The last air rifle on my air rifle bucket list is a .22 Diana 54.
I recently saw one in a pawn shop listed for $345. It was in pretty good visual condition but had a few scratches on the bottom of the barrel, like it had been rested on a rough metal surface. Nothing that a little rub on bluing wouldn't hide. I have no idea on it's mechanical condition and if it was a new or old model trigger. What would this air rifle be worth?
Thanks.
Doug
I think that is a fair price, if in good mechanical condition. My main reservation is that a lot of people at pawn shops fire their airguns without a pellet just to show people how powerful they are. If you have to add a tune kit to the cost, you might be better off paying $450 and buying one from an airgunner.
David Enoch
if the safety is a metal pig tail it is a TO1 trigger
TO5 and TO6 are plastic
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/06/comparing-the-t05-trigger-to-the-t06-part-1/
the price isn't bad at all but David has a great point, that not knowing the history of the rifle is a negative but at the same time springs and seals are not that expensive as long as you do the work
offer a little less and take the leap or ?????
Being it is in a Pawn Shop and the dealer probably has $100 or less in it I would offer him $250. Few pawn shop junkies will even know what it is and it will likely be there a long time. If he won't deal down then I would do as David suggested and buy from an airgunner on the classifieds.
I got an early Diana 52 , in near new cosmetic condition, for $100, when after partially cocking it (you can trip the beartrap and decock if you don't cock to sear engagement) I pointed out that it had a sagged or broken spring. The owner took it out back, fired a pellet into the ground, agreed with me and took my offer, based on my estimate of the repair cost. So you might want to check the cocking effort, and offer 75% of the asking price even if it seems fine.
Well, last week the Diana 54 was still there with the same $345 price. I looked it over more thoroughly and it looks like VG condition except for the slight scratches on the bottom of the barrel. Hard to see unless you look for them. T06 trigger. I asked the owner wife? how low she could accept. She came back and said she could take $10 off. I told her that was above my budget and she didn't seem to want to budge.
I called this morning, spoke with the owner and offered $275. He said he'd have to have more than that. We agreed on $300. I feel like that was a good deal, considering how much they are new and the outward appearance of this one.
Now it's scope time.
I recommend shooting less than 500 rounds per day. When I first bought a 54 I shot the heck out of it.
Two days in a row, I shot 500 rounds. My elbow got really sore. I had to lay off for a couple of weeks.
You will need a tough scope. The old Bushnell Trophy 4x12 used to be the most recommended scope for those rifles. It will hold up. I don't know about the newer Trophy or other scopes.
David Enoch
Hi, congrats on the deal. For scope get yourself a Hawke Aimax, it'll hold up for sure on your 54. Have one on my 56, a dressed up 54, and it's holding up fine after 2,000+ shots and shows no poi change. I use a UTG picatinny adapter (T06) with droop compensation and Hawke weaver type rings. Scope has not budged a hair. To me, a proven combination!
Even $300 is a deal for you.
I have the T01 M54 in .22 and it is outstanding. The trigger is OK. Originally I had a Vortek sear in it that made it perfect. That wore out and Russ Best did the replacement work that brought it back to factory spec. Still an OK trigger.
Anything wrong with that Pawnshop find can be easily fixed. Chambers in Scotland has a lot of the small parts for the T01 specifically, and large parts may be the same as the T05 and T06 version (and even the M48/52):
