Thanks for the report Hector.Did the rifle already have the .20 barrel on it or was it one you replaced?I know you said there was a factory run of these guns that never sold.Also glad you made it back safely from Germany.
Well it's this way, my "impatience" was held in check by Hector and I picked up on this right away. It was unusual for me to be told when it's ready it'll be sent and predicting a "ready to send" date for the gunsmith means no back talk and questions about when.I always liked the Diana Model 54 Air King and always watched prices on them since 20 years ago. I knew springer (break barrel) recoil always was PART of the problem in maintaining consistency and the fixed MACHINE Diana 54 barrel on rollers fascinated me. Why? Because the worst part of off hand shooting is having to reposition the head ever time the same artillery hold way. PCPs are the opposite in this without hold sensitivity. Those can go really high power, I had a .30 BOSS (FX) I sold to a member here. That's because I realized in my own shooting world PCP power is more than enough! I've made shots close to 100 yards with a gas ram that is smooth firing with short pellet dwelling time. That rifle was a Theoben Eliminator .20 with a Weaver V16. I GAVE it to a Chief Warrant Chinook Pilot. Another story.I had already the .20 HW97K-T, offhand it's a beast.I found a new .20 in the HW80, and the next to last air rifle I bought (before this one in the post) was the HW98 .20. The first is truly a killer in power. Using the 15.89 gr JSBs the rifle is a lazer and kills like one. All the way through and no movement AT ALL from the squirrel except to drop with gravity. Then Hector sent me the Diana 54 .20 he had built and both my wife and her sister Becky saw me unpack it and mess up my ankles on the Apache case! I took out the rifle and ratcheted it up and both women commented it was the UGLIEST thing they'd ever seen and they were worried about me using it (because of my shoulders and hips being operated on and replaced with Titanium)!At first the side cock was time consuming to do properly, and I took my time everytime when firing another shot. I remembered the Sherlock Holme story about an air rifle being used to kill someone and Sherlock had to solve the mystery as to how and when the air gun was used. It WAS a SIDE COCKING weapon and took a lot of strength to cock--just like a Diana 54 today.When I allowed myself to enter the side cocking realm I expected some adjusting in time, but the mechanism as a whole is PSSC Physics proof!Caliber in .20 I'm quite familiar with in the Silver Streak Sheridan .20 that was out in the 70s--my dad owned that air rifle and I used it on occasion and then added a Benjamin 322. The power levels on the Sheridan/Benjamin were enough for any pellet shooting--the only drawback is having to reload and pump up again to 6 on the Sheridan and 8 on the Benjamin. These rifles were very important to me in demonstrating a satisfactory level of power (velocity) and accuracy out to 40 or 50 yards easy. Springers like the R1 came out in the 80s and that took me from the "R7" to there, and I knew the R1 was powerful enough for anything I had a right to use a pellet on.There were "modifications" that in time changed or evolved the original project like the piston not cocking on the first assembly from Hector, but he was the one who would suggest what to do and I was flexible. The line was the .20 in Diana 45 and then the moderator and tuning and shooting was added embellishment to the "final machine".Whether it's Hector's Third 54 .20 or 30th 54 it was really the fact that while on his way to do this rifle he said "Live and Learn" about learning something that went "wrong", the piston thing. When a gunsmith has a failure along the way it makes you question what the gunsmith is doing! I never questioned him, even though it was disheartening to hear.The caliber choice for a rifle that you sort of have special is always a consideration. I have had many times when I'm out with my HW80 .25 (this one digs trenches in the lawn if I hit too low!) that THAT caliber would be the "best" choice, and then I take out the HW98 .20 and rethink the whole idea about power and accuracy and what matters to me which is make a killing shot on the squirrel within 40 yards. I've seen the .20 and the .22 work on squirrels with either R1 or R9 strength, and I've seen the .177 enough on squirrels compare, and for some reason the .20 and the .25 ARE calibers that really need serious relook when thinking about getting another air rifle.I already have the .25 Eliminator which is lighter than any R1 by the way, and even though it has 69 lbs of cocking force it is very very smooth and the motion is instinctive for me to cock it just like an HW80 without having to use my KNEES!So if I was to ask Hector for another one, it'd be the Diana 54 in .25!
Hector Fantastic write up on what constitutes a truly custom build. Thanks for allowing us an inside peek to world of gunsmithing.Mitch
Just amazing. For it to produce those groups at 20fpe! is nothing short of remarkable. That rifle shouldn't even be considered a 54 anymore with all the work put into it. It's practically a different gun. Really looking forward to what you can do with the new gas spring Dianas that come out Hector.Also glad you made it home just in time.Best regards!-Adrian
Very illuminating and enjoyable read Hector ,After digesting your process, I hope more folks on the GTA can (better) understand why a (Professional) tune will make a gun more functional/enjoyable to shoot than something out-of-the-box. To be "right-on" the tune has to be shaped for the desired purpose and caliber/weight chosen by the end user.After doing about 35/40 (more basic) tunes on Springers, I'm starting to understand how many adjustments have definite positive/negative affects on the functionality of other components.Building a World Class Springer is very similar to designing a fine race car - be prepared to sell out the $$$, because a much time, thought and craftsmanship went into its design . Hector, you continue to be a very inspirational GTA contributor for US at home, want-to-be tuners... Thank You .
I am also working on an ABP insert for this new architecture, whether DIANA will want to market it as a an aftermarket accessory, or not will also be decided in the next few weeks. All tests done in the Mauser AM03 platform (the closest that we have to the EMS under the present line) tell me that it is truly an interesting bit of kit. Because the efficiency goes up substantially. And if you need less work to get the same energy output, then there is less energy to go into harmonics, recoil, noise, etc.Just to give you an idea: it takes 22.5 lbs of peak cocking force to reach the 12 ft-lbs yield. ALMOST as good as the short-stroked D54, and the 54 has a short transfer port.
That is great news!!! Aside from covid-19, oh what a time to be alive. Tome Gore of Vortek also recently announced pneumatic tune kits incoming, promising a smoother than ever shot cycle. Although I just don't get why he's starting with the relatively well-behaved 30s/R7 platform. You'd think there'd be more money in making a kit for the 34s, 95s, 97s, 48s and 80s first? Us consumers will be spoiled for options in the near future for sure. Thanks to you, the engineers at Diana and also people like Tom Gore who continue to innovate tuning options for the average joe airgunner who may not have the tools, skills and experience to bring out the full potential of their springers. Really, really looking forward to this Hector.