Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Value For Money
I made a big mistake on starting this Bandit Tactical Carbine test review. That was to assume that this is a backyard plinker, similar to other members of the pistol-based Diana Bandit and Chaser families.
It’s not!
Yes, the Bandit Tactical is a development of the popular Bandit pistol family and is a new introduction into the carbine-length PCP airgun market.
Yes, this new Bandit Carbine is a cute little gun that differentiates itself in a number of way from other products in the market. First – and most obviously – it is supplied complete with red dot sight. Adjustable for windage, elevation and brightness, such an optic is usually an additional-cost option for a PCP.
But it’s remarkably powerful for such a small, light airgun. A maximum Muzzle Energy of 16.24 Ft/Lbs achieved in HAM testing is much higher than we were expecting.
The more I looked, the more I discovered that the Bandit Tactical is all-out designed for maximum power in the smallest-possible package. It’s actually a tiny pest hunting tool that’s intended to deliver a small number of accurate shots per fill. It’s not a general-purpose plinker.
At a selling price of $269.99, it competes against some extremely capable models including Diana’s own Stormrider PCP ($219.99), Bandit Black PCP pistol with shoulder stock ($199.99) and CO2-powered Chaser rifle kit ($142.99). Both the Stormrider and Chaser are HAM Gold Award winners and all have a much greater shot count. Those are the ones to buy if you’re looking for a general-purpose Diana plinker.
But if you are looking for a compact, light, close-range hunting airgun, the dismal shot count – the Bandit Tactical’s major weakness – becomes somewhat less important. That’s how we are rating this gun.
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Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Air Carbine 0.177
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Speed And Accuracy
The Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 766.29 FPS with the 10.03 Grain Predator GTO alloy pellets. The maximum velocity achieved with lead pellets was 698.88 FPS with the 11.9 Grain RWS Hobbys.
With a Muzzle Energy of up to 16.24 Ft/Lbs when shooting JSB Jumbo Monsters, this is a surprisingly powerful little airgun!
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 10.03 Grain | 766.29 FPS | 13.08 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Predator GTO 11.75 Grain | 715.26 FPS | 13.35 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| RWS Hobby 11.9 Grain | 698.28 FPS | 12.89 Ft/Lbs | Very Good. |
| Crosman Premier HP 14.3 Grain | 665.08 FPS | 14.05 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| JSB Jumbo Exact 14.35 Grain | 666.26 FPS | 14.15 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 Grain | 656.66 FPS | 14.04 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested. |
| NSA Hollowpoint Slugs 20.2 Grain | - | - | Did Not Chamber. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 21.14 Grain | 582.83 FPS | 15.95 Ft/Lbs | What Happened Here? |
| JSB Jumbo Monster 25.39 Grain | 536.66 FPS | 16.24 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
Accuracy was definitely “backyard plinking excellent” with a close to one hole 10-shot, 10-Yard group resulting from the 14.66 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy pellets. And remember that’s with a 1 X magnification red dot sight and me on the 6 Lb pull weight trigger!
The Bandit’s forward hand guard included a substantial barrel band. Clamping around the barrel, this is a good feature to ensure consistent accuracy through the trials (and knocks) of long-term hunting use.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Trigger And Cocking Effort
The Bandit Tactical is fitted with a two-stage trigger. This has a light, easy first stage. Then there’s no doubt that you have come to the second stage!
Sear release is rather long and somewhat gritty. The average trigger pull weight encountered in HAM testing was 6 Lbs 1 oz. This is really too heavy, especially when compared to Diana’s own Chaser – based on a similar action – which delivered a pull weight of 3 Lbs 8 Oz in HAM testing.
(As a comment, it’s likely that the Bandit Tactical’s heavier trigger pull weight is a result of the hammer spring tension being increased to provide the additional power. That would increase the pressure on the trigger sear, felt as a heavier pull weight. It would also result in increased cocking effort, as also was experienced).
There is a single adjustment screw for the trigger. However – as always – HAM tested the trigger in the condition we received it.
The safety is manual and located in the trigger blade itself. It’s of the “push across” type, simple to set and positive in action.
The bolt handle is on the left side. The HAM test gun responded best to a sharp, rapid pull back on the bolt handle, in order for the trigger sear to catch. So cocking effort is higher than expected, but the O rings let into the bolt handle knob make for a secure hold in use.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Comparison To Makers Claims
The manufacturer’s claims for the Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine are that – in .22 caliber – it has a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 394 FPS. That must be a mistake. Pyramyd Air shows 720 FPS.
Peak Muzzle Energy is listed at 12 Ft/Lbs by Diana and 15 Ft/Lbs by Pyramyd.
In HAM testing, we experienced peak velocities of 766 FPS with alloy and 698 FPS with lead pellets. The highest Muzzle Energy was 16.24 Ft/Lbs, produced using 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster pellets.
So the Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine tested by HAM significantly exceeded the manufacturer’s claims. Compared to Pyramyd’s claims it’s close on Muzzle Velocity and well above for Muzzle Energy.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Consistency
First, we must deal with shot count. Sadly – as already indicated – this is the Bandit Tactical’s greatest weakness.
As the graph below shows, there’s very few consistent shots per fill of High Pressure Air – actually five. This means that the Bandit is the only gun ever to need re-filling in order to complete a standard HAM 10-shot Muzzle Velocity test :-(
It also means that shots 6 and 7 of the seven-shot, .22 caliber magazine will almost certainly fall low on the target, if no compensating elevation holdover is applied by the shooter.
Taking the Standard Deviation of the HAM test pellets, we find an average of 9.91 FPS. The contributing Standard Deviations themselves were consistent, however, ranging from 8.48 to 11.22 FPS.
Likewise, the trigger pull weight was pretty consistent also. It varied by +/- 3 Ounces around the average HAM test figure of 6 Lbs 1 Oz. Most pest hunters will consider this fair consistency.
Another aspect of consistency was that the Bandit Tactical was accurate with most pellets tested. The gun only really disliked the H&N Baracuda Match pellets for some reason that I can’t identify. Otherwise accuracy was close-range hunting good or better across the board.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Noise Level
The Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine includes a built-in silencer. For US market guns, it’s not removable. The report is very, very quiet for the power level. Backyard hunters will appreciate it.
This definitely takes “backyard friendliness” to a new level!
The silencer is glued in place and thus non-removable. But it’s difficult to imagine that any owner would want to replace it, given the overall low level of the Bandit’s report.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Sights And Scope
The Bandit Tactical is bundled with a red dot sight of 1x (i.e. no additional) magnification. This sight has 11 brightness positions and is elevation- and windage-adjustable. It worked well for me during testing.
The sight itself – like most red dot sights – has a Picatinny mounting base. However Diana includes an adapter that allows direct mounting onto the Bandit’s dovetail scope rails (as can be seen in the photograph below).
This is a very appropriate sighting solution for the type of shooting the gun is anticipated to do: close-range hunting expeditions requiring rapid target acquisition and a small number of “snap” shots.
However a riflescope could be mounted if required as an additional-cost alternative.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Shootability
The Diana Bandit Tactical is a great little gun to shoot offhand. It’s so light and compact – ideal for use in confined spaces.
While we’re highlighting unusual features, the low – 2,900 PSI – fill pressure of the Bandit Tactical will be another attraction to many owners. In conjunction with the small capacity (40 cc) HPA tank, it makes the gun easy to fill with a hand pump. Yes the shot count is very small, but many hunters will accept that for the easy filling.
Again, I’m amazed by just how small and light the Bandit Tactical really is. The all-up weight is just 3 Lbs 5 Oz and that’s with the bundled red dot sight installed and a full magazine of .22 caliber pellets in place.
The M-LOK laden foregrip provides mounting points for a wide variety of hunting-focused lights and lasers.
As the Bandit platform was originally designed as a pistol, the bolt handle is on the left side. While unusual, this is not a big issue once a little experience has been gained.
Single shot loading is easy enough. The single shot tray is held in place by a small magnet. It’s best to load pellets from the left side, as loading from the right, finger pressure tends to push the tray out of alignment with the barrel.
Unfortunately the Bandit Tactical’s outstanding shootability is severely compromised by the frequency with which it needs to be filled. You really need to make those shots count…
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Appearance And Finish
The Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine is a pleasant-looking air rifle, if rather “spindly” due its sparse, light design.
The quality of machining and surface finish on all of the external metal parts is really very good. The blacking of the barrels and CO2 tube is satisfactory while the breech is nicely powder-coated.
The synthetic stock is also nicely finished with a textured surface. The fit of mating parts is good. Everything looks to be assembled well. Overall, very good!
As we see in the heading photograph above, the Bandit Tactical can be fitted with an independent-leg bipod, if required. I installed a Leapers Recon Flex M-Lok Bipod. It worked well and can be folded horizontally to be conveniently out-of the-way when not required.
While this is not a feature publicized by Diana, the pistol grip is actually AR15-compatible. I tried a couple of AR-fit grips, including a “beavertail” grip that I really liked! For me, this provides a solid, comfortable and attractive grip that transformed the entire feel of the gun.
The manufacturer is Ergo Air. Unusually I left this in place for my shooting test of the Bandit Tactical.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – Buying And Owning
The Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine is readily available online from Pyramyd Air, Airgun Depot and other leading specialist airgun dealers. But you’re less likely to find it in big box sporting goods stores locally.
An unusual feature is that the Bandit Tactical is bundled with a soft gun case. As a gun case is an essential accessory, that’s two inclusions that are normally extra-cost items with competitive products. (You’ll find that an included soft case is supplied with other Diana “Action Line” airgun, too.)
However the case will not hold the Bandit with the red dot sight in place as the optic has to be dismounted to fit. That’s rather a disappointment and restricts its usability.
As always, the probe fill is not a preferred filling solution for HAM. But it does work well and the probe connects easily into a standard “Foster-type” quick disconnect.
More conventional features are the internal regulator, bolt action and magazine pellet feed. (It’s 9 rounds in .177 and 7 shots in .22 caliber). There’s also a single shot tray for those who prefer that feeding method.
Another HAM gripe is the HPA tube end-mounted pressure gauge. As always, we feel this to be a potential safety issue due to its proximity to the muzzle. Read it with care!
Both the Diana and Pyramyd web pages indicates that the Bandit Tactical’s AR15-type stock is removable. But I was unable to loosen the locking ring with my Leapers UTG AR15 Armoror’s Multi-Function Combo Wrench.
This was not a big issue as I was happy with the bundled stock. However it did prevent me from trying out the Bandit Tactical as a pistol.
As usual with Diana airguns, there’s an excellent multi-language illustrated user manual in English, German, French and Spanish. The warranty is 12 months.
Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Carbine – 10-Yard Test Targets
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Diana Bandit Tactical PCP Air Carbine 0.177
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