EDgun Matador R3 versus Kalibr Cricket, my comparison….
Hi guys,
Warning for those who don’t like images:
This is going to be a thread with lots of graphics….. 😉
As promised, I’ll try to share with you my personal opinion and findings while comparing these beauties:
As some of you may know, I have two Matador Std R3s and I have one Cricket (with access to another one). All are cal.22……
My wait for my Matadors should be well documented on this very forum…..
The Crickets were a part of a group buy masterminded from Europe somewhere. The Crickets were shipped in parts to Norway and reassembled by my good blueprinting friend Egon Olsen. In the process he had to remove a “restrictor” screw that had been put into the guns before shipment. Most probably because of Power limitation rules at origin….
The Crickets arrived with no documents whatsoever. No instructions, – no nothing. I don’t think this is standard procedure though…..
The Cricket weighs less than the R3, – and is approx 5 cm shorter. Not a lot, – but overall it makes the Cricket even easier to handle than the already tiny R3….
The side by side comparison was done from my modest little shooting table at my summerhouse:
– and the shooting range is here, – with my target set up at 46mts:
Why 46 mts ? Simply because I could not pull my shooting stand further back right now. A huge tree has fallen during winter, and all the branches have taken up my space… 👿
First problem: How to fill the f…. Cricket ?
The fillprobe nut is so tiny that a standard foster coupling gasket will not seal. The entire probe is small, – and you fear you may break it while trying to tighten it:
The above (sorry for the image quality) is a comparison between ED’s, Cricket’s and Falcon’s fill probes. You can probably see what I mean….
As I could not make a standard Fostergasket fit, Egon had to make special gaskets that we fitted into the Foster coupling itself. Not an ideal solution, – and I have no clue how long it will last…….. 🙄
On the fill probe: Matador 1, Cricket 0 points.
Air filling:
I honestly dont like any of the solutions that these two manufacturers have chosen………..
The Cricket people have come up with the worst. To expose the hole for the fillprobe, – you have to slide forward the tip of the reservoir. But that stupid tip is retained by a spring, – and slides back with a smack once you let go:
If you’re not careful when taking the fillprobe back out, the tip will spring back and ruin the fill probe O-rings faster than I can say my name….
While filling, the “tip” rests on the previously mentioned small nut. And there’s not a lot clearance. So a bigger nut (for those with lathe skills), – is not going to help you much. A thicker nut might…….
In short: A very stupid filling system, – BUT once you know how to operate it and care is taken, – at least it covers the hole when filling is over.
The Matador does not come with anything to cover the filling hole at all:
I use tape right now, – but a plug of some sort would be good….. 😉
My preferred system would be that of Falcon:
The tip of the reservoir has been turned into a curled “collar” that you rotate to expose the hole. Simple, easy and effective. And few moving parts that may break or go astray……….
Now, I have no idea how much air I can fill into the Cricket, – and the gun gauge certainly does not help much:
I trust the gauge on my fillkit, – and 3000 psi is roughly on the border between green and yellow…….
Points for airfill procedure: Matador 1, Cricket 0. In my opinion….. 😉
Cheers from Trygve 😀
To be continued……….. 😀
(if you so desire…… 😳 )
All Replies
My Dear senile friend Hoot:
While “Cricketitis Verbalis” certainly may be seen as a sideorder/suborder of the better known “Killersyndrom” (English for “Edgunitis Matadoralis”, – “matador” is Spanish for “killer”) within the “Airgunitis” family of diseases, – it may not be advisable to reveal too many of the symptoms on this very forum. Our huge international audience of followers may not understand. I fully appreciate that “Cricketitis Verbalis” involves verbal masturbation and oratorical somersaults, – but sometimes the outpour is difficult to digest simply because the vocabulary involved may contain words of multiple meanings or appear unknown to some…….. 😉
The “Cricket” for instance (as in insect) may not be known in all corners of the world, – so here is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
Common black cricket
(Gryllus assimilis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Superfamily: Grylloidea
Family: Gryllidae
BolÃvar, 1878
Subfamilies
See Taxonomy section
Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as “true crickets”), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (family Tettigoniidae). They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets. They tend to be nocturnal[1] and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs. Crickets are harmless to humans.
Kindly note the last sentence………. 😉
Another common understanding of the word is that of “Cricket” as in sport (at least some claim it is), – known to be among the most boring events humans can watch. Still it keeps millions of people within the former British Commonwealth away from their usual business when big events occur….. 😥
And then there’s the “Cricket” as in airguns……..
Which to the majority of readers is part of the subject for this thread (I hope……. 😳 )
Which again brings me back to topic………..
My “Russian friend” came up with this yesterday:
Kindly note that he suggests that the Cricket people may be opening up in the country where JSB pellets are being produced (- and exported world wide). That should be good news for some I suppose….
Among his pictures, – one in particular caught my eye:
A Cricket with a synth stock and a built in “reservoir” that holds 4 spare mags…..!!
That’s (5×14) 70 shots all together. Enough for most good days out I would think…… 😀
If ED so desires, – he could himself force upon these people the “Insectiside” you mention. But then a multishot R3 is a must……. 😉
Otherwise he may run the risk of having the CZ-produced “Insects” swarming his international fields and destroying his crop…..
My thinking only…………. 😀
Your humble servant Trygve 😀
(which begs to apologize to the rest of the community…. 😳 )
I would be more happy with a “click like” trigger first. I wont say no to a repeater but it isn’t too important for me.
Not to worry Hoot got the Kricket (cricket=bug=insecticide) reference
As to the R3 HSP looks like a one time possible thread prob. maybe
crossed? Why Ed won`t make a repeater when my $300 P-rod has one
that functions perfectly.Maybe its the belief like the Persian rug makers
who intentionally put one bad stitch in because only God can make
something perfect 🙄 Who knows but Ed?Is only 99% happy with
prototypes?It doesn`t bother me but the guns a natural hunter and not
having option doesn`t make sense.
Zocolo,thanks for the photos and review,hopefully you`ll still be able to
shoot some benchrest with foot injury. Thanks,mark
Greetings from the dismal and bleak woods of Arkansas…..
Human Beings destroying themselves = Suicide
Insects (Crickets) destroying themselves = Insecticide
This is a play on words which implies if Cricket does not make it’s product more widely available, the company could be committing business suicide in the long term.
The Russian market is big. The world market is bigger. But, the Russian government is all about control of everything, and not about the welfare of it’s citizens, or their prosperity.
You mentioned I should buy a Cricket .25, but how? Where? I can’t even get an Edgun! I’ve contacted a European dealer who has obtained some Crickets in the past, asked how to purchase one from him, but he won’t even answer my emails.
So, back on topic….I would like to see if the .25 Cricket has addressed any of the fairly minor design flaws you have carefully brought to light in the .22 version.
Further, I would like to understand Ed’s reasoning on not producing a repeating pcp to compete with rifles offering this feature at the same, or lower, price as his single shot.
Both fine pcp rifles. But world input can make them better, which doesn’t mean much if you can’t obtain one.
Regards,
Simple minded, but frustrated…
‘Ol Uncle H 😯 😯 T
A brief note on hammersprings:
It appears that her Ladyship the Cricket may have a weaker hammerspring than the R3. More suprisingly there does not seem to be a hammerspring guide inside it. If you study this video carefully:
– and keep an eye on the hsp, – you’ll see it “curls” quite badly when you cock the gun.
This will inevitably break in the end or if not, – at least be subject to deformation. Also I see a potential for uneven strings.
Needless to say I don’t fancy this much. It appears I’m not the only one.
“Upgrades” seem to be avialable. Made of metal and with a built in guide:
Photo courtesy of my Russian friend who was quoted above.
The original adjusting knob is said to be made of plastic. I have not taken it out to inspect. In my opinion the metal adjuster should have been there from the very beginning…. 😥
I’m wondering if a stronger hsp may help up the power. That said it’s probably not a good idea to try…….. 😉
The R3 has a metal adjuster with a guide inside the hsp. It looks rock solid, – but may not be perfect after all….
Our friend Tom from Colorado posted these on Yellow a short while back:
It appears the R3 hsp-guide has been threaded into the lump that links it to the hammer. In his case, the threads were damaged somehow, and it all came apart… 😯
I thought the hsp-guide and hammerlink were made in one piece. I am doubtful about the chosen solution. This part of the gun takes some serious beating every time you fire a shot……
We’ll see as we progress……… 😉
Cheers from Trygve who just broke his right foot big toe and is now stuck with foot up…. 🙄
That would be an interesting piece to take apart and investigate. I wonder if it’s sturdier than than the .22 caliber?
Further, if Cricket goes out of business because they don’t export their guns, thereby deliberately destroying their potential income….would that technically be committing “Insecticide”?
Just a few rambling thoughts…
Regards,
H 😯 😯 T
Dear Friend Hoot,
Why don’t you buy one and find out ? 😉
As for “insectiside”, – I’m not sure what you’re aiming at, – nor do I think anybody else does…..
Or is it just me ??? 😳
Btw if size matters, – and for those who have never seen a bullpup in real life, – this should give you an idea:
Lady Cricket next to one of my DS Huntsmen……
She is indeed tiny, – and the std R3 not much bigger….. 😀
While waiting for the noble senior Hooot to further elaborate,
Cheers from Trygve 😀
That would be an interesting piece to take apart and investigate. I wonder if it’s sturdier than than the .22 caliber?
Further, if Cricket goes out of business because they don’t export their guns, thereby deliberately destroying their potential income….would that technically be committing “Insecticide”?
Just a few rambling thoughts…
Regards,
H 😯 😯 T
Some information has started to filter through on the Russian site….
They do have problems of their own when it comes to AirGun manufacture and marketing…..
One of the guys came up with this, – which I think illustrates nicely:
ED has confirmed this previously, and it is true the labelling on the Cricket speaks for itself:
Apparently also the colorful Cricket gun gauge has it’s natural explanation…. 😉
But my guess was right. Thanks to the same friendly source, here’s an X-ray of the gauge showing the pressure behind the colorcoding:
Hopefully more information will be made available as time passes…
That said, I must admit the Lady Cricket is easy to fall in love with… 😳 She handles very well and the mag solutuion seems to work beautifully. We’ve gone through a few tins of pellets now and got to know each other a little better….
And I’m so far not able to see any significant difference in groups between her and the R3…… 😀
We’re still shooting at some 50 yds though:
My target is the orange thing on my dock, – a salad of Cadwell shooting spots stuck on a piece of cardboard attached to my pellet trap…..
Cheers 😀
PS: And Hoot, – I agree fully……
Ed has to come up with a mag solution for the R3……… 😉
The Kalibr Cricket now comes in an 80 joule .25 caliber.
That would be an interesting piece to take apart and investigate. I wonder if it’s sturdier than than the .22 caliber?
Further, if Cricket goes out of business because they don’t export their guns, thereby deliberately destroying their potential income….would that technically be “Insecticide”?
Just a few rambling thoughts…
Regards,
H 😯 😯 T
How did you repair the scored inner breach?
I didn’t……. 😳
Haven’t had the time yet……..
Nor the tools for that matter.
I just put some white lithium grease on it for now hoping that may be ED would think of it as appropriate to offer me a new bolt assembly one of these days… 😉
zocoloco,
Ive been following this interesting tread of yours, and I cant seem to find the part when you sorted out the Breach/handle???
How did you repair the scored inner breach?
Sorry if I missed that part.
Brgds
Jack
As there seems to be very few comments here from other users of the Cricket, – I have put a link up on the Russian forum. The idea being to get some more input from others in the know……
Back to my little paradise in the morning for another week of fun…… 😉
Life isn’t all that bad after all………. 😀
Thanks….!! 😀
For me this is paradise, – but only as long as weather is good. It’s a short 1,5 hrs drive from my Oslo-base. Actually situated on an island, – so I have to swim across from nearest mainland if my boat is not there….. 😉
I have a small permanent FT-setup/range where I can practise and off-season there is nobody around………
Mid summer is a totally different ballgame though……… 🙄
Cheers from Trygve in Oslo (plus 6 in the morning still…… 😥 )
Its a great looking shooting place you got there zocoloco!
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For those with knowledge of the noble Russian language:
http://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/30/977165.html
It was posted on April 12 this year by the Kalibr boss Maverick. Googles has translated the first paragraph for me:
“It’s time to talk and share information that will be of interest to all concerned in the development of pneuma as ours, and on the world market as a whole. No one noticed that there was a change in the name of the company’s KalibrGun. We have opened a factory in Europe, which will be our new history.”
This could be good news for some…….. 😉