CRICKET setup from SCRATCH

Hoot,

Are you sure about putting that moisture trap between the pump (Shoebox) and his scuba tank? It would have to be one of those expensive Joe Brancato filters that can handle the high pressure of up to 4200 psi.

I use a $65 desiccant filter between my shop compressor and the shoebox that can handle the 120psi.

I’d hate to blow up our new friend!!!

My son….

I’ve read your post and taken your burden upon myself to give you guidance and advice which will address your concerns.

Your choice in pellets is quite adequate. Be aware you can go to 21gr Barracudas, or Kodiaks, with no problem. Maximum fps would be 830-850 fps, 35 FPE.

The barrel from the factory should be cleaned out with a good solvent and bore snake. Later a brass brush may be needed to get lead residue from the rifling if the gun is used heavily. Suggested is a barrel cleaning every 300 to 500 shots. This is just a suggestion. Some shooters won’t clean for over 1000 shots, others never clean their barrel. It doesn’t take that long and why not ensure maximum accuracy by keeping your rifling clean and unleaded?

“Quiet” is a relative term. My Standard .22 Cricket is extremely quiet. All that I can hear is the hammer hitting the valve. However, you can relieve the maximum pressure going through the shroud by drilling six to eight evenly spaced holes about two inches above where the shroud attaches to the breech. The shroud is empty at that area. The holes should be no more than 1/16th to 1/8″ in diameter. Larger is not better. The holes do nothing to quiet the report. Instead they lower the internal pressure hitting the shroud’s baffles by reducing the air pressure inside the shroud after the rifle is fired. This lower pressure results in less muzzle report. Another means to reduce noise is to reduce your FPS for your 18gr pellets to no more than 880 FPS. You will need to have use of a chronometer to do this. They are inexpensive and very useful in this sport. Lowering the FPS from the OEM, which is generally greater than 900+ FPS, you reduce the air pressure inside the shroud and the baffles more effectively reduces the muzzle blast to near nothing. 880 FPS has been discussed many times here and is fairly well accepted as the best “Feet Per Second” for accuracy and maximum shot count.

Depending on what brand scope you have, there should be no problem in adjusting, by turret, to get on target at 10 meters, 33 feet, roughly 10 yards. If your scope mounts don’t allow this, you can place a folded piece of paper on the rear scope mount, with the scope resting on top of it, and this will give your scope enough “cant” to sight on close targets. Start with just a single fold, test, and add folds as needed. Again…I suggest use the turret adjustment first. DON’T force the turret knob to the very end of it’s range. Go slowly, you can feel it begin to tighten…that’s where you stop and go back a bit, and use the paper shim.

Do NOT use a petroleum based lubricant anywhere on the gun. Use a silicone, or other synthetic lube, for moving parts and O-rings. Speaking of O-rings, the factory rings are not of high quality, or hardness. What you want is a “90 Duro” quality O-ring set. There is a post on Cricket O-rings on this part of the forum. If you can’t find it, you can order a hard case of all Cricket O-rings from Ernest Rowe, aka Sniperlaybo on this forum. $40 shipped. When an O-ring goes bad, the gun won’t work, so keep at least a minimal replacement supply on hand for when one fails.

Don’t fill the Cricket to 300 BAR. 200 to 230 BAR is fine. That’s about 3200 to 3400 psi. Any fill above that level is a waste of air. The regulator doesn’t manage the high pressure efficiently and the additional shots you gain use more air than they are worth.

Be certain to place an efficient moisture trap in line between your pump and scuba tank. This trap should use a desiccant, moisture absorbing material, and is very highly recommended. The desiccant can be “recharged” by drying it in an oven on low heat. It simply drys out the moisture. You know when it needs to be changed because it changes color from white to blue.

I’d leave the regulator alone at this time. Gain experience before you get that deep into the gun. The regulator is set just fine for what it’s intended to do. The small black plug at the back of the breech can be turned with a pair of needle nose pliers, which compresses/releases the hammer spring tension, and allows FPS to be adjusted up or down by a few hundred FPS. Better to do that than try to adjust the regulator. You can purchase a very nice Hammer Spring Adjustment after-market replacement from Airguns of Arizona. It has a knurled end that allows you to adjust the HST by hand, and it looks nice.

The jury is out on whether to lube your pellets or not. I have, and I have not. Never could tell any real difference. Just be certain NOT to use a petroleum based lube if you do. This can diesel under the pressure of a shot and bad things can happen…blow out an O-ring most likely, perhaps damage the baffles in the shroud. Just stay away from combustible lubes!

Well, my boy, it’s late and I’m out of thoughts tonight. Go slow with this hobby. Read as many posts as you can. This is probably the best bullpup information site in the world.

Regards,

Kindly ‘Ol Uncle Hoot:

PS: Go to Youtube.com and search on “Ernest Rowe”. He has several videos on the Cricket, and he is beyond good in his knowledge of how to adjust this bullpup. Much to be seen and learned there. Beware any other videos on “how to” for the Cricket from other posters. Some of those mutts couldn’t tie their shoes, or dial a phone, without adult assistance.