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eagle24 · Member

I just sold my Gamo Whisper that I had only owned for a couple of weeks. Now I am going to do what I should have done before I purchased the Whisper and try and make a better decision on a rifle that better fits my needs. I could not live with the trigger on the Whisper and for whatever reason, I felt I needed a lot of velocity. I didn't realize that I might be paying for it in loss of accuracy. In all fairness, I didn't really give the Whisper a fair chance and I am sure I could have gotten better accuracy with the right pellet, but I knew I would never be happy with the heavy trigger so I didn't waste the time with it. Had the trigger been suitable, I would have probably shot it for awhile.

Here are my requirements.

1. I want a spring gun (don't want to fool with CO2 or Compressed Air)
2. I want a rifle with a crisp trigger and preferrably around 3lbs or less.
3. I want a rifle that will shoot no worse than a 1" group at 25yds.
4. I want a descent scope that will be dependable (prefer fixed power)
5. I will only be doing target shooting and plinking.
6. I would like to try and stay under $400.00 (Rifle, Scope, & Mounts).

**I really like what I have read and seen about the Diana 48 & the Air Arms TX200 MKIII. They are over my preferred budget, but I have not totally ruled them out if I don't think I can get a rifle I will be happy with for under $400.

Suggestions are wanted! Will a Diana 34 meet my criteria?

Greg

broommaster2000 · Moderator

Take a good look at the HW90 too. It will get you high velocity AND power in .22. Will do over 800 fps with H&N Baracuda Extra heavy and shoot tight groups.

My tip is to drop the idea of velocity. You can easily reach out over 60 yards with 800 fps. A scope will be great help.

I got my HW90 for sale if you wanna go trough shipping it from the Netherlands. Excluding shipping I'm aiming at $370,- including good scoperings and I accept paypal. The gun had a very good tuning which you won't find on a new gun. You can mail me for pics if you like or read this topic:

http://www.airgunhome.com/agforum/viewtopic.php?t=4028

fritz · Silver Status Member

Diana 34, with a good set of mounts (if you really want to, get the $50+ set of beeman adjustables). Centerpoint scope, 3-9x40.

You would have to adjust the trigger yourself. Not hard, and might as well get a JM spring and seal for it. To replace the spring, the trigger group must also be removed, so take it apart and tune it while you're under the hood.

eagle24 · Member

Looks like a great price Broom. Not sure what the shipping would cost or how long it would take to get here. I'm still researching and prefer to stay under my budget if possible, but I will definitely keep your HW90 in mind.

rsterne · Moderator

I would suggest that you take a look at a BAM B-26.... It is a clone of the Weirauch HW-95 at about half the price.... It has a copy of the REKORD trigger and everyone that has one seems to love it.... In .22 cal, it delivers about 680 fps with 14.3 gr pellets and it weighs ~7.5 lbs.... In .177 cal, it will shoot 7.9 gr. pellets at about 870 fps.... and they sell for ~$180.00....

There are lots of good airgun rated scopes on the market.... I tend to prefer variable scopes, but with either fixed or variable, you would be hard pressed to do better than Bushnell in any price range.... They are tough, have an excellent warranty, and have very clear, bright optics.... Whatever you buy, unless you are never shooting at less than 25 yards, make sure you get a scope with an adjustable objective (AO).... Not only does this allow you to focus clearly on close targets, but it eliminates parallax error as well.... IMO, this is CRITICAL for airguns.... I have both a 4-12 x 40 AO Banner which I am very happy with (~$100) and a 5-15 x 40 AO Legend which is a great scope and has Mil-Dots (~$200).... I would recommend both....

FWIW, that's my recommendation.... Even with spending as much money on the scope as on the gun (not a bad idea), you should be able to stay under $400.... Mr. Green

Bob

eagle24 · Member

Slavia · Moderator

rsterne · Moderator

Just a thought.... since the OP is a new member, I made the assumption that he wasn't about to purchase a gun and then immediately tear it apart to modify the trigger, install a different spring, seal, etc.... Perhaps that might be beyond his current abilities and/or desires.... perhaps not....

I missed his question about the Diana 34.... I have one, in .177 cal, and it is an excellent rifle.... I get about 850 fps with 7.9 gr. pellets.... the shot cycle is smooth, and the trigger is reasonable.... Since the OP mentioned triggers specifically, I recommended the B-26 because it has a particularly nice trigger with good adjustments.... The guns are very similar in performance, with the Diana having the edge in quality control.... I don't think a D-34 needs a spring change to be a good shooter.... and it starts at ~$220....

Bob

fritz · Silver Status Member

I added changing the spring, because it seems the new Dianas shoot great, but the spring breaks soon.

By tuning the trigger, I do mean just properly stone it, and apply lubes. Then play with the fine adjustments. The way I did mine (it was a TO5, some are newer TO6 units), a rather long first stage with almost no pull. Very crisp and medium weight pseudo second stage, that would break like glass.

eagle24 · Member

It sounds like the Diana 34 might fit my criteria. I'm not intimidated by the thought of making the mods suggested and am confident I can figure it out. I'm also sure I have any tool(s) I would need. I haven't heard much from any of you about the accuracy of the Diana 34. Sure, I would love to have a rifle that will shoot a ragged hole at 25 yds, but if the 34 will give me 1" or better groups and a decent trigger (with some tuning) then I really find it really attractive at the price tag. It's just that the Whisper had a totally unacceptable trigger for offhand practice IMO. I never pursued what kind of accuracy I could get because of this. I used to think trigger control and sight picture (iron sights) were critical to shooting well. Many years ago I switched to thinking trigger control and trigger control were the key.

fritz · Silver Status Member

The only "real" accuracy testing I've done is with RWS super domes at about 15 yards. I was having barrel problems (old age, loosening vertically from the block). This is about 1/8" horizontal spread, with 1/8 to 4" vertical spread. Accurate by all my counts, especially with my poor marksmanship.

I would expect 1/4" with a properly functioning barrel. Don't expect your barrel to have that problem, until at least 35,000 shots (what mine has through it).

EDIT: for fun a while back, I was doing eggs at about 50 yards rested on the picnic table and a bag of sand. When I did my part, they where no challenge. All of the misses where due to improper eye relief or hold (my fault).

EDIT again... squirrels drop at 35 yards...