I would really like to hear from someone that has both the 177. cal and the 22.cal in Diana MDL. 34. How do they compare in accuracy, feel, balance, etc. Anything you can add. I have the 34. in 177. cal and love the gun so much that I am thinking about the panther 22.
I have had both in the past. Now I only have the RWS 36 in 0.22 that is the same as the 34 except for the Stock and the Front Sight has interchangeable inserts vs. the one piece one on the 34. The rest is identical to the 34 in power plant etc.
For comparing them... I prefer the 0.22 over the 0.177. Just personal preference. I sold the 0.177's in 34 and I had 2 350's in 0.177. The 0.177 platforms I still have are an HW50s and Beeman R7. The rest of the guns have been thinned out leaving mostly 0.22 for my plinking, hunting, and target shooting pleasure. I honestly think the 12-18 ft lb. range is great for 0.22. Even with my 350M that pushes +20 fpe I like the smoothness and easy shooting in the slower and lighter RWS 36. Qualifier, ON a BENCH I can now outshoot even My TX200 with the 36 but only because the 200 is still stock and the 36 is tricked out to the max. Off hand the 200 wins hands down, Less hold sensitive and is more like point and click to a degree. When my Deluxe JM kit goes in the 200 as well as other accurizing tricks I fully expect the 200 to shine more as it has 10x the potential.
Yes, I just haven't had time to work on the Blue yet. It has a slight blue but not deep yet. There is more to be seen on that pic besides the scope stop hole but I will not say more on it. I should have croped it out though I don't like to share what I did much.
I don't have the best scope on in those pics. Here is what it deserves but it is on my HW 80 now. As far as mount no droop needed on this Diana. Real droop is only 15 min. and that is dead low no right or left at all. Go figure every other Diana I've had has always had 30 min. ave droop?
The HW 80 on top has a Mac 1 drooper now with 30' droop and Leupy 3-9x33 EFR
The Panther is fine if you like the syn stock and front sight. Me I am a bigger fan of the front dovetail as in the normal 34n. I would say go for it Dave. Or buy a HW 95 in 0.22 for 2x the money but have a gun in different brand and experience the Record trigger. If you lived up north in Wisconsin I'd let you shoot mine. Later.
without the stereotypical droop . It's why it is important to shoot the gun first before investing in special feature mounts ...sometimes they're just not needed. I just got through installing a drooper mount and even with .007" correction it *still* shot low by just under an inch ...go figure??
I understand where you're headed with the scope rail no answers needed. One lonely post a long time ago outlined a similar modification (of course I lost it ! but I still have some of my memory left lol) . Your pictures are worth a thousand words - much appreciated .
No the scope rail is not all. This mod only needs a drill and it solves the ugly method of hanging the stop pin in front only. I was hinting on something else that turned this gun from ave to great in the accuracy dept.
Thanks for the info. I have the 34 as I mentioned, I also have the 460. but am looking for something a little smoother to tote around. Thanks for the Great pics and info.
Handier ? Lighter ? I guess after lugging guns around all the time I'm not getting what you are looking for ? Maybe that Panther in a "carbine" with a nice smooth tune would be the ticket ? That would be an idea I'd want to ponder myself
I define smooth probably differently than you do. The 34 series can be plenty smooth when tuned on custom guides and the seal is good.
You say tote around. Compared to the 2 guns you mention the TX200 would be like night and day in smoothness but it weighs as much as the 460 you have. Do you want something that heavy or not?
In general the heavier the gun and lower the power the smoother.
The 34 in 0.22 is slightly smoother than the 0.177 in the identical format IMHO because the same power plant is pushing a bigger pellet down a larger hole and that tends to dampen the pistons shock a bit even though the fpe goes up a bit. But both guns in the example would improve with at least a lube tune. Dianas are bone dry inside form the factory while HWs are over greased! Both benefit from a proper lube tune at the start. Then you have custom kits with tight fitting guides and a top hat. Then you get real smoothness! (Albeit the same recoil with out twang)
The recoil component is a different thing as well. Small light guns running very hot will shoot harsh in this area and be hard on scopes and hold sensitive. Big and heavy & shooting slow will be non hold sensitive and smooth and all that. That is what makes this sport great! Like fishing you need a different gun for different effects.
I would say if you want to get the panther in 0.22 go for it. I don't think it is a world apart in smoothness from your 34n. The only real difference is the cal. stock and sights. Much of what you hear on how good this gun is today is the General OVERALL QC improvement at Diana in Germany. They did not just improve the QC in the Panther but the standard 34's as well. GET the NEW colorful box vs. the triangular joke of the past. The guns are glued together compared to before. Tighter tolerances in many areas. Read what JM says on his blog it opened my eyes.
If you could still get a Diana 24 or 27 I would suggest those but sadly they are no longer available. I feel RWS/Diana has lost something in dropping these lower power guns they once had. FPS is what sells and everyone wants faster and faster.
If you are just toting the gun around for the occasional squirrel or such you don't really need so much power and you and get buy fine with much less than the 34 even. I have dropped squirrels’ with my R7 in 0.177 with good shot placement. If you need to shoot a coon take the 460. Maybe you are due for a mid range gun like the HW50S in 0.22 or 0.177 or a R7?
Ok, guys, I think you have answered my question. The 34 in 177. is a very easy gun to cock, has very little recoil and just a pleasure to shoot. I am hoping that I find the same thing in the Panther 22. A rifle that is not a bear to carry around in the field, but has adequate power to hit squirrels at up to 35 yards. I think the Panther is up to the job. I do not want to walk around lugging the 460. cannon all day. When firing the 22. vs the 34, is the recoil about the same. Is the decrease in pellet velocity a lot more noticeable? I have already made up my mind to get one. But want to thank both of you for a lot of very useful info.
Thanks
DAVE
Ps. When I go to shoot a coon, I will most definitely take the Magnum!
Racine? Looks like you live on some acreage there. My home is on 10 acres. I can shoot pretty much anything I want but I mostly stick to air guns cuz I can pop them off right off the attached back deck. I've got a 75 yard shooting lane with room to go further if I wish.
"but I'll be needin' that gun, fer squirrels and such."
