Cricket .22lr as a marksmanship rifle?

[CoyoteSix]

Hey all! I finally got to handle a Cricket in .22lr.

At first I thought:" What a dinky little thing!"

Than I realized:"It's cheap, won't burn through my LR stache, and I think I need to remember the value of ammo conservation and marksmanship!"

So THR, I like the feel of the Cricket, even if it's tiny. I think the peep sights are awesome, and it's light weight and small size would make it an amazing back pack gun.

What I really want to know though is: Do you guys think shooting this will increase my marksmanship? I've lost my touch as it's been months since I've done any serious rifle shooting. Last shooting I did was with my Glock and buddies' XDM.

Thanks THR!

 

[USAF_Vet]

My 9 year old is learning the fundamentals of marksmanship on a Cricket. He's not bad at 25 yards, and he is getting better every year.

I've shot the little thing, but at my size (6'3", 235) it is not comfortable. The stock does not provide enough eye relief for me. It's just awkward. I find that the light weight allows me to shoot it one handed like a pistol and still use the sights.

They do make full size stocks to replace the youth stock, so you might want to hit that up if you find yourself having difficulties handling the youth stock. I'll be getting one for my boys rifle as soon as be outgrows the youth stock.

 

[Fleetman]

we bought our then 7 year old grandson one a while back and use it to introduce all the young ones to shooting with it now....excellent rifle at an excellent price.....we bought ours from Walmart in Atoscacita Texas for $79.99!

 

[Mobuck]

Much too light and whippy for true "marksmanship" training. A kid that small is just learning to handle the firearm w/o shooting the wrong thing.

 

[v8stang289]

I handled a few cricketts while looking for a youth rifle for my son to learn on, but I was not really impressed with the quality. The ones I handled had a plastic cocking piece among other parts, and tooling marks on the bolt.

I ended up going with one of the new savage rascals. It cocks on opening instead of having a separate cocking piece and has the same basic action as the Mark II/Mark I rifles. I also liked that It comes with the accu-trigger, and has a feed ramp to make it easier to load. The sights are pretty much the same with the savage being a little more robust.

I'm sure the Crickett is a fine rifle and will serve you well, but for me the $50 difference was worth it for a rifle that felt much more solid.

 

[JERRY]

I got this for my daughter when she was six. she learned basic handling, safety, sight picture with a bb gun before that.

 

[Sam1911]

I'd agree that the Crickett rifles leave a lot to be desired. After trying out just about all the small (well, micro really) youth rifles on the market we bought a Savage Cub-T, and it's so much fun I think I shoot it more than the kids do.

However, if you're going to spend the money, a slightly more adult sized rifle would really suit you better. The Savage Mark IIs are nice.

But, heck, a Marlin 60 can still be had real cheap, especially used, and they're plenty ... PLENTY ... accurate enough for marksmanship training and practice.

 

[mljdeckard]

I considered getting one, but all the cousins are big enough for the 10/22 and the M-4 conversion now.

 

[rcmodel]

It might, if you are 3' 8" tall like my kids were at one time.

I bought a very early Cricket for them, and soon found I could only shoot it as a handgun.

I couldn't begin to crunch my head down low enough to see through the sights when shouldered like a rifle.

If you are a full grown adult, you need a full size adult rifle for marksmanship training.

rc

 

[hawk45]

I'm not sure of your age/size, but if you are an adult, get an adult size gun. In fact, if you are looking to improve your marksmanship, and already have a nice bolt gun, then build a .22 as close to your existing rifle as possible. It's called a trainer. You want the fit and function to be as close to what a regular rifle will be. This will allow you to work on fundamentals.

Trying to shoot a tiny stocked gun is not going to do you any favors. Do it right and reap the benefits. .22 is an excellent way to learn marksmanship, especially reading wind.

One more suggestion I would make is to get Jacobs Fundamentals Training DVD at Rifles Only. The are excellent and will give you a huge head start on doing things right. I wish I would have had something like this when I started decades ago. Best $40 you'll spend. I re-watch mine all the time and always find new things or refresh what I've forgot.
https://www.riflesonly.com/pro-shop/rifles-only-instructional-videos.html

 

[Sam1911]

I couldn't begin to crunch my head down low enough to see through the sights when shouldered like a rifle.

That's true. I put a scope on our Cub. The sights were too darned low for even the kids!

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

If you can shoot a Chipmunk with any accuracy you have accomplished a great deal.

If you are serious get the bull barrel and the adult stock and put a scope on it and it will shoot.

 

[Chris-bob]

They are accurate enough. My 7-year-old son can hit a 3" target all day at 25 yards with his. We haven'e tried for any better marksmanship than that yet. It is small, too small for me to use effectively, but can be done. As a brush gun, you could put a scope on that cost several times what the gun cost and do great, but a .22 pistol would probably do just as well.