The SAGA of a DIANA 56 T/H

Nice post!

I continue to receive even new Diana guns that have problematic barrel crowns. So far, I've been able to resolve almost every one of them with the methods I use, achieving very good accuracy in the end. The finished product that shows up in your link looks more-than-good. I can see why the 'before' accuracy wasn't as good based on the 'before' photo.

The few barrels I haven't been able to fix in regards to poor accuracy are the ones that are so-loose there's not a single pellet brand or size that fits and shoots well. Although a proper choke on a springer barrel takes care of some of that, if the bore is just TOO-large, it seems the choke isn't enough to totally take care of it. Fortunately, I've only seen very few specimens like that.

I've had just a few instances where a barrel had a bore that was nicely-snug as to pellet fit, and the crown was also in picture-perfect condition in every way, yet the rifle still wasn't accurate. A few times, I was able to resolve a tight spot in the middle of a bore with the use of some very- judicious hand lapping. When that didn't work, I had to chalk it up to what I tend to call 'a mystery' down inside the rifling somewhere.

One side-lever Diana rifle that seemed to be a hopeless case due to the loose bore problem, even after the crown work was properly-done, actually became fairly accurate when I dug deeper into my ammunition supplies.

I've always considered the .177 caliber Beeman Silver Arrow pellet too heavy and too tight a fit to be of much use in a springer. I never seemed to get good accuracy with them, anyway. But, they were just the ticket for that rifle. The accuracy was pretty-good with them. Although I'm not crazy about them as far as potential mainspring longevity issues associated with very heavy pellets, it was a lot better than not being able to shoot the rifle and/or hit anything at all.

Thanks for the nice post--and, especially for all the great photos!

@ekmeister

Dear Ed;

Between professionals: If you ever get another of those "mystery" barrels, let me know and we'll discuss what is the best way to tackle that specific case.

For those barrels made after August 2019 in 0.177" the specs were tightened a bit. MOST of the previous runs barrels will still shoot VERY well with 4.53 head JSB's, or 4.52 head H&N's, but in a production of MANY thousands, I am sure that there are "mystery" barrels.

0.22" barrel production has been more reliable overall as far as internal dimension controls.

We cannot do much when "Joe Average" tells us that a "gun will not shoot", it can be a myriad things and most are related to the shooter or the ammo of choice, but if recognized professionals were to help us weed out those "genuine mystery" guns it would be a great help.

Most retailers will offer to take the gun in and analyze it, or replace it. Something that has full DIANA support. But this entails a cost to the user and I do understand it can be frustrating.

And last, but not least, as a professional, you always have the option to re-line the barrel. With so many offerings nowadays, it is not hard to find exactly what the shooter wants/needs.

Thanks for reading, Keep well and shoot straight!

HM

@hector-j-medina-g

Thanks, Hector. I should add that I've also had a scant few Weihrauch barrels that fell into the mystery or unfixable category, not just the Diana brand. The simple fix on a break-barrel gun would seem to be to replace the barrel. But, the owner didn't always want to spend the money, and that's their call.  

Like I said, the cases I just described were very-few and far between.

Part two is here:

https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th4603110  

Hope you enjoy!

In part 3 Steve will detail the differences between the two philosophies of powerplant design in current vogue.

In Part 4 I will discuss some extensions of the ideas and some future work.

Stay tuned!

HM

Part 3 of the DIANA T/H 56 SAGA

Where we explore the physical differences between the 22 mm's and the 28 mm's power plants.

Has been posted here:

https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th8042880

Hope you enjoy!

HM

Part 4 is here:

https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th2541108  

Apologies for the delay, but there was a huge flow of information in the "aftermath", LOL!

Hope you enjoy!

HM

Conclusions:
The HT is a device that has been tested and proven in different power plant designs and has proven its value.
​DIANA will include it in the next " edition" of D54 rifles.

Very impression ... for Diana to include the HT on production Model 54.