Why Is My Airgun so Loud and Smoky?

Now, this could be two separate things or related to the same underlying issue. Or, maybe it’s not an issue at all?

• Dieseling – If you don’t know the history of the gun then maybe the previous owner has applied lubricants incorrectly or too vigorously. This can cause the oil to combust and can cause damage to your airgun. It can also occur in a brand new gun, though as the initial assembly lubricants wear off this will take around 250 shots on average and isn’t typically a problem. We have mentioned this previously and also in other posts, but it’s important to not use any lubricants within the actual compression chamber.
• Damaged Seal – It could be worn out over time or damaged due to dieseling. It may not even be present! Check and replace if you think it looks a bit old.
• Supersonic – well this would account for the ‘loud’ bit. If you have a powerful Air Rifle and/or using high-velocity pellets then maybe they’re traveling at supersonic (faster than the speed of sound) speeds. The sound of this will be more of a crack than a bang s it is quite distinguishable with a bit of practice. Try using a heavier pellet which will slow it down to subsonic speeds.