DIana Model 27

M.G. 42 · Post by **M.G. 42** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 10:47 pm

Hello everyone am new to this site and what a good feeling it is to finally be able to connect to fellow gun buffs!!!

Im still in college so no firearms for me(Mom!!!) but i do own two air rifles and a whole lotta BB guns.

Anyway to the topic of the post now.I own a pre WW2 diana 27-sans all wooden furniture except for the buttstock.It is a beautiful weapon except for the sights.Being over 70 years old the sights simply suck.The fore sight is a simple notch that slides perpendicular to the axis of the bore,it shifts whenever i shoot and has to be readjusted before every shot!!!

the rear sight cannot be made to go down enough so that the rifle is properly zeroed.The screw type mechanism for the sight is in proper working condition so what could be the reason for this?Even when i fire the rifle at a target 20 feet away a considerable drop is seen.Could my spring be weak?

Please forgive any jargon errors cos im still wet behind the ears where air rifles n guns r concerned my previos experience with them being limited to touching my dads friends shotguns and reading stuff about military arms n stuff.That said how bout them M,G.42's??Gotta get me one of those..Demonic laughter

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:26 pm

Hi MG42,

I have a similar Diana in my cabinet. It does not belong to me and I have never used it.

I just had a look at the rear sight and it is as you have described - does not go right down to the breech block.

It's quite possible that your spring is weak. If you want to continue using the same spring and dont want to aim off (higher), then you could file the bottom of the screw. Do a little at a time and keep checking your zero as you do this work.

Personally, I would much rather you leave it alone and get a new spring, piston washer and breech seal.

Welcome to IFG.

Mack The Knife

P.S.: What pellets are you using? It is possible that you are using heavy pellets and possibly very tight fitting ones. How low is the point of impact from the point of aim at 20 feet? Is the rifle grouping at this range? If so, what is the group size?

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:37 pm

The fore sight is a simple notch that slides perpendicular to the axis of the bore,it shifts whenever i shoot and has to be readjusted before every shot!!!

The notch you refer to is a dovetail groove. The reason your foresight is shifting is because it is loose. You have two options:

1) Superglue it in place after adjusting for any windage correction.

2) Weld a piece of metal to the front sight and then file it down so that it is a tight fit. Tight enough for you to require a drift and mallet. Do NOT weld metal to the barrel as this will damage the barrel.

Incidentally, look up the meaning of weapon and then decide if you would like to use that term for your air-rifle.

Mack The Knife

to_saptarshi · Post by **to_saptarshi** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:09 am

Mack The Knife,

Even I am thinking of replacing spring for My Diana 27, Can you please suggest some Indian brand which I can try, Imported Springs are hard to found in Kolkata so I will be prefering an Indian may be. Regarding sight Mine is a simple one with a sliding lever under for elevation and adjustment. The rear sight dont have any mechanism to adjust left and right. It was loose earlier and a little bit brezzing on the side works fine now

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:19 am

Saptarishi,

From the description of your rear sight, yours is a later model with the stock extending to the breech block.

I am afraid, I cannot recommend an Indian main-spring as I do not use them.

Mack The Knife

M.G. 42 · Post by **M.G. 42** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:17 pm

Hey Mack The Knife thanks for the help.
I think i shall superglue the dovetail sight to keep it from drifting and will also replace the spring.I hav just serviced the rifle and replaced the piston washer but not the spring.I tested the rifle on a deo can yesterday and the pellet failed to penetrate at twenty feet!!!
will not use the word weapon for an air rifle again.thanks for the info.

do you any idea through which channel these rifles found their way into the country? the peson i got the rifle from was clueless as to its origins.one thing is sure,Diana makes a great air rifle!!

M.G. 42 · Post by **M.G. 42** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:25 pm

I use marvel shot pellets.Locally made,not too high on quality.Still i dont think this could be the reason for not pentrating a deo can at 20 feet.The grouping at 20 feet shows a drop of 2-3 cms and a drift to the left of 2-3 cms.The left drift is due to the foresight being loose,am clueless about the drop shall try fitting a new spring.

Incidentally which is the best gunsmith in Chennai for Diana's?I do not shoot at any club as yet so im pretty much clueless about the shooting scene here.

Post by **dev** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:46 pm

Please change your pellets. If using Indian ones use GSmith or Master shot. Marvellous is a term that is still just a name at best and no reflection of their quality.

Regards,

Dev

M.G. 42";p="4383 wrote: I use marvel shot pellets.Locally made,not too high on quality.Still i dont think this could be the reason for not pentrating a deo can at 20 feet.The grouping at 20 feet shows a drop of 2-3 cms and a drift to the left of 2-3 cms.The left drift is due to the foresight being loose,am clueless about the drop shall try fitting a new spring.

Incidentally which is the best gunsmith in Chennai for Diana's?I do not shoot at any club as yet so im pretty much clueless about the shooting scene here.

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:57 pm

will not use the word weapon for an air rifle again.

Thanks but I am not sure you got my drift entirely. Airguns aside, a firearm can be used as weapon - just like a cricket bat or a car for instance, but it isn't one unless expressly intended for the purpose.

do you any idea through which channel these rifles found their way into the country?

Since overseas travel wasn't as common then as it is now, it was most probably a straightforward import. There was no bar on the import of airguns or firearms back then. Well stocked gun shops like Mantons, Rhodda, etc. were nothing out of the ordinary in those days.

Still i dont think this could be the reason for not pentrating a deo can at 20 feet.

Shooting a deo can or any pressure vessel is dangerous.

Incidentally which is the best gunsmith in Chennai for Diana's?

I doubt there is one. My friend, Rags, should be able to help you. He uses the name Camerags on this forum. He is probably overseas at the moment but send him a PM and he should get back to you when he returns.

Mack The Knife

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:01 pm

Dev,

Wouldn't G. Smith be a rather tight fit? Worth a try though.

MG42, when did you last clean the bore? No, it does not account for the drop but you did not mention the group size.

Tell me how you are cleaning the bore and at what intervals.

Mack The Knife

Post by **dev** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:21 pm

[quote="Mack The Knife Bana";p="4399"]
Dev,

Wouldn't G. Smith be a rather tight fit? Worth a try though.

Hi Mack The Knife,

What I like about em is their .22 domes are pretty heavy if I remember correctly about 19 grain. So if your springer is doing about 750 to 800, you know the math about the possibilities ballistic coefficient wise.

Regards,

Dev

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:02 pm

Using a heavy pellet in a spring piston air-rifle will reduce the main-springs life.

I wouldn't use a 19 grain pellet in a Venom Magalza 80k doing 21.5 ft.lbs. leave alone an ancient air-rifle that probably did no more than 8 ft.lbs.

Heavy pellets are better off in a FAC precharged pneumatic.

Besides weight, pellet fit also plays a part and I have found G.Smiths to be notoriously inconsisent. Having said that, they are still the best Indian pellets one can get today.

Mack The Knife

M.G. 42 · Post by **M.G. 42** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:51 pm

Mack The Knife well i actually did a wikisearch and i took the meaning of weapon to be something that was expressly meant to kill or seriously injure a human being.By that definition an air rifle cannot be termed a weapon(unless of course your counting eye shots)but a steak knife can be called a weapon.From the viewpoint of a pigeon or rat an air rifle is most definately a weapon and a steak knife even more so..k im neginning to see cross eyed now

M.G. 42 · Post by **M.G. 42** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:06 pm

well I clean the bore probably once every week.The rifle recieves a rubdown with a lightly oiled cloth everyday so if i find any particles i run a strip of lightly oiled cloth through and follow up with a dry cloth.Is this procedure satisfactory?

How do i check what fps i am getting from my rifle??on a website for airsoft buffs i saw an article which said if the BB is able to penentrate through a coke can(empty) then it should bedoing upto 350 fps.Is there anything similar for air rifles??

and also where in chennai do I get the pellets u mentioned earlier??The armorer i go to only stocks marvel shot.

Post by **Mack The Knife** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:08 pm

but a steak knife can be called a weapon.

It can be called a weapon (under certain circumstances) but would you generally refer to it as such?

Get my point?

Mack The Knife

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