It's a Crickett!

[versifier]

My youngest started shooting this summer. Despite the fact that all we had to shoot was a good variety of adult-sized .22lr rifles, she stuck to it and by summer's end was keeping them all on the paper at 50yds with my 10/22. One of my shooting buddies heard about the Crickett, made by Keystone Sporting Arms. www.crickett.com As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect. It's a single shot, manual cocking bolt action with an adjustable peep sight, and it came in her favorite color. When I sighted it in for her, I was amazed to find it kept everything in an inch at 25yds with three out of the four brands I tried in it. She was squealing happy when she saw it, and showed it off proudly at the range when she put it through its paces. She felt that the aperture was much too small to hunt with (her own idea, not mine) so I drilled it out a little and she was good to go. We went out in search of red squirrels last weekend, but there were still too many leaves on the trees and though we could hear them, the canopy was much too dense for any shots. We did flush a partridge, but I was not carrying a shotgun, choosing instead to focus on her. It was the first time she had ever seen one - didn't her eyes get wide when it took off! I guess I'll have to find her a shotgun now, too. :-D She has been eyeing my newly assembled Contender carbine (.30-30 with an Aimpoint), but that can wait until next year. One step at a time. I haven't even gotten a chance to shoot it yet myself.....

[Uncle Grinch]

I saw one of these pink Crickets at the gunshow in Macon, GA last weekend and came close to buying one for my granddaughter. I'm sure she would have loved it... if she only knew what it was, she is only 13 months old, but it's never too late to start looking!

[NVcurmudgeon]

I saw a Cricket in a gunshop last week. Made me wish I could go back about 25 years and buy my daughter one. She learned on a cut down Marlin bolt action.

[garandsrus]

I bought my two sons (6 and 4) a Crickett last winter. Theirs is black, of course. The 6 year old has shot it a copule times and did pretty well. We usually shoot balloons at 25 yds outdoors or 50 ft indoors. It is nice to get the visual that the target was hit.

The only thing I don't like about the rifle is the locking device where if a pin on the bottom of the rifle is pressed in, the rifle won't function. It takes a key to unlock the pin. I haven't done it yet, but it is my intention to remove the locking device. Has anyone done this? Any problems?

My brother sent me a couple airsoft guns, a 1911 and some type of machine gun. Both boys really like shooting them in the backyard. The 4 year old does pretty good with the 1911! Our target is a beachball at 20 ft or something like that. They can watch the pellets fly, which should be great feedback, and see the hits.

John

[Jon K]

Versifier,

Good work. Keep the kids involved.

quote-"She has been eyeing my newly assembled Contender carbine (.30-30 with an Aimpoint), but that can wait until next year. One step at a time. I haven't even gotten a chance to shoot it yet myself....."

Now you have just lost that Contender.....my daughter wanted to go to the range with me sometimes, I tried to have her shoot a .22 rifle to start, but she couldn't get her head down low enough to see the sights. Found out real quick, she's right handed, left eye dominant. So I had der try my T/C I have set up for Hunter's Pistol/Field Pistol, now when she goes to the range with me, I can't get the gun away from her. She says she "just loves it".

Jon

:castmine:

[versifier]

Yup, what I figured. She likes the looks of it in pistol incarnation, but the grips are too big for her to shoot the .22lr 10" barrel right now. But by next year she'll be able to at the rate she's growing. The good side is that it's much easier justifing spending cash on barrels if "they'll be her's someday". [smilie=1:

[Buckshot]

..........Ha! That brings back memories, for sure. When my daughter was about 6 I think it was I asked my wife about getting her a little single shot 22. She said she thought Christian was still too young and it'd be better to wait a few more years. I said " Okay" and then a week later ordered a Chimpmunk :-)

The wife unit was kinda tweaked about it and asked why I even bothered to ask her if I knew I was going to go ahead and get it anyway? Gee, that was a stumper I didn't have a good answer for.

Even with a single shot manual cocker a determined youngster can send a surprising amount of lead downrange.

...........Buckshot

[Jon K]

versifier,

My daughter has to use 2 hands to open & close the T/C, I put the old style grips on to make it easier for her(they're smaller). Even though uusing 2 hands that doesn't slow her down none, lots a lead down range.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l101/Jon_K_2006/DSC_0004.jpg

Jon

[Explorer1]

I got a Cricket for the step-son who has now outgrown it. My 6yr old daughter has gotten over her noise thng so she now likes it, course she'd really rather have a pink one.
I think they are great for teaching the basics safely.

[bruce drake]

Take the old Cricket apart and spray the stock with a primer and then color to match your daughter's favorite color. She'll have "Her" gun and you'll definitely get points with the daughter.

Bruce

[Lloyd Smale]

IVe got one of the little chipmunk deluxe guns with cut checkered walnut and its a beautiful little rifle and shoots well too. They should have never stopped making that one!

[Bret4207]

I always thought a Crickett or Chipmunk would make a great trapline gun. So would a Varner Favorite if I had the $$$.