Diana 48

About the Diana 48

The Diana 48 is a German side-lever, spring-piston air rifle manufactured by Mayer & Grammelspacher (Diana) of Rastatt, Germany. A single-shot, fixed-barrel rifle offered in .22 (5.5mm), .177 (4.5mm) and .25 (6.35mm), it is cocked by a side lever mounted on the right of the receiver that opens a sliding breech for direct pellet loading. Unlike the recoilless sledge-action Diana 54, the 48 uses a rigidly fixed action, delivering high muzzle velocity and power in a heavy, stable beech-stocked package prized for accuracy in field-target shooting and small-game hunting. It shares its powerplant with the sporter-stocked Diana 52 and the recoilless Diana 54.

Diana, founded in 1890 in Rastatt, Germany, is one of the oldest airgun makers in the world. Introduced around 1990, the fixed-action 48 and its stablemates the 52 and recoilless 54 became benchmarks for powerful, accurate spring-piston rifles, widely sold in the United States under the RWS badge and long favored by field-target competitors and small-game hunters.

Diana 48 specifications

Marketed in North America under the RWS brand as the RWS Model 48. Muzzle velocity and energy vary by market and caliber: roughly 1100 fps in .177, 900 fps in .22 and 800 fps in .25 in full-power export trim, and lower in energy-restricted markets. Cocking effort is around 39 lbf, making it a full-size adult air rifle.