How rare are these pistols? What is a functioning one in very good cosmetic shape worth minus a box, manual, tools, etc., gun only?
Diana Diana 10M
- Thread starter jccams
- Start date
They're pretty rare; likely due to a combination of price, performance, and less than 'glowing' promotion by Dr. Beeman when they were available.
I've owned one and wrote about it in my first book, The Manic Compressive- Fifteen Years Of Airgun Testing (copyright 1998). From the chapter titled Least Favorites, understand the excerpt below is presented not to disparage, demean or devalue the pistol; simply to provide more honest insights into why they are so rare (than you'll likely get anywhere else).
"Diana 10. Though Diana makes many wonderful models, in my book this isn't one of them. I realize that many target pistols are large, but ponderous is a better word for this one. And what's with that goofy rotating sleeve on the barrel? Yeah, I know, it's to protect your hand from the killer front sight; but nothing else has to resort to such an asinine arrangement. Yes, the pistol shoots fine, but I still think it's goofy. Now discontinued, I'll try to hold back the tears."
Also understand two other related points. 1) Rare does not always mean valuable. 2) In some cases lack of acceptance by the buying public due to interesting quirks, foibles and weirdnesses can strike a nerve with (certain) collectors; usually those with their own interesting quirks, foibles and weirdnesses. Those truisms understood, the right 'qualified buyer' for a Diana 10 might be difficult to locate. But you're looking in the right place.
In my opinion that gun in that condition is worth between $300 and $500.
I've owned one and wrote about it in my first book, The Manic Compressive- Fifteen Years Of Airgun Testing (copyright 1998). From the chapter titled Least Favorites, understand the excerpt below is presented not to disparage, demean or devalue the pistol; simply to provide more honest insights into why they are so rare (than you'll likely get anywhere else).
"Diana 10. Though Diana makes many wonderful models, in my book this isn't one of them. I realize that many target pistols are large, but ponderous is a better word for this one. And what's with that goofy rotating sleeve on the barrel? Yeah, I know, it's to protect your hand from the killer front sight; but nothing else has to resort to such an asinine arrangement. Yes, the pistol shoots fine, but I still think it's goofy. Now discontinued, I'll try to hold back the tears."
Also understand two other related points. 1) Rare does not always mean valuable. 2) In some cases lack of acceptance by the buying public due to interesting quirks, foibles and weirdnesses can strike a nerve with (certain) collectors; usually those with their own interesting quirks, foibles and weirdnesses. Those truisms understood, the right 'qualified buyer' for a Diana 10 might be difficult to locate. But you're looking in the right place.
In my opinion that gun in that condition is worth between $300 and $500.
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Despite my criticisms of the 10, for some inexplicable reason(s) a 6M piques my interest, BT. I bought a 6 (not M) from Beeman waaaay back when (1970s), but didn't bond with it (likely due to the brown plastic stock and white plastic front sight-insert retaining-nut). Diana's GISS system works well.
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Thanks ANG, I have seen similar comments to yours. If I can get it cheap enough I may buy mostly because I want to try the GISS. Doubt I'll get it as I have my max price set and it is not $300. Thanks for the insight.
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yes it is a pleasure to shoot , not to bad to cock and certainly a adventure to fix . Got mine a few months ago ,but like i said b4 , i do not shoot it that much from the thought of having to repair it , ( in my case paying someone / David Slade is about 2 hours away from me )
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might be an interesting project to slim the pistol down . or take the Gliss out and build from scratch ?
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to like a Diana model 6 and not the model 10 is counterintuitive plain and simple
the need the turn the hand protector is a shooters option not a set-in stone rule
the Model 10 is a fine pistol, the trigger is as good as you can find in that era of gun, it is easier to cock then a FWB65-80-90 i little heavier then the 65 but it will outshoot any owner
now Beeman bought in the model 10 as the model 900, make as a Beeman pistol
are they big but so are many target pistols even todays
the grips on the 10 are excellent, the sight are very good, the matte finish it easy to care for
there is a model 10 on Ebay right now
are they hard to find, yes, why, they might not have had the exposure as the FWB pistols had and even though RWS bought them in at the time no one know
will you find one cheap NO
BB say about 500.00 in nice shape and that nice shape would include a resent rebuild under 10 years
what a 10 should sell for and what it sells for has nothing to do with each other
so here is a model 10 and 6m side by side
and then the 10 and a FWB 90
they are all the same size really
and for those wondering i have a model 10i have 3 one being a Beeman 900 and 9 or 10 model 6's i have lost count i know the pistols very well
the need the turn the hand protector is a shooters option not a set-in stone rule
the Model 10 is a fine pistol, the trigger is as good as you can find in that era of gun, it is easier to cock then a FWB65-80-90 i little heavier then the 65 but it will outshoot any owner
now Beeman bought in the model 10 as the model 900, make as a Beeman pistol
are they big but so are many target pistols even todays
the grips on the 10 are excellent, the sight are very good, the matte finish it easy to care for
there is a model 10 on Ebay right now
are they hard to find, yes, why, they might not have had the exposure as the FWB pistols had and even though RWS bought them in at the time no one know
will you find one cheap NO
BB say about 500.00 in nice shape and that nice shape would include a resent rebuild under 10 years
what a 10 should sell for and what it sells for has nothing to do with each other
so here is a model 10 and 6m side by side
and then the 10 and a FWB 90
they are all the same size really
and for those wondering i have a model 10i have 3 one being a Beeman 900 and 9 or 10 model 6's i have lost count i know the pistols very well
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I owned both the 6M and the 10 back in the day.
I greatly admire the design of the model 10. I loved the looks, and the incredible Giss recoilless system, and the superb trigger. I can't imagine it's possible to build a more accurate or refined break-barrel spring-piston pistol; it will go toe to toe with the fabled FWB 65. BUT...it's fiendishly complex, the grips were uncomfortable for me, and it's VERY heavy. Even back when I was young and fit, I was done after about a dozen offhand shots.
The 6M is very nice, giving you much of the model 10's advantages in a mechanically simpler package. But it has one very weird design feature: combining the very low front sight of the 10, with the high rear sight of the models 5G and 6G. So guess what...at 10 meters, it hits extremely high. I've shot several examples and they all did this.
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after working on these pistols and after reading that the model 6 shoots high or low there is one common thing that i believe is-was at work and it is the breech seal
i have worked on enough of them to find from zero to 4 shims under the breech Oring but each pistol would have to be tested and not all of the breech seals even at the same size will be the same size in CS
found this old post from 2003 Mike
https://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=6362#:~:text=The 10 had much better,10 over the FWB 65.
like the model 10 or not it is an important part of air pistol history and if you are a collector, it should be on your list to buy, the prices keep going up which is good for us that bought years ago on the cheap
i have worked on enough of them to find from zero to 4 shims under the breech Oring but each pistol would have to be tested and not all of the breech seals even at the same size will be the same size in CS
found this old post from 2003 Mike
https://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=6362#:~:text=The 10 had much better,10 over the FWB 65.
like the model 10 or not it is an important part of air pistol history and if you are a collector, it should be on your list to buy, the prices keep going up which is good for us that bought years ago on the cheap
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"to like a Diana model 6 and not the model 10 is counterintuitive plain and simple"
I think my term 'inexplicable' is a more accurate reflection of my feelings, M. Thankfully Mike did a good job of touching on why I'm inexplicably curious/attracted to a 6M, but was utterly repulsed by the 10. An analogy might lend better perspective.
I have a strong fetish for red-heads, but it is not all-inclusive. I consider petite and/or slender red-heads the epitome of feminine beauty. However, even made-up, dolled-up, gussied-up overweight redheads strike me like a Diana 10.
On a related note, Diana is the goddess of the hunt; as depicted on Diana receivers. Here is a better depiction... in living color! My dream woman
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I think my term 'inexplicable' is a more accurate reflection of my feelings, M. Thankfully Mike did a good job of touching on why I'm inexplicably curious/attracted to a 6M, but was utterly repulsed by the 10. An analogy might lend better perspective.
I have a strong fetish for red-heads, but it is not all-inclusive. I consider petite and/or slender red-heads the epitome of feminine beauty. However, even made-up, dolled-up, gussied-up overweight redheads strike me like a Diana 10.
On a related note, Diana is the goddess of the hunt; as depicted on Diana receivers. Here is a better depiction... in living color! My dream woman
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okay but you need to read what Mike Driskill said in 2003 and Mike and I have been talking off an on for years and i read everything he writes
so, in the thread i posted above this is part of what MD wrote
"The model 10 came out in the late 1970's and was made for about 15 years. As Randy mentioned, it shares the barrel-cocking layout and Giss powerplant with the model 6, but is otherwise a completely new and more refined gun. It has excellent and fully adjustable grips, trigger, and sights that are quite comparable to the FWB 65. The model 10 is a wonderful gun, and easily the very best barrel-cocking spring piston air pistol ever made, period.
All the Diana pistols are quite heavy and have a rearward balance due to the heavy double-piston receiver. Due to that and the barrel-cocking mechanism, they never knocked off the fixed barrel FWB guns in top-level competition. But the model 10 in particular is a wonderful machine if it suits your shooting style, and an intriguing bit of airgun history."
and if you do not like the model 10 more for us that do and something strange is happen right now there are 3 for sale in the same time frame
and the redhead above, i little too much cosplay for me
it really doesn't matter who likes what, there is enough to satisfy all tastes
so, in the thread i posted above this is part of what MD wrote
"The model 10 came out in the late 1970's and was made for about 15 years. As Randy mentioned, it shares the barrel-cocking layout and Giss powerplant with the model 6, but is otherwise a completely new and more refined gun. It has excellent and fully adjustable grips, trigger, and sights that are quite comparable to the FWB 65. The model 10 is a wonderful gun, and easily the very best barrel-cocking spring piston air pistol ever made, period.
All the Diana pistols are quite heavy and have a rearward balance due to the heavy double-piston receiver. Due to that and the barrel-cocking mechanism, they never knocked off the fixed barrel FWB guns in top-level competition. But the model 10 in particular is a wonderful machine if it suits your shooting style, and an intriguing bit of airgun history."
and if you do not like the model 10 more for us that do and something strange is happen right now there are 3 for sale in the same time frame
and the redhead above, i little too much cosplay for me
it really doesn't matter who likes what, there is enough to satisfy all tastes
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Thanks marflow - I'd totally forgotten that ancient bit of "wisdom" from me, ha.
This is lame, but I think of the Diana model 10 as the Porsche 911 of airguns. Start with a basically bad idea (...match pistol with a hinge in the middle?...sports car with the motor hanging off the back?...bah!
). And then - proceed to over-think, over-engineer, and over-build the holy freaking snot out of it, until it works GREAT! The model 10 is a genuine - if slightly weird - landmark of airgun design. I sold mine years ago as it was too heavy for me to shoot well, but I'd love to have another just to admire, ha.
Your notes on shimming the breech seal of the 6M are MOST interesting. Diana loved their shims in those days, and I'd wondered if enough of 'em would bring it closer to shooting point-of-aim; and if anyone could work that out, it's you. So now I want one of those again too!
This is lame, but I think of the Diana model 10 as the Porsche 911 of airguns. Start with a basically bad idea (...match pistol with a hinge in the middle?...sports car with the motor hanging off the back?...bah!
). And then - proceed to over-think, over-engineer, and over-build the holy freaking snot out of it, until it works GREAT! The model 10 is a genuine - if slightly weird - landmark of airgun design. I sold mine years ago as it was too heavy for me to shoot well, but I'd love to have another just to admire, ha.Your notes on shimming the breech seal of the 6M are MOST interesting. Diana loved their shims in those days, and I'd wondered if enough of 'em would bring it closer to shooting point-of-aim; and if anyone could work that out, it's you. So now I want one of those again too!
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I replaced the breech seal on my 6M with zero shims.
Still shoots 4” at 10M but with a 6 o’clock hold on the four ring, it is dead balls accurate:
Still shoots 4” at 10M but with a 6 o’clock hold on the four ring, it is dead balls accurate:
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it is the hinge in the middle of the pistol and the fact that the sights are to different parts of the gun that are not connected
you look at a break barrel, sights are on the barrel end and the breech block of course we have put sights on the rear but they had enough adjustment to make it work or maybe they didn't
so, with a pistol like the Model 6 the hinge is the controlling factor and at the hinge is the breech seal
make it thicker push the barrel down and of course the opposite with less
and i would love to take credit for this but it was pointed out to me
Frank how does the pistol shoot 4 inches lower when you only move the POI a half of inch
the only way to test this is by holding the pistol in a Ransom Rest setup of some kind
all i got they part of Diana's history
you look at a break barrel, sights are on the barrel end and the breech block of course we have put sights on the rear but they had enough adjustment to make it work or maybe they didn't
so, with a pistol like the Model 6 the hinge is the controlling factor and at the hinge is the breech seal
make it thicker push the barrel down and of course the opposite with less
and i would love to take credit for this but it was pointed out to me
Frank how does the pistol shoot 4 inches lower when you only move the POI a half of inch
the only way to test this is by holding the pistol in a Ransom Rest setup of some kind
all i got they part of Diana's history
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Yes, shimming the barrel seal is the answer. marflow 777, why the Williams sight on your 6?
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If you put a shim behind the breech seal, you make the gap between the receiver and breech wider and the barrel droops.
Remember that term?
If the barrel points down you have to raise the muzzle (as you would if you lowered the front sight) to get on target and the pistol shoots high.
There are simple solutions…
1. Remove the rear sight elevation knob altogether (you don’t need it for 10M shooting), file down the rear sight blade (both the top and the groove) until you are on target.
2. Use very heavy pellets.
3. Shoot further away.
4. Remove the sights altogether and have your gunsmith drill and tap for scope mounts.(Beeman used to offer this service)..
Remember that term?
If the barrel points down you have to raise the muzzle (as you would if you lowered the front sight) to get on target and the pistol shoots high.
There are simple solutions…
1. Remove the rear sight elevation knob altogether (you don’t need it for 10M shooting), file down the rear sight blade (both the top and the groove) until you are on target.
2. Use very heavy pellets.
3. Shoot further away.
4. Remove the sights altogether and have your gunsmith drill and tap for scope mounts.(Beeman used to offer this service)..
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WELL; reading about how 6Ms don't shoot anywhere in the vicinity of where they're aimed threw cold water on my inexplicable attraction to them like silicone can put me off a red-head. 
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So interesting to read and learn and have fun. Glad to see some knowledgeable people who know what they are talking about converse on one old pistol, Maybe it does take "oldtimers" to understand old"things"?
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So interesting to read and learn and have fun. Glad to see some knowledgeable people who know what they are talking about converse on one old pistol, Maybe it does take "oldtimers" to understand old"things"?
Being older than dirt, I'd like to commend you on your uncommon level of wisdom and insight Young Man.
It's them new-fangled thangs that I can't seem to fully git. Thangs like Syberspaced, the interweb, Goggly buttons, them little-bitty phones that don't work worth a flip as phones but can take pictures, Friendbook, Ticked Toff, and that new X outfit that used to be TwittHer.
X don't even have pictures of nakked girls; what's up with THAT?
That's just WRONG!Upvote 0