Had a (rare) calm evening a few days back, mostly dead calm with the occasional very light breeze for a second or two. Good time to wring out my new Cricket Carbine in .22 from the bench. Had my little buddy there to help, but she refused to load mags for me. Mumbled something about lacking opposable thumbs, but I think she was just being obstinate. Cats will do that.
It has a small but noticeable preference for 15.89 over 18.13 grain. A bit surprised given it's running ~940 fps with the lighter pills, but really shouldn't have been- looked back at the test target Charlie Frear supplied with it, & they did well on that too. But the 18.13 did well too, doesn't look to be pellet picky.
Set things up at 50 yards to shoot a few groups before the sun got too low:
On a great run right now, the last two air rifles I've bought (the other a Daystate Revere) can really lay them in there. They're the two most accurate airguns out of the 14 I've owned.
Tweaked the adjustable buttpad & cheek piece this morning, & having a great fit makes it a real joy to shoot offhand. Here's 50 shots from 27 yards:
Started a chronograph string a while back, but ran out of daylight before I could finish. Got through 5 mags (70 shots) before light was too low for the chrony to read, from a 255-ish bar fill. If time permits, will try to get a full string from 250 bar tomorrow. Think it was pretty close to going off the regulator, but my OCD compels me to do it again until I see a definitive drop off. In any case, think it's pretty darn impressive for a ~33 fpe rifle with a modest air reservoir.
Trigger is excellent; ~10 oz, crisp, predictable, & repeatable.
Very quiet! What surprised me most about the rifle, in a good way. Was confident it'd be backyard friendly, but didn't expect it to be this soft. The moderator Kalibrgun supplies with the rifle is clearly doing a great job- has one heckuva bark without it! Had to try one shot without it just for grins.
Fit & finish of all metal work is excellent. It's good on the wood stock, a notch below the fit & finish of my Revere stock, but certainly satisfactory. Daystate sets a high bar in that area!
Magazines are working great, not a single problem through a couple of tins. Know the mag loading method is much maligned, but got used to it very quickly. That said, I agree with those who have said the common side plate modification (adding a slot to hold the lever back while inserting the mag) should be done by the factory to begin with. Can do a mag change with one hand, but no denying it'd be easier with the modified site plate.
The only other nit to pick with it is the safety. It works, but isn't very tactile & can be pushed too far to either side if not worked deliberately. Always been of the opinion that the most important safety is the one between my ears... but it's only fair to point out the less than stellar features along with the great ones.
It has a small but noticeable preference for 15.89 over 18.13 grain. A bit surprised given it's running ~940 fps with the lighter pills, but really shouldn't have been- looked back at the test target Charlie Frear supplied with it, & they did well on that too. But the 18.13 did well too, doesn't look to be pellet picky.
Set things up at 50 yards to shoot a few groups before the sun got too low:
On a great run right now, the last two air rifles I've bought (the other a Daystate Revere) can really lay them in there. They're the two most accurate airguns out of the 14 I've owned.
Tweaked the adjustable buttpad & cheek piece this morning, & having a great fit makes it a real joy to shoot offhand. Here's 50 shots from 27 yards:
Started a chronograph string a while back, but ran out of daylight before I could finish. Got through 5 mags (70 shots) before light was too low for the chrony to read, from a 255-ish bar fill. If time permits, will try to get a full string from 250 bar tomorrow. Think it was pretty close to going off the regulator, but my OCD compels me to do it again until I see a definitive drop off. In any case, think it's pretty darn impressive for a ~33 fpe rifle with a modest air reservoir.
Trigger is excellent; ~10 oz, crisp, predictable, & repeatable.
Very quiet! What surprised me most about the rifle, in a good way. Was confident it'd be backyard friendly, but didn't expect it to be this soft. The moderator Kalibrgun supplies with the rifle is clearly doing a great job- has one heckuva bark without it! Had to try one shot without it just for grins.
Fit & finish of all metal work is excellent. It's good on the wood stock, a notch below the fit & finish of my Revere stock, but certainly satisfactory. Daystate sets a high bar in that area!
Magazines are working great, not a single problem through a couple of tins. Know the mag loading method is much maligned, but got used to it very quickly. That said, I agree with those who have said the common side plate modification (adding a slot to hold the lever back while inserting the mag) should be done by the factory to begin with. Can do a mag change with one hand, but no denying it'd be easier with the modified site plate.
The only other nit to pick with it is the safety. It works, but isn't very tactile & can be pushed too far to either side if not worked deliberately. Always been of the opinion that the most important safety is the one between my ears... but it's only fair to point out the less than stellar features along with the great ones.
