VALUE FOR MONEY
In this review of the Diana Two Forty air rifle, we need to give special consideration to the level of value it offers. At a Street Price of $99.99 – just one critical cent under that $100 barrier – it clearly hits a price point that many people want to pay.
For that price, the Two Forty delivers a great number of benefits that will make many shooters very happy. Many of these are directly related to its’ relatively low power, as we explored in a previous post.
Even the disappointing accuracy can’t stop the Two Forty from scoring 100% in this category.
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Diana 240 Classic Air Rifle 0.177
Mantis 3-9×40 AO Rifle Scope, Mil-Dot Reticle, 1/4 MOA, 1 Tube
SPEED AND ACCURACY
The Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM gave a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 681 FPS with 5.0 Grain Predator GTO alloy pellets. The maximum with lead was 555 FPS, as we can see from the table below.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predator GTO 5.0 Grain | 681.23 FPS | 5.65 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 5.56 Grain | 659.37 FPS | 5.34 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| RWS Hobby 7.0 Grain | 555.10 FPS | 4.79 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| Crosman Premier HP 7.9 Grain | 509.33 FPS | 4.55 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| JSB Exact Diabalo 8.44 Grain | 502.13 FPS | 4.73 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 8.64 Grain | 502.02 FPS | 4.84 Ft/Lbs | Poor. Best Tested. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain | 381.19 FPS | 3.43 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
Now let’s talk accuracy. It has to be said that the HAM Team so much wanted the accuracy to be better!
The 25-Yard group was in the sub 2-Inches CTC for 10 shots, as you can see here.
The 10-Yard, 10-shot groups you see at the foot of this story were actually quite consistent. There’s was no real stand-out pellet for this Two Forty. All the 10-Yard groups were in the 1-Inch CTC range, or a little below.
H&N Field Target Trophies gave – just – the best group at a CTC of 0.90 x 0.49 Inches for 10 shots at 10 Yards.
So, is this “accurate”? In the HAM Testers’ opinion, the answer is no.
However, accuracy is somewhat of a relative term. A backyard Plinker’s definition of accuracy may be very different from that of a 100 Yard benchrest competitor, for example. But it may be that this level of accuracy matches the expectations of some Two Forty owners, particularly those who choose to shoot with open sights…
TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
The Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM had a pleasant-feeling metal trigger blade. This is a single-stage trigger with an average pull weight of 3 Lb 13.5 Oz. That’s fine for plinking!
The HAM testers agreed that the trigger feels smooth in use. It drags a little when releasing the shot and is definitely not of the “glass break” variety. However, it’s fairly predictable and we’ve definitely shot worse!
The trigger is non-adjustable, however that is a metal trigger guard, rather than the synthetic part that is often found on air rifles of this price.
The automatic safety is positioned in the traditional Diana location. It’s directly in front of the shooter’s face and is, therefore, ambidextrous. It’s pushed-in to take off “safe” and is easy to operate.
Cocking is very easy! The Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM required a cocking force of just 18 Lbs. That’s extremely light and explains the omission of an anti-beartrap mechanism.
This level of cocking effort means that here we have an air rifle that’s suitable for all-day plinking. It’s also “family friendly”. Unlike high-power breakbarrel air rifles, you don’t need to be a body-builder to cock the Two Forty.
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The Two Forty has specifications that are certainly not in the “magnum springer” class. When shooting lead pellets, the manufacturer’s claims are a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 575 FPS and 5.5 Ft/Lbs Muzzle Energy.
However, performance was even more anemic than that. The Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM produced a maximum of 555 FPS with lead pellets. That’s 3.5% below the claim.
The maximum tested Muzzle Energy “with lead’ was 4.84 Ft/Lbs. That’s 12% below the manufacturer’s claim.
CONSISTENCY
Looking at the consistency of trigger pull weight, we find that the Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM was outstanding. With a variation between lightest and heaviest pull weight of under 2.5 Oz, this is well inside $1,000 PCP territory. Wow!
The average Standard Deviation through the range of HAM test pellets was just 7.08 FPS. That, too, would not disgrace an air rifle many times more expensive than the Two Forty.
The accuracy was consistent, also. This Two Forty is definitely not pellet-picky. As already described, the groups were quite consistent among all the HAM test pellets. Unfortunately, they were all poor 🙁
NOISE LEVEL
The Diana Two Forty air rifle is a very quiet airgun, as you would expect from its limited power level. That’s why there’s no silencer at the muzzle end of the barrel, just a traditional open sight.
For an observer at any sensible distance from the gun, it seems almost silent.
However the shooter hears quite a lot of noise. It’s all from the spring, right next to his (or her) ear!
The gun tested by HAM sounded to have historic levels of spring twang. It’s just something you get used to over time.
SIGHTS AND SCOPE
In addition to the hooded front sight, the Two Forty is fitted with a decent, mostly metal, rear sight. This is click-adjustable for windage and elevation and the length of the sight gives it more adjustability than some of the ultra-compact rear sights that are fitted on some air rifles.
The provision of adequate open sights will be welcomed by many Diana Two Forty purchasers. For the money, they are probably superior to a 4×32 scope that otherwise would be bundled with the gun instead.
That means, however, that you’ll need to pay for a riflescope if you want to use one.
The Diana Two Forty air rifle is equipped with scope-mounting rails milled into the compression tube. These are of the traditional, longitudinal type and allow “airgun/22 rings” to mount a scope to the gun.
For HAM testing, we mounted a Mantis 3-9×40 scope.
We chose this as it’s a relatively low cost model, even though it costs about 80% of the price of the gun! However, it does offer AO down to 5 Yards and a Mil dot reticle.
At an overall length of 13 Inches, this Mantis scope is also about the longest scope that it’s possible to mount on the Diana Two Forty air rifle (there’s a photo below showing this).
In addition, we removed the rear sight to avoid any potential obstruction of the sight picture, or chance of contact with the scope – as you can see in the photos.
SHOOTABILITY
The Diana Two Forty air rifle is very easy to shoot!
The easy cocking, consistent trigger pull and light overall weight – 6 Lbs 1 Oz for the gun tested by HAM – all contribute to this.
But above all, shooting is easy because there’s just about no recoil, such as you will definitely find with a high-power springer. This means no special hold is required, you can shoot the Two Forty in as free and easy a manner as you wish.
In addition, the ambidextrous stock is well shaped for use with open sights and low-mounted scopes. There’s that very grippy buttplate, too…
The length of pull (distance from the trigger blade to the buttplate) is 13.5 Inches. This is a good compromise length that did not cramp the style of even the long-armed HAM Testers.
The lock up is good and the breech looked to be machined to tight tolerances. That’s good!
Finally – and again due to the low power – there was no need to check the stock screws for tightness. They stayed tight throughout the test. Generations of breakbarrel shooters will understand the importance of that benefit!
APPEARANCE AND FINISH
The Diana Two Forty air rifle is – in the HAM Team’s opinion, a great looking little gun.
Fit and finish of the metalwork – there’s few externally-visible plastic parts on the Two Forty – was very good. You can make that outstanding for any $100 air rifle.
Plus, there’s that hardwood stock. Everyone understands that wood stocks are more expensive to manufacture than synthetic stocks. This is due to the number of manufacturing processes involved, plus the amount of handwork required.
Obviously the Two Forty’s stock is not exactly best quality Walnut. But it is a very decent, close-grained hardwood with no cracks, knots or filler. Again, it would not disgrace an air rifle costing several time the price.
It has been given a coat of stain, as is revealed in a small, unobtrusive, untreated area seen in the photograph below.
Beyond that, the stock of the Diana Two Forty air rifle tested by HAM looked good but showed few other obvious signs of finish.
What we can say is that a very light coat of furniture oil – applied with a cleaning patch, left to dry and buffed with a kitchen towel – made a 100% improvement by bringing-out more contrast in the grain. Yes, we liked this little gun enough to find out…
BUYING AND OWNING
Diana air rifles are expanding their distribution footprint out of traditional airgun-specific dealers to include some big box stores. That’s good as it gives more potential purchasers the opportunity to learn about the brand and it’s benefits.
But it’s likely that most owners will make their purchase online through Pyramyd Air, Airgun Depot or other well-known web store.
Like other Diana airguns, the Two Forty is supplied with a good, well-illustrated manual. It also benefits from a 2-year warranty that’s fulfilled in the USA by the distributor Blue Line Solutions.
As you can see from the photograph below, there’s a definite maximum length for a scope – should you choose to fit one to the Two Forty.
It’s about 13 Inches, as we found with the Mantis. That’s not bad, but you’ll want to check on the length of any scope before buying it.
Basically, the Two Forty lived-up to the whole “easy to use” springer airgun ethos. All you need is a tin of pellets and you can be shooting the gun immediately. There’s no real need for any other accessories, save a scope should you wish to add one.
Have fun and shoot safe!
TEST TARGETS
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Diana 240 Classic Air Rifle 0.177
Mantis 3-9×40 AO Rifle Scope, Mil-Dot Reticle, 1/4 MOA, 1 Tube
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