The Crickett .22 Rifle might be the perfect Christmas gift for the new shooter in your family. The Crickett rifle is a solid choice for a first rifle for children. It offers good looks, simple controls and a single shot set up that will naturally slow the firing pace of younger shooters, who are generally burn threw ammunition at an amazing rate. While this rifle has been on the market for a long time as the Chipmunk and other models, it wasn’t until 1996 that Keystone Sporting Arms of Milton, Pennsylvania purchased the design rights and names from the original manufacturer. KSA quickly established a customer base and began to expand their offerings in what use to be a plain little plinker style rifle. As of this article KSA actually produces ten different variants of the Crickett rifle in a variety of colors and even a few with thumb hole style stocks.
Many times when we teach new shooters, in particular kids, we are worried about rifles being too long or overly complicated for beginners. Often times kids are taught to shoot on rifles that are too big for them and the idea of taking a saw and cutting down the stock of a $300 rifle can be frustrating. This presents a problem when you are trying to introduce a child to shooting on a budget, not only have you purchased a $300 rifle, but now you know you will have to eventually get a new stock for that rifle. The Crickett solves that problem and does it while leaving more money left over in your pocket. Combine the compact stock size, light weight, built in safety features and a MSRP of under $120.00 you can see the allure. Lets take a quick look at some of the available options and combinations for the Crickett, there is a pattern to suit almost everyones needs.
SPECIFICATIONS
Name: Crickett Rifle
Calibers Available: .22LR , .22 WMR
Overall Length: 30 1/2″
Barrel Length: 16 1/8″
Length of Pull: 12″
Barrel Diameter: 1/2″
Weight: 3 lbs
Trigger Pull: 2 1/2 – 3 Lbs
Action Type: Manual cocking single shot bolt action with nickel coated bolt
Available Colors: Both in Traditional and Thumb Hole
- Muddy Girl (Purple/Black)
- Mossy Oak Pink
- Mossy Oak Duck Blind
- Mossy Oak Break Up
- Pink
- Desert Tan
- Black
- Blue Laminate
- Pink Laminate
- Purple Laminate
- Orange/Black Laminate
- Red/White/Blue Laminate
- Camo Laminate
- Brown Laminate
- Black Laminate
- Walnut
If you are looking at the perfect Christmas gift for the new shooter in your family you really can’t go wrong with the Crickett. Its built here in the United States by a company that has taken a traditionally boring little single shot plinker and turned it into something fit for the 21st Century. Starting at an MSRP of $120.00 for the Synthetic base model is a no loose proposition. Is it as nice as a Ruger 10/22 or a CZ 455 ?, no it’s not, but then again its a 1/3rd the price and you can let the kids use it, drop it and abuse it without thinking of the pain of your poor wallet. It’s also the perfect price for people on a very tight budget, and that makes me happy to know that someone out there will be able to buy their son or daughter their first rifle and not go broke doing it. In fact a new Crickett will most likely cost you less than a used Rugger 10/22 and that’s impressive.
The Crickett can be found at any of the usual big box style sporting goods stores like Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop, but if it was up to me I would shop locally at a mom and pop owned gun shop first. I find that shopping smaller and locally owned shops helps in the long run by building a good relationship with the staff. This can pay dividends down the road when they seem to find “The Gun” that you have been searching for and couldn’t find. This has actually happened to me several times over the years.
We hope you have enjoyed our series of Christmas gift ideas for the shooters in your lives. If there is something out there this holiday season that has caught you eye or are curious about, just drop us a line in the comments section below and tell us about it.
Rick
All Images Courtesy: Crickett.com
