OT - Crickett Rifle Info

[86er]

Two noteworthy things I found out about the Crickett rifle.

1) The lock and the take-down screw (for the stock to action) require special keys that are $5 each respectively. Crickett will not send a replacement key and the dealer will not open the lock for you as per the "policy". You can buy one without the lock but the take-down screw is the same on all models.

2) Crickett rifles are NOT for 22LR ammo! My correspondence regarding the CCI Stingers not fitting in the chamber referred me to the instruction manual and web site. They each state: Q. What kind of ammo can be used for the Crickett Rifles?
A. LONGS & SHORTS. Longs are preferred. NOTE: The Crickett Rifle is not designed to shoot any other size of ammo. I asked why the barrell said .22 LR SS. I was told .22 is the caliber, LR is the model designation (Light Rifle) and SS is the model variation (Stainless Steel - or Single Shot). Be aware of this if you are thinking about purchasing one for X-Mas or otherwise.

[Old Ironsights]

That's why I bought a Henry Mini-Bolt for my Nieces & Nephews to use.

No key, bolt does not cock the gun, single shot only, works with any ammo.

Also makes a great airgun replacement with .22 Colibris...

[C. Cash]

Geeze, seems like some companies try to ensure the failure of their own product. LR=Light Rifle, really?? That's just dangerous. These are the types of problems you would expect to see in a Soviet bloc country or something.

[awp101]

I can understand no Stingers (IIRC they are 1/10" longer than a "regular" .22LR) but using a "LR" designation on a .22 rifle is just silly IMO. Many of these rifles are probably bought by new shooters for their children and won't know LR doesn't automatically mean .22 Long Rifle.

Yes, reading the manual will solve that but who reads manuals anymore? Like 99.9% of us, I wouldn't have read it either until I had a problem.

And when was the last time you saw .22 Long ammo for less than an arm and a leg?

[Scott Young]

the one we used for coon hunting a few years ago shot 22 lr. Sold it and bought one that shot 22 mag. I gave it to a buddy as a gift who just fell in love with it.

[Rusty]

I'll bet you could run a .22 Mag reamer into it and have a jam up piece.

Some JB weld on that security lock would fix that as well.

[earlmck]

Ouch! Thanks for bringing that little detail to light, Joe. We got one of these (pink stock was the attraction) for the granddaughter about 4 years ago. She shot the bejeesus out of it for a couple of years, all with 22 long rifle. I wonder if those from a few years ago were OK with the regular ammo, or we were just blissfully ignorant. I wonder if we can find the manual...

Not a big issue at the moment because the girl went on to "discover" boys and can't even remember ever enjoying going out in the hills with brothers and dads and granddads with a gun. But... we have quite a batch of younger ones coming along who would be "cricket" material. Maybe I'll look for a different rifle for them.

[86er]

FWIW - ours works with SOME LR ammo but not all. The instructions and website say LONG and SHORT. Ridiculous.....

[Dave]

A friend has a Crickett and he locked it and lost the key. I ordered two. Kept one and gave him one. I can't remember if I had to pay for them or not. I know he has shot nothing but long rifles out of that gun. His son has outgrown it so now it just sits. Crickett could not have put the lock in a worse place for accidentally turning it on that's for sure. It is mystifying the guns are not chambered LR and are confusingly marked.

[JReed]

The lock does suck. My boys had a range trip ruined because they had accidentally pushed it. I had never bothered to look in the manual in regards to ammo I just took the barrel stamp for what it said and it has only had 22lr shot threw it.

[Old Ironsights]

Worst thing about that stupid lock is how easy it is to accidentally engage it. They put the stupid thing right where you set the forearm on a sandbag... which ALWAYS engages the lock.

Dumb, dumb, dumb... unless you are making your money selling Keys...

[azzhandler]

I use a cricket to coon hunt and for nephews learning , and it shoots every LR ive ever tried in it < mostly bulk ammo > the lock is simple to remove, and I filled the hole with a cut off 45-70 case, with that said if anyone needs a key I still have 1, if I can find it, < which should be no problem >

James azzhandler@aol.com

[J Miller]

FWIW - ours works with SOME LR ammo but not all. The instructions and website say LONG and SHORT. Ridiculous.....

Running a Long Rifle chambering reamer through it should fix that.


I agree about the lock, it would go away, most quickly.

Joe

[86er]

We set out to rabbit hunt at dusk this day so I needed two rifles for the boys. A Flex-Hone bit did the job of removing the locking stud where it blocks the bolt. It is still locked but it doesn't do anything. In fact, the bolt is smoother than ever. Apparently it was barely touching even when the lock was disengaged. No more lock. I wouldnt give Keystone the $5 for the keys and I couldn't wait. I tried Remington Lightning, Federal Hi-Power Classic and Federal bulk 36 gr LR's and all worked. The Eley Super Match and CCI Stinger will not go in enough to let the bolt close. The CCI Target will go in but the bolt is very hard to shove that last 1/10th. I have looked at the Crickett web-site at least 3 times because I still cannot get over the fact that is says LONG and SHORT, no other ammo is suitable.

[Scott Young]

I looked and it clearly states short, long, and long rifle. http://www.crickett.com/crickett_rifle_specs.php

Interesting that they don't have their information the same on all their pages. Seems they need to proof read their sight.

[86er]

Exactly Scott - look here: http://www.crickett.com/crickett_faqs.php LONGS and SHORTS

[awp101]

The more I think about the Long/LR issue, I wonder if some of the website was written by someone that doesn't understand (or know about) the difference between the Long and LR? Maybe a techie instead of a shooter?

It just doesn't make sense to me for a manufacturer to specify the Long when it's been hanging on for dear life for decades due to the popularity and much lower cost of the LR.

[86er]

They still have no explanation as to why the CCI Stinger and a few other brands don't fit. They fit in just about every other 22LR there is....
At least it's working now and the boys can shoot Federal ammo that I "Accurizer" with Paco's tool.

[awp101]

I've seen a number of aftermarket barrels that do not take Stingers due to the extra 1/10" of length. Perhaps the chamber on that Crickett was cut a bit tight? I used to have an old Soviet CM2 that wouldn't take 2/3 of the Russian manufactured ammo I bought for it.

Not defending them by any means but it sounds to me like the chamber is on the tight side. How's it feed the bulk pack ammo? Usually if a .22 will take all of that stuff, it'll eat Eley and CCI and ask for more...

[86er]

It's a quality rifle and we like it. It's not even ours, Piller has graciously loaned it to us. It is very accurate. The lock was a pain but is gone now. The lack of Stingers and some others won't stop us from using it. We only wanted to use the Stingers for the antelope hunt and it was disappointing that they didn't fit. Really, there's no other reason we "need" to shoot Stingers. I just thought I'd point out the bizarre conflicting info on the web site and in the correspondence I had with the company.