Diana Model-2

Diana Model-2 Variant.

From John Griffiths:

Looking at the Diana pistols section, there is another variant of the Model 2 that could be added -one that I only found out about fairly recently. This is characterised by a dark walnut chequered grip with NO ridges around the edge, unlike the relatively common post-war gun with a light (beech?) wood grip that has both chequering and ridges. As the former is marked "Made in West Germany" and the latter "Made in Germany" it is reasonable to assume that the walnut grip version came first after the war, before German reunification.

I have only come across a handful of these guns - and only one in the UK and the rest in Germany, which suggests that few were imported here. I assume that any intended for the UK market would have been marked "Original", but those I know of all have the Diana name.

He added on a BBS post: "There are two common wood grip versions of the Diana 2 (or Original 2). The earlier one has a completely smooth grip, whereas the later one has pressed chequering on both sides, and machined ridges round the the grip edges. The third rarely seen version is characterised by having chequering on both grip faces and smooth grip edges, and is usually darker in colour than the other two versions. The lack of ridges is not easy to spot from a typical face-on photo unless you are specifically looking for them. It seems reasonable to assume that the rare version was a short lived transitional model that appeared between the other two, but there is no firm evidence for this.

Here is a pic of an example:

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Another like it but apparently marked 'Original' (according to the Durrants auction blurb). Thanks to John G for the heads up:

Another one came up at auction in August 2020:

Diana Model-2 - Boys Model - 1930 - 1933.

This all-steel .177 cal smoothbore push-barrel pistol is the earlier variant of the 1933-38 pre-War model 2. Later ones had no goddess stamp on the grips (source John Griffiths <i>The Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols</i>).

Diana Model-2 - Hy-Score 814.

With thanks to Jim for these pics.

From Ebay in the US:

Diana Model-2 boy's model 1930-33 - (Boxed, nickel-plated)

With thanks to Sean Campbell, imaging manager of the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West in Cody, Wyoming, for permission to post these pics of a gun held in the Cody Firearms Museum.

Diana mod 2 'boy's model' 1930-33 (blued)

With thanks to Bob for these pics.

Diana (Original brand) Model-2 postwar 

With thanks to John.

Diana Model-2 postwar stripdown 

With thanks to Jules.

Diana (Original) Model-2 postwar 

With thanks to Mick W.