New Akela arrived full of air and leaking air from breach...normal?

mine came full, no should not be leaking

A little air escaping from the breech when firing a shot is not unusual. It happens when the o ring in the breech end of the barrel wears out after a good number of shots. Yours may simply have a bad o-ring. Easy enough to replace with some patience -- and with the right size o-ring! Before messing with this, though, I would check whether the pellet probe is well aligned with the barrel when cocking. Does it slide in smooth & straight? If not, think seriously of returning the gun under warranty.

Tank full of air is usually a good sign. I am apprehensive about leaks when it is not!

A blown breech barrel o-ring can exhibit what you describe and it's not unusual to blow them out just by normal shooting even first time shooting believe it or not.

Run it over a chrony at max power see if it shoots close to 1000fps with 14.3gr Crosman Premiers. 

Mine arrived yesterday with a full 3000 psi in the tank. Seems normal to me.

Thanks Parotculler.

Chambering the pellet feels very smooth (with and without a mag). 

I did adjust the little screw (seated in the trigger assembly cover/rear rail piece) that helps secure the cocking lever when it is closed. The lever would open with the slightest touch but a quarter turn tightened it up.

Any chance you know if that can cause and issue like this?

Thanks!

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Not surprised about that cocking lever screw, often needs tightening on a new gun. Harmless though, I put a drop of blue threadlocker on mine.

Your pellet probe not being the issue, I would really focus on the breech o-ring where pellets enter the barrel. Are you able to shine a narrow-beam flashlight into the breech to see if the ring might be damaged? If so, replacing it is not a big deal at all with some patience ! Did your gun come with some spare o rings? The breech o ring often has a brown color. 

Edit: dry firing a PCP is ok. You seem to have gotten some bad luck with the breech o-ring. That ring sometimes suffers when cleaning the barrel and always benefits from an occasional drop of ballistol (no mineral oil please ...) The size of the .25 is 9mm (od)*1.5mm (cs)* 6mm (id). I got myself a bunch of green FKM type off Aliexpress, coupla bucks.

sounds like a bad breech O-ring, Call Crosman and they will probably send you a new O-ring, also make sure the it's not the barrel seals that are leaking, 

Might want to try a little silicone oil on the breach oring and see if that helps.

Thanks P!

Trying to take a closer look at the breech now. I've taken off the rear plate behind the breech to get a better view. No obvious signs of a tear but maybe a pinch or deformation...in search of a bigger magnifying glass. 

I did get a few rings....one has an ID just larger than a pellet so I'm assuming that is the ring in question. The other two rings have an ID similar to the OD of the smaller ring...not sure what they are for....power adjuster maybe?

Noob question...is the ring seated in the barrel or is the capture grove in the block? Do I need to remove the barrel for this surgery? I've got some automotive O ring picks, but since they all have aggressively sharp points (which I guess I should file down a bit any way) I'm reluctant to dig into what seems like some pretty soft rings. Any tips / tricks appreciated. 

No luck searching for Akela/Puncher videos yet...but still on the hunt. 

Thanks for your help!

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(First off, I don't have an Akela but my 5 Krals are the same platform; my comments are based on that).

The breech o-ring is seated in a groove inside the barrel, one mm or so into the breech. Taking the barrel out would certainly simplify the (otherwise also manageable) challenge of replacing this ring. Doing that also enables checking any barrel o-ring damage, which could also cause air loss upon discharge. Be careful though -- when taking out the barrel and reinserting it, the 2 barrel o-rings (especially the rear one) easily get scraped when passing by the set screw holes in the breech. And then you end up having an air leak around the barrel if there wasn't one to start with! Therefore apply ballistol generously when taking the barrel out and putting it back in. Shine a light into those screw holes. Press an allen key into them to depress and protect a passing o ring. If one gets nicked anyway, replace it. (od = 12mm ; id = 9 mm; cs= 1.5 mm). Or apply Loctite SI5920 gasket sealant or something similar to a damaged barrel o-ring to ensure an air seal.

For o-ring picks, I often use one of these tiny screwdriver sets to tighten the screws in my glasses. To reposition the new o-ring use a long thin flathead screwdriver and/or a thin metal wire that you can bend.

Best of success! Doing this helps you to get to know your gun. This Kral platform is both good quality and easy to work on.