Hello all. I am new here. I have had an RWS Diana model 45 over 25 years which I love to use on vermin. My son broke the rear sight about two years ago and I would like to find a replacement. I really don’t want to put a scope on it. TIA.
If you have the original 45
https://twchambers.co.uk/airgun-spares/diana-original/45/
Then looks like it:
https://twchambers.co.uk/twc-parts/os038-diana-rearsight-unit-upgrade/
They show this as an associated upgrade part?? email them to be sure:
https://twchambers.co.uk/airgun-spares/asi/cf16/cf16-rearsight-unit-upgrade-os008-1/
If you have the 45 T01, Edit: scrolling through the part listing, they show the same part number for the T01 as the original 45.
https://twchambers.co.uk/airgun-spares/diana-original/45t01/
The original 45 was my first ‘adult’ airgun. I loved that thing! It was as accurate as any other springer in its power range –even today IMO
Welcome to the forum Ironhorn!
@straitflite thank you. I don’t know if I have a late model but the rear sight on mine is a 4 notch whose body seems to be folded from one piece of sheet metal. Would the screw holes be the same for all of them?
@straitflite thank you. I don’t know if I have a late model but the rear sight on mine is a 4 notch whose body seems to be folded from one piece of sheet metal. Would the screw holes be the same for all of them?
Ironhorn;
What you show is the true upgrade of the 45 sights. The long bridge one. The short bridge one was the one most commonly sold (and cheaper).
DIANA has not changed screw distance in over 80 years, so you are at freedom to either use modern sight (fiber optics and all), or get a vintage sight. Modern sights can go as cheaply as $45, the vintage ones will usually cost in the $100 region.
HTH, keep well and shoot straight!
HM
@hector_j_medina_g do you have any idea where I may find that exact one?
so reality
the early Diana's and their broken and missing rear sights has been going on for as long as i have been reading forums and that makes finding one just that much harder
i have seen people give them away and any supply have been used up that you could find
you have Chamber's, Knibbs and Protek in the UK and Waffencenter Gotha in Germany many times they are selling used parts
if you look on Ebay long enough you might see one for sale
will a newer site bring down the value of the rifle maybe a little but a broken or missing sight certainly will
you have few choices, buy a sight that fits and works or wait for one to pop up and you seeing it but don't believe you are alone, there are many looking for the same item
i do believe a Diopter might work but i would have to see your scope rail to see
@marflow this is the scope rail that is on it. I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to a diopter or the Williams models though I see two different airgun sights from Williams and don’t know which one. I looked at TWC and their long sight (OS038) looks about the closest.
i need MDriskill to chime in here but i will give you a Diana diopter info
they have 3 diopters
one was made or the 60 series rifles and it is called the model 60 diopter and it fit on a scope mount that has sluffed off edges
now when the Diana model 75 came out that rifle had the same scope mount but a new diopter named the model 75
so here you have to Diana diopters that fit that scope mount and they use a threaded foot that clamps to the mount with a wheel that screws it down
now why i am talking about sluffed edges, well it because they changed the scope mount on the Diana model 75 TO1 it has square edges and will not fit
now old Anschutz diopter will fit
cost is in the 100.00 to 150.00 and rising
now the Williams sights are great but i believe the stock will interfere with the sight itself but again not sure
this thread where Mike Driskill and others are talking about diopters site and it has pictures
now the shortage of replacement rear sights and their high cost has been a problem for maybe 10 years and it makes little sense
Proper Vintage Diana Peep Sight. - The Dianawerk Collective (tapatalk.com)
i hope some of this helps
Ebay has sights at higher then you want to pay prices
Welcome Ironhorn! (I am also in Tennessee BTW.)
Hector is correct, Diana's rear sight screw spacing hasn't changed since the ice age. I think the options for OEM open sights are covered well above, but note that some of the newer ones do not have the nifty 4-notch rotating plate.
Diana used the same sights on many different guns, but one thing that can vary is the shape of the plate underneath the sight - either flat or arched, to fit the shape of each gun's breech block. If you try to put an arched one on a flat block, the screws may not be long enough for a secure attachment.
I love match diopter sights, very precise and able to take many useful accessories. I don't have a 45, but believe that either the Diana Diopter 60 (left in pic) or Diopter 75 (middle) will fit - but NOT the Diopter 75 T01 (right - note "T01" embossed on top), which as marflow noted, Diana mysteriously changed to narrower rails of a different shape.
BUT...note these sights all locate via a small serrated "foot" that meshes with the fine transverse grooves on top of the rail. Getting them secure on a more powerful rifle can be an issue. They can move under recoil and will ding the rail finish in the process. The D75 is the lightest and the most likely to work.
IMHO the best option for a match diopter is one of the old Anschutz units. They attach by simply flexing their long flexible side rails, which gives a very strong grip. Again, I'd go for a lighter alloy-body one.
On the Williams sights, go for one of the "high" models: FP-AG (flush screw adjusters), FP-AG TK (target finger knobs), or 5D-AG (cheaper, with non-click "slide'n'screw" adjusters). The current "low" model FR-GR has a taller side mechanism which does NOT fit most of my air rifles - it hits the stock wood. It's really made for rimfires with skinnier receivers (there's also a 5D-GR, but I've not seen one).
@mdriskill thank you, I was waiting for someone to give me input about the Williams choices. I have several Williams and Lyman sights on some of my Mausers and a European diopter on my CG-63.
For the record, I think your gun is the second-gen model 45 which is basically a model 34 action in a different stock (per straitflite's "T01" link above). The first model 45 from the 70's/80's looked similar, but was a completely different action - the visual key is it's stock through-bolt above the trigger (straitflite's "Original 45" link).
May I ask an off-the-wall favor? If you have a Mauser with a grooved receiver, would you please measure the dovetail width?
First off, welcome to the forum! And good luck in your search for a replacement sight for your D45!
The guys have already given you some great advice. But if you should decide to go with a Williams peep, I definitely recommend the FP/AG/TK model with the target knobs. Love mine. I can also recommend the Gehmann adjustable iris (thanks to MDriskill for the recommendation on that!). The PH510 model is a direct screw-on fit to the Williams FP/AG peep, no adapter needed. I got mine from Champion's Choice, but it looks like it's out of stock there at the moment. This combination of the Williams and Gehmann gives you a sort of redneck diopter sight that is compact and lightweight. And being able to quickly and easily change the size of the aperture for different lighting conditions is awesome. I have this combination on an HW30S and I think it's a great setup.
Here's a link to the Gehmann iris.
- @jim_in_swmo thank you! I just got off the phone with Williams and ordered that same sight. I found the Gehmann as well but will wait to order it a bit.
@mdriskill I don't believe any of my Mausers are grooved but rather drilled and tapped with bases or globes. I'll check later when I get home. If any are grooved, it will probably be the CG-63, but I doubt it.
Thanks for the follow up! What I'm trying to figger out is if the Mauser rail spacing is the same as Anschutz - a nominal 11mm.
Following on to Jim_in_SWMO's post: another option is the Gehmann iris with the standard German eyepiece thread (9.5 x 1.0mm), plus an adapter to fit that to a US thread (7/32"- 40). Then one iris will work with any common airgun aperture sight.
Pic is a bunch of old stuff - new equivalents will look different: Weihrauch HW 55, Williams sight, magnifying Gehmann iris on Euro/US adapter.
here:
In the foreground the OEM one
in the back the "newer" version.
In the OEM one the steel piece that acts as housing is also the spring. In the "newer" one, there is a hinge, and a barrel nut, and a coil spring.
The OEM one also has the four notches, spring loaded rear blade. The "newer" one does not.
Drop me a PM.
HM
the William sight in Mike Driskill's picture shows it as far back on the tube as it could get but the picture of the rifle in question, that doesn't look like it could be done and would be too far forward without some work
now here is the problem
Mike D and myself and many others have lots of stuff, fronts globe sights, rear sights, diopters, so if we have a need we reach into a box and grab what we want and try
but the average person doesn't have the stuff and now it a try and hope it works
i don't see the William working but it appears it might clear the stock but in the picture of that it is net-net on the stock
Mike D does he have a scope mount that will mount a model 60or 75 diopter
@marflow My first pic in the post above was a little misleading. I replaced it with one of an HW 55. The Williams sight would sit higher on the Diana 45's rail, so side clearance shouldn't be an issue.
As luck would have it...my only Diana with a similar rail (model 35 from 1980) - is outta its stock at the moment! I'll post pics when I can.
i know that we have talked about what model Diana's take the model 60 diopter and that is what he needs if the mount would take one
for one it will being the sight back to him for sighting and the adjustment should be more than enough to work with the front globe sight
but that list of rifles is forgotten by me completely i know the 50 and 27 but then i get confused, getting to damn old
@marflow Hey Mike - I think the OP's rifle is a second-gen 45 (model 34 action). Yes, I believe the D60 or D75 sight would fit, but not the D75 T01. But again, I'd be concerned with how that little ribbed foot would handle the recoil.
Here they are from the front. The D60 and D75 rails have similar "drooped" rail sides, but you can see the weird flat rail of the D75 T01 on the right. I'm still scratchin' my head as to why Diana thought this change was a good idea...
@mdriskill I completely forgot to get in the safes last night. I promise I will check today.
@mdriskill about the diopter sights, how do I recognize which is which somewhere like Ebay, where descriptions tend to be scarce and sometimes misleading or deceptive? Also, if I were to aquire one of those diopters, what types of air rifles are they best suited for if in the future I decide to move it to a different one?
Just to complete the loop on the notes above...! Here are some sights as they fit on my old Diana 35. The scope rail is a very simple and shallow flat-top wedge.
Diana D60, D75, and Anschutz 6705 all fit with no issues.
Williams FP-GR is not even close - hits the wood (it's not mounted here, just perched loosely at an angle).
This old Williams is not an FP-AG, but has the same height side to the base. Works fine. Sits a bit farther forward - fine for a sporter peep, used with a small eye disk with a big hole for a good view around a target which may be moving, or poorly lit! You can move things back with an extension tube, and use a target disk, for punching paper.
@mdriskill I ordered the FP-AG-TK yesterday so I will be able to try it soon enough.
@mdriskill I checked last night and none of my Mauser rifles have a rail. All the ones with peeps are drilled and tapped at the rear ring. The CG has a Soderin.
@hector_j_medina_g Looking for either of these sights please let me know if you can help. Thanks Tony
@ironhorn I've been using a couple of those Williams sights on my springers for years. You will be very happy with them.
Sorry Tony, but there's at least 10 different sights mentioned in this thread.
Can you be more precise as to WHICH sights you are referring to?
THX!
HM
Hello Tony,
I will be answering here because I think it may be interesting to other airgunners.
I researched your "model 79" and all the info I get really corresponds to a MILLBRO, not a DIANA.
So, let's clear a bit the situation:
As a result of the WWII and the reparations that needed to be paid by Germany to the Allies, the TOTALITY of the company "Mayer & Grammelspacher" was sold to Millard Brothers, in Scotland.
The "Totality", meant "Lock, Stock and Barrel" in the sense that all machines, materials, parts in process and EVERYTHING (the brand DIANA included) had to be shipped to Scotland.
The Germans, on their side, set themselves to re-build the company using the old "hull" (building) once the French occupying forces checked out.
They had the drawings, patents and designs, and they got back to making "stuff", from type-setting desks to staplers and scissors at first, then to toy guns, and then after a few year of hard toil, they were able to return to making airguns. It was only in the mid 50's that the Germans obtained permission to make rifled barrels, so all the barrels prior to that were smoothbored.
By the 50's the Germans were making the 34 and several vatiations, while MillBro came out with the Series 70 in the 70's.
Now;
Your 79 should be clearly marked, like this one:
And should look like this one:
One in great shape would look like this one:
And the original sight might have looked like this:
The front sight was a rather simple device:
Or it may have been a screw that was lathe turned to present a "barleycorn" profile. Like the one in the G-16 portrayed in page 5 of this .PDF:
The distinctive feature of the series 70 is the safety:
If you want to replace the piston seal, you can get it here:
http://www.proteksupplies.co.uk/milbro-diana-parts.html
They also have stocks, in case your 79 needs one.
Or, I can send you a 28 mm's leather seal, but to install it, you will need to make sure that you size it accordingly after a good soaking in a 50-50 mixture of neatsfoot and silicon oil (Abbey), or Teflon oil (Microlubrol).
You may also need to make the central "holder/filler", as there is no guarantee that the thickness of the leather will be the same (it seldom is). That filler should be threaded for the thread in the piston. In some models, the screw itself is part of the piston, in others a screw is needed to attach the "filler" (a thick, shaped, "washer" ) to the piston.
This is a good diagram:
Bottom line:
The DIANA sights MAY or may NOT fit your 79.
The spacing in the DIANA sights' screws is exactly 27 mm's and the screws are M3.
IF this is useful for you, the rear sight is US$60 and shipping to Australia will cost about $49.65
Sorry for the long answer.
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM
@hector_j_medina_g Thank you for the detailed reply, very much appreciated. The rifle is exactly the one you have posted. The front sight is missing the shroud. The rear sight I have been told was replaced with the single bent over version as per your photo to @ironhorn, bottom one. Unfortunately the elevation dial/screw is missing. I have found a 3d printable screw that I have printed it's for a Diana pistol but the designer thinks it should fi most Diana's, it doesn't quite fit though so I'll attempt that again with or drill the hole bigger. I actually live in South Africa not Australia, but shipping would be probably be similar, very expensive! I'll keep you posted how I get on though, thanks again for the help.
