Diana 54 Air King Pro

[BassMan]

I recently purchased a Diana Model 54 Air King Pro.  I notice that the barrel moves about 1/2" in the receiver and the receiver moves about 1/2" in the stock.  Is this normal that BOTH the barrel and the receiver move?

[Madd Hatter]

That's the main difference between the diana 48 and the 54. It's to help tame the recoil of the action so you can soot more accurately.

[Denby95]

Yes. The whole action slides.

If you need more affirmation, you'll find alot of videos of people showing the 54's sliding action. Theres even a slow motion version somewhere out there.

[BassMan]

Yes, I know the receiver is supposed to slide but are both the barrel and receiver supposed to move independently of each other?

[Cslinger]

I am not near mine at the moment but IIRC there is a little barrel movement. I may be wrong. I will try to double check later when I can and update. 

[Madd Hatter]

Yes, I know the receiver is supposed to slide but are both the barrel and receiver supposed to move independently of each other?

NO

[Denby95]

They do not move independently of each other. They both move together back.

[Cslinger]

Forget what I said above.  Barrel absolutely doesn't move as was said.  If you have the one with a replaceable muzzle piece (iron sight or harmonic balancer) maybe that is loose and you are feeling that?

[HectorMedina]

I recently purchased a Diana Model 54 Air King Pro.  I notice that the barrel moves about 1/2" in the receiver and the receiver moves about 1/2" in the stock.  Is this normal that BOTH the barrel and the receiver move?

Welcome to the DIANA family! Sorry you are having these problems. The 54 is a great gun, but it is  a bit more complex than other airguns.

Now, to your issue:

Barrel cannot move. It is pressed into a block that is then pinned into the action.
What you see/feel is NOT the barrel, it's a sleeve.
Under the sleeve, there is a shim
Under the shim is the barrel.
If your muzzle piece is loose, or out of place, then the sleeve and shim may move independently of the action.
Loosen the screws (one or two) that affix your muzzle piece (either the sight ramp or the HPM), and stand the gun on the muzzle supported by a small wooden square.
Give it a light tap on the butt making sure the barrel has "bottomed" in the muzzle piece.
Tighten the screws.

If the piece becomes loose again, then loosen the screws, make sure you have at least ONE ORing between the barrel and  the sleeve before inserting the muzzlepiece. Then re-tighten. If you still have problems, using Vibra-Tite in the screws may be of some help.

Once you get more familiar with the gun,  and you have gone through the "Running-in" process, and have found which is the best pellet, you can tune the performance of the gun by adding or removing ORings at that location (between the barrel and the sleeve before re-inserting the muzzle piece).

HTH, keep us posted!







HM

[dtdtdtdt]

Seconding what Hector said.  The barrel is tightly fixed but the front sight or HPM could be loose.   

When you get it back in place as Hector suggests, torque the front sight or attachment screws to about 10-15 in/lb and it shouldn't move!!!

Good luck

[BassMan]

Hector/Dave,  thanks for the advice!  I did as suggested and it seems to have solved the problem.  Thank you again

[HectorMedina]

Paul;
The adjustability of the 54 is either an asset or a liability. It all depends on YOU.
Just as a "road map":

Do the "running-in" of the barrel.
Determine which pellet the barrel likes best.
Tune the HPM using the process outlined here:  https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th4603110
Once you have that done, try different sled settings (optimum tightness of the sled release depends on your hold).
And then you can test different stock screw torques (that depends on the power level, pellet, and style of shooting you do).

It is a long road, but it is full of satisfactions and once you have it "pat down", you will be able to make incredible shots.

54's are not for everyone, but for a dedicated, patient and perseverant individual,  they offer great rewards.

Keep us posted!





HM

[jkingrph]

I pulled my 54 AirKingPro out for a while this morning. It is equipped with a Hawke Airmax 4-12, front focus in Sportsmax adjustable rings, and also has a Williams receiver sight tucked under, just in front of the rear rings.  I first checked the zero with the scope, then dismounted it and checked the Williams at 10 meters. Got everything like I wanted then set up one of the Crosman resetting disk swingers, six disks of varying sizes that swing side to side.  I placed it out at 30 yards and immediately hit the three more med size disks one after another using the Williams sight, then put the scope back on and quickly figured the zero at that range was a bit high, so some quick adjustments and ran all six.   The gun is accurate, fun to shoot, but a bear to cock, not what I call a bench gun, I need to twist positions or stand up to get a comfortable position to work the cocking lever through it's arc and it is still hard, my arms are a bit sore.  It makes me glad I have a smaller HW 35e on order, at my age I need an easier cocking gun, not a physical workout for a shooting session.

[HectorMedina]

I pulled my 54 AirKingPro out for a while this morning. It is equipped with a Hawke Airmax 4-12, front focus in Sportsmax adjustable rings, and also has a Williams receiver sight tucked under, just in front of the rear rings.  I first checked the zero with the scope, then dismounted it and checked the Williams at 10 meters. Got everything like I wanted then set up one of the Crosman resetting disk swingers, six disks of varying sizes that swing side to side.  I placed it out at 30 yards and immediately hit the three more med size disks one after another using the Williams sight, then put the scope back on and quickly figured the zero at that range was a bit high, so some quick adjustments and ran all six.   The gun is accurate, fun to shoot, but a bear to cock, not what I call a bench gun, I need to twist positions or stand up to get a comfortable position to work the cocking lever through it's arc and it is still hard, my arms are a bit sore.  It makes me glad I have a smaller HW 35e on order, at my age I need an easier cocking gun, not a physical workout for a shooting session.

Glad you find your gun accurate, this is the first step in any relationship shooter-rifle.
You don't mention the caliber, if it is a 0.177" cal. it could benefit greatly from short-stroking and modding the cocking lever to reduce the peak cocking force (PCF) to about 22 -24 lbs. You could still get around 15 ft-lbs of yield which is among the best efficiencies in the industry.

If it is a 0.22" then a change of spring/guide/tophat could still yield more than acceptable energy, trajectory and downrange energy using non-lead pellets and still allow a PCF of around 30 lbs.

It is NOT a bench gun and when you get your 30, you will realize that you have to, anyway, get out of position to cock, load and shoot. THAT is the challenge of springers.

I just spent a weekend going to two distant FT matches and shooting 120 shots in one and 80 shots in the other, plus driving and walking.
My 54 can be cocked while laying across my lap, or even without taking it out of the shoulder.
I COULD cock it in a bench, by holding it down with the left and using the right hand to cock or raising the gun to shoulder height and pulling the lever back from the underside, but when sitting in the FT position, it is easy to cock while it lays horizontally muzzle downrange; these styles of cocking are something that needs practice and that can only be done with a short-stroked gun.

I have tried to convince DIANA to make a run of short stroked 54's, but we have two problems: one good, one bad.
The bad one is that DIANA cannot even make as many as they could sell, the good one is that they are selling all the guns they are making.
So that indicates that the model will be with us for some time still.

:-)

Keep well and shoot straight!





HM