Not as exciting as many, but something I can get a lot of use from!

While at the NRA show a few weeks back my buddy and I were discussing the need to get a decent air rifle for some back yard practice. I remembered I had an old RWS in a corner that a for worker had given me a few years back. It has a cocking safety that keeps it from snapping shut if you don't cock it all the way and let go of the lever. Apparently his boys forgot anoint that and tried to force it closed, bending and breaking the cocking rod. I looked it over and figured how I could fix it. Two long 10-32 machine screws and a section of 3/8" rod and I had at it. Cut the 3/8" to what seemed like a good length and drilled and tapped both ends. I cut the heads off of the 10-32 screws and put it all together. Amazingly enough it actually works!

It's an RWS Diana model 52 that is beat and rusty and has had the barrel cut down with a hacksaw, but it shoots!!

This was at 10 yards sitting on my back deck

That was shot with some daisy pellets that are probably 20-30 years old! I picked up some new Benjamin pellets today and for some reason it shot a little to the left. After a few scope adjustments, I got I pretty centered up

That's five shots at again, about ten yards.

Here's the poor old gal in all her rusty crusty glory!

It really looks worse in person. I need to work on cleaning it up some and may touch up the crown, but with how it's shooting, it's hard to mess with it!! It's really nice to be able to step out on the ba k porch and shoot a few rounds whenever I want to. I think it actually kicks more and it's definitely louder than my Savage .22 with my Gemtech on it, but its also legal to shoot the air rifle in the back yard!!

for many a year...close to 20. Squirrels were a problem. First year son 'n I knocked 80+ squirrels down from around the house. Every year I average 30 or so. That RWS is a accurate somebitch. Your model 52 is the recoiless model...the more expensive unit. My 48 is the bottom of the line and does have recoil

And I do not mean maybe !!!

Looks like a fine, compact rifle. I prefer the side or underlever rifles to the brake barrels. You can get the springs and other parts for them online. A bit of time to take it apart, clean it up and reassemble with the proper lubes (non-petroleum based) would smooth it out and slick it up and turn it into an even more pleasant shooter. There are all kinds of tips and tricks to getting them shooting well, the Dianas are great rifles.

Another tip - they can be as fussy as a 22 LR about what they will and won't shoot well. A bit of investment in the pellet department and some time spent with targets can yield very spectacular results.

I too like it that I can shoot it in my backyard but I'm not sure the squirrels do...
Any trigger time is better than none! I wish somebody made a pellet loader for the side cockers.

Is it an airgun scope? I've read that those things can kill a good scope very quickly due to their odd recoil patterns.

I'm not sure how it works with the recoilless models but I think they still have the reverse recoil that damages scopes.

Airguns can be a lot of fun. I bought a BSA break-barrel .177 many years ago and it shoots very well. It is too powerful for casual shooting because it needs a serious backstop. I've got some pump guns from my childhood but they are more work to shoot. And I've got a few old guns that use the CO2 cartridges. I should shoot them more because they are easy to shoot.

It's a Bushnell fixed 4x. It has exposed target turrets and an adjustable objective that adjust pretty close range so I'm assuming its an air rifle scope. I, too, hand heard of air rifles shaking the guts out of even pretty tough scopes this one seems to be holding up fine so far...