This gun is the companion to the model 50/a I posted yesterday. It is more or less identical, but was made probably a couple of years later (this is only an educated guess, Dianas from this era do not have serial numbers or date stamps). Detail differences include:
It has the peep sight attachment that makes it a "50/b." It is mounted in the rear position in these shots.
The stock shape is subtly more rounded at the front of the comb, just above and behind the pistol grip, and has a slightly more hand-friendly feel. The wood is an even prettier piece of contrasty beech than the other gun, and is stained a gorgeous warm honey color.
It still has a forged cocking lever, but the texturing on the grip portion was changed from cross-hatching to simple parallel lines.
It carries the additional stamping "Made in Germany" on the left rear receiver.
The trigger adjuster screws have changed to the normal position associated with the ball-sear design.
Cocking lever in cocked position:
Top of the receiver, again note the double dovetails:
Note how the rear dovetail actually extends out over the removable rear cylinder cap. The sight has 10 clicks per rotation of the big elevation wheel; the scale on the side of the sight keeps track of how many times the wheel has gone around.
Newer gun trigger:
Older gun trigger for comparison, note the different shape, and location of the adjuster screws:
Condition-wise, it has a few rust specks on the right side, and the rotating front sight is a bit stuck! But otherwise it is in excellent condition with only a few tiny wood bumps and even brighter blueing than the earlier gun. In my humble opinion, few sporter air rifles have ever had a trimmer, more attractive shape than these early 50's.
Both guns are .177, and shoot in the low 600's--typical for older model 50's. As you would expect of a 45-inch, 8-pound gun with R7 power, they are quite smooth to shoot!