Crickett...who has one?

[aguyindallas]

Hey folks....who actually has one of those Davey Crickett rifles? What is the reliability and durability of these things?

I am thinking of picking up a couple for my kiddos to get them in the game.

 

[vesmcd]

My 11 yr old grandson got one last Christmas. Horrible trigger, WAY heavy and gritty, so the first thing I did was smooth up and lighten(just a little) the trigger pull. I couldn't get the open sights to adjust properly, so I decided to try a scope. You have to order the scope mount from Crickett, nobody else makes one (at least I couldn't find another supplier). The mount uses the rear sight base as a mounting point,but the screw hole was drilled off center. Crickett would not exchange parts with me, wanted me to send the rifle back to them for a part evaluation/replacement! I just elongated the scope base hole a little(aluminum part like a Weaver rail), problem solved. Sighted in the scope and it shoots great. The rifle doesn't seem to be ammo picky. There is a small problem getting the round to feed into the chamber. The nose of the bullet catches on the sharp edge of the chamber mouth and you have to stick your finger into the bolt way and kind of wiggle the cartridge around to get it to go into the chamber. Just jamming it in with bolt causes lead to shave off and cause problems. The rifle has a built in lock (good) and if you lose the key (bad) you can't shoot it. It should come with two keys. Separate them so you don't lose both of them. The keys are all the same and spares are available from Crickett. The take down bolt is a tamper proof torx head, so you'll need one of those in the right size.
My grand son loves his Crickett (but not as much as my Ruger 10-22 with a 50 round mag ).

Ves McD
Oak Cliff, the original OC

 

[Jackal]

Your far better off getting an older single shot like a Remington 510. They are available cheap and are perfect for a young'un. I started shooting with one when I was about 10 years old and I still have my Remington 510 Targetmaster. Here's a nice looking one.http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976808253.htm

 

[spotteddog]

My son has had one since he was 5 yrs old, he is 9 now and still shoots it.The trigger is heavy and had some issues with the screws on the scope mount hitting the bolt. I bought the stainless with synthetic stocks and have had some real problems with the finish.It is marked stainless steel on the barrel but it rust worse than anything I have ever seen.
If you touch the barrel it will leave a mark if not wiped down as soon as you are done shooting, other than these things it shoots good but if I had it to do over I would buy a Savage
Cub or Marlin Papoose.

New Here so I would just like
to say Hello to all.
Steve

 

[taliv]

my daughter and nephew have had them since age 5. she'll be 9 in 3 months. both were happy until they decided they were ready for semi-autos.

nothing wrong with the trigger or anything else on ours. none of it is super-high quality. it's a sub-$100 kids gun. nothing more. set expectations accordingly.

i got my nephew a walther g22 last christmas (turned out to be sucky gun)
and my daughter a volquartsen 10/22 this christmas (jury's still out)

they're both much better off for having started on the crickett

 

[carnaby]

Thanks Spotteddog. That's mighty helpful. I'm trying to decide which rifle to get for my son next year.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[student]

just shot a Henry single shot mini-rifle, synthetic and stainless with high visibility sights. Seemed accurate enough with a good action and trigger.

 

[oneshooter]

This guy seems happy with his!

My eight year old with his rifle.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Onmilo]

My youngest daughter still shoots her Chipmunk .22 which is basically the same rifle as the Crickett.
The trigger was heavy on this rifle too and I think the Companies do this intentionally so the rifles are a bit safer for younger shooters.
No real issues other than the rear peep sight is a little cruder than it needs to be.

These are decent starter rifles for young shooters and they won't break the parents bank account.

Great American Gunstock produces full size stocks in half and full Mannlicher styles so the kids can continue to use these rifles well into adulthood if they choose to.

 

[zero_chances]

Jackal- I started out on a 510 target master, the same one my dad started out on as a kid Great rifle, and incredibly accurate, i once shot the metal ball off of a truck antenna at about 15 yards on the first shot

 

[chrisTx]

both my girls have pink laminate cricketts in blue. they love them. they seem to be a solid rifle for a kid. it's not meant to be anything fancy, but i'm sure it will last long enough for their grand kids to shoot.

 

[gbran]

I bought one for my grandson. Horrible trigger, which I also smoothed up. The only other problem is that it sometimes fails to extract. It's now an OK rifle, but I'd not buy another. I did buy another grandson a Taurus pump rifle with the short barrel and youth stock. This is a keeper. I put a red dot scope on it and he can nail anything he can see. I may be a few more of these as I believe it is a grandfather's duty to buy grandkids guns.

 

[Milkmaster]

cricket

The Cricket and the Chipmunk are the same design. There was a rift between the two a few years back on the patent and copying it etc. My 14 year old boy has the walnut stock version since he was eight. He still ikes to shoot it occasionally. It will probably become a family heirloom for the future young 'uns to come. I keep it cleaned and in the gun safe with the rest of the firearms. No problems at all with this one so far. It was a pre-lock model.
Simple, accurate, and easy to clean. Some of my more woodsy friends carry the synthetic stock models on brackets across the handlebars of their 4-wheelers for plinkin' or an occasional snake or squirrel.

 

[kddonath]

Crickett Sight Question

Bought my 9 year old daughter the crickett - she's very small and the rifle fits her perfectly.

Here's a question: I'd like to put a set of front and rear peep sights on it. I know this may sound like making a purse out of a pig's ear! The price is perfect for a starter rifle, and I want her to get used to some better quality target sights. When she's grows and if she continues to show interest, I'll move her up into something better.

I do the biathlon (shoot with an Izhmash biathlon) and she's showing interest. Start'em out young!

Actually what I wanted for her was the Chipmunk Target Model (TM) but could find one to save my life.

 

[Molon Labe]

I bought my 8 y.o. daughter a Crickett w/ SS barrel and pink stock. It's a nice rifle.

 

[WinchesterAA]

thought about chipmunks?

http://www.roguerifle.com/Rifles.htm

Good rifles.

 

[deadeyedog270]

Bought the kids a Crichett over the weekend the thing is smaller than there bbguns, I hope they like it seeming how they like to shoot my marlin but can not even hold the thing then again the bbguns are to big for them to

 

[oldfool]

We have both a Chipmunk and a Crickett
the Chipmunk by Rogue River Rifle is better made, fit and finish, but both are excellent "my 1st gun" choices
Crickett bought out left over Chipmunk inventory when Chipmunk stopped manufacture, hard to find

Both easily hold 1" at 25 yards
not intended to be a 12 year old's target rifle, you, know
good safe little intro guns, classic single shot bolt action
factory peeps not worth much, but had zero issues mounting 1" tube red dots on both, which I think is best beginner sight for real li'l folk introduction anyway, they can learn others later

We have others for them as they grow taller; expect only 2 years, maybe 3, before they are ready for other, but that's what these things are for
size matters, simplicity matters, learning safety while enjoying the experience matters; don't push them to outgrow the gun's capabilities, just let them grow into others

 

[shagmcnasty]

Bought my kids a chipmunk and a cricket at the same time when they were 5 and 6. Both were horrible,poor fit and finish,extraction problems,stiff rough trigger. Within a month they both got Henry youth lever actions.

 

[Rokman]

My six year old son and I looked at one Saturday at Academy and I am thinking about getting him one. I started out on a little .22 similar to that and put a ton of bullets through it.

 

[lions]

I have a Savage Cub to give to my daughter when she is big enough, till then I'm having fun with it. It has rear peep sights and the accutrigger. Great little gun, I can't wait till my little girl can shoulder it. Don't forget to check this gun out while you're on the hunt.

 

[Sam1911]

I have a Savage Cub to give to my daughter when she is big enough, till then I'm having fun with it. It has rear peep sights and the accutrigger. Great little gun, I can't wait till my little girl can shoulder it. Don't forget to check this gun out while you're on the hunt.

That's a big 10-4! I looked at all the high-quality sub-micro .22 rifles (Savage, Henry, Marlin, CZ) and looked at the Crickett, too. Finally decided on a Savage Cub-T.

That little rifle is a BLAST! I shoot it more than the kids. It's my go-to rifle for groundhogs in the yard.

Really good choice!

 

[jon_in_wv]

I was going to get a Cricket for my 8 year old daughter but I happened across the Savage Cub. It is a vastly superior rifle for only a few bucks more (20 bucks in my area). It cocks like a normal rifle and has the accutrigger. I believe the shorter stock can even be traded out for a full sized stock later so she can grow into it too. Its a little heavier so the cricket would be better for shooting offhand for a smaller child. Other than the weight I'm at a loss why people buy the crickets when the Savage Cub is available. My daughter loves to brag that she shoots better than Daddy with her 22lr. She might be right too.

 

[jon_in_wv]

Here is a cigarette my daughter was shooting at 25 yards. We ran out of the ammo she was shooting and the rest of the ammo had a slightly different POI. She adjusted her POA all by herself and hit it with every shot after that. Her Cub is just as accurate as my larger Savage 22lr. The Cub also takes all the accessories available for the larger 22s.

 

[cwbjaxfl]

my son has a cricket, and its an accurate little gun.