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Winchester 450 .177

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M

MMCM13

Member
Dec 7, 2018
425
76
WA, United States
So, this last weekend I took a trip to visit a friend down in Oregon, and ran across a Winchester 450 .177 tap loader stuck in the back of a pawnshop. It is missing the front sight insert and the ring that screws into the sight hood. The reason the rifle caught my eye was the “Made in Germany” moniker on the compression tube. I am hoping this rifle is similar to the early Diana 50.

So the questions I have: Is this front sight a common Diana sight? I am hoping to find the screw in front sight insert holder, and an insert for it. Next is the “innards”, I am thinking maybe this is the 3 ball release trigger? Finally, it is hard to read the numbers stamped in the tube, they are stamped in deep and indistinctly, looks like 09-69? If that is correct for the timeframe this might have been made in, it could have a leather seal? Since the number is hard to discern, is it possible it could be ’89, and be a synthetic seal? I haven’t tested operation figuring that if it is a leather seal, lubing it may be called for prior to shooting. The rifle doesn’t have an obvious safety on it, has a blued metal, appearing to be adjustable, trigger on it as well. TIA for any insight you guys might be able to give me on it.
 
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here are the parts that Waffencenter Gotha show that are available

https://www.waffencenter-gotha.de/shop/DIANA:.:2.html?filter_id=317

now doing business with Gotha is fine but there is the money transfer and the first time isn't the easiest

so I'm show you this as an informational source

now many front globe sights would fit, maybe not Diana factory but they would be a useable sight

Anschutz and FWB 150-300 should work also the Diana model 75 TO1's use a sight that has screw on rings on both ends but were the same in appearance as the front sight used on Kimber 82 rifles

I would guess the Lyman 93 and 20 sight would work and they use 17.2mm Anschutz inserts

so just a little more info
 
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Some stuff...

1. It IS a pure Diana model 50. Winchester sold Diana guns under their own name from about 1968 to 1975. 1969 is thus the correct manufacturing date. The power plant and trigger are shared with the classic model 35 barrel-cocker (marflow’s other link above, the model 50 T01, is a different beast from the early 80’s, based on the more powerful model 45 barrel-cocker).

2. It has a leather piston seal. Which will last forever if it hasn’t been abused and you keep it lubed. To test the state of the internals: close the tap; cock the action; open the tap; pull the trigger WITH YOUR HAND FIRMLY ON THE COCKING LEVER. If the piston and tap are sealing well, the cocking lever will stay down or close slowly.

3. The gun has no separate safety. The tap-loading mechanism is inherently superbly safe, though - even when cocked and loaded, it is physically impossible to discharge a pellet or “slam” the piston if the tap is open. 

4. The model 50 has the classic ball-sear trigger. If the second stage pull is short and crisp...leave it alone! The trigger adjustments are for that stage transition point; the pull weight itself is not affected.

5. Front sight: the globe sight was used for decades on many Diana models, shouldn’t be too hard to find one. The sleeve on the back has an "M17" (17 mm outer diameter) thread, also used on HW and Walther rifles of that time. You can interchange those sleeves (and the many accessories made for them back in the day) between brands, but NOT the metal inserts that fit though the slot on top of the sight. Those fit against a "shoulder" inside the sight, and have a proprietary diameter and side tab pattern unique to each brand of gun. You need Diana ones (or the matching FWB ones as marllow noted).

6. Rear sight: Anschutz aperture sights will fit the 50's receiver tube rail, as do Diana’s own model 60 and 75 sights of course. FWB, Walther, Weihrauch, and weirdly enough, Diana's "75 T01" diopter sights, will NOT properly fit the flat-top rail on the model 50.

7. The model 50 was Diana’s top-of-the-line sporter for more than 30 years, and made in many fascinating variations. You can see some of those here: https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/post-war-diana-air-rifles/diana-model-50/


 
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