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VALUE FOR MONEY
The Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 Bullpup PCP air rifle is not exactly new. It’s been around for several years. However, it’s not been reviewed much and is not well-known, so a thorough HAM review is in order.
In fact, it is an interesting gun and a great improvement on the original Gen 1 version with its mid-mounted cocking lever and other incremental improvements.
Immediate impressions are that this is a compact, chunky and good-looking airgun. The overall feel is of a sophisticated, high-end product. It’s one of those guns where the deeper you look, the better it gets!
At just 29-Inches long overall, it’s definitely among the shorter bullpup air rifles in the market at the present time. However the barrel length is still good at 17.7 Inches.
Selling for $699.99, this is the most expensive model in Diana’s “Performance Line” of products with a premium of $50.00 above that of the full-length Gen 2 Outlaw. However, the HAM test scores say that the Skyhawk is worth it. My personal opinion says so, too…
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Diana Air Rifle Skyhawk PCP Air Rifle, Walnut 0.177
SPEED AND ACCURACY
In this Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 Bullpup PCP air rifle review, we found the maximum Muzzle Velocity to be 1,059.36 FPS with 10.03 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy alloy pellets. It was 984.99 FPS with the lightest lead pellets – RWS Hobbys.
More importantly, the Muzzle Energy delivered by this .22 caliber Skyhawk hovered around a useful 28 Ft/Lbs for mid-weight pellets. The peak was 31.90 Ft/Lbs, achieved with 25.39 Grain JSB Monster redesigned pellets.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 10.03 Grain | 1,059 FPS | 24.30 Ft/Lbs | Very Good. |
| Predator GTO 11.75 Grain | 1,011 FPS | 26.69 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| RWS Hobby 11.9 Grain | 985 FPS | 25.64 Ft/Lbs | Very Good. |
| Crosman Premier HP 14.3 Grain | 937 FPS | 27.91 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Exact 14.35 Grain | 939 FPS | 28.12 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 Grain | 931 FPS | 28.21 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Datstate Howler Slugs 20.3 Grain | 811 FPS | 29.53 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 21.14 Grain | 823 FPS | 31.79 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Monster 25.39 Grain | 752 FPS | 31.90 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested. |
It’s likely that some increase in these numbers could be achieved by adjusting the hammer spring tension and many owners would feel confident doing this. The hammer spring tension adjustment screw is readily accessible without the need to remove the stock.
However, it’s the HAM testers’ opinion that the Skyhawk is set-up pretty-well perfectly as received directly from the factory. We would leave well alone…
At 25 Yards, the gun grouped at well under 0.5 Inches CTC for 10 shots with JSB Jumbo Monster Redesigned pellets. The conditions were somewhat less than perfect – as is the shooter! – so this grouping could well be improved by a better shot on a better day. I definitely felt that the gun had better accuracy to give than I was able to achieve.
However this is about as good as I generally achieve at this range and I was satisfied with the result.
TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
The Skyhawk has a two-stage trigger. However, the first stage is rather heavier than is normal and it can feel like a single stage trigger with a degree of creep. But sear release is predictable and the overall effect not unpleasant.
Out of the box, pull weight averaged 3 Lb 15.2 Oz, somewhat higher than most shooters would prefer.
It’s quite possible that the trigger would respond well to a little careful tuning. The mechanism is adjustable for first stage pull weight and sear engagement. Both adjustments can be achieved only after removing the action from the stock.
However, as always, HAM tested the trigger as received.
The Diana Skyhawk has a trigger block safety of manual type. It’s actually in the trigger blade and has a side-to-side action.
As you can see from the photograph below, this safety has a red indicator for “off safe”. When engaged, the other side of the safety projects and prevents movement of the trigger by striking against the trigger guard itself. It’s an elegant concept, but not easy to see from a distance.
This safety is simple to operate for a right-handed shooter. It’s less convenient for a left-hander, however, as a change of hold is required to operate by Southpaws. We also found it too small for effective use in cold weather when wearing gloves.
The cocking lever works well and easily. It has a relatively short cocking stroke and is conveniently-placed for operation.
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
Diana makes few claims for the Skyhawk. But it has to be said that the 35 Ft/Lbs maximum Muzzle Energy claim for .22 caliber on the company website was not achieved in HAM testing.
However the HAM maximum of 31.9 Ft/Lbs matched almost exactly the 32 Ft/Lbs claim made for the product at Pyramyd AIR. In addition, the Pyramyd claim of 950 FPS maximum Muzzle Velocity was easily exceeded by the test gun with both alloy and lead pellets.
There’s no claim for consistent shot count. This is a shame, given the Skyhawk’s strong performance for this in HAM testing (below) and compared to many other bullpup PCPs. That 45 consistent shots per fill is definitely claim-worthy!
CONSISTENCY
The Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 has a regulated action. This produces excellent, consistent Muzzle Velocity for 45 shots, as you can see from the graph below. Conveniently, that represents five complete 9-round magazines.
The HPA cylinder has the surprisingly large capacity of 265 cc, with a maximum fill pressure of 3,625 PSI (250 bar).
By shot 46, pressure had fallen to 150 bar (2,175 PSI) on the gauge. That was the regulator set-point and FPS then dropped steadily from shot-to-shot, as is expected.
The Standard Deviation (the measure of shot-to-shot variation) was outstandingly low for that 45-shot string at just 2.05 FPS. That’s top-grade performance for any PCP air rifle!
This test was made using 14.66 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy pellets. The shape of the graph shows that the hammer spring tension was perfectly adjusted on this gun for the regulator setting!
The average Standard Deviation (the measure of shot-to-shot variation in a string) was also outstandingly low at an average of 2.41 FPS across the range of HAM standard test pellets. This is another indication of outstanding FPS consistency!
Also the trigger of the Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 tested by HAM proved to be very consistent. Trigger pull weight readings varied by only about 3 Oz either side of the average 3 Lb 15.2 Oz. None of our trigger fingers can detect that degree of variability when shooting…
10 Yard test target accuracy was also consistently excellent or better with 7 out of the 9 standard HAM test pellets (including one slug).
Overall, this gives the Skyhawk Gen 2 an extremely strong score for consistency. This is about as good as it gets, folks, out-of-the-box at any price!
NOISE LEVEL
The Skyhawk air rifle has a fully-shrouded barrel. This gives a very quiet report. It’s certainly very backyard-friendly, in the HAM Team’s opinion.
In addition, the Skyhawk’s packaging indicates that the barrel is threaded 1/2-Inch UNF for the attachment of a dedicated airgun silencer where legal. The muzzle certainly looks as if this is the case, however I could not find the thread!
The knurled cap at the end of the shroud screwed off all right, but as one unit. Maybe I did something wrong?
At any rate, the Skyhawk was quiet enough that most people probably would have no need to attach any additional silencing equipment to this gun.
An interesting design feature is the series of tiny holes drilled in the rear of the shroud. Air can be felt exhausting from these holes whenever a shot is taken. It’s not a strong rush of air, but you can detect it with a hand in the right place.
Although slightly unusual, this did not cause any issues in normal operation of the Skyhawk Gen 2. The shroud certainly seems to work in its intended purpose!
SIGHTS AND SCOPE
As expected, no open sights are provided. So, I mounted a Hawke Airmax 30 SF Compact scope on the Skyhawk. This provided the flexibility to achieve the somewhat long eye relief I need for comfortable shooting.
Mounted with high rings, I found it easy to acquire a good sight picture without the need for a riser mount, or lowering the buttpad – as sometimes is required with bullpup configurations for me.
This Hawke 4 – 16 x 44 Airmax 30 SF Compact has a Second Focal Plane reticle with 10 Yards minimum parallax correction distance and the company’s Mil dot AMX reticle. As is highlighted by the name, Airmax scopes are intended specifically for airgun use.
Overall, the gun, scope and rings matched well together.
SHOOTABILITY
As you can see from the photos, the gun fitted me well. Plus the cheekpiece was comfortable and pleasant to use, even in the obviously cold weather conditions during our test sessions.
Another good feature that immediately became apparent is that the “vertical” style magazine does not project either side of the receiver. This magazine was custom-designed specifically for this bullpup model and is not found on other Diana airguns.
This means that the gun is easily usable by both right- and left-handed shooters. That’s a degree of design sophistication that is unusual for bullpup PCP air rifles at any price.
The mid-mounted cocking lever is another good feature. It was conveniently-located, fast-acting and easy to use for rapid follow-up shots without moving the Skyhawk from the shoulder.
The Diana Skyhawk is also fairly light. Complete with scope and loaded magazine, the Skyhawk here weighs-in at 7 Lbs 15 Oz. That gives a solid feeling, combined with excellent balance and short overall length.
At the rear, there’s an excellent rubber buttpad with vertical adjustment capability. There’s also a sling swivel stud included, as we can see above.
Up-front, the forend has M-LOK slots included. These could be used to mount a bipod, front sling swivel, fore grip or other appropriate accessories.
The HPA pressure gauge is in the end of the pressure tube of the Diana Skyhawk Gen 2. As always, the HAM Team does not like this position due to safety concerns.
However, the regulator pressure gauge is located on the left side of the gun. This allows a check to be kept on the “usable” pressure without the need to look directly down the barrel. When charged with High Pressure Air, the regulator pressure gauge displayed 150 bar (2,175 PSI).
One thing I do not remember seeing on any other PCP air rifle is a “cocking indicator”. The Skyhawk has one at the rear of the action and I found it quite useful.
When the gun is cocked, the indicator knob protrudes from the rear of the action. It’s arrowed in the photograph below. When not cocked, it disappears. That’s an excellent feature both for safety and to help prevent double-loading.
APPEARANCE AND FINISH
Opinions on appearance are, of course, always personal. However the HAM Team feels that the Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 is an attractive air rifle with an elegant look.
Machining finish is very good, with most metal parts having a uniform, black matt finish.
The hardwood stock has a sophisticated design with flowing curves and shaping. Wood finish is generally good and smooth, with areas of laser-cut “checkering” on the forend and pistol grip to aid a good grip.
The rubber buttpad seemed well-shaped and comfortable against the shoulder.
BUYING AND OWNING
The Skyhawk Gen 2 air rifle is supplied in a soft carrying case. However, unfortunately, this case will only hold the airgun with no scope attached, making it practically useless for most people. That’s a shame…
Two magazines and a fill probe are also included. Note that there is no single-shot tray included with the Skyhawk. The gun can be single-loaded by directly locating a pellet into the rear of the barrel: however this would not be a desired operating method and an aftermarket printed single-shot tray would be a good addition, were one to be available.
The metal magazines worked well in our testing. They were easy to load and sprung easily and slickly into the breech, being attracted and retained in place by a magnet. Capacity is 11 pellets in .177 cal and 9 pellets in .22 caliber.
Due to the magazine’s location inside the action, there’s no clear indication of the number of shots remaining. However the rotor includes a “block” position so that the Skyhawk cannot be fired on an empty chamber with the magazine in place.
The Skyhawk Gen 2 uses a probe filling system to charge it with High Pressure Air. HAM Testers do not like fill probes due to the lack of standardization and potential opportunity for dirt to enter the gun through an open probe port.
However, the probe itself has a standard “Foster” quick disconnect on the other end. This enables it to be connected directly to the standard female quick disconnect fitting found on HPA tanks and pumps without the usual, annoying need for an additional adapter. This makes it quick and easy to use, particularly for owners with other PCPs having a standard male fill nipple.
Secondly, the cover for the fill port is spring-loaded. It’s pulled forward to insert the fill probe, then released back after filling. This is a far better solution – in the HAM Team’s opinion – than a common separate screw-thread or push-on cover for the fill port.
Here there’s no chance of losing or dropping the cover and the fill port itself is automatically protected from the possible ingress of dirt. This is a first-rate feature that we have not often seen on other PCP air rifles.
The Skyhawk also includes a de-gassing screw. Although this capability is rarely-used, it is definitely good to have and is yet another indication that this is not a “bargain basement” model. It’s indicated by the arrow in the photograph below.
As with all Diana airguns, an excellent illustrated owner’s guide is included in English, French, German and Spanish. The warranty is – however – only 12 months. That’s definitely sub-par nowadays.
TEST TARGETS
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Diana Air Rifle Skyhawk PCP Air Rifle, Walnut 0.177
This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.
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