Hi
I have been left an "Original" air rifle, not sure what model. Is there an easy way to tell. .177 calibre. Has the word Original in script on top and Made in Germany on the side . No numbers as far as I can see. Looks to be 1960's ?
overall length app 111cm
barrel length 38.5 cm
ridged alloy trigger
barrel cocking
no telescopic sight mount grooves but three locating holes on top
finger grooves on side of stock
The gun appears to be a Model 35 from the 1950s or 1960s.
A target sporter with a muzzle velocity of 690 fps in .177.
Performance can be improved a bit with proper parts and tuning.
RWS will try to supply the Model 34 spring which is overpowered for this gun.
Macarri and others have some better replacement options.
A gun this old will probably need a cleaning and relubrication.
Do not attempt disassembly of this model without getting advice on this forum.
The trigger assembly must be removed before the gun can be disassembled.
There are little tricks specific to the Diana Models 35 & 50 to do this disassembly and reassembly.
Here is mine, in US-import "Peerless" markings and target sights:
Wonderful rifle. A rather common gun in its later versions, but not commonly seen for sale because their owners like them so much! These early ones are beautifully styled and rather more nicely made.
The "Original" trademark was used in the UK because Milbro in Scotland had rights to the "Diana" trade name at the time. They made guns from pre-war Diana tooling until the 1980's. Good luck getting it back in shape, it's worth the effort.
I would estimate the production of your gun in the 1958 to 1962 area, or close to that. The earliest post-war 35's have a tapered barrel and fixed-post front sight. Your gun has the improved tunnel sight on a parallel-sided barrel. The rear sight was shared with other Diana guns from this time period.
A very nice stock on yours by the way, much prettier wood than my Peerless example above.
Many thanks for the replies. It is great gun, I learnt to shoot using it as a kid. It was very accurate in the right hands. Any info/advice on strip down and rebuild would be appreciated
Thanks again
Even though your 35 looks quite different from later versions, it is near-identical internally. You should be able to find a shop (I'm guessing you are in the UK?) that is able to rework it easily.
As already mentioned, one challenge will be finding a good spring as the original one is no longer made--Diana now supplies as a replacement the much longer model 34 spring, with the expectation it will be cut to length, a rather crude solution.
Jim Maccari here in the US makes a 31-coil BSA replacement spring which works well in the Diana 35 but requires some spacing in the form of metal washers or a machined synthetic base. No doubt Titan or Ox or other aftermarket source in the UK has a suitable one as well.
The chief difficulty in dismantling the gun is the trigger mechanism, which has a variety of small parts which will come loose when slid out of the receiver.
This is furnished by Chambers Gunmakers, which is a good source of parts in the UK.
The gun likely needs a breech seal as well. Yours probably has a leather one, which I believe can be replaced by the current rubber O-ring used on most Diana barrel-cockers. It's a standard metric size though I don't remember what it is at the moment.
I will assume you have the Chambers or other exploded view of the Diana 35 parts.
Remove the stock, barrel, cocking linkage and end cap.
To remove the trigger mechanism, use a padded 3" C-Clamp to hold the assembly in place while drifting/pulling out pin #300605.
Slowly release the clamp, noting that spring #300352 in very strong, under preload, and wants to fly away.
To remove and reinstall the 3 ball sear mechanism, a short dowel will be needed in the spring compressor to reach into the cylinder to hold/put it into place while removing/installing pins #300604 and #300612.
Reinstallation of the sear mechanism is assisted by using grease to hold the balls in place and a short slave pin to line up the parts during insertion.
The short pin gets drifted out when reinstalling the #300612 pin.
Use the C-Clamp to reinstall the trigger mechanism.
The original mainspring should be 38 coils of .118" wire with OD of .800".
A FWB124/7 mainspring, 40 coil .118" wire .810" OD may fit.
A BSA Mercury 31 coil .128" wire spring may also work with spacers/tophat to preload.
The Diana 35 has a long spring guide.
It may need to be shortened if a top hat is installed.
The O-Ring breech seal, part #300312, for most Dianas is 8 mm x 2,5 mm.
Sometimes a thin steel 0,2 mm washer, part #300313, is used under the O-Ring.
I picked up an old Fifties vintage Model 50 and it responded very well to just some pure silicone oil allowed to soak down into the leather washer for a few days.
A bit of pure silicone oil appears be excellent for resurrecting older leather sealed air guns.
It may be all that is really necessary.
More harm appears to be done to airguns when they are disassembled without proper tools, schematic drawings. and instructions than a little lubrication.
I prefer to disassemble older airguns because I have often been amazed/appalled at the condition previous owners have left the internals.
Undersized ammo which has fallen into the chamber through the transfer port has included finishing nails, and wooden matches.
I have seen piston seals turned to mush by excess neatsfoot oil.
I have seen leather seals turned to solid blocks of a varnish-like material by lubricant oxidation.
Oxidized petroleum lubricants create acids.
Leather seals can rot if damp.
Cocking a springer draws dusty air through the transfer port.
Discharging a springer draws dusty air through the cocking slot.
This dust does appear to build up rings of crud on the cylinder walls and bottom and plugs up seal lips.
New parts are not always necessary but Diana 35s do break their mainsprings.
By the time I see Diana 35s and 50s, the triggers are often buggered because they were not removed before disassembly.
Robert Law never wrote a service manual for the Winchester Dianas he sold.
He wrote in his catalogues that they were not serviceable by the owner.
Winchester must have wanted the service revenue.
With BSA Meteors, the rear sights are usually missing or broken because they were not removed before disassembly.
Old Meteors must be opened up for service because the piston buffers crumble and must be replaced.
BSA Meteor trigger springs are usually broken by persons wanting to hone the sears.
I usually get Walther LG51/53/55s with the trigger parts in a bag.
I leave Giss gun service to the real experts.
I do not encourage self servicing of airguns if a simple oiling will suffice.
First, I must say my 35 came to me in exceptional condition, and I rarely use it! So I can't take much credit for its appearance.
But my favorite stuff for the outside of any gun is the German concoction Ballistol. Largely made of medical-grade mineral oil, it is a fabulous cleaner and preservative, and unlike other gun oils, will NOT harm leather, wood, or rubber/plastic parts. Gives the most beautiful soft gloss finish to the metal, lasts for years, and is a great bore cleaner to boot.
I keep a bit of felt soaked in it handy, to rub down the outside of a gun after I shoot.
