Tag Archives: gas-piston rifles

Interesting gun designs — Benjamin Legacy: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Benjamin Legacy SE
Benjamin Legacy with a gas spring was a short-lived breakbarrel.

This report covers:

  • Getting started
  • The hold
  • First group
  • Second group
  • After that
  • Additional data
  • What’s next?

Let’s look at the accuracy of the .22-caliber Benjamin Legacy gas-spring rifle. If you remember, this was a rifle that came out just before I went into the hospital in 2010. When I got out 3 months later, the gun had already been taken off the market. I never reviewed it for you because it was an airgun you couldn’t buy, but the fact that it only took 16 lbs. of force to cock it fascinated me. I wanted to see what it could do regardless of whether or not you could buy one; because, if this turned out to be a good idea, it’s worth doing again. read more

Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana N-TEC 340 Classic
Diana 340 N-TEC 340 air rifle

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This report covers:

  • Scoping a drooper
  • Firing cycle is smooth and quick
  • Trigger takes some learning
  • Artillery hold
  • First group
  • Second group
  • Third group
  • I was pleased!
  • Artillery hold abandoned — the fourth group
  • The bottom line

Boy, has this test turned out to be an eye opener! I had hoped that the Diana 340 N-TEC Classic would not disappoint, and believe me — it didn’t!

Scoping a drooper

Today, I’ll test the rifle scoped at 25 yards. I mounted an AirForce 4-16x scope in UTG Quick Lock Max Strength high Weaver rings; but this is a Diana air rifle, and that means the scope base on the rifle is proprietary. Knowing Diana’s reputation for drooper barrels, I also mounted a prototype UTG drooper scope base on the rifle. They aren’t supposed to fit, but this one did, perhaps because it’s a prototype and not the same as the bases they sell. read more

Interesting gun designs — Benjamin Legacy: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Benjamin Legacy SE
Benjamin Legacy with a gas spring was a short-lived breakbarrel.

This report covers:

  • Something special from the back room!
  • Benefits of a lower-pressure gas spring
  • Trigger
  • Lower power
  • RWS Hobby pellets
  • Crosman Premier pellets
  • JSB Exact RS pellets
  • The point of this review

Something special from the back room!

I’m going slow with this report, because it concerns an airgun you cannot purchase. Read Part 2 to see where I found out about the .22-caliber Benjamin Legacy breakbarrel with a gas spring — not the Legacy with a steel spring that sold many years earlier. In the 3 months between the time I contracted pancreatitis in March of 2010 until I was discharged from the last hospital in June of that year, the Benjamin Legacy with gas spring was born, died and forgotten. I never had the chance to review it for you. read more

Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana N-TEC 340 Classic
Diana N-TEC 340 Classic air rifle

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Baracuda Match pellets, 4.50mm head
  • Baracuda Match pellets, 4.53mm head
  • RWS Superdome pellets
  • Fast action
  • Learning the trigger
  • JSB Exact heavy pellets, 10.34 grains
  • The bottom line — so far

Let’s start looking at the accuracy of the Diana 340 N-TEC Classic rifle. I used the open sights that come on the rifle, and I shot at 10 meters today. I did that because air rifles with gas springs are, in my experience, not all that accurate. I did feel the 340 N-TEC is a different breed of gas-spring rifle, but I wanted to play it safe. So, 10 meters off a rest.

Baracuda Match pellets, 4.50mm head

The first pellet I shot was the H&N Baracuda with a 4.50mm head. It hit the target a little high and to the left; so, after shooting the group, I adjusted the sights. read more

Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana N-TEC 340 Classic
Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Cocking effort
  • RWS Hobby pellets
  • H&N Baracuda Match pellets, 4.50mm head
  • RWS Superdome pellets
  • Why the slow shots?
  • Trigger
  • Evaluation so far

Cocking effort

Today, we’ll look at the velocity of the Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle. I said in part 1 that cocking this rifle is a chore for 2 hands, but I’ve learned something about the gun in this test. The gas spring isn’t the only thing I’m fighting to cock the rifle. The barrel pivot joint is also a bit too tight. The cocking effort is about 35 lbs, which isn’t that bad, but the pivot joint boosts that up to 42 lbs. It made the rifle difficult to measure, but I soon learned to rapidly pull down the barrel and bypass the pivot joint tension. Then, it is a one-handed operation. read more

Interesting gun designs — Benjamin Legacy: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Something special from the back room!
  • Easy to cock
  • Smooth shooting
  • Testus interruptus
  • No more Legacy
  • Something’s coming — maybe
  • The rifle
  • Cocking effort 16 lbs.
  • A modern Diana 27?

Today’s report is the reason I wrote the whole report about interesting designs. Today, I’m going to address what I’ve wanted to show you for the past 5 years. This is an interesting story, so fill your cup, sit back and enjoy.

It began in 2009, when Paul Capello and I started the television show American Airgunner. We needed content for the show, and the Crosman Corporation in East Bloomfield, New York, invited us to come in and film their operation. I had toured parts of their plant before, and I knew there was a lot to see.

Something special from the back room!

During the tour, their head engineer, Ed Schultz, asked if we would like to see something special. Naturally, we were excited! He took us out a back door next to the bulk CO2 tank that fills all the cartridges they make. Then, he told us about a secret project of his. read more

Diana 340 N-TEC Classic air rifle: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana N-TEC 340 Classic
Diana 340 N-TEC Classic

This report covers:

  • What is the 340 N-TEC Classic?
  • Gas-spring advantages and disadvantages
  • The rifle
  • Sights
  • Trigger
  • Shooting impressions
  • Overall impression

Let’s begin our look at Diana’s gas-spring guns. Specifically, we’re testing the Diana 340 N-TEC Classic in .177 caliber. The serial number of the rifle I’m testing is 01583666.

I’m very cautious when testing spring rifles that have gas springs, because dozens of past tests have made me skeptical over the years. The claims for smooth shooting almost never pan out. The claims for accuracy are often inflated. The cocking effort is often played down when I find it to be a major influence in how easy it is to operate the gun.

I’ve seen fewer than 10 air rifles with gas springs that I could recommend to others. So, as I look at this rifle, I’ll be looking from the vantage point of a lot of past experience. read more