DONNYFL SHROUD REVIEW .25 CAL VERSION **PIC HEAVY**

Ok – well we got out a bit early for work today. Not a bad call from our office admin – but I work from home mostly anyway. Around 3PM the UPS guy shows up and I get a package. I’m thinking awesome the shroud came today and I’ll be able to play with my Cricket a bit this afternoon. ( Uncle Hoot :hoot: get yer mind out of the gutter). 😛

Wel the package that arrived was not what I was expecting for a shroud, it was shorter and boxy. I was expecting something a bit longer. Oh well when I opened it up it was a Centerpoint 6x16x40 I sent back to Crossman due to it not being right. It wouldn’t zero or keep a sighting past 30 yards on my Stoeger X20S, but that’s another story.

Well while I was fiddling with the scope rings with the Stoeger and trying to remember where I put things, I decided to check my stoop for any more presents front the UPS man today. Sure enough the shroud packaging was at my door. Yaaay!!! – my neighborhood, to give you some feedback, is a bit safer than most. We can leave things even large packages at the door – just don’t leave them overnight- a neighbor might see it and take it home to bring it to you personally the next day. Kinds souls but also nosey. 😎

Well I finished up with the Stoeger in zeroing it in – I think I might have barrel droop on that gun and need to look at it a bit more, but I was more interested in getting my Cricket shroud dialed in and testing.

The packaging was very well done. Here is a shot of the boxing before and after:

Before:

After:

The fit and finish on the shroud was nicely done – truly amazing work Donny!!! :biggrinn:

So a few before pictures for you:

Taking off the shroud to add some blue tape – I though this was a cool shot:

Blue tape added:
Note you do not need the middle piece of your shroud taped – I thought I would be more conservative in adding another mid layer. It is really not needed. Also note that the shroud is not back completely on the barrel – this will cause an issue which I corrected later. I got lazy that’s all there is too it and excited to test this new puppy out!

Here is the final – er “partial” final results with the new shroud on – even at this length I was very happy with the fit, look and finish- also note the original shroud is not back on all the way:

Excuse the yard – I have a ton of work to do over the holiday! 😳

In my haste to get the Donny shroud on, I got a little careless 😯 – take your time and ease it on slowly – there is no rush! I’ll touch this up if I ever take it off again 🙂 :

OK now for the actual review – this thing is QUIET!!! – My Stoeger is louder than this and it’s a suppressed .22 caliber. Initially, as you saw earlier the main shroud was not completely on the barrel, it was still loud as hell and was clipping. I was thinking WTF just happened. I can’t even hit the side of a barn. I was previously tagging a Tecate can bottom at about 30 yards away and I was missing, badly. This never happened before and had me thinking I screwed up my barrel taking the manufactured shroud off and putting it back on. When I looked at the Donny shroud the tip was gone and the body had moved halfway up the original barrel. So I’m now thinking WTF – did I not put this on right?

So taking my time I took the new shroud off and aimed at the same can bottom and shot a few rounds. It was still missing and by a wide margin. So backtracking and by process of elimination I figured the manufactured shroud was not completely on the barrel as my photo’s show. I screwed it on a bit more and backed it off a bit after it seated and gently turned it back to just seat it. I shot a few more and she was back on point. Whew – dammit – my hastiness causing drama. Did I tell you how I hate rushing at things because you always end up doing it twice. Jeeze! 😳

I collected the Donny shroud pushed the tip back on and checked it out – nothing wrong with this except for me clipping the original barrel shroud. When the pellet clipped it tagged a bit of the guts of the Donny shroud, hence pulling it up off the barrel a bit causing all kinds of hell. Earlier I had backed my HST out to shoot below 800fps to quiet the Cricket down. I really do not need my neighbors wondering if WWIII had started in my backyard. Now I cranked it up as far as I could get it in there without seating the screw. I figured if I’m going to test this I need to do it a max power.

I took a few shots and the Donny shroud did move up a bit – I figure it is the air blast as the pellet comes out at damn near 1000fps. So my next few shots I kept my finger on it to see if it would come out – nope – nada nothing – and the sweet thing of it all the shots were, QUIET!!! You’d a thunk a mouse farted. 😯 . I only heard the hammer slap – I mean really – I thought it broke or a pellet jammed or something didn’t go right but no, it hit what I aimed at and was QUIET very quiet spooky even. :suprisedn:

So with my confidence up I went for a shot I usually don’t do in my backyard, a 65 yard “hit the little T in the eagle at the back of the fence shot on the beer can”. Actually I did it a few times. No cops, no neighbors peeking out, no varmits running scared.. Yeah my backyard is damn near a zoo, we get crows, parrots, squirrels, hawks, hummingbirds, I like them they are so cool, lizards, Bobcats, Skunks, Racoons – the little thieves, Possums, Deer (Mule deer) – they are so dumb, and an occasional black bear cooling of in someone pool every year, and an very rare mountain lion/cougar depending on where you are from, hey something is eating those deer?

The shot was good – a bit high and left – I was a little shaky but still got it – the second shot was for the A in Tecate, I was a bit high still! 🙄 But not bad for 65 yards, bench resting with a Monkey Bag in the heat of the day before the 4th of July:

My 30 yard target area (Excuse the horrible pic- – that beer can is at the bottom of the target – I’ve buried that puppy with lead:

My 65 yard shot area at X10, I really am liking this SR reticle, if I could start from the street it would be 100 yards easy – but I do not need any drama:

My ghetto benchrest setup – hey – gotta start somewhere:

My Cricket with her first mod – she’s got her own case and er’thing – the Plano box is a godsend all my stuff for all the air guns in one place. I just have to dig a bit to find things. I need another. Stuff starts growing out of control before you know it: 😯

Well once again I truly thank Donnyfl for all his time, hard work, effort and skill in getting this shroud to be an economical, working, and effective silencer. It is truly very very effective and not a major hit on your pocketbook. Shucks I’ve spent more on oil changes and I see them going up in the near future. I’ll try to get some crony numbers out soon – I’m looking to tune for more power – the Bobcats and Racoons are getting too brave around here. I’ll run from a bear tho.. 😯 :smilen:

So in review – this mod rocks – :8: If you have a .25 cal – go fer – take your time – and do it right – also did I say it was QUIET!!!! :suprisedn: Well it is!!! 😀

Thanks again for a great piece of work Donny!!!!

CJLomax