As a kid, I remember my friends having the Diana 25 and 35s. I never got one though, and while I was in college, I could never afford an RWS. I've had low quality air rifles all my life, but finally, at the ripe age of 36, I decided it was time to make this childhood dream come true.
I have been away from airguns for quite a few years, and got into powder-burners heavily. Did a lot of shooting in various pistol and rifle calibers.
About a month ago, my brother gave me a Daisy Powerline 1000 in .177 since I needed something for pest-control (squirrels) and didnt own any airguns. The Daisy surprised me with its accuracy and power. Took down 3 squirrels, head-shots, with a single shot each. its a nice rifle, but it feels cheap.
I wanted something more substantial, so I ordered a Model 48 in .22, and its on its way to me. I got the combo package, that comes with 1" lock dodwn base, and the leapers 3-9x40mm scope, but I really liked the RWS 3-9x44 scope when I saw it on my buddy's M48, so I also got the RWS scope, to mount on the rifle.
Any advice on the scope setup/etc. would be greatly appreciated.
The rifle is not here yet, but I'm already reading and learning alot.
I'm a bit unhappy about the fact that they have plastic bits, so I dont know what the solution is at this point. Also, I'd like to remove all the open sight hardware, and set this up as a scope only rifle, and perhaps mount a sling to it.
Any advice for a first time Diana owner would be greatly appreciated, as well as any tune advice, etc.
the 48 is not your entry RWS air gun, it is 3 to 4 steps higher to the 34 or 46; sidelever and a little bit heavier about 8.5 lbs compared to 7.3 for the M34
now add the muzzle break, mount, scope and sling; are we at 10 lbs?? what about a bi-pod?? we are at 10 lbs already but guess what that fat lady will stand to the recoil of the 48 in this configuration
the 48 is a one of a kind air gun, enjoy it and play with all the things you want to add to it
warren
and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"
I like you purchased a 48 as a real gun. It takes a real effort to learn to shoot a magnum springer. Read up on shooting technique, you can find a good primer on the subject at Umarex website, and many posts here.
Scope mounting can be a challenging task. It took me several different mounts, scopes to get it right. Loctite is a must. A magnum air rifle rated scope is a must. You should be ok in this department as you purchased a package.
Good Luck and don't get frustrated. I'm just no realizing the accuracy of my 48 about a year or more after i bought it. I still have not mastered it and may never. If you have troubles, many people have suggested that a lower powered air rifle may well be better suited to learn on, such as a model 34.
You won't be disappointed, just keep at it and follow the advice of the experts here. They know of what they speak!!