Need help with new to me 397

[wolverine]

i picked up a 397 for $50 and cosmetically it looks almost new.  i dry fired it just once upon inspecting it because of the local we were at and all seemed well.  arriving home i tried to shoot it and most of the time while pumping it up i can hear air escaping out the muzzle.  placing a tissue in front of the muzzle confirms it.  every once in a while it fires with a loud report, but again, most of the time it sounds like a very weak springer. 


i read the thread about the alcohol flush, would this cure this or does it need re-sealing?  if it's a re-seal job, what seals are leaking and how difficult is it work on these rifles?  i'm not all thumbs, but i have very little time for what the wife calls "unnecessary projects".


also, i couldn't find any info on the crosman site as to what year this relatively new rifle was built.  serial #416N01006

[BrushPopper]

First thing I’d try is this:

Dribble some airgun-friendly lube into the compression chamber (removing the piston assy will make this alot easier).

“Secret Sauce” is a good choice.

Pump it up, fire, repeat, to push some lube through the valve.

Then, if you can get it to hold a charge, one time, leave it overnight with 2-4 pumps in it. Could be the valve seals just need to be reseated.

If that doesn’t work try alcohol, and no, they aren’t that hard to reseal.

[wolverine]

i don't have any "secret sauce" on hand. 


is there something i can get locally that will work?

[BrushPopper]

Pellgun oil.

Also RC hydraulic shock-oil is pure silicone, but kinda’ thick.

WallyWorld might carry the former.

I’d avoid petroleum based oils

[wolverine]

Thanks Anthony!


Pellgun oil i have.

[wolverine]

i also have Crosman silicone chamber oil.


which is best, pellgun or silicone chamber oil?

[Yng@hrt]

I would start with the pellgunoil Anthony recommended. Try it for a couple of days & if that doesn't work try the flush. It's worked on every pneumatic gun I own. Those that work & those that do not. It's just part of a regiment I use on all the guns so I know they are starting off fresh. You'll understand why when all the crud starts coming out of the barrel's that's been sitting in there for years. 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Yep, oil the daylights out of it. ND-30 or ATF, are ok at this point.
Several drops in the air hole of the compression tube, a syringe will help.
Oil, dry-fire 5-6 times... oil, dry-fire 5-6 times... repeat.
Once oil mist starts coming out the barrel, give it a couple pumps and put it to away for a day or two.
Then give it a couple more pumps and dry-fire it into a cloth.
 Bet you will be amazed at the crud that comes out.
 
Even if this doesn't cure it, and you go with the alcohol flush, the oil will help loosen the crud up.

Oh and I think your rifle was built April of 2016.
 

If your Crosman airgun was manufactured after July of 1975, the first three or four digits of the serial number indicate the month and year the gun was built

[wolverine]

[quote author=

Oh and I think your rifle was built April of 2016.
If your Crosman airgun was manufactured after July of 1975, the first three or four digits of the serial number indicate the month and year the gun was built



Great, i figures it was somewhere around there, thanks!


I put it to bed last night with 3 pumps in it.  I'll play with it tonight and see if it held the air.