Crickett rifle.

O

one-eyed Jack

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My grand daughter, age 6 has her own .22 youth lever rifle and is doing pretty good with it. My grand son will be 4 in April and is chomping at the bit for his own rifle, so as not to have to beg and borrow from his sister. I'm considering getting him a Crickett single shot as a starter rifle. Anyone have any experience with this rifle and kids in this age bracket? Remember that both these kids already have more knowledge of firearms safety than most adults. Jack.
 
I don't have any input, but I'm also very interested in hearing people's thoughts on those guns. I've got a 2 1/2 year old son who is already showing interest and I've had my eye on those cricketts for a couple years down the road from now.
 
Although my kids started shooting rimfire at a slightly older age I decided to go with the Mossburg Plinkster. The cricket stock size was going to be outgrown too fast. With the plinkster it is youth sized but still large enough for them to use through early teens adequately. In fact I have used it myself and while it is short it is not too short for an adult. It is NOT a tack driver by any means but for the price and design I have been satisfied.

I introduced the kids in stages based on their skill level, maturity and muzzle discipline according (roughly) to the following age table.

5-6 : BB long gun.

7-8 : Gamo Delta 500fps pellet. (hones their skills)

8 -10: 22 Rifle and pellet handgun.

11 and up: 22 Handgun, almost any rifle, shotgun.

at 12 (and with close supervision) they are permitted to choose just about any firearm in the safe. Subject of course to their size and skills to handle the gun.

I have no doubt that others may agree or disagree with this model because it is very subjective based on knowing our kids.

So that is my two cents worth.

-Rick
 
Thanks for the input, scouter-rick. Outgrowing the stock is not an issue and I want it to last him only till he is ready for something bigger. With the family (three sons and myself) having the dreaded "arsenals", upgrading is easy in the future (10-22's are already in inventory). The grandkids in Alaska both have Cricketts and the reports from up there are pretty good. The spruce chickens are really catching hell. Jack.
 
I have the Henry Mini-Bolt 22lr. Great action and nice sights. My 8yr old daughter does very well with it and I'm expecting she will go squirrel hunting with me this year.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe..._Bolt_Youth_22_Rifle&aID=503AD2A&merchID=4006

I'm not a big fan of the Cricket; seems/feels cheap and is about the same price as the Henry. They usually have both at State Line Gun Shop in Mason if you want to check them out. If you want to make a trip to MA you're welcome to try my daughters.

Mil-Dot
 
Mil-Dot said:
I have the Henry Mini-Bolt 22lr. Great action and nice sights. My 8yr old daughter does very well with it and I'm expecting she will go squirrel hunting with me this year.
Mil-Dot
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I also owned a Henry Mini Bolt 22 and trained my son and a generation of scouts on that rifle, before I sold it off to a forum member to teach his child. Very easy to take care of and very safe. The front site broke when someone knocked it off the rack and a phone call to the Henry Rifle company in Brooklyn NY resulted in a shipment of a replacement part and a spare at no cost.
 
jdubois said:
I don't have any input, but I'm also very interested in hearing people's thoughts on those guns. I've got a 2 1/2 year old son who is already showing interest and I've had my eye on those cricketts for a couple years down the road from now.
Click to expand...

Holy crap....the only thing my 2 year old in interested in is Mickey Mouse, picking his nose and throwing things behind the couch
 
I've had good luck with the Rossi matched set. It comes in .22 and .410. They aslo have a 20G barrel. All that for about 200 bucks. This should last well into their teen.
 
I bought a cricket and gave it to my then 8 yo granddaughter with the agreement that when she outgrew it, she'd trade it back to me for a Henry lever gun and the Cricket would be passed to the next in line.

She loved it. It's a perfect first rifle for a kid. She got the Henry when she was 12 and I gave the Crickett to her then 5 yo sister who now at 8 still loves it. She'll trade it in when she's 12 and it'll go to the next in line.

Perfect training gun, fit's kids perfectly.

Here's the younger one last year:
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He she is trying to hold a Marlin 38A mountie with the Cricket beside it for comparison. It was way to heavy for her and it's not even a full size .22

web%20100_0508.jpg
 
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Don't overlook the CZ 452 Scout. I went through exactly what you're going through, and settled on this little bolt 22lr. It comes w/ one single round mag for training. 5 and 10 rounders are available from CZ's online store for ~$25. Fit & finish are awesome compared to the cricket, and the $ difference wasn't that great. Best o' luck!
 
I have a cricket and don’t much care for it. It’s hard for me to get a round in the chamber although my kids have an easier time with their smaller fingers. The adjustments on the rear sight are very hard to get right with only 1 screw in a slot on the sight for elevation and no markings. And last, I’m not sure if it’s just mine but the bolt gets sticky and hard to use pretty fast.
My brother in law has a Cub Youth rifle from Savage which is a lot better in all ways, although I believe it’s twice the cost. Those are the only 2 I have any experience with though.
 
+1 on the Cricket. Bought one got my daughter at age 8. She's small and it was perfect for her. I sighted it in without any issue and found it to be pretty accurate.
 
kiver said:
Holy crap....the only thing my 2 year old in interested in is Mickey Mouse, picking his nose and throwing things behind the couch
Click to expand...

Oh, sure, he likes to dig around and find things in his nose too. But he always says, "Daddy? I can touch the gun?" when we go by the Brown Bess I've got hanging up in the basement (I've been teaching him, "don't ever touch guns, knives, or electrical outlets unless daddy is there and he says ok"). And when I opened my gun safe one time while he was with me, he let out a wide-eyed, "oooooooh, lotsa guns daddy!" (and then proceeded to run over and touch my AR without asking me [rolleyes]. Obviously we've got a few more years yet...)
 
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I own a Henry's Mini-Bolt, and think it's a great gun. Looks like it will last forever, and shoots great. I think I paid $180 for it new a few years ago. I even take it with me in my canoe when I go snapper hunting. It doesn't take up any room, and is very accurate.
 
Get an AR with a collapsible stock adjusted to the shortest position and dedicated .22 upper, keep it no-frills so it's as light as possible, and let them use that.

This is also a spouse-friendly way to get another AR in the house.
 
I've given TinyTuna my chipmunk rifle. It was mine when I was 9, so I'm real glad to be able to pass it on. I tried it out again a little while ago, shoots well but is uncomfortable for a grown man. One thing I noticed is that I think it was made before lawyers got involved in the gunmaking business.
 

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