tumbling cricket...

[sonoransixgun]

We have various .22's, mostly the 10/22 variety, but we bought a little Cricket single shot for our young daughter (it's pink!)...anyway, it tumbles bullets like mad. I've tried different brands of ammo. I've tried lapping the barrel. Nothing seems to help. We had another cricket years ago and it didn't tumble bullets. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[georgerkahn]

Interesting question you raise. A bullet tumbles because it has lost, or was never given proper twist rate to establish stability. Rifled firearms spin the bullet so that it has gyroscopic stability along its axis and travels point-first to its target with the bullet always presenting its nose forward into the airflow thus increasing accuracy and retaining its velocity because it doesn’t turn sideways.
Bullets will also tumble in flight if they are not spun at the right speed.
To my feeble learning, three factors most often cause bullets to tumble. To wit, 1/ The barrel is either not rifled at all; 2/ The -- take your pick -- barrel is too large for bullet -- or -- bullet is too small diameter for firearm; and/or 3/ the rate of spin is incorrect for the size and weight of the bullet attempted to be accurately fired.
Generally, there is a balance that has to be made between bullet weight, spin rate, and speed to optimize bullet stability and eliminate tumbling. (In many years with colleagues target shooting surplus military rifles -- mostly "shot out" -- this was a major challenge! On occasion, a perfect image of the fired bullet -- sideways -- would be on target.)
However, for your new Cricket -- a .22 rimfire -- that only SAAMI commercial ammuniton is used negates -- imho -- all but two possibilities. First, bion, is the barrel rifled? A friend, years back, bought a name-brand revolver which came sans any rifling. (He sent it to factory, which replaced it at no cost to him). The remaining cause may be the barrel is too large in diameter? What we used to do vis pistol competition barrels is to pull a .22 bullet from its case with a pair of pliers. They're heeled bullets, and remarkably easy to do this. Then, put the bullet in a vise: squeeze and squesh it down a tad, which makes it "fatter". Then, use a wood dowel piece to push it through the barrel, to measure diameter with a good (Starrett) set of micrometers. Conversely, do this -- tap the squeshed bullet -- through a good, working .22 first -- and then see how much resistance (if any) there is in pushing it through the Crickett's barrel.
I am happy you're getting your daughter into shooting -- and, the Crickett's I've seen surely are pretty little firearms!
The more I think on it -- it sure suggests either a too-large (unlikely) or a barrel which (oops) was not rifled.
BEST wishes!
geo

[Texas by God]

Send it back. They should have caught it at test fire.

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[tazman]

The only time I have had a 22lr rifle(or pistol for that matter) tumble a bullet was because the barrel had leaded from bad ammunition.
Have you checked the barrel for leading?

[John Boy]

Sixgun, break off a bullet from the case - lube it and slug the bore. If there groove cuts on the bullet, there is no reason to have bullets that tumble. If they still continue - send it back with the slug you used to measure the bore

[sonoransixgun]

Thank you all for taking the time to give these great suggestions and advice. I will pursue this issue with some clear direction now....and hopefully get to the bottom of it. Will give an update later....Thanks again....

[uscra112]

Is the Cricket new, or did you buy it used?

[ulav8r]

Do not use a wooden dowel to push a slug through the bore. It can break and wedge in the bore. Use a steel or brass rod, ideally with 1 or 2 wraps of tape to fit it to the bore. The tape wrapping, at 4 to six inches apart, will cut down on flexing and prevent damage to the bore.

[uscra112]

^^^ Amen, Amen, Amen ^^^

[sonoransixgun]

Uscra112, it was new....thanks, Ulav8r, will do that....it would be a thin fragile wooden dowel that could even fit....

[JSnover]

No reason for the owner to do warranty work, if it's new send it back. If it had been a used rifle I'd say try all of the above, plus get a good look at the crown.

[Tatume]

The only time I have had a 22lr rifle(or pistol for that matter) tumble a bullet was because the barrel had leaded from bad ammunition.
Have you checked the barrel for leading?

Amen. Inexpensive ammunition sometimes has no lubricant. Lead builds up in the barrel quickly, and will obscure the rifling. I've seen it so bad that a cleaning rod could not be inserted.

[uscra112]

No reason for the owner to do warranty work, if it's new send it back. If it had been a used rifle I'd say try all of the above, plus get a good look at the crown.

Agree. Don't mess with it any more or they might disallow the warranty claim.