by the back door (which would be the equivalent of a mud room in Canada). Gunfire is common, pretty much a daily occurrence; if I here 5 or 6 shots, I figure someone is sighting in a rifle; if I hear one or two shots, especially at night, I know someone got a coyote, a raccoon, or a hog that was rooting up their field. And if they are thinning out the rats in their barn with a trusty air rifle, well, of course, I don’t hear that; but I know it’s happening all the time. And it you walked into a kid’s bedroom here, you’d like as not see a Daisy Red Ryder hanging on their wall (got one hanging on my own wall…yeah, I’m just a big kid. =>). Our local Tractor Supply has the Red Ryders (and other airguns) right by the door as you come in…they’ve even got pink ones, like in case your grand daughter wants to differentiate hers from her brothers. 🙂
Yet if all I knew about Canada was what I learned from watching “Farmhouse Facelift,” I would definitely come away thinking, “There are no guns, not even airguns, on Canadian farms.” And that’s not meant to be a dig on the show; I love the show. I’m just wondering, is there some kind of law in Canada that says, “You cannot portray any type of guns, not even airguns, in a favorable light; and you cannot even show one on TV”?
Thank you for listening to my Sunday morning ramble; if anyone has the answer, I am all ears.
Wishing a blessed Sunday, and happy shooting to all,
dave
P.S. I’m going to do some air pistol shooting now; it’s cold and rainy outside; thanks be to God I have my indoor range…yay! 🙂
Hi Dave,
In Canada, firearms (anything over 500 fps – airguns included) are required to be disabled or locked or secured. A trigger lock is legal but gun cabinets or safes are “strongly recommended”. It’s an out of sight, out of mind mentality.
You can keep a non-restricted gun “available” (but not loaded) by the door if you are “using it”. Meaning that it is OK to have the gun handy during the day but you should lock it up at night.
Here is a clip from the regulations…
Storage of Non-Restricted Firearms
5 (1) An individual may store a non-restricted firearm only if
(a) it is unloaded;
(b) it is
(i) rendered inoperable by means of a secure locking device,
(ii) rendered inoperable by the removal of the bolt or bolt-carrier, or
(iii) stored in a container, receptacle or room that is kept securely locked and that is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into; and
(c) it is not readily accessible to ammunition, unless the ammunition is stored, together with or separately from the firearm, in a container or receptacle that is kept securely locked and that is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into.
I keep my airguns & firearms in a metal safe and store the ammo elsewhere. Think most people do the same and that this is why you don’t see firearms on display on you program.
Hank
Thanks, Hank!
You explained it all and very well. The show is filmed in Ontario; and per statistics, I knew that province has the highest level on gun ownership in Canada:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/520760/canada-firearms-licenses-by-province/
Hence, I knew there was no way all those farms were “gun-free zones,” hahaha! But your snapshot of the regulations, plus your note that, “It’s an out of sight, out of mind mentality,” explains it all perfectly Now I can sleep at night, knowing that those farmers are able to “keep the foxes out of the hen houses.” Thank you! 🙂
Cheers & good shooting (indoors, for now, I assume) to you,
dave
thedavemyster,
The British have a show called Escape to the Country. Folks from the big UK cities check out rural houses/barns that have been updated for the urban folks and never even saw a pitchfork! I need to check out the Australian productions to see if weapons are on the Sets.
Just a guess but as soon as a firearm/powerful airgun is shown in a TV/Motion Picture production that set requires an Armorer/Weapons Master increasing production cost. My other guess would need us to know which Province in Canada the show is filmed in since they still have some say above and beyond the Federal Laws. And finally it would turn off some of the viewership showing GUNS as farm decor!
shootski
As far as turning off some viewership, waah.
You might see more in the Land Down Under, but the government made all semi firearms illegal and pump shotguns illegal. It is almost as difficult to get a firearm down there as it is in the UK. If I am not mistaken, there are also some stiff laws about owning an airgun. Ah well, I do not live there.
P.S. There is a 1906 “Lincoln Jeffries Model” BSA air rifle hanging over my fireplace. I was going to move my other “old gals” up to the loft, but Mrs. RR likes them where they are as part of our decor.
RidgeRunner,
Yeah, People just don’t get it! I have had visitors get upset about the collection of swords carried by my family’s Warriors some even into battle not just on the Parade Field or to the Ceremonial Ball like me; I make certain to show those folks the gun room.
Your Pittador is a good looking animal; glad you two rescued the pooch.
Bear Paws or Beaver Tails with Babiche decking? Have you ever used them with skins for downhill travel?
HATE Freezing Rain.
Let it Snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!
shootski
“I have had visitors get upset about the collection of swords carried by my family’s Warriors”
Man, that is bogus! What is wrong with those people?!?
thedavemyster,
FEAR.
And not the healthy fear of God. But simple fearing of that which they have no real knowledge or darker still the the deep seated knowing they haven’t the selfcontrol to remain a good person with the skill and knowledge of arms.
shootski
Shootski, yes that’s an uncool type of fear; they’d be better off if they had the fear (as in a deep and abiding reverence) of the Lord; then they’d be on the road to wisdom. 😉
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” — Proverbs 9:10
“Mrs. RR likes them where they are as part of our decor.”
Hahaha! I love that; way cool! 🙂
Yes, it is great. I always have one of the old gals in reach with a pouch of their favorite pellet with them.
Nice! 🙂
“And finally it would turn off some of the viewership showing GUNS as farm decor!”
Shootski, that’s a great point I never even thought of that! 🙂
My Pittador
RidgeRunner,
Nice doggie!
Siraniko
LOL! She is really a sweet dog. You would be in danger of being licked to death if you let her.
Aw, Goselyn, she’s a sweetie! 🙂
Here’s our rescue dog, an American Bulldog. We don’t know how far he walked, but “Reno” just showed up at our farm one day…thirsty, starving, and covered with wounds.
The vet said he was most likely used as a bait dog by a dog fighter. Happily, despite his bad start in life, he has healed up nicely, and gained 20 pounds since he got here; he is a very loving dog, and he just dotes on my wife. But he is a “persistent chewer.” It’s hard to find toys that he can’t destroy. Here’s a pic of him when he decided to rip the heating pad off the floor of his house…even though I had secured it with 27 screws.
*shrugs* Like I said, he is persistent…but a loveable doggie, a great farm dog. 🙂
thedavemyster,
I’m humbled by people like you who have the patience to put up with such behavior. I don’t think I could refrain to dissuade a dog from such behavior.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
I kind of feel sorry for him, knowing that he was beaten for the first two years of his life, and never got a chance to be a puppy. I did get an electronic training collar for him to train him to stay out of the road, as he liked to chase cars; we cured him of that for his own safety. Also, he has an electric fence that confines him to an area of about 2.5 acres…that keeps him out of the road, and out of anywhere else that he could get himself into trouble. As for bedding material, I have learned that he will not allow anything in his dog house that he cannot also bring outside; so my wife bought him 5 very heavy blankets, and those work great; in the daytime, he pulls them out and sits on them in the sun; at night, I put them back in his house, and he is all nice and snug. Considering the awful way he was raised, he is a very affectionate dog; all the delivery people know him by name, and come over and play with him; our mail lady brings him a treat every day. Reno is like a big old teddy bear; he just wants to be loved; and now, after two years of misery, he is finally getting a good home where he can just be a happy old farm dog. 🙂
God’s blessings to you,
dave
Awesome!
Well, recently we transitioned over to freezing rain.
There are about six inches of snow under this stuff.
4:08 PM It is trying to change back to snow.
RR
Maybe you let us know how the Maximus with slug friendly barrel works for accuracy. I haven’t hunted in years either but I have my memories. I was just wondering about .22 slugs vs pellet accuracy at 100 yards. I know nothing from experience but have heard barrel quality, twist and correct velocity are more demanding than for pellets.
Deck
Deck,
I have yet to seriously test cast bullets versus pellets. I really should give them a go with my HM1000X as I have both to fit it. I am afraid that I do not have the correct twist or velocity for the bullets though. I do believe my barrel has been optimized for pellets.
RR
Should you try slugs I’m curious about slug vs pellet accuracy at 100 yards in whatever rifle you use. Worse case it may say get a barrel with a different twist. Or not!
Thanks.
Deck