Sorry about stating that a 350 has more recoil than some 30-30's in one of my previous posts. A 350 .22 isn't as light as a .22 rimfire in recoil by any means, but it isn't as strong as a 30-30 either. Just trying to impress that it isn't an easy gun to shoot if you don't practice with it, they have a kick to them, but it's well worth it once you get used to it.
I live for my 350s, but it IS true you have to get used to them…not a good “beginners”, kids, or ladies gun to be sure. My old Patriots kicked a bit harder, but you just have to learn to cradle them firmly and not choke them tight.
When I first picked up a 350, it seemed like a log compared to my circa 1953 Winchester Model 94 or my 1963 Winchester Model 70 30-06, both of which NOW feel light as a feather after slinging my big spring guns.
But now my 350s just feel like a 350, not heavy OR light...but for long walks in the desert, the slings became a MUST as all but one of my guns are carrying big scopes.
When you shoot a tin of 200 pellets a week, I guess you just get used to the weight and don’t think about it...again, it’s not a good gun for juniors or ladies.
I shoot right-handed standing most all of the time and I have found what works best for me in balancing the gun is to place the last knuckle of my middle finger on my left hand at the back end of the cocking arm slot in the stock with the stock laying flat on my open palm...it is a perfect balance (for me) at that point when looking down the scope, then I pull my left hand back towards me till the recoil pad comes into contact with my shoulder...I adjust for proper scope height and neutral cant with my right hand…then breath and squeeze.
One thing that I HAVE found with the T05 trigger is that the pull is a bit heavy at 3+ lbs on average when you are standing and holding a heavy, scoped gun.
I mod my trigger spring to about 2 pounds or a bit less of trigger pull...I determine the pull weight using trigger weights…the only system of trigger pull measurement that is admissible in a court of law in the US for forensic determinations in shooting cases.
People that I have watched shoot my 350s right-handed while standing & sitting hold surprisingly still BUT when they pull the trigger, you can actually see that they induce a bit of "left cant" as they pull the trigger....their placed shots confirm this.
Just a thought for anybody who wants to try this exercise; my girlfriend shoots 10 Meter (right handed) and she strengthens her left arm and hand by holding a 5 lb weight in her hand palm-up with her left elbow bent as thought she is holding her gun...after 10-15 minutes of this she add another 5 lbs for another 10 min. I am 6’6” and 257 lbs...I thought that doing this exercise would be easy and even laughed at her when she asked me to try it...what is HARD is to keep your arm and hand DEAD STILL...I mean DEAD STILL...you DO have to concentrate hard to stay still-as-a-rock.
Try to do this at least once per day for two weeks...then take your gun and go sight in on something (I use 9x on my scopes – more magnification is not necessary at under 50 yards)...find your mark and hold the gun as steady as you can...then close your eyes and see the crosshairs covering your mark in your mind’s eye...count to 10 slowly and open your eyes...are the crosshairs still on the mark?!??! I can get to about 40 before I waver off target...but that is more than enough time on target to get your shot off if hunting!
Good discussion guys. I practice my Diana 75 every day but the weekends and then I often get the chance to also. The thing is, once you get familiar with the hold, a hundred shots a shooting session is no different then two hundred shots in a shooting session. You just start doing it right and then all it is is you sweat a bit more. You get tired, but you're able to maintain a good stance a lot longer than a poor one.
I'm a full foot shorter than you Curtis lol. Maybe its harder for you to "crawl" into the stance and hold than it is for us shorter guys?
I'm sure you've been to the matches. The rifle rests are their little luxury when ya get into the big time haha. Actually those are pretty nice. When we build our house there's going to be a dedicated airgun shooting room. Two, possibly three lanes for targets, that sort of thing.
I wish I had a 30-30. I have a K-31 which is a bigger cal but its getting harder to find its proper feed. The GP-11 is considered near match ammo. The only other brand I know of which makes 7.5-.55 is Wolf.
No need to apologize. I think I know what you were trying to say in the other thread. Believe it ornot I said the same thing when I first shot the 350. "I think it shoots like a 30-30!" hehe.
Curtis:
I hold the gun in a very similar fashion as you do. Good descripictive info.
Kind of reminds me of a shooting bud of mine.After I got my mod. 48 and shot it a 100 or so times I said something about my shoulder being a little tinder.his next comment was no bb gun could ever make his shoulder sore.He then wanted to shot it and me being a nice guy said ok,but do not get your head to close to the scope.As he got into position I took notice that his eye was about 1/4 in.from the scope bell.I stopped him from shooting and warned him again.He shot the rifle a few times and got along fine.Then my wife came to ask ?,there was a yell from my friend and I turned to see the famous half moon cresent above his right eye.BB GUNS DON'T KICK.ya right.
Gary
hey guys Tim here. My family knows me well,when "Dad" says "mark my words" they know the mumbling Im doing will soon become reality. (It always does). Im gona get a 350. I have been loyal to P.Air for some time now. If someone here can give advice as to another vendor with better prices,Im all ears. just remember,P.A. & "Paul" have served me well! Paul has helped me out many times,Its gonna be a tough sell to sway me from someone I trust over a few bucks. But,Im open to advice. Thanks in advance,Tim.
I am a 350 Mag lover...pure and simple. In my PERSONAL opinion, I don't think that for $350 you can get a real German airgun that gives you all of the potential options that the 350 Mag in .22 cal does. Even putting money into a very good tune with custom fabricated parts, you WILL spend less $$ then if you bought a Beeman R1 (which has its limitations as to what can be done TO the gun tuning-wise)...just get a person who specializes in 350s to do the tune! Please Beeman lovers, don't hate and fuss me for saying that...we ARE talking about 350's here....and I have owned and liked several R1's in the past...I'm not knocking them...their great guns....I am just making observations to a fella who is looking to drop about $350 on an airgun and I want to give him good advice based on extensive experience...
Shoot .22 cal JSB Exact Diablols (16g) or AirArms Domes (basically the same as the JSBs) and the trajectory is incredibally flat for a .22 cal springer out to 40+ yards...want massive shock value at under 45 yards for hunting purposes on critters up to fox sized 4 leggers, shoot 18.2g CrowMagnums...shoot 21g Kodiaks and adjust your sighting system for the higher ballistic arch (trajectory apogee) if you want freight train-like knockdown power on bigger critters up to Coyote-sized 4 leggers out to 50+ yards.
But before I recommend a 350 Mag to anybody, I always make one statement and then ask three basic questions....
Statement: The 350 is a hunter...that is where it shines star-bright!!!
Questions:
What do you want your airgun to do for you performance-wise?
Shoot groups so tight that you use dial calipers each and every time to check your ctc grouping measurements to see if they are .15578 or .15643? If the answer is YES, the 350 isn't the gun for you; but if hitting the bottom of a soda can HARD at 50+ yards and taking Coyote-sized 4 leggers at that range consistently is good for you, read on...
Shoot so smooth that it is like wiping your rear-end with silk? If the answer is YES, remember that it will never be as "smooth" as a Beemen "R" series gun (like an R1), but keep reading anyway.
Do you want it to be incredibly reliable and easy to maintain by virtue of it's basic design, strong and well built, hard-hitting on target like a freight train out to 50+ yards, and incredibly consistent overall? If the answer is YES, difinately keep reading!!
What do you want your airgun to be like physically?
Is the weight of the gun as issue, like being as light as a feather so that carrying it at your side is not an issue if you take it on long walks WITHOUT using a sling.
If the answer is YES, well, the 350 with a full-sized scope is heavier than most airguns save a small few. A swivel and sling setup is going to cost you less than $30 for the 350...if that is ok, keep reading.
Do you mind if it seems (at first) to be as long as a powder-burning Remington Model 700 or a Winchester Model 70 or do you want a smaller gun like an average airgun...more of a carbine length?
If you said: "I'm not worried about it being too long like a real center fire gun...keep reading.
How far are you willing to go AFTER you buy your 350 to have a better shooting gun?
Are you willing to do, at minimum, a deburr and lube to DRASTICALLY enhance the quality of your shooting enjoyment?
Are you willing to shoot the gun a lot to learn the gun and get used to the way that it behaves?
Both of these things should be done with any gun, but others are more forgiving right out of the box if these things are not done.
An AirArms TX series gun is about as flawless right out of the box as any gun that I have ever owned....my Theoben Eliminators are a very close second place.
I love Diana...I still don't personally thing that there is a BETTER DEAL in German airguns than what we get from Diana....BUT....
Our Dianas are FACTORY assembly-line guns and for Diana to give them the 1-on-1 attention that would be necessary to make the as close to perfect as a TX200 would make them as EXPENSIVE as a TX200.
For what Diana gives us in all of their guns and at the PRICE they set....well....personally, I am grateful to them beyond words!!!!!!!!!!!
So Tim, after reading this if you still want a 350….first talk to Harry (only1harry) as he is a knowledgeable 350 lover…then if you still want one, I would be happy to talk with you on the phone where I can give you more and better information…
I really like PyramydAir too...I bought my last 350 Mag from them...I LOVE their pellet deals: "buy 3 tin and get 1 free".
Their customer service is very good so far. I placed an order on pellets (JSB Diabolos .22) and one of the tins was badly damaged upon arrival...one out of 20 tins is not too bad, but many of the skirts in the damaged tin were too deformed to press out and get back into an acceptable shape.
I called PA and, without one word of the typical "Oh...well...not our fault"....they said that they would ship a new tin out that same day...I offered to send the old damaged tin back, but they said I didn't need to...within 5-10 minutes, I was off the phone and all was well....got the new tin that same week...the shipping label indicated that PA processed my tin of pellets that very day and shipped that day too....
PyramydAir is 2094 miles away from me and got my order to me in a work week!!! I ordered some things from a place in Utah, my neighbor state, and it took almost 2 weeks to get my order processed and shipped to me...BTW, the "Real Person" that I spoke with when I placed the Utah order indicated that everything I wanted was in stock!!!
I can't speak for anybody but myself, but I am just not used to that kind of customer service...very refreshing!!!
I don't care if I have to spend a few bucks extra when buying airgun products...they are getting ALL of my business.
Buddies of mine have bought airsoft stuff from them and NEVER 1 problem...they are believers now too.
Hey Curtis,Tim here. Thanks sooo much for the time you spent on the above post! Man you really spelled it out! Thank you from myself as well as any others here that may be considering the purchace of a Diana 350 M. I have learned alot in the last 2 years (my addiction to airguns). I could take an "exam" on your post above,I feel I would score a perfect 100! I know what to expect from a 350,I am ok with that! If I want to "drive tacks" Ill shoot my 24. Once again this is very ironic,today I had no work so I stopped into my local gun shop to pick up a new chrony.they sold the one I wanted but more are coming in soon. Then I went over to look at airguns,my 460 (the Golden Gun) is still there. (on consighnment) Then,as I looked over to the left side of the display,(about 10 guns), I saw it, a brand new 350m!! I acually went behind the counter and took it down myself! (they know me well there). Imidiatly I felt guilty,how was I going to explain this to the wife,as my work has been slow & we are building a new house? But I knew,this gun was coming home w/ me! What a nice gun. Worked out a quick deal w/"Scott" & could not wait to get home to post pics.(K.S. was home). Then my world fell apart,It is a 177!! I came close! Very ironic indeed! I will still get my 22 350. Just wish they could sell my 460! Thanks Curtis for all the time you spent helping me & others here regarding the 350. Now I gotta go E-Mail Harry!! Tim. P.S. I had my hands on one!!
Tim, you WISDOM is now marked in the annals of history
March 25 2008, 3:08 PM
Tim,
It takes a STRONG man to hold or see a gun that he lusts after, hold it or be within "spitt'en" distance of it and walk away....been there done that....could EASILY run a red light or blow through a stop sign while thinking of a gun sitting in a rack that I COULD have had but walked away from...now that is one LONG drive home!!!
But you were BEYOND wise to pass on the .177 350 in my opinion...the .177 350 is a great gun IF you shoot, oh, say, JSB's - AirArms Domes - better yet, Kodiaks (all mid to heavy pellets)
But the 350 Mag SHINES at its BRIGHTEST in .22 - here's why.
ballistic coefficient (bə′lis•tik ′kō•ə′fish•ənt)
The numerical measure of the ability of a missile to overcome air resistance; dependent upon the mass, diameter, and form factor. Higher ballistic coefficient numbers equate to greater efficiency.
If you want FLAT trajectories like a .177, shoot the 16g JSB Exact Diabolos (have same ballistic coefficient as Kodiaks but are 5g+ lighter - both the JSBs and the Kodiaks have the highest=best ballistic coefficients of all .22 cal pellets).
So there ya have a flat trajectory AND more weight and mass for more knockdown power...
Have some bigger pesky ol 4 leggers that require more "whacking power", shoot the 21g Kodiaks...
Again, the .177 350 is a great gun, but in .177 I honestly can say that I would end up purchasing a .22 cal barrel (the breech block is included as all 1 unit) so that I could have 2 guns in 1 unit...just swap barrels back-N-forth....swapping a barrel only takes 5-10 min and all that you need is a little wood dowel as a "set punch - drift" and 1 Phillips-head screwdriver and a little flat blade screwdriver to pop the little "c" clip off the pin that holds the front cocking arm to the breach block...if ya swap barrels a lot, it is easier to just get another cocking linkage (front and back arm)and leave it connected to the breach block...at that point, only tool needed is a Phillips-head screwdriver and 5 min of time.
Just my thoughts....and I think you were WISE...wait for the .22 350.
