They are about as different as two air guns can be. Both excellent quality, but depends on what you want to use the gun for. For hunting, I personally prefer the 350 in .22 cal. If you would provide more information regarding the intended purpose, you will likely get more and better responses.
I don't have a 48, but I have a 350 and love it. I also have the new 460, it's amazing and a lot easier to shoot than the 350. It's less hold sensitive and also likes all most all the pellets I've fed it so far. It is a bit more expensive though and does not shoot as hard as they (RWS) says it does. the Diana web site has the true specs hehe!
I'm getting 1117 fps with CPL's averaged 980 with the FTS'es. which is up there with the 350.
Good luck with your choice ..... they are all good rifles.
Could it be possible that the new 460 is a upgrade to the 350. Did the Diana gunsmiths put the 350 out to the public and then tweaked it to the 460, which is not so harsh, and without so much kick? Is the 460 a refined 350?
Reply to 9/12 post. Is the 460 a refined 350? I really think it is. I was thinking the same thing a couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready to order the 350M which arrived a week ago. What stopped me from getting the 460 was not the $100+ difference but the weight of 9lbs and the lack of information on it in the forums. I found a lot of info about the 350 but very little or none on the 460. The 350 is supposed to be 8.2 - 8.5lbs but still feels very heavy to me (I 'm 6'2 200lbs) and has a decent amount of recoil. Now it's over 9lbs with a lightweight 4x32 scope.
I really do believe the 460 is an improved 350 but we still need people that have handled both to report their findings and give us their opinion. Someone said it's easier to shoot the 460 over the 350. Why? less recoil? allows for better hold. It would be nice if someone could do a comparison and tells us what the differences are and likes and dislikes for each model.
I think all Diana rifles are great but if I had to do it all over again, I would probably get the recoiless 54 over the 350.
the RWS 46 if you want to see where the RWS 460 Magnum linage is (also look at the design of the RWS 300R - similar). The 350 is a break barrel so very little similarity in the basic design. See below for a review of the 460.
I have a 350 and really like it, but it is a bear to cock if you want to shoot for awhile. I'd love to get my hands on a 460 for a test drive. I also have a RWS 46 and LOVE it, but it is not a magnum. VERY accurate shooter though. If I didn't already have a 350 and I was in the market for a magnum, I think I would go for the 460, but again, I've never shot one.
I am new to air gunning, so this is just an observation. It seems like the Diana model 34 would be the most ideal rifle for a 177. cal. The speed is about as right on for the pellet as you can get. I have read of some Professionals that actually prefer to use the 177. even for bigger game, while using a heavy pellet. Would a high velocity 177. like the 460 make a better choice than a 22.? The velocity would be tremendous and a heavy pellet would make up the difference for muzzle energy? It seems like it would be a good kill gun for heavy varmints. I want to start a collection of all Diana rifles and I now own a 34. God what a great gun. A gun that started the original main power plant of all Diana rifles. It has the speed and accuracy that is the take off of all other models. Now, comes the need for more speed. I want to invest in another great RWS, this model will be in 22.cal. So which way will I go. One day, I want the 350. mag. especially after viewing the "You tube" video of the 2 guys shooting at 101 yards with open sights, and then some days I want the model 48, a true classic. I guess this is what makes air gunning so much fun. 48 or 350. 0r 460? Eventually I will own all. But I am also looking at the new model for youths for my 7 year old. This new hobby of mine reminds me of the story of the monkey in the bar.
A monkey enters a bar and climbs on top of the cash register and takes a pee. Well, says, the bartender, this could run into a whole lot of money.
I ordered the 350 on monday from RWS (factory refurb $ 235.00 shipped), received today.
This is one nice air rifle, it had a scratch on the stock so it was sent back to RWS, they stamped a few "R"s on it and I bought it.
The front sight came with one insert, Is one standard, you buy the others?
jettmek
Why not try an RWS 350. I have owned a 48 for many years and I like it very much.Still, I think the 350 in a .22cal is a great combination.Let us know what you end up with . They are both fine Im sure of that.
In my experience, the 350 is way (WAY) too hold sensitive. A five shot group @ 15 yards w/o a flyer is a miracle. There is no way I could be confident of it producing useful acurracy in the field. It is difficult enough under highly controlled conditions.
I do know something about shooting springers. My FWB124D regularly produces sub-1" groups at 50 yds. I may yet break the code on shooting the 350 well, but my current opinion of the good looking and light 350 is that is makes 24 ft lbs of relatively useless power.
I don't find the 350M to be any more hold sensitive than any other magnum air rifle (I have not had an opportunity to shoot a 460 yet). In my experience, I have found that a "snug" hold rather than the normal loose hold, is better regarding consistent grouping. I have both low-velocity and high-velocity air guns and like most folks, I have found that the lower the velocity the less hold sensitive a decent shooting rifle will be. Also, shooting a high velocity air gun from a rest is a bit more difficult because of the higher recoil (typically associated with higher velocity). I find that off-hand shooting produces better results once you get the hang of it. The 350M is a heavy and long gun and it is my opinion that a person of small statue is "generally" at a disadvantage with the longer, heavier rifles. I personally like the 350 and find it to be an excellent gun for hunting, but it will give your arm a work-out for target shooting - as will most magnum air guns.
as several other rifles. I can shoot the 350, off-hand, as well as the R-9. The R-9 is a bit more accurate benched, but not much. For bench shooting, I use a bag filled with plastic beads for a rest, and place the rifle forearm near the balance point. Works for me.
I concur about the firm grip as apposed to a loose hold. I have the .177 and .22 both with Jim Maccari kits, Jim made me a brass rear spring guide and brass top hat to fit his spring for my .177 shoots very tight. For the .22 a delrin top hat and steel mated with brass rear spring guide and spring for the .22 still a hard hitter at 70 yards but smooth. I did the lube tune and buttons (don't moly the rear of the piston seal) just the rear of the piston itself. Put a thin layer of chamber lube on the face of the piston seal and rear edge (where most people put moly) with your finger, a thin layer of tar on the spring and velocity tar on the rear spring guide, you will be pleased with the performance.
Darryl
The reason you button a piston.
--------------------------------------------
Drilling the piston.
--------------------------------------------
Buttons installed.
--------------------------------------------
By the way, Paul Watts is the top of the food chain still
doing tuneing. Material used for buttons is delrin.
If you are considering the 48 perhaps you should look into the RWS 54 it is the smoothest shooting gun out there, virtually zero recoil and is very accurate. Velocities in my 54 .22cal are 835 fps with 14.5 gr pellets. Lots of power. The only downfall is it is heavy to carry around, the 350 would be lighter but a real hard kicker and recoil hold sensitive.
LT
I am new to air gunning and own the 34, and now looking for a 22.cal. I have heard so many opinions, on all these GREAT guns. The 350, 48, 54 or the 460. Right now I am leaning toward the 48. It seems to be a compromise between power and accuracy. The 350 sounds too powerful for my needs, and if I purchased one, I would NOT buy a scope. And least not yet, until they definitely come up with something that really does work. I don't want that kind of frustration right now. The 54 is looking really nice also but this is a very heavy gun, I picked up one yesterday.. The 460 sounds like the very best choice but is a little pricey for me now. I plan on collecting Diana's, so getting one later is no problem. So I guess anyway you go, you will not loose. Adding a 48 to my collection would not be a mistake no matter how I look at it. By, the way here is another review of the 350 by Tom Gaylor in case you have not seen it.
Good Luck
I am new to air gunning and own the 34, and now looking for a 22.cal. I have heard so many opinions, on all these GREAT guns. The 350, 48, 54 or the 460. Right now I am leaning toward the 48. It seems to be a compromise between power and accuracy. The 350 sounds too powerful for my needs, and if I purchased one, I would NOT buy a scope. And least not yet, until they definitely come up with something that really does work. I don't want that kind of frustration right now. The 54 is looking really nice also but this is a very heavy gun, I picked up one yesterday.. The 460 sounds like the very best choice but is a little pricey for me now. I plan on collecting Diana's, so getting one later is no problem. So I guess anyway you go, you will not loose. Adding a 48 to my collection would not be a mistake no matter how I look at it. By, the way here is another review of the 350 by Tom Gaylor in case you have not seen it.
Good Luck
yep, Tom is one of the biggest airgun experts. One that will at least make publications and test various guns. I discovered him a couple of months ago when I started looking for my first airgun again after 22yrs.
I had not read his review of the 350 before and had no idea he had his own Blog. Thanks for that link Dave! I had just seen some of his articles on other vendors' web sites and a couple of different forums making references to him and his comments or reviews.
Yeah the Kodiak and the Crossman Premiers are 2 of the pellets to use for this gun like Tom said. The Premiers are very similar to the Sheridan 14.3gr because of the harder lead alloy they use like Tom said, which is probably why they 're more expensive than most other Crossman pellets. I wouldn't doubt if they were the same (maybe Crossman makes them for Sheridan or vise versa?) because they are both 14.3gr. Tom was right on the money. The Premiers and the 21gr Kodiaks gave me the best groups as well at 20yds but they did shoot a little different. I had to adjust the elevation on the scope slightly higher for the Kodiaks. They shot lower than all others because they 're also the slowest out of the muzzle. The others I tested (only shot 5 of each of the others) are RWS Superdome 14.5gr, Beeman CrowMagnum 18.2gr & Beeman FTS 14.6gr but was not as impressed with them as the other 2. Tom's velocities & FTE were very close to Straightshooters.com test of the 350, although the velocities in Tom's test were slightly higher by 20-30fps but that's probably because he said they broke it the 350 .22 first with a few hudred shots. I took my 2nd groundhog with the Kodiak at ~30.5yds 3 days ago with a messed up RWS mount that I had just re-tightened and wasn't sure if it were going to be accurate. The first groundhog was with the CP at 21yds. I had left the scope sighted in with the Kodiaks because I wanted to really try out this pellet on the bigger groundhogs that were farther out and wouldn't let me get too close. I was aware of the Kodiak's flatter trajectory from StraightShooters tests with the 350. It worked out pretty well. The heavy Kodiak carries 17 ft-lbs FTE at 25yds (same as Premier), so I figured at 30yds it was around 16ft-lbs of energy, still plenty to take the animal with a head shot. It's an awesome pellet for longer distances and a very good match for the 350. Now I know why after I read Tom's article about the stiffer/heavier skirt that doesn't get distorted. The Crossman Premier is not far behind either and at 50yds its 13 FTE almost matches the Kodiak's 14. No other pellet came close except for the JSB Exact, which is very hard to find actually but I don't need it since the CP & Kodiak are a lot more readily available. Great article on the 350! I printed it out and will give it to my kids along with the gun when I get too old to handle this mighty 24FTE springer.
Harry your post, is very interesting. It sounds like the 350, could be the ideal rifle for ground hogs. What is the longest range you think you could take a hog with the 350? I saw the video of the two guys shooting the 350 and hitting the target at 101 yards with open sights. They seemed to really like the rifle. (I am trying to find it again on the net). It really appears the the Diana folks did their job designing a great magnum rifle and left the scope issues for the scope experts, who really need to catch up to speed. We do not have ground hogs in Virgina Beach, but we do have a ton of the stinking Nutria that are destroying the wetlands. We also have a lot of coons. Rabies is a big problem down here. Most of the shots for these animal would be around 30 to 40 yards. I am still considering the 350 with just open sights.
You write a great review, you really should invest in a chrony. Something tells me, you will be doing more reviews and you could also leave the chrony results with the gun for your kids. Beside, I think you would just have plain ole fun with it.
but sometimes I tend to write too much because I type so fast, that I think people get bored after the 1st page.. I 'll try to keep my posts shorter but I 'm having so much fun with the 350 .22 that I just wanted to share with others. I 'm ordering a chrony probably this week or next so I will be reporting more on the 350's power.
BTW, I vacationed at Ocean City, MD this year (~5hr drive from downstate NY) and next year we 're going to try to do VA Beach. I hope you can give me some good info about places to visit or stay at before I come down
Yes so far my 350 .22 has proven to be a very good large varmint gun but I think the ultimate test will be on a full-size adult (fat?) racoon that comes by now & then and 1 time ended up in my porch when we forgot to close the door one night after a BBQ..
To answer you question, the 350 .22 should be good for racoon, woodchuck/groundhog, skunk, possom, hare, or any animal up to 60yds that can grow to 20lbs. It will not have enough power to take these animals at 100yds humanely or not even 70yds. The rule of thumb is or at least seems to be the general consensus, that you need 12ft-lbs of energy to take small game humanely or effectively, and I 'm not talking birds, chipmonks, mice/rats, or the Nutria which I think falls under this category. Those you can easily take with a .177 too but I believe it's better to have a .22 so you are not limited when the time comes. These smaller critters only need 5-6 FTE I was reading in an article a while back which I think was also Tom Gaylord's. If I can find the link again I 'll post it. It mentioned that most cottontail rabbits & squirrels can be taken with 8-10 (or 10-12) FTE, and for the heavier small game that I am more interested in, you need a minimum of 12ft-lbs & up.
I 'm pretty sure you can take squirrel & rabbit with the 350 at 60-65 yards with a CP or Kodiak since they still have 13/14 ft-lbs of energy respectively at 50yds. You 'd better have a hek of a scope though and be a good marksman. You must be familiar with your gun's FTE at various distances. Just because you have say a 14 muzzle FTE gun, it doesn't mean you can take a racoon at 30 yds because your FTE might only be 9 or 10 at that distance. See these 350 velocity tests w/FTE #'s here: http://www.straightshooters.com/ourtake/ottest350.html
So I figure 55-60yds would be the absolute limit for the larger small game but of course it would def. have to be a headshot so you 'd better be really good with your air rifle. I would not consider any other shot placement even at 20yds. Having shot a groundhog with my .22 LR rimfire in the body (gut) a few yrs ago (at ~25yds) and watching him crawl back to his hole a few feet away was no fun (lost site of him quickly behind my shed before I could fire another), so I wouldn't even dream of doing that with a pellet gun. The 22LR has 100+ft-lbs of muzzle energy! I think anything more than ~45yds out would be very difficult to hit the part of the body you want. Pellets start losing altitude very fast past 35yds, and the slightest movement of the cross hairs could cause you several inches that far out. To be honest I don't think I 'd shoot anything more than 50yds away with an airgun, unless I had a powerful PCP rifle. About half the 'regular pellet' PCP airguns out there are capable of 30FTE and a few 40-60 FTE(!). Those are always recommended for anything more than 50yds. Not the Springers. There are 2 other more powerful Springers than the 350 Magnum with 24-28 ft-lbs of muzzle FTE. They are the Webley Patriot and the Theoben Eliminator. If you read the reviews for those (and the stats) on Straighshooters, I believe they are the only 2 springers where they mention taking prey at longer distances, which implies passed the imaginary 50 yard line which is for all others.
I am waiting for someone to review the 460 with a chrony. It seems that it has a different powerplant than the 350 and the advertised #'s by RWS are 100fps higher. This may be the next 28 FTE SuperMagnum from RWS or even 30 FTE to match or beat the Patriot & Eliminator. As far as I 'm concerned if I need more power (I always need more power, I 'm a racer! heheh) than my 350 can provide, my next rifle will be a 40+ FTE PCP gun. I 'm still thinking of the new 60ft-lb Sumatra (Korean) PCP lever action 6-shot repeater rifle!
[/img]
