Diana Smooth Bore Accuracy

[Artie]

I have what I believe is a post war Milbro smooth bore "Diana" 27. Not marked "Milbro" but is marked "Diana". Clean bore and no choke. "British Made"
Rested at 10 yards and no wind, I fired numerous 5 shot sets with various diablo pellet brands. All were unproductive at close grouping with the exception of Beeman Coated Wadcutters. They come questionably close to a 5/8" group but the rest are inconsistent or downright scattered.
(seals are good as is main spring, bottom line the power plant has no issues)
Should I try lead round ball?
Should I choke the muzzle?
Should I call it a day and name  it "Wall Art"?
What say you subject matter experts?

[Novagun]

I have only one BB gun that I seldom play with.  it is not accurate so can-t claim any experience . As for your query, looks like the only way ahead for you is to try alternatives. You probably have so what were rhe results .

[Artie]

I did some tweaking, polishing the bore etc, and at ten yards it now appears to prefer some 20 year old Gamo Magnum "Energy" pointed pellets I had on hand. The thing is, the first 4-5 shots of the day may all group well or they may not. Regardless of whether they initially group or not, accuracy falls off after the first couple of groups and all the groups open up no matter what pellet I'm shooting.

I reckon I'm chasing my tail far as accuracy goes.. I can set the 27 down, pick up another gun and shoot tight groups from the same position, using the same hold, firing at the same target at the same distance.

[lillysdad621]

a lot of the post war german guns (even the milbro ones that were built with Diana barrels ) had smoothbore straws, as it was a war concession that Germany had to comply with. That being said, there are generally good enough for plinking (1 to 1.5 in at 10 meters) with lead pellets and lead round ball. You dont mention the results of your testing, so im only guessing and giving you a comparison with some of my German smoothbores. Another thing you may want to try is darts... some love them.

[Duckfish]

a lot of the post war german guns (even the milbro ones that were built with Diana barrels ) had smoothbore straws, as it was a war concession that Germany had to comply with. That being said, there are generally good enough for plinking (1 to 1.5 in at 10 meters) with lead pellets and lead round ball. You dont mention the results of your testing, so im only guessing and giving you a comparison with some of my German smoothbores. Another thing you may want to try is darts... some love them.

Yup darts
Betcha your gona like em

[Artie]

Thank you for the replies. I am still playing around with hold, pellet choice, etc. I would say the gun is in the realm of 1 to 1 1/2" accuracy but it's hard to say because the grouping varies so much. Unfortunately, I tend to second guess myself in this situation, is it the gun or is it me?

[subscriber]

Use round nose pellets in a smooth bore.  They are more naturally stable than wadcutters.  Something decent such as made by JSB.  A snug fit of the pellet head in the bore will help them start their travel straight.

[Rick67]

Use round nose pellets in a smooth bore.  They are more naturally stable than wadcutters.  Something decent such as made by JSB.  A snug fit of the pellet head in the bore will help them start their travel straight.

These worked on a 760 smooth bore I had (sold it later to a friend) in the Philippines, but I used a local brand called Eaglehead (diabolo design), which were tight.

I could headshot rats with that pellet at 10 meters.

Scoped and benched, it would do 10-12mm at said distance.

[Artie]

Thanks for the input folks, have to give some more round nose a shot.

[Methuselah]

My (overpriced) $.02, keep trying different ammo.

The 760 smooth bore I fixed and gifted ended up only liking one pellet, bb's were broadside of a barn accuracy past 10 yards.

It probably likes SOMETHING...

[lillysdad621]

The 760 smooth bore I fixed and gifted ended up only liking one pellet, bb's were broadside of a barn accuracy past 10 yards.

It probably likes SOMETHING...

I have one of those... it loves daisy wadcutters, like 1/2 in at 10. and 1.5 in with BBs... weird beastie. it only likes 7 pumps. any more and they scatter. 5 to 7 pumps and the pellets touch. 760s are strange...lol