Are Diana 46 Stutzen And 470 Th Any Good For Hunting?

[NativeFrog 5]

A question I have been asking myself for some time, as both these air rifles seem pretty bulky and heavy to me as far as hunting is concerned.

 

[CharlieSlade 14]

See how much muzzle energy they have (over 10 fpe for rabbits) using a chronograph then are see how accurate they are, if it's 1" grouping at 30 yards then it's good enough for rabbits and other small game.

I really like spring airguns which have a heavy wooden stock because it soaks up the recoil and makes the rifle a lot easier to keep stable when shooting in comparison to lightweight synthetic stocks.

The Diana with the thumbhole stock looks really good

Edited August 29, 2014 by CharlieSlade

[NativeFrog 5]

The Diana 470 TH is supposed to be a 19 fpe air rifle. I have no chronograph, but judging by the strength its cocking requires and the holes dug into the plank I am currently using as a pellet trap, it cannot be too far off the mark. The rifle is very heavy indeed (almost 11 lb with scope on), so there is absolutely no recoil to be felt and it is extremely stable. I have never shot an HW97 so I can't compare it to Weihrauch's Rekord trigger but I find Diana's T06 trigger sweet as can be compared to the trigger of my Spanish-made BSA Supersport SE GRT...

 

 

 

 

What I would like to know is whether anybody on here actually ever used either of these rifles in the field.

[j j m 6,539]

The diana is a nice gun

[CharlieSlade 14]

Yeah that trigger is very alike in looks to my BSA lightning SE, if you have a sling I expect that'd make it more manageable to be carried around whilst hunting. What small game have you got around you in France and also have you got a FAC?

[NativeFrog 5]

Unfortunately although small game abound around here airgun hunting is illegal in our parts. Some people do use air rifles to shoot pests or even rabbits but this is what you could call a taboo subject in France.

 

Since the new gun law of September 2013 airguns up to 20 joules (14.75 fpe) can be purchased without a FAC in France.

 

I am a reserve officer in the French navy so I used to do quite a lot of firearm shooting before discovering airguns three years ago. As airgun hunting is very obviously based on just how accurately you can hit your target, this subject quite naturally became of special interest to me.

[CharlieSlade 14]

If it's illegal to hunt with airguns in France then why did you ask if these two air rifles would be suitable for hunting?

[NativeFrog 5]

Because, to my point of view, the fact that an air rifle is used for hunting goes a long way to showing its inherent qualities in terms of accuracy, power and "ease of operation". On the other hand, I have a genuine interest in air rifle hunting, be it as mere "spectator".

[Coypu Hunter 486]

I went to my local gunshop a week ago here in Brittany, and asked him what he would recommend for shooting rats in my chicken shed. He pulled out an HW80 in .22...

 

Maybe the topic is less of a taboo in the real world, although if you mention hunting on any of the French air rifle forums, it pays to take cover before pressing "post"!

[NativeFrog 5]

You have summed it all up quite well, I think : air rifle hunting is considered a definite no-no on French air rifle forums although most French people would view airgun pest control as 'legitimate'...

[Coypu Hunter 486]

You have summed it all up quite well, I think : air rifle hunting is considered a definite no-no on French air rifle forums although most French people would view airgun pest control as 'legitimate'...

 

It definitely is out here in the Breton countryside!

 

I have rats in my chicken shed at the moment. They're too clever to get caught in the traps I've put down. According to the law of the land, I'm supposed to stand inside a shed which has corrugated iron walls and ceiling, and a beaten earth floor, and blast away at them with either my .410 shotgun or my .22LR.

 

Some of the laws made in Paris just don't seem to reflect life in the real world... and tend to be ignored as soon as you travel outside the suburbs!

[NativeFrog 5]

French gun laws used to be much more lenient a few decades ago - in the eighties you could buy a .22 semi-auto rifle and all the ammo you wanted without a FAC. You didn't have to have your name registered either, so you can imagine that, when the law changed, only a part (???) of these guns were handed over to the police and gendarmerie.

 

I know a lot (a whole lot!) of people who have .22 rifles at home with the ammunition to go with and yes, some of them do use their rifles to shoot the occasional marauding fox or rat.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

French gun laws used to be much more lenient a few decades ago - in the eighties you could buy a .22 semi-auto rifle and all the ammo you wanted without a FAC. You didn't have to have your name registered either, so you can imagine that, when the law changed, only a part (???) of these guns were handed over to the police and gendarmerie.

 

I know a lot (a whole lot!) of people who have .22 rifles at home with the ammunition to go with and yes, some of them do use their rifles to shoot the occasional marauding fox or rat.

 

Yes, I always find it amusing when I see .22 rifles being sold at car boot sales (vide-greniers). Discreetly, of course...

[NativeFrog 5]

You must be a very early riser indeed...