I just got a new Diana model 24 in .177 caliber. Initial chronograph tests with the odd pellets on hand got me no faster than 565 FPS at the muzzle with Beeman "gold coated" HPs (from Walmart?), which I believe weigh in around 7.5 grains. From what I've read in this forum, that seems an appropriate velocity for a Canadian version, not a US one. Are my suspicions valid? Is there a way to determine (serial number) whether this particular rifle was made for the Canadian market?

Thanks for any advice.

two different versions. Diana's exploded parts drawing and part numbers do not indicate that the rifle is built differently for the various markets. Advertising copy and pellets used to establish velocity figures may differ, however. The one part, namely the piston, that would have to be different has only one part # designation. The 24 is basically a 550 fps gun (depending on pellet).

I doubt there are any differences between what's imported to the U.S. or Canada. My .22 24 has well over 3000 shots through it and still does 462f/s with 15.9gr 5.51 JSB's. And my .177 24 which has only about 500 shots does 595f/s with 8.44gr 4.51 JSB's . I'm quite sure that after a few hundred rounds you will see somewhat of an increase in velocity as the power plant breaks in. I found the Beeman HP's to be a bit tight in the bore, maybe causing your lower velocity?

It just seemed that the pellet speeds were even more meagre than my expectations. As for the Beeman fit - yes, they're the tightest, but of the three .177 types I had on hand (Crossman premier HP, Beeman 1261 Wadcutter, and Beeman 1222 Gold HP; I usually shoot .22)- the Beeman HP with the noticeably tighter fit actually chronied the fastest. The CP-HP actually fall out of the bore and make for large groups. The Beeman stuff keeps nice tight groups.

Thanks for the input. In going through past posts, I see this comes up every so often, so I'll just wait 1,000 rounds and see how things turn out during break-in. I'll have to agree with everyone else though, this "little" Model 24 with T-05 sure is a sweet gun.

Does anyone with an R-7 know if Beeman's advertised 700fps rating is any more accurate than RWS's claim of 700 for the 24?

around 590 - 600 fps with 8.4 gra. JSB Exacts. You can bump them up to around 625 fps but that is about it unless you modify the piston (not easy) for more stroke. But it is fine as it is.

the Diana website the 24 in .22 is rated 130m/s or 427f/s, and the .177 24 is rated 175m/s or 574f/s. The HW30s on the Weihrauch site is rated 190m/s or 623f/s in .177 and 130m/s or 427f/s in .22. It's obvious that it's the importers and distributors that claim 700f/s out of either of these models(Beeman & RWS), and the manufacturers claims are much more realistic(Diana & Weihrauch).