Diana 60 Tyro...perfection by committee

[MDriskill]

A bit of history to begin:
+ 1963: DIana's model 60 introduced. First of their double-piston, recoilless Giss-system rifles.
+ 1968: Model 60 superceded as Diana's top match rifle by the model 65. Locked breech, heavier barrel sleeve, better stock, internal changes.
+ 1974: Model 65 discontinued, replaced by the model 66. Same action in a revised stock with more angular styling.
+ 1977: Model 66 discontinued, replaced by the model 75. Fabulous fixed-barrel, sidelever, sliding breech, 10-meter paper-punching wonder.

BUT...throughout all this, the model 60 refused to die, remaining as Diana's budget/junior match rifle until about 1983. This is a Tyro-stocked, US-import, RWS-marked very late model 60 from 1982:




I picked up this beauty many years ago at the old Roanoke airgun show. The action and stock looked great, but the seals and springs were toast, and the gun was "naked" - no sights or barrel sleeve. Over the years, and with the help of some pals, I managed to track down all the right bits. Along the way, the model 60 saw some minor changes, many being "trickle downs" from the later models.



1: The basic gun.
2: Internal rebuild by former Beeman master mechanic Randy Bimrose. 680 FPS+ with light ammo, Randy said it was the hardest-shooting 60 he'd ever seen.
3:* Correct late double-sleeved front sight from another airgun show.
4:* Correct Diopter 75 sight with English markings found on the infamous auction site. Most 60's had the earlier, more rounded Diopter 60 sight.
5: Lovely matte-finished eye disc and rubber cup, another gun show find.
6:* Weird front trigger blade, in a bag of parts I got from a German auction. This is not a double-set trigger...just a way to adjust the reach to the trigger blade!
7:* And some true "UNOBTAINIUM" - the correct, matte-finished barrel sleeve, by way of a friend's trememdous generosity. Most 60's had a blued sleeve, these late matte ones are very rare. This is the only one I've ever seen - I'm really excited to have it!

(* = late detail not seen on early model 60's)

I will save more blabbing about details for another post, but here's some pics. These old DIanas are IMHO quite underrated as collectibles - the metal finish, oil-finished wood, gorgeous checkering, and other details are just superb.

[Roadworthy]

Beautiful gun.  Thanks for sharing the pictures and the history.

[Andrew]

Simply stunning.

Seems to have the perfect combination for us enthusiasts, a mix between the HW 55T being a barrel cocker with a Tyrol stock and effortless recoilless shooting like the Diana 75

Diana got it right with the 60.

[SwampHunter]

Beautiful gun, but can you explain how the trigger works?

[MDriskill]

Simply stunning.

Seems to have the perfect combination for us enthusiasts, a mix between the HW 55T being a barrel cocker with a Tyrol stock and effortless recoilless shooting like the Diana 75

Diana got it right with the 60.

Thanks Andrew and I agree! Think of an HW 55 that has zero recoil and an even better trigger, you got the D60.

[MDriskill]

Beautiful gun, but can you explain how the trigger works?

The Diana models 60, 65, and 66 all have the same trigger. It's excellent - VERY light and crisp, with several adjustments, but the blade cannot be moved. Their main competition in those days (Anschutz 250, FWB 300, Walther LGV) all had blades that could be slid fore-and-aft and/or tilted.

The auxiliary front trigger blade is Diana's answer to this. It's a simple hollow sheet metal blade that just screws to the front of the main blade, and can be bent around to whatever position the shooter desires. It's NOT a double-set trigger, and has no effect at all on any internal parts of the trigger mechanism. It's crude and looks weird, but does the job, LOL!

The threaded hole for mounting the auxiliary blade was added for the model 65 in the late 1960's. Model 60's made before that do not have it, but late ones like mine do.

[MDriskill]

Closing the loop on a couple questions - a 1967 D60 Match compared to the 1982 Tyro, and a couple shots of the auxiliary trigger blade. Which is really a little goofy, LOL.

As a matter of general interest, note that besides the unmistakable cheekpiece, the butt of a Tyrolean stock is typically shorter and has more drop than a standard one.

[Pneumatic-Addict]

Both of those rifles are terrific!