Diana 35 figuring out the year it was build

[Orange rider]

Hi guys and girls,

I've come along a Diana 35 for free. I'm restoring it as we speak. It has been abused quite a bit. It's seen some paint in its days and now rust.
Can anyone help me figuring out how old it is? There's no date nor year stamped on de outer tube. It only says 'Made in Germany', so that should mean it has been build before 1966. The triggerblade however is made of stamped blued steel. So that should mean it's made after 1969. That's why I'm puzzled.
There is a scoperail on the tube. The end of the barrel has a dovetail for a front sight. At the end of the stock there's a plastic buttplate.

Hope someone has a clue.

Kind regards,

Tinus

[HectorMedina]

Hi guys and girls,

I've come along a Diana 35 for free. I'm restoring it as we speak. It has been abused quite a bit. It's seen some paint in its days and now rust.
Can anyone help me figuring out how old it is? There's no date nor year stamped on de outer tube. It only says 'Made in Germany', so that should mean it has been build before 1966. The triggerblade however is made of stamped blued steel. So that should mean it's made after 1969. That's why I'm puzzled.
There is a scoperail on the tube. The end of the barrel has a dovetail for a front sight. At the end of the stock there's a plastic buttplate.

Hope someone has a clue.

Kind regards,

Tinus

If it says "Made in Germany" as opposed to "Made in West Germany", then it surely was made AFTER 1990
There SHOULD be two VERY SMALL pairs of numbers at the rear of the tube on the LEFT side. Those two pairs of numbers would mean month and year.

Look for them with magnifying glass. If it is badly rusted, they may not be visible.

Best of luck!






HM

[Orange rider]

Hi HM,

According to several people the Diana 35 was produced up to 1987. Stamping it already with 'Made in Germany', 2 to 3 years before the Berlin wall came down seems a bit odd to me.

Kind regards,

Tinus

[HectorMedina]

Hi HM,

According to several people the Diana 35 was produced up to 1987. Stamping it already with 'Made in Germany', 2 to 3 years before the Berlin wall came down seems a bit odd to me.

Kind regards,

Tinus

DIANA is in the habit of making short, custom runs when the demand calls for it.
Up to the takeover by GSG, those custom runs could be as small as 30 units.
I know because I had three of them made.
The takeover was in 2014, so there could have been short runs of "35" (basically a dolled up 34 by that time) made MUCH later than 1987.
Perhaps those that say that the 35 was made only up to 1987 refer to the OLD model 35, the one that has a screw a bit in front of the pistol grip.
That one did NOT have a unitized trigger, and had vented piston bodies.
That trigger was the immediate precedent of the T01.

Hard to know without pictures.

Keep well and shoot straight!





HM

[Orange rider]

Hi HM,

And here are some pictures!

Kind regards,

Tinus

[Yogi]

I can not see diddly on the last photo, but looking at the pitting on the comp. tube.  I would assume that it is OLD.  Didn't Diana make the 35 in the 50's along side the Diana 50???

-Yogi

[Orange rider]

I posted the last photo to show that it says 'Made in Germany'. It sure seems old to me. I don't know if it's helpfull at all, but the Diana-logo and model on top of the tube are engraved, not etched. There is no sign at all of any other markings like calibre nor buildingdate.

Kind regards,

Tinus

[Yogi]

I think I see a 4 on the comp tube.  Hard to tell....

-Y

[Toxylon]

I guess stock wood could experience sped-up geriatry, but the stock sure looks like it does in guns in the 60 - 100 year age range. Also, didn't finger grooves go by the way of the Dodo with German guns in the 70's, outside the HW35?

[Yogi]

I guess stock wood could experience sped-up geriatry, but the stock sure looks like it does in guns in the 60 - 100 year age range. Also, didn't finger grooves go by the way of the Dodo with German guns in the 70's, outside the HW35?

+HW 98.

-Y

[Orange rider]

Hi to all,

With all thats been mentioned I think we're able to stake that it's mid to late sixties, maybe earlier. I've checked the tube once more, there are absolutely no markings except for scatchmarks made by a vice of a previous owner.

Have a nice weekend!

Tinus

[MDriskill]

It dates from the late 50's or early 60's.

That stock style (plain butt, no checkering, fore end finger grooves) was replaced by the more familiar type (Monte Carlo comb, shallow cheekpiece, stamped checkering, plain fore end), as part of a major revision of Diana's whole sporter line around 1963 - before the time of date stamps. There were also changes to the sights and other details. Here are model 35's from before and after the changes:




I have several Dianas made well before "the fall of the wall" that are stamped "Made in Germany." The lack of "West Germany" is NOT a reliable indicator of construction date.

And, the trigger blade is NOT original. It was originally solid aluminum, or more likely one of the fragile plastic ones, and has been replaced with the later stamped-steel version. This pic is model 27 actions dating from late 1950's (aluminum), early 60's (plastic), and mid 70's (stamped). The model 35 had a fatter receiver tube, but used identical trigger mechanisms and blades.




M

[HectorMedina]

Hi HM,

And here are some pictures!

Kind regards,

Tinus

Tinus;
THE expert has spoken (Mike D).
The bad state of the steel mechanisms tube tells it all.
This gun was "rescued" from a dire state of rust and disrepair.

Enjoy it for what it is, a "Lazarus" rifle from the 50's to 60's.
It SHOULD have the smaller tube and so should shoot smoother than the current 34's. With less power, also.
Keep us posted about how it shoots.





HM

[MDriskill]

Thank you Hector! I'm not sure weird old guys who obsess over weird old airguns qualify as "experts"...but hey I'll take it. 

Dianas of that era used mainsprings and leather piston seals of remarkable quality. That veteran 35 just might shoot surprisingly well with a little re-conditioning...whoever replaced the trigger was obviously fond enough of it to want to keep it going!

It might need a breech seal, which original might have been leather. You can replace those with an O-ring (I believe 8.0 x 2.5mm as used on many other Dianas will work), but it may need some shimming underneath.

I piqued my own curiosity (!), and checked my 15 Dianas made between the early 50's and early 80's. Three of the oldest (model 5 pistol, models 27 and 50/b sporters, all from the 50's), and the very newest (1982 model 60T match rifle) are stamped "Made in West Germany." All the rest are simply "Made in Germany."

[HectorMedina]

Thank you Hector! I'm not sure weird old guys who obsess over weird old airguns qualify as "experts"...but hey I'll take it. 

Dianas of that era used mainsprings and leather piston seals of remarkable quality. That veteran 35 just might shoot surprisingly well with a little re-conditioning...whoever replaced the trigger was obviously fond enough of it to want to keep it going!

It might need a breech seal, which original might have been leather. You can replace those with an O-ring (I believe 8.0 x 2.5mm as used on many other Dianas will work), but it may need some shimming underneath.

I piqued my own curiosity (!), and checked my 15 Dianas made between the early 50's and early 80's. Three of the oldest (model 5 pistol, models 27 and 50/b sporters, all from the 50's), and the very newest (1982 model 60T match rifle) are stamped "Made in West Germany." All the rest are simply "Made in Germany."

I agree with you.

Even before the fall of the wall, the Germans were already convinced it was only a matter of time.

AND if it was a small, special run, the "Made in Germany" may have made more sense, even before the event.

What strikes me as difficult to understand is the deep pitting and scoriation of the mechanisms tube in the picture. It almost looks as if someone took some muriatic acid and tried to "olden" the gun on purpose. Or wrapped some vinegar soaked rags and let it rust to remove the rust with a wire brush.
Anyway, I do hope the owner enjoys his find. Definitely a gun to be shot and, perhaps used as an "over the mantle" decoration when not in use.

;-)

Keep well and shoot straight!





HM

[amb5500c]

Cool rifle.

[Orange rider]

Hi all,

I already suspected the trigger has been replaced. The gun shoots very well. The leather piston seal is in quite a good condition. The breech seal has already been replaced by an o-ring at some point. It's a pity the original sights are gone missing. With everyting lubricated and oiled up it's going to be are very well cared for addition to my collection. I always enjoy restoring and  preserving old air rifle.

Kind regards,
Tinus

[MDriskill]

I can not see diddly on the last photo, but looking at the pitting on the comp. tube.  I would assume that it is OLD.  Didn't Diana make the 35 in the 50's along side the Diana 50???

-Yogi

Hi Yogi - you are correct. Y'all forgive me some off-topic rambling coming up here, LOL...

Diana's classic sporter lineup from early 50's to early 80's consisted of the models 15 and 16 tinplate rifles for kids, models 22 and 23 youth rifles, and going up in size the models 25, 25D, 27, and 35 barrel cockers, with the model 50 underlever at the top of the heap. Many had pre-war roots; just about every shooter's size and budget was covered.

They all had leather piston seals and not a safety in sight, and the 25D on up had the famous "ball sear" 2-stage trigger. The 35 and 50 were mechanically the same gun aft of the breech, sharing all powerplant and trigger components.

In the late 70's came the powerful model 45 barrel-cocker - an all-new design built around a "stretched" model 35 receiver tube - and its close cousin the model 50 T01 underlever. Around the same time came tweaked "S" versions of the 27, 35, and 50, with updated styling and auto trigger-block safeties (the standard 27 and 35 remained alongside though). All of these got retired about 1985, with the appearance of the model 34 and its relatives.

The models 27 and 35 are two of my favorite guns - accurate, nice trigger, perfect size and balance, some of the best open sights ever made; just very nice all-round springers.

[Yogi]

 I'm not sure weird old guys who obsess over weird old airguns qualify as "experts"...but hey I'll take it. 


Mike,

I believe that is the definition of an expert!

Thanks for sharing your obsession.

-W

[HectorMedina]

I'm not sure weird old guys who obsess over weird old airguns qualify as "experts"...but hey I'll take it. 


Mike,

I believe that is the definition of an expert!

Thanks for sharing your obsession.

-W

+1