I like the Diana pistols, but IMHO the P1 really has every advantage. Better made, more power, more compact, better sights, much better trigger, easier to mount a scope or red-dot, many custom grips, etc., available. No plastic at all, the current Dianas have plastic grip frame and sights.
Older versions of the model 5 are more nicely made. The velocity claims for the current model 5 Magnum are ridiculous, it shoots not quite as hard as a P1.
The P1 is significantly more pricey, but worth it.
Had my 5g for about 8 months now, and I love it. Trigger is nice and adjustable, pretty accurate for a pistol. I find the grips a bit large overall, but at least they give you lots to hold on to because the recoil is pretty heavy. Maybe I shouldnt call it recoil, but its a "jumpy" gun. I actually enjoyed it more and more as I got to know the quirks and funny personality of the little springer pistol. Dunno what to say about the plastic issue- not like its cheap plastic that will break anytime soon on you and besides.. the P1 is UGLY. At least the P5 has great good looks going for it- really pretty gun in my opinion. I would feel like a f*g anyway carrying around some of those walthers or crosman revolvers or even the P1 which looks too much like a colt .45. If I wanted that look I would just go get a .45 and be done with it. I am not a real pistol freak, so as pistols go I dont know how the accuracy compares with other pistols in its class. It seems quite accurate to me, I shoot meisterkugel yellows which I am finding are a bit on the heavy side- pellet drop becomes an issue after ~25-30 feet. Ill try something lighter next time I buy a case. Cocking effort is man sized- most women can just barely muster the strength to get it cocked and children- no way. Grips are too large for kids hands anyway.. they tend to hold it like a rifle with 2 hands, I have observed because it is quite a bit on the long side as pistols go. Probably not an easy gun to find a holster for. I dont know if you are a holster kinda guy but there are some out there that will fit it but I couldn't imagine the akwardness of walking with a holstered p5 or trying to get one out of a holster. Sights and trigger are superb.. fiber optic iron sights with a lot of adjustments built in, and a 2 stage trigger (both stages adjustable). The cocking mechanism is a mini version of the time tested break barrel rifle we all own and love, so no surprises there. that was a selling point for me because I wasnt sure how delicate some of the overlever systems were or how they would affect accuracy or if they were just plain bad design or what. having owned break barrel rifles for years I knew what I could expect- reliable, simple easy to clean- all the good stuff I had in my rifles. The safety is unconventional and a bit akward maybe to some. It is definetly a right handers gun- I am a lefty but I decided to learn to shoot with my right hand, and right handed the safety is easy to operate, but left handed- not! Fit and finish/bluing were up to par with the rest of the high end (german) part of the diana lineup. I have no idea how the diana spanish guns measure up on that count, but prices and pictures online tell me not as good as the german stuff. All in all, I'de buy one again if I had the chance. My P5 has its quirks and its own personality, but it is accurate, quiet, reasonably powerful (takes birds well past 10 meters...) I expect a pistol to be accurate at rifle ranges, and while I am sure at the far end of a rifles range this pistol might lose utterly, at closer ranges (30-60ft) its no slouch.. it shoots straighter than my hand does. Everyone criticizes this gun because the advertising hype about 700fps is (obviously) laughable and not true, but just the same, if you substitute more realistic velocity figures it will give any of the competition a good run for their money. I never believed for a second that this pistol shot @700fps and I doubt my mod48 does the 1100 or whatever balderdash the advertising dept at diana claims, but I knew after owning several dianas in the past I would be getting a solid reliable accurate and quality gun for my money, and in that I was not disappointed with my p5
PS the sights on my gun are aluminum not all plastic. lets not criticize this fun little pistol all-to-death over a little plastic. newsflash: plastic also weighs less than metal.. saves weight on aleady heavy and quite solid springers
I concede that: plastic can be OK (the plastic frame on newer Dianas actually looks nicer to me than the painted cast one on earlier guns); that the Diana 5 is a very nice pistol; and that the P1 is terribly homely!
But, having extensive experience with both, I stand by my assessment: the P1 is a better air pistol any day of the week.
I have both off these guns and I like them both. Some one told me they think my chrnograph reads a little slow but I disagree. Anyway my P5 puts out 4.7 ft/lbs of energy which isn't bad for a .177 pistol. The P5 is a little easier to load for some people. I have a couple of HW pistols and am used to the loading technique. The HW does have the potential for better accuracy. The fibre optics of the P5 seem to large at range as short as 8 meters and cover to much target. Some days I feel like painting the ends black so they are like a usual post and notch site. The fibre optics are nice for fast aiming at larger targets like pop cans though. My friend Scott at Airguns Only is waiting for some custom mounts to come back from being anodized. I sent him my 6M pistol a while back and he has made a small batch of mounts. I think that the same mount should work on the P5. Plastic parts on the Dianas don't concern me at all. Like I said in the begining I like both guns a lot. The P1 is a little more compact and a little more powerful. The P1 (.22 HW45) is actually my choice for pest control. That might change if the mounts work and I can put a red dot on the P5 for a little more precision.
I have an RWS 5GN (nickel) purchased about 5 years ago in mint shape. It's advertised with a 450FPS velocity, I'm looking to get rid of it, any idea how much I can get for it?
Nice to hear something about this theme ! My P 5 ...
May 14 2006, 9:58 AM
... is in it´s break in period and accelerates 7,9 gr WC´s to 525 fps. Not very fast - I know but I think I´ll give her the rest of the tin first - before working on it.
I prefer the P 5 over the P 1 (HW45) because of the design. The P5 guides the air straight behind the pellet - the P1-propellant reaches the pellet only after a long turn. Therefore the P5 seems to be more efficient. Additionally I like the lines of the P5 much more than the bulky P1.
Hope you understand what I mean.
SCN
Schießen: Manche lernen´s nie - andere vergessen immer wie´s geht.
Noted that two big differences between the two have not been mentioned. As I have both ....
the P5 is much more silent than the Beeman. The Beeman makes a sharp crack like a rimfire -- on the P5 the loudest sound is the pellet hitting the target
BUT
a scope or red dot can be easily added to the Beeman but not the RWS
However, note that a scope or red dot changes the balance of the Beeman and makes it much less handy.
my preference -- the P5 -- because the optic sights are excellent, it's powerful enough to bag squirrels at 10 yards if I do my part, it feels better in my hand than does the Beeman. It seems to point at the target much more naturally to me than the Beeman. By using the iron sights of the RWS, there is less fooling around w/ holding over/under at ranges that I've not zeroed in at as the centerline of the sights is much closer to the bore line.
I did rig up a nice scope mount some time ago, but gave up on it. Still waiting for a good setup from one of the scope mount makers to come up. w/ lagging sales, don't think so.
I do concur that the trigger of the Beeman feels better than that of the RWS, but ... not that big of a deal if one also shoots a Gamo!
end conclusion -- buy whichever you can get on sale, shoot it and enjoy the fun.
