Info about the Cricket rifle.

[boxerjake77]

Does anyone have any info about this firearm?
Looking into buying one for my son. Don't want to waste
my money on a POS. Share your thoughts please.

 

[Mike-Mike]

Does anyone have any info about this firearm?
Looking into buying one for my son. Don't want to waste
my money on a POS. Share your thoughts please.

I have shot them. They seem to be well made and they are really fun to shoot and they hit well. I would pick one up just to have one.

 

[M1911]

A couple folks at the club have older [strike]Crickets[/strike]Chipmunks that they bought for their kids. They haul them out now and again for public events for kids to use, and they seem to work just fine.

Edit: Sorry, I was mistaken. My friends had Chipmunk rifles, not Crickets.

 

[rep308]

Take a look at this Henry rifle as well. My son used it for 4 years and I sold it to a board member:

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h005_minibolt.cfm

We have no doubt a Henry Mini Bolt Youth .22 is the perfect rifle for introducing youngsters to shooting and hunting. But of course, we’re just a little biased, so why take just our word for it? Go ahead and talk to the knowledgeable folks on the U.S.A. Olympic Shooting Team who were so impressed by its kid-friendly performance and bull’s eye-punching accuracy, they named it the Official Youth Rifle of their program.

 

[mac1911]

for the price point they are not bad. Especially if your kid shows little interest. my 1st 22 I shot my dad paid 25.00 for. it was a glenfield 25. I still like shooting that POS.

http://www.shootingforkids.com/category/292-cricket_rifle.aspx

 

[fbirdquik6]

Go with a henry lever action, They are high quality guns that are very accurate, it fit youngsters, and he wont outgrow it!

 

[Pilgrim]

I've started two of my grand kids shooting on a Cricket. Good gun, safe, accurate......great sized gun for a little kid. They are small. If your kid is over 10 or so, you'd probably be better off with a bigger gun.

Both of my grand kids have graduated to a full sized Henry levergun...one at 10 and the other at 12 yo.

 

[abundigas]

I went to KTP yesterday, because I am in the same position, Looked @ the Cricket,Chipmunk,Savage, and the Henry, I think I have decided to go with the Henry, smother trigger, fiber optic sights, synthetic stock, stainless, and smother action in the bolt. It was a little more money but I felt it was a better gun. Still under $200.00.

 

[rep308]

I sold my Henry for fifty buck less than I paid for it, 5 years later. It worked well for teaching Boy Scouts as they need to use a bolt action single shot gun.

Have fun. It is damn easy to tear down and clean.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Gave the grandson a Cricket for his fourth b'day. He is very good with it after a year now. His sister got the Henry when she was five. Both good guns for kids. Jack.

 

[Dick]

I was looking for a Cricket or something similar a few months ago so my young nephew would have something comfortable for him to shoot when he comes to visit. I eventually ended up getting the Henry Lever Youth model, and I'm very glad I did. It's beautifully made, has a slick action right out of the box, and is just an all-around pleasure to shoot. The only problem is that I like shooting it so much myself that it cuts into the time he gets to spend with it.

 

[Taipan01]

I have a Cricket. It's a bit higher on the food chain than the standard rifle. I has a thumbhole, brown lament stock and a stainless bull barrel with scope. You can get them in a whole range of configurations but all the actions are the same. It's a great starter rifle for young kids. I've used it to teach my three sons when they were small, other kids and some timid adults. The Cricket is a very safe rifle to do this with. You can start them out with .22 shorts if you want as it will accept .22S, long and LR, just to settle them into it. One benefit of a cricket is that they have to work at getting it ready to shoot. There are no feed ramps so they have to manually place the round in the chamber. Because of this effort, it makes them learn that each round counts. It helps to develop concentration and patience. Even with a round in the chamber, it will not fire until the rod behind the bolt is pulled back, which I won't do for them until they are in position. That takes a bit of the load off you with new shooters. They will grow out of it fast but at about $100.00, you'll get your moneys worth. The top one is the cricket. This configuration is a few hundred but the action is the same. It hasn't been out in some years and I keep it for nostalgic reasons. And who knows, maybe some more timid adults will float by.

 

[CRZ223]

They are decent little rifles. I bought one for my daughter and about the same time she started getting in CAS with me. So she never really got to shoot it much. I gave it to a friend of mine who now has three little boys and, as soon as they can sit still longer than 5 seconds, they will be shooting it. The henry came out after my search was over for my daughter but it is a great little gun. Either one is small enough to go in a backpack too. They will work for a grownup in apinch.

 

[KBCraig]

I bought the basic blue steel/black synth model for my youngest when he turned 3. He wasn't quite ready for it then (size-wise), although he did have fun popping balloons in the back yard with Super Colibri ammo and an adult helping aim it. He's 7 now, and about to outgrow it.

Before buying, I compared it to a Savage and Henry that were also available. I found the Crickett had the easiest action, including cocking knob, for a youngster to use without assistance.

 

[b79holmes]

... It worked well for teaching Boy Scouts as they need to use a bolt action single shot gun.

I have been working on this same issue myself for about a year and have decided to get a Savage FVT when the time comes.

Someone on RimfireCentral make a single shot adapter for the MKII's and as my son is very tall for his age and would quickly outgrow a cricket size gun. Search for 'Randal Williams' on that web site.

Bill