Questions about... well, everything concerning a Diana/RWS Model 45

[ApacheCoTodd]

I brought this home from an estate sale because the quality seemed pretty good but know only what's listed below:

Model 45 - West Germany, Sept 1988
4.5/.177 caliber
Break action

And that's it. If anyone can point me to a site with the orating instructions I would appreciate it. Before it's said, in this case, google is not my friend... simply too much information out there for a complete novice.

So, care & feeding, maintenance and operations instructions are the needs.

Also, any input regarding scopes of relative quality would be appreciated. Can a fella assume that decent .22 market scopes apply?

Another curiosity: The PO had a strip of fiberglass "tape" on the bottom of the barrel from muzzle back for 3 1//2 inches and very specifically the bottom 180 degrees of the diameter. Is this for some sort of dampening?... Did he rest the muzzle on it while shooting?

Todd.

 

[rcmodel]

Can't tell you much about it.

But I can offer a few basic springer tips.

1. NEVER EVER dry fire it. With nothing in the bore to build up pressure and slow the piston at the end of the stroke, bad things can happen.

2. Your gun has a leather piston seal in it, and is likely dried out over the years.
Buy a little bottle of real Air Gun Oil, put a few drops in the hole in the breech face and shoot it till it stops smoking.
DO NOT use gun oil, motor oil, etc, as it will cause dieseling, and may blow the seals out of it.

3. Typical .22 scopes will not survive on a springer. The forward recoil when the piston bottoms out jerks the lens out of the.
They are built to withstand firearms recoil, not the reverse recoil of a springer.

4. Just oil the henge pin and locking bolt or ball with light gun oil.

rc

 

[readyeddy]

Very nice gun.

Springers are normally shot using the artillery method so resting the barrel while shooting is not a common practice for springers.

The scope needs to be rated for springers.

 

[greenmtnguy]

Check out this web forum for model specific info - I've got some other good general airgun forums bookmarked somewhere, but cannot seem to find them at the moment...
http://www.network54.com/Forum/184474

As the other have said - you have to get an air-rifle specific scope - even heavy duty rifle scopes will suffer reticle issues with the backwards/fowards recoil impulses of a springer. Go to a website such as OpticPlanet.com and search for springer air rifle specific optics - they'll have alot of them. And you can ask/research on the web forum link above. If I find the other bookmarks somewhere, I'll post them here also.

Generally, Dianas are pretty nice air rifles and have a long history. Some air rifles are different from others as far as getting the most accuracy out of them - certain ones actually do better to be fired with the barrel or foreend resting on something fixed, while others shoot terribly that way and respond very well to being shot with forearm supported only by hand. 'the break-barrel actions like this are sometimes more finicky in that regard. Another thing that you will learn about on a break barrel if you do fit a scope is 'barrel droop', which may require shimming of scope mounts to compensate.

Another generaly rule is don't fall for the 'hype' of using the light alloy pellets in these rifles to gain supersonic velocities - they are often not as accurate with those and the lighter pellets due tend to increase wear and tear on the rifle/piston mechanics. Use 'traditional' weight pellets will generally give the best results, and life powder burners, you'll have to try different kinds, shapes, and weights to determine which works best for what needs in the air rifle.

Still, this is generally a decent quality airgun and with practice you should be able to reliably hit dimes with it at 10-15 meters.
{edit - oh, here is another very good general airgun forum}
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?PHPSESSID=4e7e043ae03532feeaedb2cbaed20891&action=forum

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Can't tell you much about it.

But I can offer a few basic springer tips.

1. NEVER EVER dry fire it. With nothing in the bore to build up pressure and slow the piston at the end of the stroke, bad things can happen.

2. Your gun has a leather piston seal in it, and is likely dried out over the years.
Buy a little bottle of real Air Gun Oil, put a few drops in the hole in the breech face and shoot it till it stops smoking.
DO NOT use gun oil, motor oil, etc, as it will cause dieseling, and may blow the seals out of it.

3. Typical .22 scopes will not survive on a springer. The forward recoil when the piston bottoms out jerks the lens out of the.
They are built to withstand firearms recoil, not the reverse recoil of a springer.

4. Just oil the henge pin and locking bolt or ball with light gun oil.

rc

1. Thanks for these - all valid in my case. I had been concerned about letting loose on an empty bore.

2. I'll get myself some of that oil now. Didn't even know it was a "thing".

3. I had hear years ago from a competitor that this was the case but assumed I was misremembering.

4.I did that with my light Outers...

Thanks again RC.

Todd.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Very nice gun.

Springers are normally shot using the artillery method so resting the barrel while shooting is not a common practice for springers.

The scope needs to be rated for springers.

Spring specifically - got it! Thanks.

What's the "artillery method" Eddy?


Todd.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Check out this web forum for model specific info - I've got some other good general airgun forums bookmarked somewhere, but cannot seem to find them at the moment...
http://www.network54.com/Forum/184474

As the other have said - you have to get an air-rifle specific scope - even heavy duty rifle scopes will suffer reticle issues with the backwards/fowards recoil impulses of a springer. Go to a website such as OpticPlanet.com and search for springer air rifle specific optics - they'll have alot of them. And you can ask/research on the web forum link above. If I find the other bookmarks somewhere, I'll post them here also.

Generally, Dianas are pretty nice air rifles and have a long history. Some air rifles are different from others as far as getting the most accuracy out of them - certain ones actually do better to be fired with the barrel or foreend resting on something fixed, while others shoot terribly that way and respond very well to being shot with forearm supported only by hand. 'the break-barrel actions like this are sometimes more finicky in that regard. Another thing that you will learn about on a break barrel if you do fit a scope is 'barrel droop', which may require shimming of scope mounts to compensate.

Another generaly rule is don't fall for the 'hype' of using the light alloy pellets in these rifles to gain supersonic velocities - they are often not as accurate with those and the lighter pellets due tend to increase wear and tear on the rifle/piston mechanics. Use 'traditional' weight pellets will generally give the best results, and life powder burners, you'll have to try different kinds, shapes, and weights to determine which works best for what needs in the air rifle.

Still, this is generally a decent quality airgun and with practice you should be able to reliably hit dimes with it at 10-15 meters.
{edit - oh, here is another very good general airgun forum}
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?PHPSESSID=4e7e043ae03532feeaedb2cbaed20891&action=forum

Outstanding site. As I said, often times, Google is not necessarily one's friend... This site never came up in my searches.

I was concerned given the amount of force it takes to "cock" this and now your comment on droop... What, if any, is the preferred method of cocking one of these?


Todd.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Went to the range today...

Well, back yard.

10 meters+ and Crossman Copperhead pellets.

The iron sight rear aperture is very up-down loose but OK in general so I tried a Daisy Powerline scope I had laying about. Probably not up to the spring effect which fellas noted above, but it's free.

Not taking it too seriously so I know with more attention to the shooting and checking other projectiles around here, it's likely to get better.

Funny that I noticed the barrel got very, very warm and just started contemplating friction and the like but quickly remembered - it's 114 degrees out there!

Todd.

 

[cslinger]

The key thing when shooting any spring piston type airgun is a light, consistent touch.

Forget everything you know about handling a real rifle. You basically want to gently rest the rifle on your off hand, and gently pull and control the rifle with your shooting hand.

Understand that these things recoil like a sonofabitch. Not in a 300 Win Mag kind of way but in a forward, rearward and vibrations left and right kind of way and all of this is happening while your very slow (comparatively speaking) projectile is moseying its way out of the barrel. So basically by you trying to control the recoil or shooting like a real rifle you are effectively slinging the projectile all different ways by the time it exits the barrel.

By using a very light and consistent hold and learning the trigger you basically the let the gun move around however it wants. What basically happens, however, is if you consistently hold correctly and pull the trigger correctly the gun moves around basically the same way each time slinging the pellet to the same spot each time. Its a weird concept for a powder burner person to wrap their head around at first but it really works.

Shooting powder burners does little to teach you to shoot airguns well. Shooting airguns will MOST DEFINITELY teach you to shoot powder burners better.

Don't get frustrated and use decent pellets (Crosman Premier, H&N Field Targets, JSB etc.). Once you get it down, although it is very demanding, it is extremely satisfying to shoot a high end air gun, which your Diana is.

One more suggestion. Don't bench rest the air rifle on any kind of traditional bench rest kit for a rifle such as a rigid shooting bag or rigid rest etc. What you want to use is either your hand gently cradling or a folded over towel or similar soft medium on top of whatever rest you are using. Again has to do with letting the rifle bounce around the way it wants to and not over controlling it.

I will take one of my HW30's any day of the week over a bone stock Ruger 10/22.

 

[cslinger]

One more thing............at 114 degrees you are totally missing the point of a nice airgun.....................YOU CAN SHOOT THEM IN THE COMFORT OF THE CLIMATE CONTROLLED GOODNESS OF YOUR HOUSE.

Find yourself a little 10m lane and go to town. If you want ideas for a great pellet trap let me know.

At 114 degrees if I am out at an outdoor range I might end up shooting myself.

 

[readyeddy]

The artillery hold method is described by cslinger. The key is consistency achieved through allowing the gun to recoil freely every shot.

Another thing to remember is follow through. Springers have a very long locktime. From the moment the trigger breaks the spring must uncoil and compress the air to force the pellet forward so you need to keep the gun on target after the trigger break. Just as cslinger said, this will help with shooting powder burners.

 

[greenmtnguy]

Yes, I have found that spending evenings in my backyard with my Gamo CFX helps tighten up my groups when burning powder at the club. If you spend enough time with your springer, it will help you to be a better marksman overall by underscoring consistency, smooth trigger habits and breath control.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Well... I'm getting' a kick out of it. Funny thing though - my dogs have quite a problem with it but not with firearms. Curious, that. Very different sounds I guess considering the sensitivity of dog's ears.



Todd.