It is not often that I invite someone to write an entry to my blog. As a matter of fact, I've refused offered money to accept blog entries skewed to some commercial purpose. Obviously, I don't want that for this blog. It is one of the few that remain completely devoid of ads/banners and other forms of propaganda.
So, when I find someone who is conscientious, dedicated, patient and perseverant enough to solve a problem many would have simply quit, or sent back to the retailer, I have to take notice.
Not everyone accepts the invitation, but those that do, usually end up writing VERY good entries, and so, without further ado, let me introduce Mr. Ken Wheeler.
Ken spent a good time battling some issues that the Stormrider has, he went through two guns to find the one he wanted to keep, and he listened to advise and was patient. The results he obtained are "professional grade". So I am happy to recognize Ken's dedication by publishing his adventure with the Stormrider.

Happy reading!

​HM

​Late last fall (Nov. of 2018) I entered into a struggle against the local gray squirrel population that was destroying my lawn and a playhouse intended for my grandchildren.  My initial weapon of choice was a .22 caliber Benjamin Prowler.  I chose this air rifle because it was inexpensive and readily available at my local Walmart.  Initially I was happy with my purchase and used it to dispatch several of the squirrels plaguing my property, but after a while I realized it was a rather difficult rifle to be accurate with, it was relatively loud and very slow to reload for follow up shots, so I began exploring other options.  This exploration led me to Pyramyd Air and GatewayToAirGuns.com where my eyes were opened to the large world of air guns.  These sources helped me decide I wanted a PCP and narrowed the options to a Diana Stormrider, a Benjamin Maximus or a Beeman Chief.  I read all the reviews and watched all the videos I could find on these rifles and had almost decided on the Beeman when I ran across Hector’s blog posts outlining the potential of the Stormrider.  Hector’s blog posts prompted me to reconsider and I took another look at the Stormrider.  Coincidentally at about the same time DIANA was releasing the second generation of the rifle which incorporated a better trigger, bolt handle and sound moderator. 

​The primary motivations for moving to a PCP were their lack of the double recoil of a spring piston (making them easier to shoot accurately) and no requirement for multiple pumps between each shot.  I also had a strong desire to be able to “tune” the gun to be back yard friendly (whatever that means), which is more difficult to do to with spring piston and multi-pump guns.  My goal was to eliminate, if possible, the pass-through shots I experienced quite often when shooting the squirrels in my back yard with the Prowler and reduce the volume of the report so it wouldn’t bother the neighbors.  According to Hector’s blog posts and the general research into PCPs I’d done it seemed the Stormrider was a good candidate, assuming I could install a regulator and find a source for transfer ports I could modify.  I decided to purchase a .22 caliber second generation Stormrider from Pyramyd Air.

​This began my initial love/hate relationship with this delightful little carbine.  I say love/hate because the first one I received was not the best example of the weapon.  The shipping box showed damage where the bolt handle had punctured it and the gun was slathered with a significant quantity of the preservative oil used by Chinese manufacturers (I hate that stuff), but this was just the beginning of my frustrations with it.  Once I cleaned it up and filled it with air I found it didn’t leak so I ran a few pellets through it and was pleasantly surprised at how well it grouped right out of the box.  I had to run close to 500 pellets through the Prowler to break it in before it began to group this well.  I let it sit for a couple days just to make sure it wasn’t going to leak (it didn’t appear to) and then decided to mount a scope and adjust the trigger.  This is where the frustration returned, first off there were (and as far as I know still aren’t) no instructions to be found anywhere on how to do this.  This is one of the primary advertised changes to the new gun and there are no instructions on how to adjust it.  Anyway, being the “do it myself” type I just dove in and figured it out, but in the process I also ended up completely degassing the gun.  Not a big deal, just pump it back up, which I did.
At this point I should comment that this first gun did not require the hammer to be cocked in order to fill from empty, I don’t know why but that’s how it was.
Anyway, this is when the frustration level really rose as I discovered the gun now leaked, it lost ~500psi overnight.  I found the leak locations using bubble juice, it was the fill port itself, the fill port cap where it threaded into the air tube and where the gauge threads into the sleeve.  So, I destocked the gun, took the fill port cap off and removed the gauge from the sleeve.  This is when I found the major issues that caused me to return this gun.  First, there was a noticeable quantity of the preservative oil and associated crud in the air tube.  Second, the o-ring at the base of the gauge was badly swollen and had to be replaced, fortunately a complete set of replacement o-rings is included with the gun.
I suspect the o-ring was exposed to and had absorbed the preservative oil ruining it.  I cleaned as much of the crud and oil out of the air tube as I could but could never get this gun to stop leaking.  
After finding these issues I thought it would be good for DIANA to be informed of the QC issue and remembering Hector’s blog I decided to inform him of my experience.  This began a conversation and ultimately a friendship.  This first gun ended up returned to Pyramyd Air for replacement. And in here I would like to thank PA for their great customer service.

​My experience with the second gun has been more positive but not without its trials.  I’ve had problems with this gun leaking as well but none of the QC problems of the first.  Yes, it did have some of that NASTY preservative oil on it when it arrived but it was reasonable. (DIANA: I suggest forgoing the oil and instead pack the guns in a plastic bag with a single desiccant pack).  After my experience with the first gun I kept in contact with Hector and let him know whenever I encountered a problem, partly to document it and partly to see if Hector had suggestions for resolution.  The issues were almost exclusively isolated to small leaks at the fill port cap.  In one particular email Hector commented that the machining on these guns is not the most precise and there are usually micro-burs present that when eliminated can resolve leaks.  This comment prompted me to tap the cap off the air tube and using a soft towel “polish” the threads on it and in the air tube.  This procedure along with applying lube to the o-rings in the cap resolved the leaks and I was completely happy.   Up to this point I was uncertain whether I’d keep this gun and if I returned it I planned to replace it with something besides a Stormrider.
To summarize the results and allow readers to come to their own conclusions, I implemented a "standard test" consisting of filling up the gun and shooting "economy priced" pellets to find where the powerplant exited the "sweet spot"  for that specific configuration, the results of the gun as received (but corrected for trigger pull and leaks), with open sights, no regulator, max fill 200bar produced ~12 usable shots with a max FPS of ~900 using Crosman Hollow Point 14.3gr pellets and a relatively loud report making it marginally back yard friendly.

​During our conversations I had informed Hector I planned to install an Altaros regulator and somehow obtain a transfer port that hadn’t been drilled yet to use in tuning the gun.  At the time I planned to tune it for ~12fpe thinking this would be a good level for backyard use.  Well, apparently I impressed Hector with my tenacity and attention to detail because he offered to sell me a gunsmith version of the Altaros regulator and a transfer port drilled to 2mm as a starting point.  He told me he felt confident I could install the regulator which replaces the stock gauge block, of course I agreed to the idea, although I have to say I was a bit nervous about the prospect of opening the gun again and taking all the guts out of the air tube.  So, we made a deal where Hector sold me the regulator, the TP, a new fill cap with a gauge and some additional o-rings.  Long story short here is I was able to successfully install the regulator without removing all the parts in the air tube.  I was able to extract the gauge block using a wire hook made from a hanger.  Maybe not the best idea looking back (if I’d scratched the inside of the air tube I might have created a leak that could not have been fixed) but its history and the gun does not leak at the regulator.

​Now I have a working gun with the regulator and the smaller TP installed, it’s time to see how it shoots.  Hector set the regulator to ~150bar and the TP has a 2mm opening, this was the starting point.
Here are a couple shot strings with this configuration:

​These show the base tune to produce ~15fpe while on the regulator and a slight rise then drop when off the regulator.  The gun does well with the heavier H&N BHE pellets giving about 27 good shots and more than 30 usable (I neglected to waste the first 2 shots after filling to settle the regulator) with a fill to ~210bar.
Falling back on the "standard test", the gun yielded15 good shots with an avg FPS of 695 and 20 usable shots if you’re willing to allow an FPS as low as 650 using Crosman Hollow Point 14.3gr pellets, starting at a 200bar fill, the report is still loud but the rifle is more backyard friendly.

​I then decided to invest in a Free Flight Hammer (FFH) device in a quest for a few more shots and a reduction in report volume (the gun is loud even with the “improved” moderator).  The only device I could find for sale relies on a micro-paracord arrestor for the hammer spring. I’m not thrilled with the design (it’s difficult to install and who knows how long the cord will last) but reviews online were positive so I took the plunge.  The goal of such devices is to eliminate hammer bounce, which I believe the stock Stormrider suffers from, and this device accomplishes it.  Here is a shot string with the H&N BHE after installation:

​With this configuration 31 good shots are produced, 33 or 34 usable and the rise/drop when the string falls off the regulator is gone.  If just the first 30 shots are examined a very stable setup is shown. Part of the increase in shots is due to a starting fill pressure of ~230 bar instead of 210.
​
Again, listing the results for the "standard test", the gun produced 25 good shots with an avg FPS of 690 and 31 usable shots if you’re willing to allow an FPS as low as 650 using Crosman Hollow Point 14.3gr pellets, the report is quieter still but still a bit loud for back yard. It is to be noted that this time the fill pressure was 230 BAR's

​My original plan was to “tune” for ~12fpe but I’ve changed my mind after reading one of Hector’s posts where he discusses the BHE and its terminal ballistics.  Coincidentally I had chosen the H&N Crow Magnum and Barracuda Hunter Extremes as my primary hunting ammo while I was still using the Prowler. Hector’s post reinforced my choice and convinced me to leave the gun tuned as is.  The Crow Magnum and BHE pellets need more energy than 12fpe to be the most effective.  In the time since I completed the tune I’ve taken 8 squirrels and 2 Starlings, only 2 of those shots resulted in a pass-throughs and those were relatively close head shots.  For me the jury is still out on this topic, the Prowler produces ~14fpe with these pellets but seemed to be more likely to produce a passthrough.

I added sling studs and a sling, as you can see in the pictures above.
This addition doesn’t increase performance but in my opinion adds the last bit that makes this carbine a very nice hunting setup.

I’m happy with the “final” result considering the goal was to create a backyard friendly pellet gun that can also serve as a general hunting rifle.

The one aspect of it that I find subpar is the magazine which was part of the original attraction of this rifle.  In real world use I find the use of the single shot tray to be more than acceptable.  Using it prompts me to slow down and take a better shot the first time and if a follow up is needed the reload time is not comparable to a break barrel.  Overall I would recommend the Stormrider to anyone looking for a first PCP or an experienced air gunner looking for a gun that can be made into a good hunting setup.

​Sorry for the delay in getting to this point. I have been extremely busy with some ABP's, but those are done and hopefully, we can now get to work on other things. Though an ABP would seem an ideal addition to the 430L, LOL!
I need to find a a way to make them less complicated.  ;-)

Anyway, after a full tin of pellets had been put through the 430L, we started testing pellets:

We tested the old trusted standby's, as well as some innovative pellets that I received  from unexpected sources. Funny how things happen just out of the blue, but it is rewarding to see that the Blog is read and respected all  over the world.
Rifle is a Brazilian company, they make pellets in two different "categories" the sport line (which we would call "plinking" here and the Premium line, that we would call "shooting" in the US.
Their Sport line produced "minute of can" groups, not bad, but not what we are looking for.
Their Premium line, however produced some interesting groups.
COAL is a Central European company that makes pellets the old way: rolled. And for the technology, they make interesting designs, however, none of their offerings produced acceptable results from THIS gun. We will be testing them in other guns and we will be offering some advice to the "Rifle Company" because they do have the potential, they only need to polish up some points in their production.

Having said that, we will concentrate then on four different pellets for the 430L:

First, the Baracuda FT, a pellet that is not easy to make shoot well. It has a very rear-wards CoG (Center of Gravity), and therefore requires a somewhat "tight" rifling, but it seems the 430L likes them.
Because the group in the test target above was "tainted" by another group made by pellets that I will not even name, I shot another test group, but this time 10 shots:

On purpose, I didn't shoot anything else in this target.
Just to show how clean the group is.
Now, 11.3 ft-lbs is nothing to sneeze at, specially if part of the interests of the shooter is an occasional FT Match here and there. But because the BFT (Baracuda Field Target) is a heavy pellet (9.57 grs.) the MV  is rather slow: 731 fps.
Those of you that went to Pyramyd Air Cup, received two samplers of this pellet, classified by lots.
PLEASE, if you have not tested them, do so. H&N went the whole 11 yards to get market feedback, and they deserve our attention.
You do not need to make public your findings (I will not), but a short Email telling them what lot you found best, or if no pellets shot good from your gun, and what gun / lube / MV you are using, is good information for them.
They are NOT doing this as a marketing gimmick, they are really and truly interested in YOUR results. So, please, take the time to shoot some groups, measure them and send the data to H&N. As airgunners WE WILL ALL be better for it.
The BFT is an interesting pellet when it shoots well out of the specific airgun you are interested in because it has very little susceptibility to wind.
Part is due to the weight, and part is the slow MV, but also part is the design of the head...
Will your gun like them?
You need to test, after all, it is part of the fun!

Curiously enough, I found that this particular gun likes the 4.53's JSB's (only offered in 8.44 grs.). It shoots acceptably well  the FT Premium, but the EXACTS are truly amazing.

Do remember that the black "dots" are a little under ½" and do compare the hole made by the S-100 pellets  (A Match WC) that is truly 4.5 mm's across.
It was notable that the JSB's 8.44's / 4.53's went into two distinct, but very close holes. There are three pellets in the top right section and two in the lower left. But they are so close together!
This points out to the need of controlling the barrel's harmonics, OR, preventing outright the generation of those. In here is where the ABP would probably help.
The S-100's shot better than the RWS SuperMag (a pellet I have found to be very accurate at or above 12 ft-lbs, where the normal Match pellets start destabilizing). But still the Exacts did prove to be the overall best pellet.

As to the Brazilian offerings, the Domed proved to be better than the WC, not surprising at this distance:

Although I have noted the ME's for the pellets of interest, just to provide you with the data and not make you reverse calculate the MV's, they were:

BFT.- 731 +/- 3  fps
JSB.- 784 +/- 6 fps
S-100.- 815 +/- 5 fps
Rifle Premium "Round" .- 794 +/- 4 fps

Now, in case you are wondering why these groups were shot a 25 yards instead of the usual 35 yds/ 32 meters, the reason is the weather:

There is a song in Spanish that says:

"Thank you, Life, for giving me laughs and tears
Through them I distinguish joys from heartbreaks
Specially through the eyes of my beloved"

And so, we need to learn to live through the winters and the summers; without both of them, life would be somewhat boring.

Now, indoor shooting also offers some rewards:

This doesn't happen as often as I would like, but when it happens, it makes you feel Oh, SOoooo Goooooood! LOL!

The 430L is definitely an improvement over the 430 and the 440.
It shows clearly how the persons on the assembly floor can contribute to the products, if only management is willing to listen.
The added barrel and lever length make the gun an enjoyable experience.

Accuracy and Precision potential are there, and that is as far as a manufacturer can go, the actual achievement of that potential is up to the users.

Yes, there is still room for improvement but that will take a bit more than getting different parts together. It will take a re-design of the cocking linkages. We'll see where we get on that end.
On the piston end, the gun does exhibit a definite re-bound. A gas spring with its more constant-force curve would be one solution, but then we're back to the large cocking force needed, and straight from the start. Plus the challenges of making the piston a non-rotating piston are not easily solved.
Another solution would be an anti-bounce piston (ABP), we'll look into that later, but we need to re-define (and refine) the design.
The current Muzzle piece almost precludes the use of a Harmonics Tuner, or Harmonics Reducer, we will continue thinking about that, but it would be a funny looking contraption.

Hope you all are enjoying the seasons, the changes, and the challenges that life brings; after all, life is a trip and the final destination is not that enjoyable, ROFL!

Keep well and shoot straight!





​HM

Sometimes in life, there are certain events that have the "smell" of poetic justice.
And this one just might be the case of one.
Let's start with some history:

Back in the days of the "Old DIANA" there were two projects that were supposed to launch DIANA into the world's circuits by making guns specific to a niche market that was, for historical reasons, a very vociferous one: the British market.

Of course the main limitation there is that rifles cannot exceed 12 ft-lbs, and most of DIANA's offerings were easily over that.
Do note the wording of the law: "Rifles cannot exceed 12 ft-lbs."
This, under proper English means that you can have a gun you THINK is legal because you have tested it with all the medium weight pellets that shoot reasonably good and it does not exceed 12 ft-lbs, but then some smart cop that "has your number" comes at you with light pellets.
¿The result?  you guessed it: You have an appointment with Her Majesty's magistrates and a long, hard battle to demonstrate that you are not intent on mass destruction of the Empire's Subjects nor Institutions.

At some point in time, the UK industry, and some companies that export to that market, agreed to self-police and some PCP makers even installed Anti-Tamper devices so that they could not be blamed for "making it easy" on perps to break the law.
DIANA never agreed to that. Studies were conducted using anti-tamper shoulder screws instead of the pins that close the rear of the action and it was found to be prohibitive. Besides, the market for DIANA was (and still is, up to a point), outside the Britannic Majesty's Royal Domains.

So the next solution was to create a short version of some of the actions that could, in most honest cases, limit themselves to about 12 ft-lbs.

And so was born the 430 (as a short version of the 460); and the 280, a short version of the 34.
In essence they share the same piston body length, so you could say that the 430 is the underlever version of the 280, or that the 280 is the breakbarrel version of the 430. Historically speaking the 430 prototype was prior to the 280, though the 280 was commercially  launched before. So, you take your pick.

We came across the 430 when the Stutzen model came into being.

We have always liked the Bergstutzen guns. Light and medium powered, they are ideal for mountain hunting. And so we supported the model.

Even though we warned all the users that the action was limited to about 12 ft-lbs, some decided to ignore the fact and then complain about the cocking effort needed. Yes it was a stout effort, but the guns were never designed to be all day plinking guns.

Fast forward a few years and we come to the present, where the model had been almost relegated because it was a fairly universal complaint that it took too much effort to get only 12 ft-lb back.

BUT, a few of the people at the plant, decided to do something about it, and they installed a long barrel with the 440 muzzle piece, and that allowed a longer lever.
The 430L was born out of the experience and knowledge of the working man. The guy at the plant that tests hundreds if, not thousands of rifles. The guy that puts those guns together.

No engineering degrees, no "Herr Doktor" titles. Just plain common sense trying to make something better.

And so we come to the current state of affairs.

Some were sold in Europe to good success, and at IWA 2018, Airguns of Arizona decided to place an order.

This is the run that we will be discussing here.

I ordered one under (almost) a pseudonym. Why? I didn't want to risk getting a "selected" model. Too often writers and reviewers are given, even without their knowledge, specially selected guns. I wanted to make sure that I got the run of the mill.
I placed the order on the last days of November, and it arrived today, December 5th. Yes, UPS ground is not the the fastest route, LOL!
I am not a fan of unboxing reviews, but this one merits it because it could explain why some shipments of this particular gun are being delayed.
Gun came "double boxed" but double boxed to a TIGHT degree. It took pushing with the legs another smaller box and pulling with all my strength on the outer box to get one box out of the other.

Inside the inner box there was a generous layer of eggcrate foam and spacers made out of pellet tin shipping material:

Scope was mounted and gun was tested (of all things with Baracuda 10.6 grs.pellets) at 20 yards. Why that choice, I really don't know. Odd choice anyway and not representative of the gun's performance potential.
The ONLY reason I can think of is to protect the gun by preventing the dieseling that COULD occur using lighter pellets.
I have not checked zero, that will come at a later date. But it does point out to the fact the AoA is not shipping out boxes. It is actually doing some work to the guns, and possibly the packaging was provided by AoA because it is not the DIANA standard box, nor the new cases that will come online soon.
Another tell-tale aspect is that the serial number is not part of the box

Someone took the time and patience to cut it out of a "Generic" box, maybe a case of 10 guns (normal size for DIANA).
​
Anyway

The gun is a little longer than the "normal" 430:

And indeed, this length is dedicated to increase the possible leverage.
Compare the length of the levers in the Stutzen (bottom) and the 430 L (top):

There is about 2" more lever in the 430L
A different view possibly tells a better story:

With the fulcrum points fairly aligned, you can see that the 430L has a slightly "beefier" stock (that is fully ambidextrous, BTW), and somewhat more length of handle to grip from.

Now, the measured difference in the lever lengths is of relatively little importance unless we get a meaningful result.
The fulcrum point of the levers is about ½" back from where the action screws are.
In this way, the leverage ratio of the original 430 is approximately : 13" : 3½" that is 3.7
In the case of the 430L the ratio is 15" : 3½" (the cast fulcrum piece has not changed), so that returns a ratio of 4.3
Assuming a compressed spring force of around 170 lbs, then the cocking force of the 430 would be about 45 lbs.
The cocking force needed for the 430L should be about 39½ lbs.
MEASURED values for the 430L can be seen here:

Fishing scales might not be lab-accurate, but for the purpose, they are good enough and, above all, they establish a reasonable comparison level.

So, cocking force is reduced by 10%, will this be enough? I don't know. It all depends on the shooters.
For many, the underlever presents a more "ergonomic" way to cock a gun because they can use both arms pulling away and down from the body.

For me, there is still room for improvement, and that may come later in a special edition, but for now this is the offering.

Gun is not a lightweight (DIANA's never are, LOL!), weighing in at 9 # 13 oz with the scope and mounts provided in the combo.
My FT gun weighs in at around 16#, so to ME it is a lightweight gun, but better to let know our friends the weight and let them decide for themselves.
The "Premium" STYLE stock bears some analysis. In this picture the 430L is on top and it is compared to a 34k Premium.
As you can see, the 34k P​remium has a much more "American Classic" flavour to it, straight MonteCarlo, and toe line, slender pistol grip, specially towards the front end, white spacer and slenderer forearm.
On the top, the 430L shows a more "Teutonic" appearance, with the "Ebern" (Boar) back that blends the Monte Carlo to the general curves of the stock, there is also a slight curve on the toe line.
The checkering is also more "restrained", being shorter and less "dynamic".

What it does have, is a fully ambidextrous cheekpiece, and that is, IMHO, progress.
Minelli definitely knows what they are doing.
In the next picture, the 430 L Is on the bottom, and the 34k Premium is on top:

Which would be the correct (not to say "right") side for a lefty to look from.

All in all I think it is an agreeable gun to hold, to cock and to shoot.

The fact that the prototype was cobbled together at the plant from existing parts, and then that prototype was refined to what we are seeing today is the most interesting aspect of the whole thing.

How will it shoot? Dunno.

The process of cleaning and shooting and cleaning and cleaning and shooting will start next week, and it is a long, tedious, and serious process.
Only after about 300 shots, and some serious work to the mounts, can we expect to get any reasonable indication of the performance potential of this carbine.

Stay tuned . . . ;-)

Keep well and shoot straight!






​HM

It has been called to my attention that some users have complained about the loading of the Stormrider Magazine:

https://www.airgundepot.com/diana-stormrider-magazine.html

and

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Diana_Stormrider_177_cal_Magazine/7897

To put things in perspective, there are  more than 2,000 Stormriders now in circulation worldwide. Getting 8 complaints out of 4,000 magazines isn't bad, but DIANA wants to address the main issue and come clean with a rather silly aspect of it:

WE (DIANA) are the ones to blame.

¿WHY?

Well, because we gave the instructions in the manual!

Yes we followed the designer's / maker's method, but we should have been smarter than that and printed the manual with an improved method.

When I first started loading the Stormrider magazines I didn't even look at the manual, the process was so simple to "guess" that I made the mistake of not checking what the manual said and intervene.

It was only when some friends pointed out the "clumsiness" of having to load the pellets into the magazines backwards (Skirt first), that I asked ¿WHAAAAAAAT?
And went searching for the manual (packed in the OEM boxes in the warehouse) to see for myself.

So, first of all, apologies to all our customers. There IS a BETTER method that is not the one that was printed in the manual. We/I should have identified that, but it simply slipped under the radar.

I cannot post a video so I will post here a step by step procedure, please be patient and try following it with magazine and pellets in hand.

​You locate the transparent plate UPWARDS:

​Now you turn the transparent plate COUNTERCLOCKWISE to its stop (here we are JUST starting the rotation):

​Then, holding the magazine plates (that will be under tension) you flip over the whole magazine and insert that pellet, and ONLY THAT PELLET, BACKWARDS:

​Rotate the transparent plate to the next empty chamber and then load the second pellet:

​It really is much simpler to do than to explain.

So, there you have it, an improved loading procedure for the Stormrider magazines where you can load the pellets forwards.
The ONLY tricky part is holding the plates in tension while you flip the magazine to insert the LAST pellet to be fired, FIRST, AND BACKWARDS.
From that point on all is smooth sailing.

Again, I want to apologize on behalf of DIANA and myself.

Hope this procedure will be useful, especially to those shooters that load HP's or other hybrid pellets (like the Baracuda Hunter Extreme of this pictorial) where loading them forwards is a great advantage.​

Keep well and shoot straight!



​HM

Our friendly counsel takes the floor by storm and advices:
The modifications and operations performed in these tests, and described in this article, were safe for the gun in question. No warranty is given nor implied that these modifications will work or are even safe in other guns of the same style, marketed under different brands.
Working with High Pressure Air has its own risks. If the reader is not fully cognizant and familiar with these, he/she should have the work performed by an established and reputable professional. 

Thank you Esquire!

Phew!

Anyway.- To say that this article was long overdue would be the understatement of the year, but truly, there had been no opportunity to do it.
Too many projects and not enough time.
So, when I received an EMail from Tobías Schmidt, Export Sales Manager for DIANA about wanting to shoot the Pyramyd Air Cup with a Stormrider, or two, I thought to myself:  "NOW"  LOL!

And so it was that we started bouncing ideas back and forth about the consistency of the powerplant, the possibilities of using it in one of the more common division/class in American FT, and it was clear that the challenge was there.

Basically, we had to put together two guns:

1.-  FT
0.177" cal.
800 to 850 fps with a 10.X grs. pellet
Useful shot count of 35-40 shots (at LEAST HALF an FT Match that is usually between 50 and 70 shots).
Stable and capable from a bi-pod.

2.- Gunslynger
0.22" cal.
650 fps with a Kodiak/Baracuda Match pelllet
Useful shot count of at least 30 shots, even though the Gunslynger is a competition to 16 targets, at certain stages of the competition, you may be allowed some misses and still be in the competition, so we needed to allow for that,

Tobias is a left handed shooter, and he had NEVER shot FT before, so good thought had to be given to all aspects: from scope and bipod to folding stool and technique.

From previous tests and trials, we knew that the little carbine was more than capable of delivering UNIFORM and CONSISTENT shots, but we really did not want to risk Tobias' performance on an OEM barrel. And we didn't have too much time, besides, the idea was also to test an aftermarket "accessory" barrel that DIANA plans to manufacture for those that see or feel the need.
Specs for the barrel were drawn and sent to the barrel making facility, and the barrels arrived from Germany already mounted in the test specimens (untouched otherwise than the barrel change) for me to do the final work.

Probably some of you have already seen the excellent pictures posted by Stephen Archer in Hard Air Magazine
So I will not re-post them here. Suffice to say that the barrel is a dual diameter all steel barrel that is a "drop-in" into the Stormrider action.
The air-stripper, however is slightly different. That was made expressly for this exercise and it has a moveable element that allows the shooter to tune the harmonics of different pellets when shooting at different power levels.

That part may be offered in the future, and may be "one half" of a more complete solution that also incorporates the euphemistically called "Lead Dust Collection" function.

As is customary with our Stormriders, we left all the mechanisms alone and concentrated on two aspects:
a) Installing an Altaros regulator, which is a part that will soon be available under the DIANA brand
b) Optimizing the Transfer Port for the pellet and energy level we would be using in each rifle.
Additionally, we needed to change the action to a left hand bolt.

Most of you expect this article to be technical, and I will not disappoint you, at least on this first part.

Here are the specs:
FT carbine:
Low pressure side of regulator set to 110 BAR's (remember our custom Stormriders have TWO pressure gauges, one for fill pressure, the other for regulator pressure).
Fill Pressure: 230 BAR's
Transfer port optimized to 2.6 mm's
40 shot JSB 10.3 gr.s Exact string yielded:
Max MV.- 830
min MV.- 819
Average MV.- 822
ES.- 11 fps
SD (sample).- 4
Total Energy delivered at Muzzle: 620 ft-lbs

Gunslynger carbine:
Low pressure side of regulator set to 150 BAR's
Fill Pressure 250 BAR's (this created some problems we will be discussing later)
Transfer port optimized to 2.7 mm's
40 shot JSB 15.9 grs, Jumbo string yielded:
Max MV.- 678 fps
min MV.- 660 fps
Average MV.- 669
ES.- 18 fps
SD (sample).- 6
Total Energy Delivered at Muzzle: 630 ft-lbs

It is worthy of note that our transfer ports have a very special geometry, you may want to start the process at 0.2 mm's below the numbers given and work from there, re-drilling the TP with numbered drills till you just reach the energy you wan to settle at.

Also note that the total energy delivered is pretty consistent with other experiments we have conducted with this platform:

​https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/exploring-the-diana-stormrider-part-1-the-trigger-and-the-power-plant-in-017745-mms-cal

Accuracy was quite good, this is the FT gun with some wind:

This group was shot byTobias as he was sighting-in the 0.22" gun:

As usual, the black bullseye is a little under ½", distance was 35 yards, and there was some wind.

So, the conclusion of the first part of this entry is that the Stormrider is a very capable platform, stable and consistent.

When analyzed rationally, the truth is that the Stormrider is in a class of its own. Other rifles may offer more shots, or more power with a bigger shot count, but when you compare them side by side, the comparisons fade.
Weight, length, efficiency, ease of use (and this includes the DIANA Improved Trigger available in the 2nd and 3rd generation models), etc. most items will go to the Stormrider.

Moreover, when you are being efficient, the sound signature is reduced at the ORIGIN. There is no "spare air" to create noise. Moat of the energy in the air is being used to propel the pellet and guns are pretty quiet without the need for further devices.

Apart from the fact that these little carbines CAN reach the 20 ft-lbs region in real terms, they are the PCP equivalent of the much vaunted HW50 or even then HW30
AND they offer endless possibilities.

As we have always said about these carbines, the most fascinating​ of the characteristics is the potential they hold.

Perhaps some day in the future we will get into the really high power tunes possible with these little guns, but since those require a bit more than just regulation and optimization of transfer ports, we will need to put our thinking caps on.

Pyramyd Air Cup is one of the most FUN events in FT in the USA.
You need to start with the fact that it is one of the biggest.
If you need a picture, this is how 104 shooters at a Shooters Meeting look like:

Yup! That's a whole lot of shooters.

For obvious reasons I was squadded  the first day with Tobias.
We had a session of practice at home, where in less than 3 hours, he learned how to bracket, how to aim off for wind, and how to use his reticle for holdovers.

As many of you know, shooting a first FT event is, most of the times, a humbling experience.
It is not easy.
Scores in the single digits are common for first timers and I was somewhat wary of getting Tobias hopes too high.
Add to that the complexities of the shoot itself at Tusco that has some "peculiar marshalling" practices and you  are in the region of high uncertainty.

As we started the FT course, he started connecting with paddles, targets started to fall, and  it was clear that he was having a great performance (again, remember this was his first time and he had NEVER shot FT before).

By the end of the day he was comfortable in the role.
And not only did he have a good first day, he improved substantially on the second day to close with a total of 53 points. 60% of the High Score in his Division/Class (88 points for Hunter PCP's 1st place Sean McDaniel).

So, I would say it was a successful shoot for the Stormriders.

Talking about the Gunslynger, the fill pressure selected for the 0.22" cal. gun proved a little too much for the check valve, and the gun developed a leak. Still, Tobias shot the Gunslynger with his FT gun and though he was setup on the first round against Greg Sauve (several times previous winner), he did manage to get quite a few silhouettes down in the short time that the Greg took to clean the field.

We're now in discussions with the maker to see what would be a truly sustainable fill pressure. We are confident that the air tube, valves and the rest of the mechanism are perfectly safe to much higher pressures, but the small items (like ORings) are what determine the reliability of the system, and we do want to keep that as high as possible.

As for me, personally, the PAC was somewhat a repeat of the one a year ago. This time my gun was still stuck in Poland, and I was shooting with a "Backup" gun put together with parts I had around that was showing some erratic behaviors. At the Nationals it was to completely fail and demonstrate why it is better to be a "one gun man". But that is another story.
​
To cut to the chase: I shot poorly in the FT section, trailing the leader by almost 10 points.
Not good. I need to step up the practice and get used to this gun, because I may never recover mine from the Polish black hole of regulations and crossed responsibilities.

All in all a very fun weekend with friends from the NorthEast

That put on a jolly good show, LOL!