Donnyfl shroud & LDC review

Hey all,

I just wanted to give my review of the carbon fiber shroud and LDC that I received from Donny this week, especially for those of you who are looking for an aftermarket one to quieten your Cricket further. Just recently, my .22 Cricket Standard’s OEM shroud began clipping the pellets. I wasn’t surprised, though, as at least on the .22 version the holes on the baffles and endcap are only a millimeter bigger than the pellet, thus leaving a very narrow margin for error, as Donny also agreed. The pellets were leaving streaks on three of the baffles on my OEM shroud. Not good. So, I went shroud shopping and contacted Donny’s competitor first, and for the purpose of this review, shall remain nameless. He does not do phone calls but communicates via email. I asked him if he would be able to refund my money if it turned out his shroud could not resolve the issue, and he stated that he couldn’t. To me, that’s a big inconvenience and would be a waste of money for something that would basically become a Christmas tree ornament or something a porn star could use in the off-season. This person even told me that he can’t modify OEM shrouds (such as reaming the baffles and endcap). So, a PM to Donny was in order.

After a few PM exchanges, Donny called me and we talked about his shroud and LDC. He was nice enough to offer to send me one of his older shrouds and LDC to test out, and that if I didn’t like them, or if they didn’t eliminate my pellet-clipping issue, I’d simply mail them back to him. In the end, we both agreed that he just make me new ones for me to test. I don’t know too many people who would do such a thing or are kind enough to send merchandise without prepayment first. Donny, however, is one of those people, and I should also mention that it was a pleasure talking to him on the phone. Before we got off, he said that he was going to start making both items (it was on a Saturday) and will mail them on Monday.

Donny did as he promised, and on Wednesday of this week I received the items. Upon opening the packaging, I was blown away by their quality and craftsmanship. They looked really exotic in all their carbon fiber goodness. The holes on the baffles and exit hole on the shroud and LDC are also slightly larger than the stock shroud’s. Both are machined very nicely and look like something produced by a large-scale manufacturing company.

The shroud comes with two nylon-tipped grub screws so that when mounted properly the screws are on its left and right side. Donny also included a threaded adapter/endcap for use with the LDC. Installing the shroud was easily done. Donny obviously wanted to ensure that the screws don’t mar the finish of the barrel, thus the nylon tips. Because of this, sometimes the shroud can move if an ample amount of twisting pressure is applied. When both screws are tightened with the appropriate torque, however, the shroud is as steady as any other. Just be careful not to overly tighten the screws as Donny warned that the carbon fiber could crack. Of course you can replace the nylon-tipped screws with conventional ones to make the shroud rock steady. If you do, though, you risk scratching the bluing of the barrel as well as putting indentations on it.

Okay, after marveling at the finish and craftsmanship of both pieces and the look they projected on my Cricket, I prayed that they would solve my problem. They were just too gorgeous to return! But then again what good would such aesthetic devices be if first, they don’t eliminate the clipping, and second, offer the sound-deadening capabilities I am after.

My first effort was to test the loudness (or silence, rather) of the shroud. My Cricket was initially set to 12 FPE. The sound emitted was slightly louder than the OEM shroud and had a distinctive sharp snap, at least to my ears. I attributed the louder-than-stock report to the four small vent holes on top of the shroud behind the first baffle. I didn’t get to test the sound with the holes covered though. But still, it significantly tames the bark the gun makes without a tube. It wasn’t until I screwed on the LDC that a big difference was detected. All of a sudden I began hearing what it sounds like when the hammer hits the valve on the gun. Also, the sound of the pellet hitting my target box (padded with old jeans) became greater than the “thwuck” sound coming from the muzzle. Amazing! After firing several more rounds, I set my Cricket to 25 FPE and still didn’t detect an increase in decibels, again to my ears at least. The LDC also has vent holes, and when covered, the muzzle report is even lower.

Marveling at the quietness the shroud together with the LDC produced, and with a big grin on my face, it was time to see if they would erase my pellet-clipping misfortune. Well, here’s what the groups looked like. The groups consist of 14 shots each at 27 yards.

And here are two groups I shot today at 27 yards. Each group consists of 36 shots each.

Obviously, the clipping issue was nonexistent, and I would’ve been a fool to return them after being impressed by their muzzle blast sound-reducing and accuracy-retaining features. Having passed the Spinj test, I PMd Donny to report that his shroud was all that and that he had snazzily fabricated a fine piece of airgunning delight that I’d be happy to purchase. From the email exchanges to talking on the phone, Donny is a great fellow to do business and even have a casual chat with. He is not one of those types who just care about getting paid; obviously so, since he wanted me to test both pieces before even paying him. It is a great thing to have him in the airgun community to produce quality products for airgun enthusiasts like me who don’t have the skills and equipment to do so. I would not hesitate to do business with him again in the future. Thanks Donny! :thumb: I am a happy camper!

Below are photos of the shroud and LDC on my Cricket.