Ghost New BRK Ghost Leak Question: Need Advice

[007]

I have a brand new, never shot (by me, was tested by the dealer) Ghost HP .22cal. The Ghost has a faint audible air leak from the vent hole above the bottle pressure gauge. The leak was present before I replaced the factory gauges. The bottle pressure is declining while the rifle is not being fired. I have tried the bubble test using regular sudsy water and Better Bubble commercial product. But, I have not seen noticeable bubbles. My tank pressure has dropped without firing both times I topped it off to 250 bars (from 250 to 235 in 3hours and dropping). There has also been a slight increase in reg pressure readings. I have not made any regulator adjustments. The gun is in the same condition as I received it, with the exception of Sekhmet gauges.

My research suggested this is most likely a regulator issue - leak or creep not sure which or if this is THE issue.

Looking for advice on what to do next. Return to dealer for warranty repair? I have watched videos on reg repair for the Ghost. But I am not sure this is the best option given my relative lack of experience and the fact that I've only had the Ghost a few weeks. BRK says the regulator is not a user serviceable part. I don't want to risk invalidating the warranty.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

(Also posted on AirGun Nation forum)

 

[Solo1]

Did you use douty washers under your gauges or o rings ? Double check to make sure their not the problem. If its coming out the hole i point to in the pic its the reg leaking and if you are worried about warranty id sent it back to who you bought it from after calling them and explaining the situation.

 

[007]

Did you use douty washers under your gauges or o rings ? Double check to make sure their not the problem. If its coming out the hole i point to in the pic its the reg leaking and if you are worried about warranty id sent it back to who you bought it from after calling them and explaining the situation.
View attachment 22252

Thank you for the reply, @Solo1. I initial thought (hoped) it was just a Dowty issue. The new gauges are installed with Dowty washers - same set up as the OEM gauges.

Yes, the noise (hiss, bubbling - to my ear anyway) is coming from the vent hole you have marked.

 

[Solo1]

Thank you for the reply, @Solo1. I initial thought (hoped) it was just a Dowty issue. The new gauges are installed with Dowty washers - same set up as the OEM gauges.

Yes, the noise (hiss, bubbling - to my ear anyway) is coming from the vent hole you have marked.

Then its the reg. It simple enough to do but again if you are concerned about the warranty and it is brand new best thing to do is call who you bought it from and send it back. Sorry. The ghost is usually pretty care free

 

[duchunter007]

Thank you for the reply, @Solo1. I initial thought (hoped) it was just a Dowty issue. The new gauges are installed with Dowty washers - same set up as the OEM gauges.

Yes, the noise (hiss, bubbling - to my ear anyway) is coming from the vent hole you have marked.

I agree with @Solo1 , I would call the dealer first, since it is a new gun, I have a couple of Ghost like Solo, and it is the regulator that is leaking.

 

[007]

Then its the reg. It simple enough to do but again if you are concerned about the warranty and it is brand new best thing to do is call who you bought it from and send it back. Sorry. The ghost is usually pretty care free

Yeah, the "care free" part is one of the primary reasons I went with the Ghost.

I appreciate the advice.

 

[duchunter007]

Yeah, the "care free" part is one of the primary reasons I went with the Ghost.

I appreciate the advice.

They are great guns, very versital with the barrel selection you can get, and how easy they are to tune for what ever you want to do!!

 

[007]

They are great guns, very versital with the barrel selection you can get, and how easy they are to tune for what ever you want to do!!

Thanks for the reply, duchunter (the 007 part is perfect, BTW).

I'm excited about the Ghost and getting past this glitch. The tuning part will be fun. It came tuned seemingly kinda hot from the dealer (reg 153 for MRDs at 970fps).

 

[Solo1]

Thanks for the reply, duchunter (the 007 part is perfect, BTW).

I'm excited about the Ghost and getting past this glitch. The tuning part will be fun. It came tuned seemingly kinda hot from the dealer (reg 153 for MRDs at 970fps).

If it comes back that way you could probably go down to 135 bar power wheel 17 and still be shooting right around 950

 

[007]

If it comes back that way you could probably go down to 135 bar power wheel 17 and still be shooting right around 950

Yeah, I was thinking of starting testing at 125 and going from there.

 

[duchunter007]

What are you planning to use the gun for? When I am shooting AEA 21.9 GN pellets my regulator is at 80ish bar

 

[007]

What are you planning to use the gun for? When I am shooting AEA 21.9 GN pellets my regulator is at 80ish bar

Target shooting, mostly 25-50 yards, out to 100; local benchrest league, occasional pesting. Looking for versatility and a sweet spot tune where I can make most of the adjustments via the power wheel.

From what I've read, 115ish with the MRDs is a good starting point for 25 yard benchrest accuracy.

 

[duchunter007]

Here is a shot string, and I believe I filled the gun part of the way through.

I would suggest starting at a lower reg pressure and slowly working your way up. Lower reg pressure gives you more shots.
Do you have a chronograph? What barrel length are you shooting? What color spring is in your gun currently?

These guns shoot lights out; I am shooting sub-MOA groups at 100 yards, and Solo, along with other guys on here, is doing the same!

 

[Linehauler73]

Definitely do your extra diligence to ensure it is that place the leak is coming from IF you are going to attempt the fix yourself. If there is in fact a leak that is audible coming from that hole it will be obvious with any type of leak detector. If it isn’t I wouldn’t be so sure that is where it is actually coming from. Hearing leak detection is not a good method whatsoever. If it is in fact the regulator the ghost reg is pretty easy and straight forward, it definitely isn’t an FX. Only problem is you might have to source orings online from a place like orings and more as A of A are out of stock on the huma rebuild kits for the gun. They are scarce and go fast when they do get in stock. There a few videos on YouTube that go through the exact oring sizes in the reg. If unsure definitely have it sent in for repair.

 

[007]

Here is a shot string, and I believe I filled the gun part of the way through.

I would suggest starting at a lower reg pressure and slowly working your way up. Lower reg pressure gives you more shots.
Do you have a chronograph? What barrel length are you shooting? What color spring is in your gun currently?

These guns shoot lights out; I am shooting sub-MOA groups at 100 yards, and Solo, along with other guys on here, is doing the same!

Thanks!

Athlon chrono (really like it), 23" barrel, spring is one from the factory.

@cavedweller started a thread to gather Ghost tuning data - a couple of years old now. I took notes!

 

[007]

Definitely do your extra diligence to ensure it is that place the leak is coming from IF you are going to attempt the fix yourself. If there is in fact a leak that is audible coming from that hole it will be obvious with any type of leak detector. If it isn’t I wouldn’t be so sure that is where it is actually coming from. Hearing leak detection is not a good method whatsoever. If it is in fact the regulator the ghost reg is pretty easy and straight forward, it definitely isn’t an FX. Only problem is you might have to source orings online from a place like orings and more as A of A are out of stock on the huma rebuild kits for the gun. They are scarce and go fast when they do get in stock. There a few videos on YouTube that go through the exact oring sizes in the reg. If unsure definitely have it sent in for repair.

Thanks brother. I've tried sudsy water test and then tried Best Bubbles. Neither one produced bubbles (that I could see anyway) at the vent hole or around either gauge.

Your point about sourcing the o-rings is a good one. I've watched the YouTube videos on the reg repair/cleaning. I'm confident I could do that...IF that is the issue and I had the correct o-rings.

The more I think about this, my best option might be to return to the dealer for diagnosis and repair.

 

[007]

Here is a shot string, and I believe I filled the gun part of the way through.

I would suggest starting at a lower reg pressure and slowly working your way up. Lower reg pressure gives you more shots.
Do you have a chronograph? What barrel length are you shooting? What color spring is in your gun currently?

These guns shoot lights out; I am shooting sub-MOA groups at 100 yards, and Solo, along with other guys on here, is doing the same!

Is that the tune you used for sub-MOA at 100 yards (reg 90, hammer 15, 25.3 AEA)? Seems light on the reg.

 

[duchunter007]

Is that the tune you used for sub-MOA at 100 yards (reg 90, hammer 15, 25.3 AEA)? Seems light on the reg.

Pellets are going at 890 FPS, and they work very well at that speed

 

[Billm]

There’s no shame in sending a gun back that is not working as advertised and is under warranty.
Just be prepared for a wait in a lot of cases.

It’s disappointing to me,the number of posts about new airguns that leak upon delivery. If it is that common, a leak test should be a part of “customer service” not a paid add-on. Shipping a product that you know has a good chance of not working as advertised would be considered inept at best in other industries and fraudulent at worst. Businesses in general take the least path of resistance. If they can send out the products with minimal preparation, they’re going to. As soon as they have to spend a lot of time and effort fixing something that could have been prevented, they will alter course. The owner of one of the largest airgun dealers in the world recently told me that their acceptable quality standards are set by what the average purchaser will accept, not by the higher standard expected by the enthusiasts found on HAM and other forums. That was paraphrase, but very precise. That rationale is widespread in, but not limited to the airgun community. That rationale explains the operating decisions of a different airgun company still selling rifles with defective barrels. The majority of their customers are probably first time buyers and are pleased with the accuracy they get. For the few buyers that investigate further and find their way on HAM etc., they’re numbers are so small, it’s cheaper to just replace the odd barrel.

 

[Solo1]

There’s no shame in sending a gun back that is not working as advertised and is under warranty.
Just be prepared for a wait in a lot of cases.

It’s disappointing to me,the number of posts about new airguns that leak upon delivery. If it is that common, a leak test should be a part of “customer service” not a paid add-on. Shipping a product that you know has a good chance of not working as advertised would be considered inept at best in other industries and fraudulent at worst. Businesses in general take the least path of resistance. If they can send out the products with minimal preparation, they’re going to. As soon as they have to spend a lot of time and effort fixing something that could have been prevented, they will alter course. The owner of one of the largest airgun dealers in the world recently told me that their acceptable quality standards are set by what the average purchaser will accept, not by the higher standard expected the enthusiasts found on HAM and other forums. That was paraphrase, but very precise. That rationale is widespread in, but not limited to the airgun community. That rationale explains the operating decisions of a different airgun company still selling rifles with defective barrels. The majority of their customers are probably first time buyers and are pleased with the accuracy they get. For the few buyers that investigate further and find their way on HAM etc., they’re numbers are so small, it’s cheaper to just replace the odd barrel.

Thats why small shops like talon tunes are so good. Tony shoots and tunes the guns he sells even a specific tune if you ask.