2015 Diana 430L observations, Long

[SteveD]

   Thought I would post some observations on my demo 430L that I recently purchased at the nice Findlay show from the fine people from Pyramid Air. I have been following these posts with interest as I am a springer addict, and like my Dianas too. As purchased, mine had a couple small marks and was VERY cheap as it had the low powered German or Canadian spring in it. That was fine with me as I HAVE to get inside of springers to tinker. As I have read that these were hard to cock at the 12fpe level, I planned to try for 10-11 and easier cocking anyhow. My Dianas on the 34 platform are mostly set that way also, as I like the shot cycle.

   First was to try to accurately measure the stroke which is not so easy with the sliding chamber. The lighter spring of .105" wire made it a fair bit easier to cock the gun with the action removed from the stock for checking however. Trying a couple of different ways got 78-80mm. Some comparisons will be in order here as I find the mechanical aspects of springers interesting. The HW77 is 81mm with a 26mm bore vs the Diana 28mm. The HW is obviously way more efficient. The Diana T01 is 87mm, T06 is 89mm, and first generation 34 series are 77mm. Shorter stroke= less power and quicker shot cycle. I don't like too short though as it makes a more unpleasant shot cycle in my opinion and requires more spring for the same power.

   As usual,  the Diana has a fairly heavy piston at 300 grams which is just slightly heavier than the 34 series, perhaps because of the lack of a slot for the cocking arm. For comparison, the HW77 is 275grams. I always felt that the very large and long dogleg transfer port on the 34 series guns perhaps made them less efficient that their HW competition. Interestingly, the 430L is about .157" diameter which is about the same as the 34, but with the sliding breech, the transfer port is way shorter. It is perhaps 3/8"long but hard to measure as it is recessed and has the seal in the way. The HW is only about .118 diameter X 6mm length.

   I have read 430L specs as 7.9-8lbs. Mine is 8' 6.9ozs. which is just a couple ounces under the HW77K. The for end thickness is thinner on the Diana for a bit nicer feel. I love both Hws and Dianas, but think the HWs are better sorted as they come from the factory. The fit and finish is beautiful on both.

The Dianas respond nicely to tuning, and most of mine have less spring in them than the stock .125-.128" diameter wire. I always make a top hat and sometimes a new guide. In my 430L I tried a Vortek .118" spring that I have had sitting around (I usually use JM springs).  It fit the stock guide nicely. I like .120-.122" diameter wire springs in my Dianas and like the shot cycle better than a stock spring with coils cut. Cocking is fairly stout but manageable with the .118" spring. If the 2019 gun people are buying now has the usual .128" Diana spring, I would imagine the cocking would be quite stiff.

   As for performance the low power spring that came in this 430L gave 650fps with 7.3RS and a lazy shot cycle. The .118" Vortek is right at 10.4fpe or a bit more, and just getting broken in giving 775-785fps with JSB or AA 7.87s which is where I wanted it. I haven't shot for accuracy yet. I cleaned the barrel good, and checked the action bedding. I added a couple thin shims at the back of the action to take up some fore-aft gap. I mounted an older Swift 4-12X on it and found lots of droop. Barrel bending got it in better shape, although it was quite difficult. Caution on bending this one though, as one doesn't want to stress the barrel block attachment as it seems less robust than a break barrel.

   I am mostly a break barrel guy, as I like the simplicity, but wanted to play with something different. I have never operated a 48/52 or 460, so the bear trap cocking and associated noises etc were quite different to me. The bear trap seems quite useful as a safety on this gun though. My 77 for comparison just has a trigger blocking device as a safety which I took off on that gun. I will get the 430L outside soon for accuracy testing. The shot cycle feel is very nice at this power level, and I am hoping for the usual Diana fine accuracy. I really like my Dianas. Sorry for the Long post, but there seems to be an interest, and not many mechanical or technical observations have been discussed. At the sale price of under $300 the 430L is quite a gun. My demo was worth the risk for the $150 I paid, and I get to play with something new.

[uglymike]

Nice write up, I like how you're making it your own rifle with the modifications. 

[truck driver]

Thanks for jumping in and telling us about your D430L experience.
I recently bought one and though there is a technique to cocking them with the factory spring  I have found you need to push past the bear stop which will throw you off the cocking cycle because you think you feel the piston latching and it is the bear trap latching. I don't feel it when I cock the rifle with my right arm but then I'm right handed so my right arm is slightly stronger then my left.
I'm not going to do anything to it till after I have 1000 pellets threw the barrel and then leave it up to Hector to do a tune up for me.

[deepbass9]

Rather than start a new thread, I'd figure I'd add my 2 cents about my impressions of this rifle.  After going through the holiday season debating back and forth if I wanted to 1. buy any springer ever and 2. buy one that was 12 fpe and purported to be hard to cock.  Well I came into a wee bit and as AoA was still offering them up I figured what the heck.

Everyone is different.  I'll be 49 years old in April.  I have some back, shoulder and elbow issues, but I'm healthy and active.  I'm 5'5" and today I clocked in at 140.8#.  When I bought my 1st AG, a Marauder, and read about hand pumping I took, what I thought, was a really big risk and ordered a pump along with it.  After reading about so many 6 foot x" tall 2 hundred and x# guys not hacking pumping I was worried..until I read 2 things...Gaylord's post on pumping technique and a review from a 68 year old guy smaller than me who said that those decrying hand pumping just didn't know how to do it properly.  2 years later I got a Hill pump for my 300 bar rifles I subsequently acquired.

I decided to take the same approach with this and am glad I did.  I have no other springer to gauge it against, so I don't know if it's hard to cock or easy or smooth or clunky (well, I know it's not clunky..), but I shot 25 shots in the basement last night, after about the same yesterday, and I could easily have shot 2 or 3x as many without a blink.  I'm right handed, cock it on my right leg with my right hand in one smooth cock, and it's easy enough for me.

The wood is nice, if not stellar.  The fit and finish are top notch.  I've only got about 20-22 feet in the basement, but I've shot it freestanding, no sights or scope, and can consistently hit bullseyes with it.  Guess there's no droop on this barrel, as I'm lining up right down the scope rail and muzzle.  Only 20 feet, but I'm already thinking about how I can scrape up another $200 before they all sell off.

In the bargain thread someone commented to me along the lines of, "WTH, it's a german-made side lever for $150 +.....what's there to think about."  Having held and shot it, I agree it's worth it in stock form alone.