The day has finally arrived, it was Christmas in September. My Diana Model 460 came home. Packed in a Plano case, Leepers scoped preinstalled and zeroed in at 10 yards, My first thought after opening the case, was HOLLY CRAP! What a beauty. I mean this is a good looking gun. The wood and checkering is perfect, I own a lot of nice center fire, and rim fire rifle, and a nice Beretta shotgun. And this rife is a real beauty that will go head to head with any of them. When I first picked up the rifle and sighted in at the standing position I said wow, this gun is heavy. Now remember, I have been shooting a Model 34 for the past 2 months. I then sat down in the sitting position and holly molly, the gun was steady as a the rock of Peter. I mean the balance was perfect. The lepers scope was a big improvement to the RWS 350 but the scope is a lot longer at 13 inches. I took off the Limb saver butt pad from my 34 and placed it on the 460. Perfect! I have long arms and this gives a really cozy fit. OK, After looking over this rifle, for dings, nicks etc, I decided air Pyramid had shipped it without any flaws. I checked the screws and all were tight except the scope screws, I paid $44.00 to have the scope preinstalled with a Plano case. Not a big deal. I had to tightened them just a little. Probably do to traveling a couple of thousand miles.
OK, I went to cock the rifle, and said what? the cocking effort was smooth as silk. It felt as easy as the 34, but the design of the under lever makes it even easier to cock. Man this is too easy I thought. After cocking the gun, I tried to place the lever back and thought oh, no this is hard. Stupid me, The little release knob on the side of the gun has to be release to allow the rod to go back to place. OK, here we go, I then place a RWS super dome pellet in the rifle 14. 5 gr. into the breach. Starting out this is a little difficult to do. The breech is not as easy to get to as the break barrel rifle. You have to hold the pellet carefully and go down into it like a bolt actions 22. cal. when placing a cartridge singly with out the clip. OK, I sighted on my favorite target a 6oz plastic cup at 30 yards out. I shot and to my surprise the hold sensitivity was less than my 34. I fired the 460. in 22. cal. and I held on very tight. Hell, this is a magnum, and get ready to shred a scope! Watch you eye relief as this thing may donkey kick your eye ball out. Aim, squeeze, and guess what PUFF! Hardly no kick at all! I was shocked! This gun just shot a 22.cal out, and has less hold sensitivity than my 34? I must tell you that this gun holds very easy. I mean smooth as a cucumber. I have not fired on targets yet, but can tell you now, it is just a matter of sighting in the gun to fire perfectly in the bulls eye. RWS you just won my heart. Sorry Honey, the Valentines trip I promised you to Cancun will have to be postponed, I will be ordering the Diana Model 460 in 177. cal next month.
Sounds like a very smooth shooting gun. It's like I had suspected. Most likely a tuned 350 without the vibrations and harsh recoil! Well worth the $ then. I knew they had to improve some things for the price difference. Sound like you have a winner Dave! Good luck with it.
BTW, if you visit this site: http://www.airgunsmith.com/
you can print out all the targets you want on your printer. This web site has saved me a few $$. You can print two 4" targets on a single 8.5x11" printer paper or 4 smaller ones on one sheet. I love this site.
So what kind of Leapers scope and mount did you get from Pyramid? If the 460 does not behave like a typical Magnum springer than I 'm sure you won't have any problems with either one. I wonder if the Diana folks visited some of the Airgun tuning web sites and learned how to properly tune a Magnum spring piston rifle to shoot smoothly? Finally!
I'm glad to hear about the 460 being so sweet. I just ordered one in .177,
no scope yet. It won't ship till Fri--I was told. So hopefully I'll get it next week.
I'll let you know how it does.
I still want a 350; maybe get it in .22 to help tame it some.
And thanks Harry for for the target site. I just printed some.
OK, I just came home after shooting the new 460. At 25yds the rifle was very smooth, and I barely noticed the recoil. Tight groups were easy to do at this range. I did not use a rest, but just used the sitting position. Using a rest would have really been easy. This is a heavy gun, and I really started feeling it after about 30 or 40 rounds. I really do not like the switch to bring back the lever to the starting position. It should be on the other side. It was cumbersome to have to use it. Also you have to learn a new technique to shoot this rifle. You must be very careful that the pellet does not drop out or worst drop out and fall into the rifle. This gun will be my hunting rifle, one that I will use in a still hunting situation only. It is way to heavy to carry around the woods on any kind of a stalk.
I must retract what I said earlier about it being as easy to cock as my 34. It is a strong cocker. The under lever does make it a little easier. After shooting the 460.mag, I then started on my 34. God, it felt so light compared to the 460. Almost toy like. And yes it was a lot easier to cock. One more note the scope (leapers) is so much nicer than the RWS 350.
I never realized how powerful these rifles, 460, 350 etc, can really be. I had been shooting at about 25 yard into targets taped to a old sawed off log. Man, the pellets went in deep, and ended up cutting the log like a hatchet. A good size hole about a inch deep and 4 inches in diameter had been chisled away from the 22. cal pellets. Later shooting the 177.cal, the damage was almost non existent.
Kiwi, I broke the news to her on the 22.cal. She was a good sport about it. The gift certificate to her favority spa did not hurt either. The 177. will be off the table for a while. No need in pressing my luck. I hope you get your rifle back soon, your arm must be getting pretty worn by now.
Beemans have cashed my credit card! whoopee! so my spring must be on the way!
but living in the antipodies, and being rural ,means another two weeks,not to worry, i have made a couple of aluminium trigger guards, they look really good, saw them on another site. easy to make. have a good day lads , regards Bob
cracked the old log hey? I told you these .22 SuperMagnums are powerful.
I don't have to drive that metal splitter through the log with the back of my ax anymore. I 'll just shoot a couple of dozen pellets down the middle and then hit it with ax and it should split just fine. Much more fun that way If my wife asks what are you doing out there again? I'll say I 'm splitting wood!
I was skeptical at first about shooting squirrels with the 350 .22 because I felt it was overkill, but when I saw how quickly and instantaneously they expire, I think it's more humane that way. BTW, don't know if I posted it, but I got one at 40yds a week or more ago. It wasn't a headshot as I had hoped but it doesn't matter on squirrels. Any successful quartering shot will do. The pellet went in at the base of the neck and exited. Squirrel dropped and didn't move like all the others. Total count to date 4 squirrels and 3 groundhogs in ~3 weeks. I 'm still hopeful the 4th groundhog that ran to his burrow after getting hit in the upper shoulder area (or behind the shoulder) will recover and come out to give me another chance. It 's hard now because I took the scope off since all the adjustable mount screws were stripped and the gun was shooting all over the place since I couldn't make adjustments. I 'm using open sights for the moment so I 'll try to limit my shots to ~25yds or less.
Let us know when you bring down your first critter with the 460 Dave! Afterall, it is a hunting gun, not for plinking. Don't be afraid to sight in at 25-30yds if you can. I didn't find much difference between 20 & 30yds when my scope was working. After 30yds, the pellets start dropping like 1/4" per ~5yds and after 40, about 1/2" ever 5yds. These are pellets with the highest Ballistic Coefficent (w/the 350) like CP & Kodiaks (.025 & .030 BC) which means they have the flatest trajectory.
Harry,I really wonder what the deal is on the trigger being plastic. Can it really be that much difference in money? I would have paid extra to get a decent trigger. I really do not like the plastic safety either. It seems too loose and flimsy. Do you know of any options available. I plan on getting a pro tune in about 6 months or so.
Harry, I went out again this morning to shoot the 460. I really cannot believe how much power this thing has. I mean it wallops the bark of a pine tree at 100 yards. And I swear to you the kick is no more that my 34. I had planned to use it for just for hunting, but am having so much of a good time shooting plinking and targets.
By the way, you mentioned hawks. We have a lot of them in Virginia Beach. I live about 1 mile from the ocean, and the area is full of tributaries, marsh, pine forest etc. There is a lot of wildlife. I see eagles all the time and many hawks, parigans, storks, Ospreys, owls, Marsh hens, etc. About 3 miles up the coast to the south is Back Bay wildlife Refuge. Man, you go in there in the now that fall is here and you will see millions of geese. Millions of snow geese. It is really a sight to behold. It is really a natural wonder.
I notice that the Beeman website very accurately points this fact out of saying that they use the best triggers, and how important it is. I wonder why Diana boys aren't listening?
I hate to answer my own post, but this evening I talked to a gun that has been involved in plastics all his life. He really went into the many uses for very tough durable plastic and PVC Not to go into a lot of detail, but he thinks the plastic on the Diana is far superior to the solid metal on other rifles. He says's that it is a type of polymer that is super strong and lightweight. It should last the life of the rifle. It should feel nice and easy on the trigger pull, and not have the cold feel in winter time. I pulled out some of my shotguns and center fires and started to get some different feels on the trigger. I have to admit, I like the plastic. Maybe Diana, knows something about making guns after all. I will never forget when I bought my Beretta shotgun with a synthetic stock. I was skeptical at first,but now love that shotgun, love the lightness and the feel.
Question, does anyone have any knowledge of these trigger breaking over time?
Yes I 'm getting used to the plastic trigger on my 350 too. There are several people out there that tune guns and can install a new trigger assembly for you. Just do a search on some of the other popular web sites or call Paul Watts (901-465-9772) or go here: http://springgunning.com
He only works on springers and is a very popular tuner. They say he is a perfectionist and very good at what he does.
The plastic trigger is mainly there to reduce weight and it's definitely pretty strong. Try to break a plastic Lego block and see how successful you are.. Metal triggers are more for show and add weight to the gun. There are a few kits out there that range from $60 to ~$85. Not sure if they have them for our later Diana models or if they use a more universal trigger kit that fits more than 1 model. It's the entire assembly from what I 've read in a couple of other forums. Not just a 1.25" trigger with a screw.. Most of the aftermarket ones are custom made by airgunsmiths or machinists.
Dave: I wish I knew how much my 350 kicks.. Meaning I have no other springer to compare it with. Since you say your 460 kicks as much or slightly more than your 34, that's a good thing I guess, but how does the 34's recoil compared to other springers like Beeman, or the 350, etc..? I was surprised at first that my 350 had recoil because I was used to CO2 and pump airguns that I 've used in the past (I have 2 now, sitting in a gun cabinet for years - 1 is broken..). I must have read nearly 1,000 posts from other forums and a lot of info on some web sites. To my surprise I read about older springers' recoil breaking scopes & mounts (creeping, etc.), loosening up gun screws, etc. ranging from as low as 6FPE rifles to 24FPE ones. So maybe my 350's recoil is normal or comparable to less powerful springers, I have no idea.. The 350's recoil or kick doesn't really bother me. I 've gotten used to it and hardly notice it or think about it. It's nothing like a centerfire but I do think my 350 has a little more recoil than my .22LR probably because it's a 2-way recoil. I didn't notice the .22LR's recoil as much before because it is a quick 1-way recoil backwards. I had my brother shoot my 350 over the weekend and I know I had posted that the 350's recoil was about 1/2 the recoil of my 30-30 centerfire. That is not true. My brother had borrowed my Marlin 30-30 last year to go deer hunting because he didn't like going deer hunting with is 12ga shotgun any longer and was looking to sell it. He said I was crazy and had forgotten how much a centerfire gun kicks. He said to him the 350 has very acceptable recoil. That is true. I have not fired a centerfire in about 7yrs, so I have forgotten much about them, except my Rem. 7mm Magnum's recoil (and canon sound it makes) which I 'll never forget and can be compared to an "elephant gun". I 've been using my .22 LR rimfire only for small game the last several years because it was so easy and pleasant to use, and dead accurate to 50yds where I sighted the scope, and still very accurate to 70yds with an old Simmons 3-9x40 (got 2 of these scopes) with a holdover that I was very familar with. I can shoot 12ga empty shotgun shells 50-60yds out at 9X.
In any case I must say the 350's recoil however big or small it is doesn't bother me anymore and I have gotten very used to it. I got 2 Starlings this morning for the first time on open sights! Ranges were 15yds and 18yds shooting out one of my living room windows after I opened them up when I saw them starting to gather around 7am this morning in numbers all over my front lawn. It was tricky because I had to select birds to shoot at towards the side of the house, that had one of my trees as a backstop. Didn't want to shoot straight ahead because there is another house at the other side of my street directly in front of mine, even though I was a few feet higher than the ground shooting downwards a little. So when a starling would walk in front of one my trees towards the right corner of my front property I 'd take it. The left corner (looking out the living room window) is about 55-60yds out and harder to see as I have a large spruce obstructing my view but I can see most of it from a side bedroom window which I have taken several groundhogs and squirrels 40+ yds out. The birds went down hard. I can't seem to miss with open sights at 20yds with this gun after I practiced a little and adjusted the rear sight to shoot on target. Over the weekend I put an empty pack of cigarettes out at 25yds and hit it every time with ~1" groups on iron sights just resting uncomfortably on my wooden window sill. I like practicing this way because that's how I shoot 80-90% of the groundhogs, squirrels and starlings. Windows are such a great invention! It's the only way I can see getting "them" without scaring them off. The minute I open the door to go outside or even when I open the sliding door to step on my porch and use one of those windows, they all tend to disappear except the ones further out at 50yds. I 've been using windows to do my shooting as a backyard hunter for 27yrs and it works great.
Dave, how far did the pellets or POI drop at 100yds? Was it more than a foot? I have never shot at anything that far with a pellet gun. No doubt a 22FPE Magnum springer still has enough power to take out a starling at that distance. Only need about 2FPE or so and almost as much luck as you need to win the lottery A 14.3gr CP fired out of a 350 travels at 650fps at 50yds, with 13.x FPE. That's a ~20% drop from MV. Even if it lost another 50% between 50 & 100yds, it would still be traveling at 325+fps at 100yds. That's 108yds/sec. It should have enough power to penetrate the bark of a tree, not too deep though. I have a Crossman CO2 pistol .177 that's 500fps MV. In the winter CO2 guns lose a lot of power. I remember shooting at 10yd targets taped to an old log in the winter time when it was 40deg. out, and the pellet would still penetrate the wood with a diminished ~400-425fps MV. At 10yds it was probably <350fps. I took several birds during the winter with it at ~15yds (~300fps?). So yes, this is why it says on our Diana/RWS box, that they are dangerous up to several hundred yards (500 I think). Dang, you made me write a book again, it's all your fault Dave
Harry, like yourself I have nothing to compare the two recoils. The 34 is a "medium" power rifle with muzzle energy abut 40& lower than a mag. The recoil is mild, no need to worry about a scope tearing off. The 460 is the same. I do not even have to tighten the sight screws. The recoil is mild almost pleasant with a nice smooth thump as opposed to a hard jolt or twang. I think the 34, has more of a twang. Although I have not been shooting a lot of targets yet, the gun is very accurate on the plinking. Pine cones at 30 yards are a piece of cake. I shot at a skinny metal rod, about 3 times the diameter of a coat hanger in my scope (I really like the Leapers scope over the RWS 350) at about 40 yards out. Dang if I did not hit it. I saw it move out of my scope and it ricocheted off. I checked it out and it had a white paint plastic coating and you could see where the pellet had struck. I have been shooting light weight pellets, the heaviest being the RWS super domes at about 14 grams. I really feel the 460 almost wants heavier pellets. If that makes any sense. I still plan to buy a 350 mag. but when I do, I will use either a peep scope or open sights. If the kick is harsh or heavy that would not bother me. I have not done any hunting with any of these rifles except starling and sparrows with the 34. But I think all of these rifles were really designed to be shot at a max of 40 yds. At least that is the farthest I plan to shoot at game. I really like the trigger on the rifles. They are lightweight and actually get a really good feel to them. Could you possibly get used to using your 350 with open sights? Why, not just go with the flow?
I don't think I can reliably shoot the gun much farther than 20yds on open sights when shot placement is crucial. I will take a crack at birds and squirrels up to probably 30yds because they go down hard no matter where I hit them (except the tail) with the 350. My limit would be 25yds at the most on open sights with a groundhog that needs to be struck on the head or neck to bring him down quickly. It 's mostly me I guess. My eye sight is not what it used to be and they can't correct it with glasses that much. I have 20-30 vision and going onto 20-40 even with glasses. Eye doctor says my eye muscles are getting weak because I 'm over 40 so I can't focus very well (I 'm getting a 2nd opinion soon). I wouldn't even be able to see a pine cone at 30yds. I miss the scope. I was a lot more accurate with it when the mount wouldn't come loose or the scope dancing in the rings! I may get used it more if I can't get JM to make a Maccari spring for me. I don't think I 'll be putting another scope or mount on the 350 until I get it tamed a little.
It's basically the opposite of what you described with your 460. The 350's recoil characteristics I believe have the thump, PLUS the twang & jolt. The gun usually ends up pointing to the left after I pull the trigger and comes to a rest, after it's done spazzing out It all happens very quickly of course, probably in a 1/10th sec. or less. I shot a few cleaning pellets from it the other day but shot the gun from the waste. I did not have the gun on my shoulder. The recoil was a lot less noticeable that way! I guess much of the shock from the recoil gets transferred to your shoulder instead of being absorbed more by the gun and pad.
The 350 just needs a good lube job and to benefit from some tuning like deburring and such or even some buttoning of the piston which also helps tame the kick and vibrations in springers. It doesn't necessarily need a Maccari spring to make it "calm down" a little. The Maccari spring is only 1/2 the tune-job. The guide rails, lube, and stuff I mentioned all contribute to the full "taming" of a "kicker". It would be nice though if Maccari started making his springs for the 350 so I can compare before & after.
I agree with you Dave. about 40yds is what I feel comfortable with too, but that RWS 4x32 scope I had was not that great at shooting small targets or even squirrels at 40yds. I wish I had 6X or 7X capability, that would 've been much better and I think I would 've taken my quarry at 50yds with a better scope. I 'm also limited to how far I can shoot without taking the risk of hitting a neighbor's house or car or a wounded animal running to their property. I don't like even taken the smallest risks. Probably of what happened when I was much younger:
Ok here is a story that will make you laugh and I swear it's true. One time when I was 15-16, a friend was over and we were plinking in my parents' back yard. There was a bird sitting on the neighbors chimney 55-60yds out. My friend dared me so I shot at it and hit it with a BB! (couldn't even tell what kind it was - that's how far) with my fairly new Crossman 760 rifle at the time. The bird got hit and we watched it roll down the roof towards the back of the house. Down comes the (dead) bird and all of a sudden I see my neighbor in his back deck/patio sitting down reading the newspaper. The bird somehow made it over the gutter (we assumed it was full of crap later - never cleaned), hit the guy's newspaper and landed right on his lap! My neighbor jumped up starled, etc. well you can imagine. We were only a few feet away from the house in the back yard so we ran inside hoping he didn't see us and started playing ping pong in the basement pretending nothing had happened. 2 min. later there is a knock on the door.. My dad answered the door and there 's the guy standing holding what looked like a mocking bird. I was grounded for a long time. Only this time I have a much more powerful pellet gun and with my luck I 'll break a neighbor's window, the pellet will strike an old toaster, and start a fire
Harry, I believe you and your story. But is is too good to be true. How ironic that things in real life that really happen when you are a kid, are like a story made for television or a movie. You just cannot make this stuff up. My childhood is full of stories like that. When I was a kid, I lived in California. The southern part with a lot of dry bush in the canyons. A older boy and I went into the canyon and threw a bunch of firecrackers all around the place. Later in the after noon, we were in the Condo swimming pool where I lived, and just having a good ole time enjoying summer when I looked up and saw the whole damn canyon going up in flames like a giant match. I was never so scared in my life. Man fire trucks came from everywhere. Fortunately no one was hurt. I was not sure I was the one that caused the fire, which started hours after I was in the canyon. But to this day, I will not get near a fire cracker and oppose them to everyone I meet. I even hate fire works. My son, who is 7 years old (by the way, he is the (only Harry) named Harrison, aka Hurricane Harry, wonders why his Dad will not take him to the fire works.
I use to hunt on Saturdays in North Carolina with a hunt club. One Saturday, a young kid shot at a buck with a shotgun, and one pellet from a 00' buck somehow managed to hit some poor bloke smack in the front of the head that just happened to be doing nothing but sitting under a old pine tree. Life is strange. But we learn.
Getting back to the 350. Since the power is so great, there must be a scope that can handle 40 yards. I am 55 yr old, with bad eye sight, but all I need is a simple strong, scope. I am going to get a 350. in my collection. I may just use it for 25 yards with a peep scope. This gun has to be able to take down a raccoon at that distance.
If you plan to collect RWS, then get a 460 with a leapers scope. The power is about the same and the scope is great! So much better than the cheap RWS 350 scope.
I must get a scope for the 350. I 've heard of a couple of people using the more expensive Bushnell Ellite scopes without problems. My 350 came with a cheap RWS 300 4x32 scope. What a piece of crap. If you make too many adjustements to the windage or eleavation on the scope itself the lens and field of view/image look distorted. I had resorted to setting the scope with "too" many clicks because the mount would come loose and shift my scope to the right sometimes. I 'd tighten the mount screws and then re-sighted the RWS scope to the left to get it back to where it was supposed to shoot. Well it developed a blurry bubble on the left side of the lens because I guess the crosshairs were way off center. I 'm surprised I was able to deliver head shots and take G-Hogs and squirrels under those conditions. The scope is finally off the 350 now and I 'm still not used to shooting with open sights at more than 20yds. I 'm having a hard time getting close to anything at that distance. I 've discovered I have 4 squirrels left (thought it was only 2 and was going to leave them alone until they multiplied), but the last 2-3 days I can't get closer than 30yds to them so I haven't tried taking a shot at them without a scope because I missed for the 1st time yesterday. The squirrel was about 30-32 yds on a tree but could only see half his body sticking out. He was upside down about 3-4 ft off the ground and checking me out. I tried taking a shot at his head at that distance but I knew it was a gamble. They seem very weary of me lately and they won't come closer like they used to, probably because I 've taken 4 of their relatives so far.
So you topped my story! You set a whole mountain on fire!! Nice! Yep, fireworks are definitely one of the reasons for forest fires in the summer time when everythnig is very dry. My brother-in-law set a whole pine tree on fire about 10yrs ago by accident on July 4. The tree was on my in-laws property. He was using those little rockets you stick to the ground and light up and then watch them go up. I told him he needs to increase the angle with the ground so they go up, not accross the street. The idiot that he is, he didn't listen to me like he never listens to anyone which is why he 's a bumm still living at home with his mom at the age of 45. His rocket was pointed like at the roof of the house accross the street.. He set it off and the firecracker-rocket couldn't get much altitude and went right into my in-laws pine tree about 8-9 up, and started catching on fire immediately. 10secs later, while only a few branches were burning, in like less than 1sec. the whole tree lit up instantaneously and was engulfed in flames just like that! A Telephone pole was a couple of feet away. That started catching on fire because of the grease and stain/preservatives they put on the wood so they don't rot. The fire traveled up the to top of the Telephone(cable, power, etc.) pole very quickly in like 2-3 secs. 5-10 secs later, the large Power Transformer starts making little explosions and then a large EXPLOSION and all the lights went OUT for several blocks around us!! In the process one of the power cables breaks off and starts dangling in the middle of the street. It was a live power cable and was sparking dancing all over the pavement. This all happened in less than 30 secs!! We were astonished and had no time to react or do anything.
My dumb brother-in-law was so scared he ran back to the house and hid in the basement. The cops and fire dept. arrived 2 minutes later because they were both about 1/2 mi. away. A policewoman was first at the scene. I saved her life as she was going to step right on the power cable being that it was so dark, she couldn't see what was on the street she was walking towards. I yelled STOP and she froze very quickly. Her next step would have been right at the end of the cable where it was sparking 1 minute before. 50-100,000 Volts would have gone through her. She was very thankful and had realized how close she had gotten to being fried. Anyway, the Fire dept. found the remnants of the fireworks rocket up in the tree in like 2min. and asked who set it off. My father-in-law who was a retired NYC cop told them some kids were driving by and threw some fireworks out the window. The believed it as we had both show them our badges (I was an auxiliary cop at the time). I don't think the fire chief went for it but they are used to these kind of things and knew it was an accident. BUT it was not over. In those 3-4min. the tree & pole were burning, ashes were carried by the wind to the house accross the street putting black holes into their boat cover that covered a boat in their driveway! My brother-in-law had to pay over $300 for a new 17ft boat cover! The power company crew didn't come out until 2 or 3am and the power didn't come back until 6am the next morning. It was a muggy 90deg. hot night. One of the hottest nights of the summer. Almost everything was spoiled in the fridge and my in-laws as I 'm sure everyone in a 4-5 block radius, got very little sleep as they sweated the night away.
Yeah this and many other reasons why I don't ever pull the trigger on a pellet gun if it's in the direction of a house without having a large tree as a backstop. I prefer to shoot towards the woods behind my house, that start at the edge of my lawn and go up an ~20ft hill behind my house. I don't even shoot black birds & starlings up at a tree anymore, only when they 're on the ground, and from a 2nd floor window so I can be sure the pellet goes into the ground/dirt. Too much uncertainty where the pellet is going to end up when shooting up at something. If the pellet goes passed all the tree branches it has to come back down somewhere. I am getting a large pellet trap for target shooting that is also good for rimfire. I figure it would be strong enough for magnum rifles up to 1200fps. They 're about $75 at Pyramid. Some of their pellet traps say are good for medium powered airguns or up to 1,000fps. Well what if I get another Magnum airgun in .177 with 1100+fps (like the 350 or 460) or a PCP? Pyramid doesn't even indicate the max. velocity on some traps, so I decided to go with a rimfire bullet trap that will also trap pellets according to the manufacturer. They weigh a ton but I will order more than $149 worth of stuff, so I can get the free shipping.
Harry, today I shot my 34 and my 460 out of my office window at targets 50 feet away. I would load up both rifles and switch them out to really feel the difference between the 2 rifles. Shoot one, then the other, Reload both and do it all over again. Like I said earlier, the 460 is about 30% harder to cock, but the under lever makes it easy. The recoil is really hard to tell the difference. Maybe the 460 in slightly more but not much. The 460 seems to be more accurate. The 460 is also louder. In fact when shooting across the field near my house the it will crack when using a light pellet.
When I pick up the 34 and shoot the target, I then pick up the 460 and right away the taget is so much more clear, and intensified. The RWS scope is really a piece of crap. In fact with I had bought a crosman quest, the scope was better than the RWS. RWS is really doing a disservice by selling that scope.
When I bought the 460 from Pyramid Air, they had a scope package that featured a Leapers 4x32 that is really nice. A vast improvement. I will have to purchase another leapers for the 34. I wish I had known, it would have saved me $50.00 or so.
I have a tasco Golden Antler 3-9X32 AO scope on both my CFX and my 350 Mag. They hold up well, have great features, and are overall just a really nice scope. Best of all, they are priced at $44 or something close to that. They are an unbelievable deal, and the one on my 350 mag is doing great after over 500 rounds (and counting).
Well worth the $ then. I knew they had to improve some things for the price difference. Sound like you have a winner Dave! Good luck with it.