Daisy Avanti 753 Diopter Rear Sight

[k9jri]

Is the rubber hooded aperture in the Daisy Avanti 753 Elite Diopter rear sight removable? If it is threaded what is the size and pitch of the threaded stem.

I have a Merit Iris that I would like to be able to use when my 753 arrives. It will not be used in any official competion.... I realize that would not be allowed.

- Mike

[Fatman]

Hi k9dri:

Yes it's removable. Don't know the threads but the dia. of the threaded portion is 3/8" (eyeballed withn a rule).

Before you do anything, be sure to check that sight for play. There have been some QC problems reported with it.

Run it through its entire range and check the aperature for play and any binding. If it seems OK, shoot a square pattern and see if it is repeatable (one shot 24 clicks right, one shot 24 clicks down, one shot, 24 clicks left, one shot 24 clicks up). Shoot benched to minimize shooter induced error and you should wind up with a near perfect square and be back where you started. If it isn't right, send it back.

Gamo also manufactures the same sight and they reportedly have tighter QC.

You can waste a lot of time chasing a shifting POI if the sight isn't precise.

Good luck.

Fatman

[k9jri]

Hi k9dri:

Yes it's removable. Don't know the threads but the dia. of the threaded portion is 3/8" (eyeballed withn a rule).

Before you do anything, be sure to check that sight for play. There have been some QC problems reported with it.

Run it through its entire range and check the aperature for play and any binding. If it seems OK, shoot a square pattern and see if it is repeatable (one shot 24 clicks right, one shot 24 clicks down, one shot, 24 clicks left, one shot 24 clicks up). Shoot benched to minimize shooter induced error and you should wind up with a near perfect square and be back where you started. If it isn't right, send it back.

Gamo also manufactures the same sight and they reportedly have tighter QC.

You can waste a lot of time chasing a shifting POI if the sight isn't precise.

Good luck.

Fatman

Thanks for the input. I have read a great deal about the quality issues with the Daisy version of the Gamo sights. I gather that Daisy corrected some of the problems in 2007 but I will certainly check them out when the gun arrives. I do have an Anschutz 6834 Match Target sight set that also mounts on 11mm rails but I would prefer to leave it on the Anschutz .22LR.

I have not read much about the front globe other than it takes standard 18mm inserts so I hope to be able to use the various metal and clear plastic inserts that I have for the Anschutz and Lyman 93A globes. Both of my existing globes mount on 3/8" scope bases but I am guessing the Daisy mounts to an 11mm rail cut into the barrel weight.

This gun is mainly for indoor, 10M, winter, target shooting along with my IZH-46M pistol. I probably should have gotten a better rifle but the new 753 Elite was only $260 through the club's shooting program. I am sure that it will be more than good enough for my skill level.

Thanks again for your input - Mike

[k9jri]

After the 753 arrived and I shot it a few times it was obvious that thenaperture supplied with the rear sight was too small. I tore the sight down and retapped the M9 aperture mounting hole to M9.5x1 so that I could use my Centra Iris. It is really a nice sight with the iris and I do not find much slop in the adjustments.

The sight is solidly made with no references on the sight or the box to "China" as its' place of origin.

The 753 is really a very nice package that I have been shooting every day. I have tried to mount a scope but I will post that in another thread.

- Mike

[michaelthomas]

I realize this is about a year old, but I'm wondering if the poster may have info on finding this elusive 9.5 x 1.0 tap. I can't seem to turn up anything.

Thanks

[k9jri]

I realize this is about a year old, but I'm wondering if the poster may have info on finding this elusive 9.5 x 1.0 tap. I can't seem to turn up anything.

Thanks

I could not find the correct tap but found that the standard 3/8 x 24tpi tap is so close that it worked just fine with both my Anschutz and Sentra iris.

I have encountered no problems with either of the two sites that I tapped with the 3/8" x 24tpi over the past year.

Mike

[michaelthomas]

That's great! Thanks for the tip. I'm looking forward to an adjustable iris.

As a side note......I clamped my 753 into the vise on my mill today to check some different pellets. JSB Match Diabolo's 4.50 in the yellow can (8.02gr) were .025-.030 c to c for 10 shots(which I though was astounding, so I repeated the test 4 more times.....same result). I shot r-10's heavies, H and N Match Pistol, Gamo Match and a few different Crosman wadcutters. The H and N's were the next closest at .080 center to center. The JSB's were only reading 430 fps......which was actually the fastest of the bunch. I was bummed out about the slow velocity, but after 50 shots......the worst deviated 15fps max and they kept hitting their mark. The Gamo's were a joke with a spread of nearly 5/8" and 65 fps fluctuations.....worth every penny of their cheap price, I guess....lol.

I was very curious if I could shoot better if I was able to make the rifle fit me like the high dollar ones allow. I made the stock to make it more adjustable for me......it's all aluminum with the cheek piece, grip and top part of the butt in Maple. It bumped the rifle up to 10lbs 5 oz. It balances nicely, and is much easier to hold steady in a very comfortable position for me. The sight risers are wonderful. Not really sporter legal anymore, but it's within the rules of my home range. :-)

Thanks again.

[k9jri]

That is a fantastic job on the stock. I have neither the skills nor the tools for that kind of work. I am quite envious!

Since purchasing my first 753 I have converted almost entirely to SSP airguns. I really enjoy their accuracy and enjoy being able to shoot at home.

I did retain my original Ruger .22 Target pistol and my High Standard Hamden Supermatic Trophy for those times that the guys laugh at my BB guns:)

Mike

[jhmartin]

I think you'll have wide velocity fluctuations with the chrono that close to the muzzle of the CO2 gun. The CO2 will obscure the readings a but. I usually have to put the 1st screen about 1m from the muzzle.

[k9jri]

I think you'll have wide velocity fluctuations with the chrono that close to the muzzle of the CO2 gun. The CO2 will obscure the readings a but. I usually have to put the 1st screen about 1m from the muzzle.

I am confused about the CO2 comment. The 753 is a SSP compressed air powered rifle.

Mike

[michaelthomas]

That is a fantastic job on the stock. I have neither the skills nor the tools for that kind of work. I am quite envious!

Since purchasing my first 753 I have converted almost entirely to SSP airguns. I really enjoy their accuracy and enjoy being able to shoot at home.

I did retain my original Ruger .22 Target pistol and my High Standard Hamden Supermatic Trophy for those times that the guys laugh at my BB guns:)

Mike

Thanks for the nice comment on the rifle. I had a good time working on it. If you acquire the tools, the skills will follow shortly.....I promise you that. :-) I cannot imagine life without a mill, now......I use it everyday. I am converting it to cnc, and have about another month before it should be up and running.

Have you had any luck finding a nice shooting "cheap" pellet for the 753?

Yes, it's an SSP.....not CO2. Does it matter how close the chrono is to an SSP? This is my first time using a chronograph. I borrowed it from a friend.

[k9jri]

Thanks for the nice comment on the rifle. I had a good time working on it. If you acquire the tools, the skills will follow shortly.....I promise you that. :-) I cannot imagine life without a mill, now......I use it everyday. I am converting it to cnc, and have about another month before it should be up and running.

Have you had any luck finding a nice shooting "cheap" pellet for the 753?

Yes, it's an SSP.....not CO2. Does it matter how close the chrono is to an SSP? This is my first time using a chronograph. I borrowed it from a friend.




I don't see a mill in my future. My REAL hobby is amateur radio (HAM) and that is expensive enough in addition to good quality air pistols.

I shoot the Vogel Match pellets that you can buy from the CMP. They are about $20 per 1,000 including shipping. A local club orders once a year for their junior air rifle program and order for me as well. I really like them.

I use them in the (2) 753s that I have, the FAS604, HW75, HW40 and Baikal IZH 46M. All of these different air guns seem to like them so I just stick with the Vogels.

[jhmartin]

SSP is fine .... CO2 still has a lot of vapor for at least a few feet

[michaelthomas]

So.....I took apart my rear sight from my 753 today after it seemed to jump out of sight by about 3/8". I would get 6 or 7 shots that were great, then things would creep out of whack by little increments in elevation. I would then crank the knob the other way......find a happy place eventually......then the same thing would happen after a half dozen shots again.

Before yesterday, I was sure it was the rifle varying its velocity. Yesterdays vise test proved that it was definitely not the rifle.

I could easily believe it was all me, but I know a good shot the moment after the trigger is released......and some of these (not all) were good.

I took off the cover and clamped the base in a vise. I then set up a dial test indicator to measure the clicks. I took roughly 11 clicks to move the needle in the elevation direction......then .002" per click thereafter. Change direction and it was back to 11 clicks to move again. Windage would move immediately.

I then moved it 11 clicks, then tapped on the body with a screwdriver handle. It slowly came into position.

I think this may explain my sight inaccuracies. It seems to be hanging up on the slider post. I guess I'll try to clean it and re-lubricate it with something light for the time being, but I think I will order the Air Force set Monday.

[k9jri]

So.....I took apart my rear sight from my 753 today after it seemed to jump out of sight by about 3/8". I would get 6 or 7 shots that were great, then things would creep out of whack by little increments in elevation. I would then crank the knob the other way......find a happy place eventually......then the same thing would happen after a half dozen shots again.

Before yesterday, I was sure it was the rifle varying its velocity. Yesterdays vise test proved that it was definitely not the rifle.

I could easily believe it was all me, but I know a good shot the moment after the trigger is released......and some of these (not all) were good.

I took off the cover and clamped the base in a vise. I then set up a dial test indicator to measure the clicks. I took roughly 11 clicks to move the needle in the elevation direction......then .002" per click thereafter. Change direction and it was back to 11 clicks to move again. Windage would move immediately.

I then moved it 11 clicks, then tapped on the body with a screwdriver handle. It slowly came into position.

I think this may explain my sight inaccuracies. It seems to be hanging up on the slider post. I guess I'll try to clean it and re-lubricate it with something light for the time being, but I think I will order the Air Force set Monday.

Make sure the little "C" clip has not fallen off of the bottom of the elevation screw. When I had mine apart to tap the iris hole I cleaned it and relubricated the screws with a fairly "sticky" grease. It is not the best sight and I am not sure the AF sight is all that much better. I would appreciate your perspective on the AF sight if you do get one.

I moved my Daisy sight to a lesser rifle (Crosman 2260SE) and put an Anschutz match sight that I had on the 753. Adjustment is quite precise but that sight is not cost effective at the same price as the 753 itself. It was left over from previous toys:)

Mike

[michaelthomas]

Everything was intact on mine, and cleaning and re-lubricating did make it feel much smoother. I thought I may have fixed it, but it was the same when I measured it.

I don't know if the Air Force sights are any better, either. The guy that does the Pyramyd Blog did a test on them and he seemed to think they were pretty good......no play, and very consistent. The rear sights can be removed from their base to fit in a 1" scope ring. I like that because I shoot with about 20 degrees of cant, and I will be able to make a custom mount that will allow me to rotate the sight off of its center to make it plumb when shooting...... that way I can make the normal horizontal and vertical adjustments instead of doing the math (so to speak). I know it is threaded for the 9.5 x1.0 irises, too.

I can't quite bring myself to buy a set of Anschutz sights for this gun.....I'm pretty close, though. :-)

I'll post my experience with them here when I get some (experience, that is).....lol.

[michaelthomas]

The AF sights showed up today, and I had a little daylight left when I got home to shoot a few targets. My "range" is 90% indoors, with the remaining 4 feet or so out the back man door of the garage.

Anyway.....my first impression was that they appeared to be of a much higher quality level than the Avanti unit. The knobs turn extremely smooth and free with a much lighter detent feel than the Avanti......not so small to be ambiguous, though.

I grabbed the aperture and tried to see if there was any noticeable play, and was disappointed to see that I could move it a little, although it took a fair amount of force. Probably much more than it would be subjected to under normal abuse. I didn't take it apart to see how its built, but it seems as though there is some spring like mechanism, because when I moved the aperture it would come back to where it was......or so it seemed to the naked eye. I don't know, and I don't have any snap ring pliers at home to disassemble it, either.

I mounted it up, and proceeded to sight it in......despite my initial letdown.
I only shoot offhand, so I sight in offhand. It took about 5 shots to get it hitting the ten. I only pay attention to the shots that feel right when turning the dials.

Much to my surprise, the gun kept hitting the tens when I called them.....and it was off where I expected on the poor shots. I put a pellet right in the center, then gave the elevation dial 9 clicks......which is supposed to be about .180". I managed to get a good shot off immediately after and it was one pellet width higher than the last. I turned it back 9 turns and tried again on a new target. It seemed to be back at home.

Coincidence? Luck? I don't know, but it felt really nice to call a shot and find the hole where I expected it to be.

I put up a fresh 12 bull, ignored the sighters and went right to it. 4 solid tens, 5 nines, and a seven......and I knew the seven when I pulled trigger. A 92 is the best I have ever shot with this rifle. I shot the two sighters and came up with a 9 and a 10 on them. I typically shoot in the mid 80's with the old sight. Needless to say, I was grinning ear to ear.

I guess time will tell if this was just a fluke. I hope to get some more in tomorrow.

I took my mill vise to work, otherwise I would do the same test that I did on the Avanti........with the dial test indicator. I'll do it Monday and report back.

I would have liked to try the front sight, but it did not fit on the 753 barrel weight. The arced portion between the dovetails got in the way. I managed to hold the piece down (sight mount) without my vise and mill some material out of it so it would clear.....but it still wouldn't fit. The dovetails are 3/8ish on the 753, and this is 11mm......so it wouldn't compress enough to hold tight. I'll have to make a new mount, or a new barrel weight to make it work right. I'm curious to try the clear front apertures......so I will do one or the other. It's a larger outside diameter as well.

[k9jri]

That is a nice report and good information for me in the future Mike.

Mike

The AF sights showed up today, and I had a little daylight left when I got home to shoot a few targets. My "range" is 90% indoors, with the remaining 4 feet or so out the back man door of the garage.

Anyway.....my first impression was that they appeared to be of a much higher quality level than the Avanti unit. The knobs turn extremely smooth and free with a much lighter detent feel than the Avanti......not so small to be ambiguous, though.

I grabbed the aperture and tried to see if there was any noticeable play, and was disappointed to see that I could move it a little, although it took a fair amount of force. Probably much more than it would be subjected to under normal abuse. I didn't take it apart to see how its built, but it seems as though there is some spring like mechanism, because when I moved the aperture it would come back to where it was......or so it seemed to the naked eye. I don't know, and I don't have any snap ring pliers at home to disassemble it, either.

I mounted it up, and proceeded to sight it in......despite my initial letdown.
I only shoot offhand, so I sight in offhand. It took about 5 shots to get it hitting the ten. I only pay attention to the shots that feel right when turning the dials.

Much to my surprise, the gun kept hitting the tens when I called them.....and it was off where I expected on the poor shots. I put a pellet right in the center, then gave the elevation dial 9 clicks......which is supposed to be about .180". I managed to get a good shot off immediately after and it was one pellet width higher than the last. I turned it back 9 turns and tried again on a new target. It seemed to be back at home.

Coincidence? Luck? I don't know, but it felt really nice to call a shot and find the hole where I expected it to be.

I put up a fresh 12 bull, ignored the sighters and went right to it. 4 solid tens, 5 nines, and a seven......and I knew the seven when I pulled trigger. A 92 is the best I have ever shot with this rifle. I shot the two sighters and came up with a 9 and a 10 on them. I typically shoot in the mid 80's with the old sight. Needless to say, I was grinning ear to ear.

I guess time will tell if this was just a fluke. I hope to get some more in tomorrow.

I took my mill vise to work, otherwise I would do the same test that I did on the Avanti........with the dial test indicator. I'll do it Monday and report back.

I would have liked to try the front sight, but it did not fit on the 753 barrel weight. The arced portion between the dovetails got in the way. I managed to hold the piece down (sight mount) without my vise and mill some material out of it so it would clear.....but it still wouldn't fit. The dovetails are 3/8ish on the 753, and this is 11mm......so it wouldn't compress enough to hold tight. I'll have to make a new mount, or a new barrel weight to make it work right. I'm curious to try the clear front apertures......so I will do one or the other. It's a larger outside diameter as well.

[michaelthomas]

Thanks.......I backed up the 92 with another 92 and a 90 this morning. This was after wiggling the rubber hood from the Avanti onto the aperture and performing no adjustments. :-)

I think they are going to be good.......miles better than the stocker for sure.

[michaelthomas]

I made a small shim and got the AF front sight mounted up. I absolutely despised the look of that bulky thing, but I wanted to try the acrylic apertures. The outside diameter of the AF unit is just a few thousandths shy of an inch. The Avanti is about an 1/8" smaller. The AF acrylic inserts measure 20mm.

The extra diameter pretty much closed up the gap around the front sight with the stock rear plastic aperture at my lighting condition. Without much light around the front barrel......it was readily apparent that the hole in the rear aperture was not very round. Well, it was mostly round with a flaw in one quadrant......which turned out to be pretty annoying to me. It's not too obvious when using the Avanti globe and more daylight around it.

Well, anyway, I proceeded to shoot some targets. The hole in the front acrylic insert appears to be oblong with varying thickness of the ring when in use for me. It is not the insert, but the fact that the insert is not exactly perpendicular to the line of sight from the rear aperture, which was distorting the view of the ring. I fooled around with moving the front sight at varying degrees to the left and right, then resighting. I could get it to look better......but I never really liked the picture. I would like an insert that had a larger margin around the aperture, I think. The stock AF ring appears about .5 mm wide to me. I shot poorly compared to my new baseline with the Avanti front (low 80's). I had a bit of glare, too......which seemed to present itself as if it was in the rear sight.

I have a set of rear apertures that I machined identical to the Avantis, but with holes progressing from .8mm to 1.4mm by .1mm increments. The holes are very round, as the were interpolated with a smaller endmill on a cnc, rather than being drilled. They are M9 x 1, instead of the M9.5 x 1. I used some thread tape to make them work for the time being. I was happy with the 1.3 rear with the AF front globe, but the larger rear hole made my ability to focus on both the target and the front sight a lot tougher. The target was now a slightly fuzzy blob, instead of the crisp circle I had with the 1.0. I shot crappy with that, too.

So, my conclusion on the front sight is that it's just too big around for my liking at my lighting. It may be great for some other light condition, I don't know. Because of that, I really didn't get to fairly evaluate the inserts. I considered making my own insert of a thicker piece of acrylic, so the band from the countersink would appear wider......but i probably won't mess with it until I try a smaller diameter housing.

I put the Avanti 3.8 front back on and went right back to my low 90's shooting.

The AF rear sight is still very consistent in my opinion......but I'm gonna make a set of truly round apertures in different sizes for it this week like I did for my Avanti......or I may buy an adjustable.

The rear sight is definitely spring loaded, and there is an adjustment screw for the tension. When the aperture is out, you can actually see the spring going at a diagonal downward to the left when the sight is moved way to the right. It's working great, so I didn't mess with it.

If these rear sights are legal on the Daisies for sporter, I wouldn't want to be without one. I'm going to loan mine to the local NJROTC team and see how they like them.