Benjamin 342 repair

[GaryG]

I have a Benjamin 342 that holds air after it has been shot!  By this I mean you can shoot the rifle, recock it and it will shoot again
without re-pumping.  I.E., the potential power this rifle has is not being realized!  Who is the best person to remedy this problem,
or should I try it myself?  I'm pretty good with Daisy's, but have never taken a Benjamin apart!

Thanks.

[happymecanic]

Seems to me either the valve spring is a bit too strong, or the hammer spring is tired (most likely).

The 342 is very similar in construction to the 310 I see in your signature. To access the hammer spring or valve, you don't need to take the whole rifle apart, just the rear end.

Here are two parts diagrams of the 34x:

https://www.jgairguns.biz/340-342-and-347-c-78_84_567/?sort=20a&page=2

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/benjamin-air-rifle/air-rifles-benj/342-ben

If you need to open the valve, you will need this tool: https://www.pyramydair.com/product/crosman-service-station-soldered-valve-wrench-fits-select-benjamin-air?a=5336

The hammer spring seems to be hard to come by new, found one (probably used) here: https://oldarmsofidaho.com/product/benjamin-340-342-347-hammer-spring/

A good cleaning/polishing of the hammer and rear tube area might help too.

HTH, and happy holidays!

[DanD]

I've had a few guns with fresh hammer springs still not fully dump. I've found that shortening the exhaust spring by compressing it to coil bind with a vice for a few minutes usually (every time so far) fixes it.
Have fun!