I did not know you were in Greece. That makes a big difference in what's available, be it guns, ammo or lawful ranges. Scopes, too. And this pandemic certainly doesn't help. If you can at all try a couple of guns, just a few pellets, by all means do so. Meanwhile, stay safe and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Tino (or Kosta?), can you even shoot .22 in Greece? The airgun laws were .177 only the last time I was in Greece unless that has changed. In any case, you have been given good info/advice here and I will add mine. I own two (2) 350's, 1 in .22 and 1 in .177 and other Dianas for many years now. Out of the box both 350's shot inconsistently and also killed scopes. I had to get them both professionally tuned ($$) to be able to group consistently well with them and remove most of the hold sensitivity. They also shoot much smoother now with a quicker shot cycle. I now love my 350's and have not killed a scope yet.Now having said that I also bought a Diana 48 .22 (side-lever) after the 350's, and I like the 48 even better than my 350's, from the moment I took the first shot! The 48 out of the box shot way better than my 350's (pre-tune) when they were stock, and was much more consistent than the 350's. I was getting 1cm groups with the 48 .22 at 25 yards with open sights and without a lot of effort! 25yds is the most I will shoot using open sights because of my poor eyesight, but the 48 can do a lot better than 2cm at 35 yards even without a scope, if your eyes are really good. I also discovered that my 48 was a lot less hold-sensitive, and to be honest I did not really notice an issue with hold sensitivity like I did with the 350's prior to tuning them. The 350 is highly hold-sensitive (if not tuned properly)!! Now I know the price difference between a 350 and a 54 is considerable. I know it has stopped me from purchasing a 54... so I would highly recommend you take a serious look into the side-lever 48 (or 52 if it's still available in the EU) instead of the 350 break-barrel if money is the deciding factor. I believe the 350 and 48 are around the same price or very close. If I had to choose between the 350 and the 48, I would take the 48 every time. There are a lot of benefits to a fixed barrel sidelever over a break-barrel. The 350 is guaranteed to frustrate you especially at the ranges you mentioned (30+ yards). The 48 won't. Harry
Just a recommendation (maybe you've already been doing this). Since none of these guns are brand new designs. Most info/questions/details are already out there and have been for years, it's just about finding it. I go to google and type "gateway to airguns" Diana 350 or "german airgun gate" Diana 350. And I'm usually able to find standard questions being answered that have been asked many times along with some of the really unique/interesting projects some members have undertaken with various models I might be searching for. Theres alot of past members no longer active who had fantastic pictures or knowledge and luckily thats all archived. Just have to find it!
Well, the 350 has been soldiering along in pretty much the same form since its introduction, triggers aside. A 48 is only five-odd ounces heavier and has a solid reputation for accuracy and being user friendly. That would be a good hundred yard gun. It will be less hard on scopes, too, than a 54. While the 54 isolates recoil from the shooter, recoil must go somewhere and that means more inflicted on scopes. The heavier the scope, the more it absorbs. It's no wonder the Air King has been dubbed the "scope killet". I still think an R9 or HW equivalent will be your best bet. You won't be killing more than paper. Plus tuning options are better. A 350 can be made to shoot harder but does not lend itself to soft tuning nearly as well. In any event, continue researching. We have some good 350 and other Diana threads going way back over on the Dianawerk Collective forum. Tapatalk now makes it awkward to use but the search function is still ticking. Ignore the membership bit. That's purely Tapatalk nonsense. You're always welcome to come by.
A big factor in getting along with this gun or that is our frame of reference. Guys who are accustomed to mild-mannered 12 fpe-ish springers and who prefer them really have a hard time dealing with the heft, recoil, noise, and all-round relative ornery of magnum springers. Everything is different between those two, and as a result, the experience is terrible. But someone who doesn't have mild springers as a frame of reference, maybe because of having no experience with springers at all, is in a very different position.I have shot my magnums with springer neophytes. These guys enthusiastically take what the magnums shell out, because their lack of frame of reference means there are no expectations and downright demands in their heads. The basics of pellet choice / testing and fundamentals of the artillery hold would have them well on their way, with a quality gun like the 350 Mag. I submit that if a capable adult buys a 350 Mag even as his first airgun and sticks with it, he will be at home with the particulars of the gun, and very accurate with it. When I bought my 350 Mag, I felt comfortable with it from the get go, save for the terrible trigger. I also made excellent shots with it, straight off the bat. Sure, I had shot plenty with a lightweight, lively, low-cost 16 fpe springer, and the step forward was natural to take. Having the 350 Mag for that time too, and the end result would've been just as good.I don't think people who prefer mellow guns are really the best people to ask around when it comes to buying a magnum springer.
In my opinion, a shotgun shell at 100 yards is unrealistic as other than a novelty one-off target for sporter springers.
Wish I had 100 yards to try out. Like I said above, I've never taken a shot beyond 50 meters, due to lack of space. Here's to hoping that this will change. (It'll be years, at any rate).In my opinion, a shotgun shell at 100 yards is unrealistic as other than a novelty one-off target for sporter springers. About as unrealistic is the idea that a guy buying his first real airgun would deck out an FT rig.
Last time I was at the shooting club, a friend commented about a guy that made 198/200 with a .38 revolver at 25m. One thing this shooter has told is that he pulls the trigger using the first bend of the finger because is a more sensitive point.I am starting to experiment that with the 350.
Agreed that is why when the OP said that was his stated goal, PCP's were recommended.
I go to google and type "gateway to airguns" Diana 350 or "german airgun gate" Diana 350.