For as long as I can recall, the RWS 34 has been named as a good starting springer. Many folks recommend it as a lower priced gun with capable power and accuracy. I've had two of them... as well as two RWS 36's.. basically the same gun with a fancier stock. I've just never quite gotten any of them to perform as well as other springers I've owned. In fact, it's one of 3 spring guns that I've just not been able to shoot well. The other being a BSA Lightning and a Webley Tomahawk (that I regrettably sold years ago... .25, Russ tuned... stupid me).
I have no problem with any other spring gun, and I have more than my share of them... but I just cant love the 34. I've tried them in .177, .20 (limited run, buddys gun) and .22.
Is there anyone else willing to come out and say that they have difficulties with the 34 or am I the only one?
For as long as I can recall, the RWS 34 has been named as a good starting springer...
...Is there anyone else willing to come out and say that they have difficulties with the 34 or am I the only one?
It sounds like you're talking about out-of-the-box performance. Did I read that right?
There can be a couple of irritating issues with these rifles in the OEM configuration. It's not all in your imagination. The good news is that doing a few essential things can usually make them shine just fine. I can't name them in a best order, so I'll just list them as they come to mind.
Accuracy problems due to a lack of muzzle crown finishing at the factory: Actually, this may be the right place to start, because poor accuracy will ruin an air gun experience even if everything else is great. I'm doing this from my phone, so I don't have access to posting numerous photos I've taken. I'll do my best to describe it in words.
Most--not some--but MOST of the crowns I've seen on numerous specimens I've tuned of the models you named suffered from the lack of a simple-but-crucial final manufacturing step. They tend to leave the factory with jagged protrusions at each and every land and groove of the barrel. I don't get it, because some of them arrive OK. But, the rest aren't. If you (or a local friend) know a little about gun barrel work, this isn't a deal breaker. You can lap the crown with an electric drill, 3 or 4 brass screws, and some JB Bore Paste in less than an hour and it's right as rain forever. Good accuracy should follow right behind.
Make sure you adjust the barrel pivot screw, and snug-up the stock screws, too, but this is true of all barrel cocking springers.
Trigger units: To be really good, the T01 needs tuned, the T05 needs a tune and an extra trigger screw installed, but the newer T06 is very-nice right out of the box. End of story. They may need lubed, too. Diana tends to ship air guns with dry innards. Why? ((Echo)). It just is.
Mainsprings: This is an odd story. Most people probably won't believe it's true, but it is. Guns with the factory spring suffer from 2 problems. First, these rifles are over-sprung. That is, the spring is just too powerful for the power plant. That makes them harder to cock than they need to be. What you typically wind up with is velocity that is LESS than if you used a softer spring, while the firing jolt will be GREATER (the latter also contributing to accuracy problems). I don't think they did this on purpose. They use the exact same spring that is in the 48, 52, and 54, and it does produce more velocity than a soft spring in those rifles. They apparently thought they'd get the same results in the 30-series guns, but that's simply not the case, almost certainly because the power plants are different.
Beeman wrote that this scenario could happen as to a rifle being over-sprung, and this is the best example of that I've ever seen. The fix is cheap, but you (or that same buddy) need to know how to disassemble a springer. Then, buy a $20 GRT spring from James Maccari and it's fixed forever. While you're in there, add a little of the right lubes in the right places. It's fast, cheap, and easy. Why does Diana ship their rifles so-dry inside? ((Echo)).
Rough-and-overly-strenuous-cocking from dry innards: (Already covered).
Summary: Muzzle crown, trigger, mainspring, and lubrication. Get those right and 'Cinderella becomes a princess'. If you don't want to do the work, consider a tune by someone who knows what they're doing. It's not a waste of money on these rifles, with the exception of a few rare specimens that are duds. That's true of every brand, make, and model out there--sometimes you can only take one so far for no discernible reason. Fortunately, those are the exceptions by far in 'Euro-guns'.
FWIW, I own a .22 caliber RWS 34 Panther with the T05 trigger, that I tuned with the previous version of the Maccari GRT spring, and it's a gem. It's smooth, accurate, and velocity with the FTT pellet is right at 740 fps. Some might do more like 710-720 with his current spring (it has one less spring coil than mine), but that's still very-good. I try to keep a few of his springs here in-stock.
Great input, EK....
I am well aware that the RWS guns from the factory are quite dry as I've been inside several of them (34, 35, 350, 48, 54). I used Macarri bits in all of mine save for the latest RWS 36, which is unmolested.
What I was not aware of was the crown issues you spoke of. I've recrowned barrels before, both on a lathe and with the brass screw/lapping compound method, but I dont recall doing so on the RWS guns.
Not sure if I'll take an interest in this latest 36 or not. I bought it for nostalgic purposes. The 36 was my first adult air rifle and years ago, I sold it to Cecil Whiteside. Attended the auction for his guns and I was on call at work at the time and got a call and had to step out and missed my chance at buying it back.... so ended up finding one on the classifieds a few years ago. To be honest, havent done much of anything with it. Might be a good winter project to break out the spring compressor and give it a bit of an internal makeover!
Thanks for the discussion!
I'm absolutely with ekmeister about these guns. I got so disgusted with my first adult air-rifle (model 36) that I installed a model 27 spring in it. Made a wonderful gun out of it. If you remove 4 coils from the original springs the cocking effort goes down and the velocity goes up. Cut 4 more and the velocity returns to normal and it is a joy to cock and shoot. The best model 34 that I owned was a carbine in .22 caliber. With the modified spring it was very accurate and a pleasure to shoot. As they come out of the box I can understand Rob's feelings about these guns and would not recommend them to the new shooter.
Good to see I wasnt alone. Been wondering on that one for a while.... haha... I've near sold my Lightning a few times because I have such a time with it as well, but I keep it around and one day will figure it out. I had the same issue with a BSA Meteor some years back, but found the magic pellet for it and magic tune combination. I ended up putting an OEM R7 spring in it and used JSB Express pellets and bingo!
I own a brand new Diana 34 and a Dians gas ram 340 Luxus comes with beautiful walnut stock. Both are only 4 months old. I did have to add lube to the dry spring 34. Hector Media suggests storing the gas ram muzzle down for lube advantage. I have followed his advice. I have shot both rifles about 2000 shots. I love them both but the edge goes to the gas ram. Quick shot cycle and crazy accurate.
I get good accuracy with the 34 too. Still my tuned TX200 outperforms both.
Hi, Rob,
I had a Lightning in .22 for a season, I found it pretty easy to shoot accurately, it did seem to prefer a snug hold though. I had issues with the stock screws coming loose and a previous owners' over zealous tightening which cracked the rather thin wood near the barrel pivot. I sold it and went back to my R9 .22. I do kind of miss it and might grab another some day...
John
I was waiting for more feedback on this thread before weighing in, but here goes.
Years ago (too many) my holy grail was an HW R1AW. I found one. LOVED it! Decided I liked black-and-silver guns, so I bought a brand new 34N in .177. One of the only guns I've ever bought new. Long story short, I sold the R1AW and kept the 34N. It has been thru a few stocks, starting with the factory black painted wood stock, followed by the long synthetic Panther stock, and has finally landed in a very pretty beech 34 stock which now wears an adjustable RPC buttpad. Internally, it has a 10+yo Maccari spring, guide and seal, with all the right slippy stuff in all the right places. Externally, it has an unfinished 6" Maccari aluminum muzzle brake, (Special order to get one that hasn't been anodized. Perfect look for a silver gun.) and its topped with a Millett 6-18X40AO scope in a BKL 260D one-piece mount.
I've often answered the "one-gun" posts with this one. 'Tis my fave. The ultimate do-all rifle.
They've changed over the years....mostly for the better,but I've not been able to shoot all of them well. A few of the ones I was loaded were well tuned for speed and smoothness...still couldn't really get them to shoot as well as I would like.
I wonder what their muzzle crowns looked like.
Also, I forgot to mention something so easy it almost seems silly, but it's real. Diana uses the same size O-ring as the breech seal in each and every one of those rifles (OK), but the groove into which it fits can vary quite a bit from one rifle to the next. If your seal leaks because the groove is overly-deep, velocity and accuracy can be erratic. (If you have a chronograph, you can test with a few wraps of dental floss placed under the seal to see if the velocity changes--or you can try an extra factory shim if you have one).
Anyway, take your leaking or suspicious seal with you to Ace or Home Depot, and buy one that's one size larger so you can try it, instead. The typical hardware store O-ring is made of Buna-N rubber (aka Nitrile), and is just fine for that use, where it sometimes comes into contact with a little of the most-typical air gun lubes.
Bought this .177 in 1993. Shot well, never did any tuning to it....still shoots well (although a touch slower now).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/23889943578/in/dateposted-public/
It shouldn't by today's standards. Lot of drop to the stock. Trigger has been through 4 or 5 variations from the original. Long barrels on springers are "out". Skinny stock with just a hint of a cheek piece. Only butt plate are grooves in the wood.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/37694469666/in/dateposted-public/
Did fix a split in the stock.
Refinish the wood twice (just to get the dents/dings out of it).
Barrel pivot shims (it wore a bit over the years).
New set of stock screws.
New breech seal (3 or 4 times).
New versions do have a more ergonomic stock,a butt pad, short barrel, and maybe a more refined trigger (although those first gen. triggers were pretty good units)....so they should be EASIER to shoot. So far, the ones loaded to me haven't been.
So...yeah...they aren't easy to shoot...a slight slip in form or concentration will toss one farther away than other rifles.
Truth be known...I sporadically shoot springers. About 3 or 4 times I year,I devote a couple of weeks to springer-only shooting. So I'm likely not the best springer shooter, but I do keep up the ability.
So I don't have a big stable of springers..but I do use them.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/48383586057/in/dateposted-public/
Found that springer-ability erodes pretty quickly when shooting PCP's,CO'2,or other "recoilless"rifles....they just let you get away with a lot of small bad habits without a giant penalty in group size.
Springer won't...powerul springers really-really won't.
For as long as I can recall, the RWS 34 has been named as a good starting springer. Many folks recommend it as a lower priced gun with capable power and accuracy. I've had two of them... as well as two RWS 36's.. basically the same gun with a fancier stock. I've just never quite gotten any of them to perform as well as other springers I've owned. In fact, it's one of 3 spring guns that I've just not been able to shoot well. The other being a BSA Lightning and a Webley Tomahawk (that I regrettably sold years ago... .25, Russ tuned... stupid me).
I have no problem with any other spring gun, and I have more than my share of them... but I just cant love the 34. I've tried them in .177, .20 (limited run, buddys gun) and .22.
Is there anyone else willing to come out and say that they have difficulties with the 34 or am I the only one?
I feel the same way Rob.
they are long . skinny and feel odd to me ,when I had mine I had pryamyd air go thru it to make sure it was not dry and they did have to lube it because it was dry. Its one gun I lost interest in, that was a long while ago, later now that I wound up working on springers I often thought about getting another and try to carbine it and make custom guides and go thru it to see if I could get it to be a shooter
but when I cam accross my first R 9 it was later for the 34 as the R -9 felt great and shot wonderful
It's that individual love-hate thing with springers.
Loved the HW 50 and HW 55.
HATED the HW30/ Beeman R-7
Love the RWS 24 and an old BSA Meteor.
HAted the HW 77 and the R1(2).
NOT that they are bad guns....they just didn't "click"with me and I was happy to be able to move them on to folks that they did "click"with.
Come to the conclusion that all springers are very dependent on the biologic component in shooting them (the human factor) that some well respected rifles just don't "get it" with an individual shooter...and others that most folks hate actually do suit you.
I have a Diana 36 in .177 and after I installed a Vortek kit its a great shooter, and I use the irons on it. Seems really picky on pellets though, I have been using H&N barracudas in it and it's pretty accurate. I have a bsa Lightning XL I couldn't shoot at all and out of frustration sent it to Dave Slade and had a ram put in it and a trigger tune and its a great shooter now at @ 12ftlbs. These are both nice guns once you find the right combination of spring/ram tuning pellets etc. I have to say I love the light feel of the Diana 27s and 34/36 rifles.
Long time ago I bought a 34n from a member who needed the money, with the understanding that when he got back on his feet I would sell it back to him. It had been tuned by Ed K. And had a black muzzle brake. I named it the nickle with the black pickle. I found it very accurate, but it just didn't fit me right always seemed front heavy, not in a good way. Well the member got back on his feet in a few months and was tickled to get it back.
First off, it sounds like you would be talking about me. Besides, the rifle in that photo looks VERY-familiar.
That sounds like it could have been B.B. If so, that's going back a ways. I tuned several springers for him, and they usually came out well. This was back in the days of A.G.E. if I'm remembering the name of the vendor correctly.
They were pretty big outfit back in the day. And, they sold demo air guns at pretty- significant discounts. It made them alluring to a lot of people. Like I told him, and others, the demos were definitely a roll of the dice. Sometimes they were a diamond in-the-rough, but other times they were pure coal--in other words, duds that couldn't be fixed no matter what. Working on such a project can really be a reason for a tuner to tear his hair out.
If I'm thinking of the right guy, he also liked low dollar scopes. He bought more than one and found out there was a reason why they were so-sheap.
It turned out well in the end, though. I got him turned onto those Tasco varmint scopes that sold for under $100 shipped, and they were real nice and held up even on a springer with moderate recoil. In fact, I own two of them myself, and one of them is on an RWS 34 Panther while we're on the subject. The rig is real accurate, and you can't beat the scope even at twice the price.
One problem that may arise in the very near future is that about 6 months ago the Tasco rep told me on the phone that they have redesigned that particular model. I haven't seen or tried the new ones yet. They may be just as good or not, only time will tell. Some of the old ones are still around though. You can tell from the photograph which one it is. Amazon still carries them, I think.
They come in both a 2.5-10x42 power model, and 6-24-42 power model, both with a nice adjustable objective on the front. Tasco makes more then one scope in those powers, so you want to get one whose model number starts with "VAR".
Of course, that's the old RWS muzzle brake that was made out of cast steel. It wasn't all that pretty to some, but the weight of a steel brake added some stability to the front of the gun on which it was mounted, usually a rifle of course, and that tended to improve accuracy. I'd sacrifice a small amount in the way of aesthetics for the sake of accuracy any day..
So, like I said in another recent post, the last few days now finds me fresh out of work. I wish somebody would send me an RWS 34 to tune for them. Most of them can be made very nice, even if you have the older T01 or T05 triggers. I just go ahead and tune the triggers while I'm well I'm tuning the rest of the rifle. And, of course, I'm going to use a Maccari spring.
You don't have to spend the money to buy a whole spring kit if you don't want to. As long as your factory guide hasn't been irreparably-damaged, the spring he makes for the RWS 34 fits almost as well as a custom spring and guide, and you won't get any vibration out of it. He deliberately make something that size. You can read about it on his site under the heading of the GRT spring. With my needing a project now, I'm doing a one-time discount and two-week turnaround on the next rifle I get to tune as long as I can get the parts I need. I already have a JM seal here. I think I may have a spring in stock, too.
I may be changing my opinion on the 34... I just spoke with Mr. K regarding doing a little work on my 34/36 so will see how goes.
I can say straight away that from the questions that he asked and the info he provided on the phone that he really cares about the work that he does so this I'm confident that he will breathe some new life into my gun. ...and he was just enjoyable to yak with!
More to come!!
@ekmeister can you help me with my model 36? Sometimes it shoots real straight, other times, not so much.
I can usually help. But that, I mean I can almost always help someone figure out what's wrong. And, I can usually take care of the problem, if it IS fixable. Sometimes I don't even need to work on the gun.
I've worked on a lot of the RWS/Diana guns, including the barrel-cocking guns like the 36, and, I know a lot of the reasons why they would give you that wandering POI problem.
Each manufacturer tends to have their own list of mechanical reasons why things like that can happen. And, that's definitely true of the 36 and its same-brand cousins.
Often times, someone and I can have a phone conversation, and by their giving me more information, and answering some questions, we can either figure it out then and there, in 15 or 20 minutes, on the phone.
or,
based on what they tell me, I can narrow it down to just one or two things. At that point I will likely have to actually see 'the problem child' (the rifle) in person.
I CAN tell you here that trying to do it via the printed word, by text or email that is, is often just too hard. It can take a couple of hours of written messages back and forth, to do what we can do in 20 minutes or less on the phone.
I can also tell you here that a couple of the first things I suggest to anyone with that same problem are to:
1. Nicely snug-up the main stock screws on the gun. In your case, that's 3 of them: one on each side of the front of the stock, and the big one in the front of the trigger guard.
2. Try a few different ammunition brands, and stick with the same one out of the same tin or box, if possible. Then, use the the one that gives you the very-best results in your gun.
Don't bother to test outdoors on a windy day. You probably knew that one.
As far as sticking with the same ammunition, trying to force-feed any air gun a given ammunition, even if others absolutely swear by it in the same model of air gun, is often a waste of your time and energy. These air-shooters of ours tend to be very-finicky when it comes to ammunition. Even guns with 2 consecutive serial numbers often do best with 2 different ammunition brands and/or sizes.
Speaking of that, sticking with the same ammo includes using the same head size of that brand, for example "4.52 mm" (for .177 caliber), if it's written on the back of the container. Sometimes, the specific size isn't provided. That doesn't mean the ammo won't work for you.
3. I can also tell you here that one of the first things I suggest is to snug-up all the screws on the scope and scope mounts, if you're using a scope. If that doesn't help, and you've done the other things mentioned above, try switching to a different scope and mount set-up that is already giving you no such problems whatsoever on another recoiling air gun.
4. If you don't have such a scope and mounts to try, (or even if you do), if you want to try something fast and easy, do this:
If your gun has open sights, just remove the scope, and use the open sights, at even a short distance, like 15 or 20 yards. If the groups clearly-tighten-up with open sights, the problem is obviously with the scope and mount set-up you have.
Your scope may be touted as being unbreakable. But, if you think about it, that can never be true. No matter the price, the reputation, or the warranty, anything mechanical can break.
Please check for a PM.
BTW, most-important:
I have a couple of must-finish items here right now. But, if you want to talk, I can probably spare the 20 minutes or so within the next couple of days.
Chances are, your 36 is quite fixable. Thanks.
HTH.
@ekmeister Thank you for the advice. I will try all of the suggestions you offered and report back after testing.
I've owned 7 model 34's. Every one needed work out of the box. As has been said or implied, a properly installed tune kit with correct lubrication will often put them right. I now own 2, both are Panther pro compacts. The .177 is a first gen, T05, Maccari GRT kit, 915 fps w/Crosman 7.9-as accurate as any air rifle I have ever shot. The .22 is a T06 w/ribbed stock, Maccari GRT kit shooting 14.3 Crosmans at 720 fps average. This one has the most beautiful machining in the breech and bore and is very accurate as well. Guns of much lower quality are lauded with nauseating regularity by those who will turn the world upside down the remachine the guts of the junk they sing praises to.
I have a D34N (nickel plated) .177 that I bought new in 2002. It has a Macarri spring and seal, and shoots a very consistent 870 fps with 7.9 pellets. Truth be told, if I had to give them all up save one, this would be my keeper.
My only problem with the 34 was it’s weight, which seemed heavier than an R9 or SuperSport.
My first Gen .177 SuperSport Lightning is my most bestus and most loved springer. I had it out this afternoon. I have probably put more pellets through the Lightning than all my other Airguns combined. Mine likes a very loose artillery hold. I just have to be very deliberate keeping it on target as the trigger is pulled.
One time I invited a guy over to try a lot of different springers. I had a 34, an R7, R9, Lightning, a a FWB124, and several others for him to try. This new to Airguns shooter liked the 34 over all the others. He also shot the 34 best.
David Enoch
Had a few over the years in both .177 and .22, just never could warm up to them. And I am a springer guy.
One of the biggest issues it the barrel droop on that model. I do have a 36 (Just a 34 with deluxe stock) in the original run (IIRC 1988) in .20 caliber,
it is a keeper. It has iron sights and is a off hand dandy.
The funny thing about the rws 34 was I actually had more luck shooting it with iron sights and for me im more of a scope guy.
I feel my cz 634 can out shoot any 34 and my tx 200 will make a rws 34 look like junk but thats my experience . If everyone had my experience then the gun wouldnt be so popular so I'm sure it's a gd gun for others.
I am NOT a guy who's owned a lot of modern Dianas, or spent much time shooting them, so take these comments about a 20-year-old one for what they're worth. But last year I rebuilt a model 34 T01 for a friend, and was impressed.
All parts are sturdy and well finished. The breech pivot and tension adjustment are IMHO better-designed than HW's, sturdy and highly adjustable. The barrel may droop a bit, but this can be adjusted somewhat by tweaking the breech seal and its shims. The lateral barrel angle - like every Diana barrel-cocker I've ever seen - is faultless, something not always true about other makes. The piston, seal, and its attachment are built like the proverbial tank, and the trigger module is very well done. It has an excellent and finely adjustable rear sight, the trigger pull is very good, and the safety is easy to use.
The long barrel eases cocking and is heavy enough to still give a nice muzzle-heavy "hang" with a scope mounted. Perishable parts (spring, breech seal, piston seal) are easy to get to and replace - though you do need some basic knowledge, and a spring compressor, to take it apart.
The 34 is not a high-zoot sporter, or a match rifle, or one ya hang on the wall for the looks. But it's great value and an ironclad workhorse that will run trouble-free long term. I found myself admiring the way it has quality everywhere it counts, without any pretension.
Like so many springers, the 34 is a hunting, not a target, gun. It was designed to be a dependable, affordable "magnum" for the time (1983) and has served quite well in that capacity, well enough to be a consistently good seller until it was recently retired . It works in stock form and, like most any other springer, from cheap to deluxe, will benefit from a full tune. They're kind of like Winchester and Marlin .30-30's. Not neccesarily for everyone, won't make minute of angle but will bring home the bacon.
For as long as I can recall, the RWS 34 has been named as a good starting springer. Many folks recommend it as a lower priced gun with capable power and accuracy. I've had two of them... as well as two RWS 36's.. basically the same gun with a fancier stock. I've just never quite gotten any of them to perform as well as other springers I've owned. In fact, it's one of 3 spring guns that I've just not been able to shoot well. The other being a BSA Lightning and a Webley Tomahawk (that I regrettably sold years ago... .25, Russ tuned... stupid me).
I have no problem with any other spring gun, and I have more than my share of them... but I just cant love the 34. I've tried them in .177, .20 (limited run, buddys gun) and .22.
Is there anyone else willing to come out and say that they have difficulties with the 34 or am I the only one?
I had a 34 years ago. The design was flawless and it'd shoot 5/8" groups at 50 yards with a 4x scope out of the box, 6 lb. trigger and all.
I also tuned a friends 34 for several years. He used it for squirrel hunting and took a lot of them with a 4x scope i his back yard. He like squirrel stew and always had a refer with 6-10 frozen in it.
Once a year he'd call me up to tune his gun because it lost power. I'd put it on the chrony and it was always still shooting 8.4's at 880-890. End of tune.
It just kept getting smoother with age. It was also one of the most accurate springers I've ever shot.
Chuck shot that gun for at least 10 years, maybe 15. He used it so much the forestock screws finally had to be bedded with screw cups that I turned on my lathe. He lost his wife and moved to NC a couple years ago.
The 34 is definitely not refined. I sold mine because I liked the rekord trigger better, but it sure was accurate.
Used to advise new shooters that the 34 was the best combination for the money. Still have a soft spot for that old springer.
Realizing now that I’ve NO CLUE what a modern one is really like. So many changes from then to now, little interchanges, but they keep stamping them Mod. 34.
Old ones are NOT the new ones, even if “34” is stamped on them. You’d like to think all the changes over the years were made “for the better”....have some doubts about that.
Used to advise new shooters that the 34 was the best combination for the money. Still have a soft spot for that old springer.
Realizing now that I’ve NO CLUE what a modern one is really like. So many changes from then to now, little interchanges, but they keep stamping them Mod. 34.
Old ones are NOT the new ones, even if “34” is stamped on them. You’d like to think all the changes over the years were made “for the better”....have some doubts about that.
For the sake of clarity I should point out that trigger units are interchangeable between ALL model 34's. You just need to change the piston that is compatible with the trigger you are using. To explain further: a T01 trigger requires a T01 piston, a T05 trigger requires a T05 piston, a T06 trigger requires a T06 piston, a T06NTec trigger requires a T06Ntec piston.
Of all the triggers currently in the airgun industry, the T06 NTec is the one with the best "lock time". So I would see no reason to go any other trigger.
Current T06 triggers (both) CAN be set to a minimum of 5-6 oz.
Current 34's (the EMS) require substantially less effort to cock because of the compound linkage. They also have an Adjustable "shelf" in the mechanisms tube that abuts the barrel block and there are various shims in different thicknesses, so that shooters can "regulate" the droop to their liking. Current barrel-blocks are "square" so the slanted breechblock (so disliked by some) is gone.
The screws that affix the action to the stock go directly into the block that closes the compression tube at a slight angle. So the "bracket" that used to hold the screws is also gone. The slight angle make for a better "bedding-tension/compression" and allow a better tuning of the rear screw to the pellet, caliber and power level.
Synthetic stocked EMS's require a slightly shorter trigger blade, but I have heard of only one person (in thousands) breaking a DIANA trigger blade, even when they were made of plastic and Beeman insisted on shouting "heresy" about it. So I do not know how relevant it is to know this.
I DO think these changes were/are for the better, and the ones I have worked on, have turned out great/all-day shooters.
Do they improve with a tune? Sure! ALL airguns do. 😉
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM
@rob-in-nc Hi Rob. I was reading your post about your disappointment with your model 34. Did you ever get your model 34 sorted out? I'm buying an older one now. It should be here in a few days. I am hoping to get a good break barrel for one off pesting. I see that this thread is a few years old.
R, Steve
@rob-in-nc Hi Rob. I was reading your post about your disappointment with your model 34. Did you ever get your model 34 sorted out? I'm buying an older one now. It should be here in a few days. I am hoping to get a good break barrel for one off pesting. I see that this thread is a few years old.
R, Steve
Afternoon, sir
Indeed I did... or rather Mr. EdK (EKMeister) did. I sent the gun to him. I have had other guns professionally tuned and I have tuned others myself. I will say that his work exceeded my expectations for this particular gun. Using the recommended pellets by him, I get stellar accuracy out of it. Of course it's butter smooth and nice to shoot.
Your older one may be worn in enough that a tune is not 'needed', but it almost certainly can 'help'. I would recommend you familiarize yourself with the gun and if it's not up to your expectations, give Ed K a shout and see what he can do for you!
Hope this helps!
Rob
@gratewhitehuntr hi everyone new to the forum here hope all is well .. I will say that regarding the Diana 34 ..it is a start up gun for beginners with lower cost .. I have always struggled with getting a consistent accuracy from the break Barrel airgun but the older Diana use to be much accurate and was on the heavier side but made well than the one is been produced in recent time that’s why I gives up and switched to a lever action airguns .
I bought a Diana 34 in .22 last year as I’d never owned a Diana spring rifle and I didn’t have anything in .22. Like almost everyone says, it’s a noisy, rough shooting gun that could use a lot of tuning to make it more enjoyable. My other spring guns are an R7, a Maccari-tuned TX200, a Pro Sport, and a Theoben Sirocco; I’d like to get the 34 to shoot as smoothly as one of those.
For one reason or another I haven’t gotten around to working on it yet, but this winter I plan on fitting a Vortek kit (probably the 12 ft-lb version) and possibly shortening the barrel.
I have some Dianas, a 56th, 470th and a 430, but never a 34. Heard to many complaints. I have a friend has one all tricked out for FT. I shot it and it's okay. He shot one of my old Crosman Storms with a GRT trigger. He was impressed. I have an Air Hawk Elite springer came in a wood thumb hole stock and a steel muzzle break, $150 refurb from PA, and a Black Hawk Elite springer refurb, $54 off ebay, I put in a XS25SFB bamboo T.H. and added a steel muzzle break, both from Archer. Bought both guns years ago. All I did was adjust the triggers and they shoot good enough I never considered getting a 34. I read a lot of guys saying there A.H. shot, not better, but as good as there 34.
I've owned a few, both new and used. And what I can say is that the new T06 models left a little to be deserved. The plastic bits and twanginess turned me off.
That is until I picked up a well used T01 model that has the sharpest and cleanest cycling of any spring piston break barrel I own. And its a laser, hitting anything I, or any other user aims at. Thanks to this gun, I'm convinced the older models were built to a better quality.
I guess I got lucky. I purchased mine as a second hand gun with less than 200 shots through it. It's a .22 and it shoots incredibly well. I found it to be quite accurate even out to 55 yards. Check it out here:
@bf1956 Several differences, the older models had early triggers like the T01 and T05 later. The open signs were the traditional Diana metal hooded post front and plastic adjustable rear. Stamped metal trigger guard. The most noticeable difference was the stock which had a raised cheek piece, no buttplate, and the foreend only extended as far as the end of the compression tube. Here's a few pictures (taken from Dennis's site) for reference.
T01:
T05:
T06:
IMO the earlier versions were much better looking rifles than the latest T06 and EMS models. I've come across a few and they all seem sturdier and feel more like a traditional air rifle.
This isn't aimed specifically at the 34 but let's just say that I don't do plastic (or other cost cutting measures) at that price point ($440 at Pyramyd currently). That eliminates a lot of things for me but I'm OK with that.
I will say about the 34; it's no HW95 but it works. For me the solution was a gently used R9. As always, your mileage may vary.
So to answer the original question, no, I was not impressed.
Buying new would make zero sense to me. I'd rather just opt for a nice example of an older model to pop up. They can be had for around $200 these days. Much more and pass.
I have an older GRT kit, that came without a front guide/tophat.
Interesting to see this older post revived here.
I still have my 34 (36, actually, but same action) and I'll admit, I've not put a pellet through it in over a year or more.
After the work done on it and if I use the right pellet (H&N FTT), it was a joy to shoot. Just didnt hold my attention.
I guess my original sentiment was we often (at least used to) hear folks recommend this gun to new shooters. Depending on the intended use, I still think an HW30/R7 would be a better choice...but as we know, folks love velocity and often would balk at the thought of buying a '600fps airgun'.
I can usually help. But that, I mean I can almost always help someone figure out what's wrong. And, I can usually take care of the problem, if it IS fixable. Sometimes I don't even need to work on the gun.
I've worked on a lot of the RWS/Diana guns, including the barrel-cocking guns like the 36, and, I know a lot of the reasons why they would give you that wandering POI problem.
Each manufacturer tends to have their own list of mechanical reasons why things like that can happen. And, that's definitely true of the 36 and its same-brand cousins.
Often times, someone and I can have a phone conversation, and by their giving me more information, and answering some questions, we can either figure it out then and there, in 15 or 20 minutes, on the phone.
or,
based on what they tell me, I can narrow it down to just one or two things. At that point I will likely have to actually see 'the problem child' (the rifle) in person.
I CAN tell you here that trying to do it via the printed word, by text or email that is, is often just too hard. It can take a couple of hours of written messages back and forth, to do what we can do in 20 minutes or less on the phone.
I can also tell you here that a couple of the first things I suggest to anyone with that same problem are to:
1. Nicely snug-up the main stock screws on the gun. In your case, that's 3 of them: one on each side of the front of the stock, and the big one in the front of the trigger guard.
2. Try a few different ammunition brands, and stick with the same one out of the same tin or box, if possible. Then, use the the one that gives you the very-best results in your gun.
Don't bother to test outdoors on a windy day. You probably knew that one.
As far as sticking with the same ammunition, trying to force-feed any air gun a given ammunition, even if others absolutely swear by it in the same model of air gun, is often a waste of your time and energy. These air-shooters of ours tend to be very-finicky when it comes to ammunition. Even guns with 2 consecutive serial numbers often do best with 2 different ammunition brands and/or sizes.
Speaking of that, sticking with the same ammo includes using the same head size of that brand, for example "4.52 mm" (for .177 caliber), if it's written on the back of the container. Sometimes, the specific size isn't provided. That doesn't mean the ammo won't work for you.
3. I can also tell you here that one of the first things I suggest is to snug-up all the screws on the scope and scope mounts, if you're using a scope. If that doesn't help, and you've done the other things mentioned above, try switching to a different scope and mount set-up that is already giving you no such problems whatsoever on another recoiling air gun.
4. If you don't have such a scope and mounts to try, (or even if you do), if you want to try something fast and easy, do this:
If your gun has open sights, just remove the scope, and use the open sights, at even a short distance, like 15 or 20 yards. If the groups clearly-tighten-up with open sights, the problem is obviously with the scope and mount set-up you have.
Your scope may be touted as being unbreakable. But, if you think about it, that can never be true. No matter the price, the reputation, or the warranty, anything mechanical can break.
Please check for a PM.
BTW, most-important:
I have a couple of must-finish items here right now. But, if you want to talk, I can probably spare the 20 minutes or so within the next couple of days.
Chances are, your 36 is quite fixable. Thanks.
HTH.
This was an awesome read.
@rob_in_nc Yeah....its a hoax that has gone on for 4 decades. Thank you for exposing it. Maybe take on the 1911 hoax next.
@rob_in_nc i had a few over thet years and the darnedest think pyramid hollow point pellets were extreamly acurate wthin the 34..I tried a lot of other high-end pellets through it and nothing was as accurat as those cheapos..My cousins all had them and they experanced simular results so give it a try.
@ekmeister Sir, I was reading through some of the old threads regarding Diana 34s and found this one from ‘19. Do you still tune air rifles and a 34 in particular?
