Page 3 - Diana Stormrider Reviews

Accuracy - Took awhile to get this right. About a year. But it hits dead center every time, now. I gave it a four because I couldn't figure out the sights. But the right scope made all the difference. Velocity - 870 fps with 15 gr pellet; 760 with 21 gr slug, not quite according to specs but the fpe is around 26, which is precisely as advertised. Power - hard hitting. Around 26 fpe with any pellet.

Add a nice scope. I couldn't figure out the sights. Its as though they are set too high. With the sights, my shots were always low. So, fix that. I would make it easier to seat the pellets. I literally broke a stem off after a few months of shooting because the seating is so hard.

The lighter, 15 gr pellets, seat the easiest. The metal slugs like HN are buggers to seat. This advice is just for backyard plinkers. I'm not a hunter.

At this point, 11 days before the 1 year warranty expires, not much! Good accuracy at 10 meters. Light and easy to handle. I have a .22cal.

Quality, Quality, Quality! How about designing a breach bolt handle that won't snap off??? It better be replaced under warranty, because I've had enough with this rifle. How about designing a fill probe that works? PA sent me a second fill probe that isn't much better. I use the G7 pump. How about designing a rotary shot clip that is easy to load? Put a second barrel band on it.

Everybody seems enamored with this rifle, I have the GEN 2. Cheap does not mean quality! This rifle requires too many add-ons to make it work right. If you like to tinker with air rifles, then that's okay. But what happens if the breach bolt handle snaps off right at the breach bolt. How are your going to tinker with or fix that? Put a second barrel band on. I had to buy the band and install it. Some say it disturbs the barrel harmonics. Try never to touch or handle the rifle barrel then! If I successfully get a new Diana GEN 2, replacement returned to me, I think I'll try to sell it and save the money for PA's top seller... the Benjamin Marauder!

Weight is low. Yet well balanced with a decent optics weight on it. It shoots well and has a good power ratio. If it's not actually made in Germany, who cares, for the price point it's a good little weapon.

Does not like copper pellets. Charge 20 more dollars and send it out with the second barrel band so I don't have to fool with taking the barrel out to do it myself!

Get the wood. This is not the one that is better in synthetic.the manometer is in different locations on the synthetic it's at the end of The fill probe area. So would this mean that the synthetic is more regulator friendly. Because you lose the manometer in the bottom of the Wood stock when you put the reg in.

Light, powerful, accurate

Lower sights slightly for better use with scope

A nice light carry rifle

Everything, light accurate, easy to use and work on

Put a 2nd barrel band on

Get a 2nd barrel band and a land regulator with a good scope and have fun. I have 1 in 177 and 22 the 177 has a huma reg and the 22 has a lane. Lane is way better.

Light in weight, handles nice, decent open sights, nice trigger that is adjustable

someone message the factory to stop putting loctite on the moderator. It is a nice aluminum construction but unable to easily disassemble without pulling out all the tricks and still risk making it look ugly

magazine needed three drops of oil, works great

This air rifle is an excellent by for the money. It is extremely accurate. I zeroed my Stormrider at 25 yards, I was able to achieve a (5) shot dime group with ease.

Nothing.

The only issue I had was the fill probe did not fit properly on my quick connect air sources. *Note: I have (3) types of air sources, hand pump, Crosman 90 cu charging system (bottle) and the Air Venturi Nomad II air compressor. I had to grind the fill probe down with a drill and sand paper to get to fit. I would not recommend this. Just buy another fill probe. I wrote Pyramydair and advised them of the problem. There response was basically "that happens". So in addition to my repair job, I bought (2) fill probes from Pyramydair, hmmm.

Shape of the stock, weight, trigger, reservoir capacity, ability to add a regulator

The two biggest changes I would make would be to extend the breech further forward, and add a couple inches of barrel. As is, the breech is so short that the only scope I can mount far enough forward without offset rings and get proper eye relief is the Bug Buster, which is not my favorite scope. Also, the rifle is so short and the stock so heavy in relation to the rest of the parts that the balance is extremely butt-heavy. I really like the wood stock, but this one is over two pounds. A couple/few more inches of barrel would help with balance, increase velocity, decrease noise level, AND get that moderator out of the way for installing the optional reservoir end cap with additional manometer that is almost required to properly use the optional regulator. Also, feeding in my particular rifle(a factory refurb), is pretty terrible. Even worse with the magazine, which also deforms the skirt on JSB pellets as they clear the magazine. Having an extra fill probe is also not my favorite.

In .177, you probably want to get the optional regulator to keep velocity down. Otherwise it will run even ~8.5 grain pellets over 1000 FPS and with an instantly dropping velocity curve. I didnt try heavier pellets before installing the regulator, but they may have flattened the velocity curve somewhat. My particular rifle is not particular accurate, and dialing it in to be accurate with any one particular pellet has so far resulted in bad groups with every other pellet- for instance, it was accurate at ~825 FPS with 10.34 JSBs, but nothing else. I turned up the regulator to get those JSB heavies up to ~875, and it no longer groups them well- but it DOES now group decently with the 9.57 BHE at 900 FPS, when it previously did not like that pellet at the lower velocity. Its nice to be able to dial in for a pellet, but not nice that it seems to only like that one pellet after you have it shooting them well. And disassembling the rifle repeatedly to make changes isnt much fun.

Accuracy and thats it !!

Everything that has to do with pellet feed !!

I dont see how this gun made it to market. Just trying to put a pellet into the breech is a major job. This is a piece of junk !!! I sold mine and felt so bad about it I give him my 22cal umarex gauntlet and told him to keep the stormrider and use it as a club. If you think I am making this up buy one and experience the joy of owning this piece of junk !!

I purchased the Diana Stormrider 1 month ago. Literally it was sighted out of the box to groupings of 1 inch with no adjustments at 25 yards. I happen to like iron sight shooting. I use flat nose pellets because I find pointed pellets seem to float randomly. However, after shooting about a 1000 pellets, the sighting deteriorated because the set screws for the sight became loose. Once tightened and re-sighted, I was back to 1 inch groups. I use paper plates for sighting, but I enjoy tin can shooting. By the way, I am an off hand shooter, and I like to shoot at 2 inch metal swing plates.

I think I would like to have a peep sight, which I can add later.

Very good accuracy with open sights and exact jumbo heavy's 22 cal.,Fairly quiet and light weight also. Price great for carry around plinker.

Bolt handle extremely fragile. Mine broke after having shot less than a tin of pellets. Also pellet clip can be a stinker to load.

Fill port probe adapter would not fit my air ventura nomad pump. Was told by Pyramid to grind it down, hmmm. No repair parts available for bolt so I must send back for repair. Think I will love it once the bugs are worked out. Diana needs to take a serious look at machining and material specs.

Very light weight. The rifle is very accurate with a variety of pellets. It is very accurate with crossman 14.3 HP

It would be nice if they would go ahead ant put the extra barrel band on at the factory.

I purchased this gun as a light weight rifle for my grandchildren who live on a small ranch. I did not expect this quality or accuracy for this price It will shoot .3 tents of an inch at 20 yards using the inexpensive Crossman HP that I get at Wal-Mart for $5,80 for 500.

price

front sight not at 12 oclock of barrel ...badly off. Bolt handle snapped off in first day of shooting...needs to be structurally stronger.

Accuracy is great. Dime sized groups or smaller at 5ft. It is the only rifle available in this class with good iron sights and repeater action. Trigger is very good, mine is 2.5lbs out of the box. Two stage trigger with a nice predictable release.

Bolt action is a little notchy at the end of travel. I suspect either the magazine design or the hard o-ring at the breach. Also the leade to the throat /chamber was very rough, looked like it was machined by a beavers teeth. Had to smooth with a dremel. Barrel does appear to droop some, likely because of the thin barrel with a good size moderator on the end. I installed a second barrel band, which raised the POI considerably and also made shot to shot consistency better. Rifle shot fine without these mods, but is smoother and more accurate with them.

Mine is already heavily modified. I installed Tech Sights rear sight part #TSM120A, which fit perfectly and did not require a new front sight. The aperture rear sight makes for much better accuracy in my opinion. I also installed a regulator set to 140psi and I am getting about 30 shots in .22 cal using benjamin premier ultra magnums with an average velocity of 850FPS. I also added a second barrel band, as indicated above, and might play with positioning it to see if it impacts accuracy. So far I am really liking it. It is quiet enough for backyard shooting, quieter than my airforce escape ss in 22. But, be very aware of your backstop because this rifle is VERY powerful, this is no daisy red rider. Absolutely treat this as you would a firearm. Without the mods this is a good trainer rifle, with the mods above it is a serious hunting and field target tool. Very pleased.

I love the the balance and light weight. The stock is well finished. I am using it to cut my teeth on so to speak. I am new to the pcp hobby.

The problem I have is the bolt and magazines. My daughter and I we're taking turns shooting it and she broke the bolt handle. It is just not very substantial. Rather than send it in I will make a new one. The magazine can easily move off location and the next thing you know someone pushes it trying to make it lock down. That's my situation. It's not difficult to fix and I guess you get what you pay for.

It's fun to shoot and I'm not giving up on the sport. I will fix it and keep shooting.

shoots straight, light and thin. Same action as the diana bandit

doesnt hold air, may return it for that reason although I like it.

Also having trouble with a diana outlaw, the bandit is great but maybe the others arent made as well? not sure.

Love the monte carlo cheek weld. excellent light weight and balance. stacking pennies at 25' with 14g crossman dome .22s right out of the box. The trigger is extraordinarily good. havent put a meter on it but its crisp and feels like 2 maybe 2.25lbs.

should come with a barrel band because the barrel flex but i never bang my guns around so its fine. i did order the band though.

I have PCPs that I paid 3x more than the stormrider. the weight, trigger and general mobility of the stormrider easily justify $350, maybe $400. Feels like I stole it at $169.

Very light weight, great feel to the stock, and its accurate.

For this price nothing.

I bought this for my 9yr old and damn near kept it. Lol... What can I say it is a nice gun. Great price,good accuracy, light weight, and great feel to it.

Great adjustable trigger, 1/2" groups at 25 yards with CPL's, very easy to shoot! I bought an extra barrel band but have not installed it yet. Not sure if I will as it is very accurate the way it is!

More support for the barrel.

Great gun...especially for the money!

First rifle had a defect and was quickly replaced by Pyramyd. Second rifle is excellent arrived in good shape well packed. Second rifle is 5 star I am giving 4 stars because of necessity of returning the first one. Shoots well functions perfectly for the 100+ shots I have fired so far. Pyramyd customer service is great an example for the industry and the best I have experienced in 40+ years dealing with sporting goods industry.

Sights are adequate but a little fidly to adjust. Scope mounting must be done carefully to keep from Interfering with magazine. Single load tray likes to let pellets drop behind tray making you invert gun and shake to free.

For the price you cannot beat this PCP. I purchased the Refurb 177 gen 2 model.