.22 Cricket Carbine Vs. .22 Marauder (Marmot barrel) at 48 yrds

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NMshooter

NMshooter

Member
Apr 1, 2015
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Missouri, United States
After all the mods I did on my Marauder I wanted to really see if it shot as well as my Cricket. So I have been competing these two rifles for the last several weekends. Two weeks ago the Marauder won out with this 5 shot groupings. I actually stacked the first four pellets but had one drift to the left. One of the few days we have had no wind in the desert.

[url="http://i.imgur.com/zAK1GGz.jpg"][img]http://i.imgur.com/zAK1GGz.jpg[/img][/url]

Shot well with both rifles this week but the Cricket won out this weekend. The Cricket is at a slight advantage sporting an Aeon 6-24 x 40 scope will the Marauder has a Hawke sport HD 6-12 x 50. Here are the results

[url="http://i.imgur.com/QSmILwt.jpg"][img]http://i.imgur.com/QSmILwt.jpg[/img][/url] Marauder [url="http://i.imgur.com/GK7kFBN.jpg"][img]http://i.imgur.com/GK7kFBN.jpg[/img][/url] Cricket

This may have been my best group ever at under .2 inches. Never claim to be a marksman but quite happy with both.
[url="http://i.imgur.com/cCbqhIb.jpg"][img]http://i.imgur.com/cCbqhIb.jpg[/img][/url]
 
I had Scott (Motorhead) smooth the trigger assembly and although it is not competition grade it is still very nice (very light). I would like to get a higher magnification scope and a better stock for it. The Marauder shoots around 28 FPE shooting 15.89 gr JSB's while the Cricket is around 32 FPE shooting 18.1 gr JSB's. When I get a chance to stretch things out, we may start seeing things open up for the Marauder but at 50 yards, I am quite happy with it. 
 
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Good shooting there
My stock 25 Marauder shot right with my Tuned 22 and 25 Crickets out to 48 yards, 
Every once in a while 10 shots or so the Marauder would have a stray pellet that would throw it off.
The .25 green mountain barrels are sweet,
Wished I would have kept the Marauder but it was a , Grass is greener on the other side deal.
The PC world would be a lot smaller with out the Marauder in it.
Mike 
 
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Those Marmot guys use TJ barrels (unless you asked for a LW?). I wondered how they performed. Looks like it was a good upgrade. 

Please can you tell us a little about the difference the barrel made to the Marauder's accuracy compared to the barrel it came with? 

I am interested in this subject i.e. Does a high quality barrel + a decent reg turn an entry level air gun into one that performs like it's expensive? 

Also, I found that the Cricket comes into it's own over longer shot strings. Have you tried the comparison with 10 or shot groups? 
 
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zebraI am interested in this subject i.e. Does a high quality barrel + a decent reg turn an entry level air gun into one that performs like it's expensive?
Click to expand...


A very consistent shot string, a good barrel, and quality pellets are the formula for precision.

Guns like the Marauder, Hatsan's, etc can be made just as accurate as the higher end guns, but will still be a Marauder or Hatsan at the end of the day.

I have transformed numerous Marauders into absolute tack drivers, so from personal experience I know it is very possible. B Walton has shown that a worked over Hatsan can shoot with some of the best guns on the market. The exterior fit and finish may always be entry level, but performance can be high end.
 
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"zebra"Those Marmot guys use TJ barrels (unless you asked for a LW?). I wondered how they performed. Looks like it was a good upgrade. 

Please can you tell us a little about the difference the barrel made to the Marauder's accuracy compared to the barrel it came with? 

I am interested in this subject i.e. Does a high quality barrel + a decent reg turn an entry level air gun into one that performs like it's expensive? 

Also, I found that the Cricket comes into it's own over longer shot strings. Have you tried the comparison with 10 or shot groups?
Click to expand...
The .22 barrel on the Marauder unlike the .25 is a crap shoot. I was unlucky twice and that's why I went with the Marmot barrel. There was no comparison, the Marmot barrel was hands down better than the original. Like AJshoots stated, having the rifle shoot a consistent shot string and tuned to the right velocity is vital for accuracy (along with the right barrel). I have it shooting about 880 fps. I had a regulator put in and had it tuned by Scott at Motorhead. The three mods made this rifle shoot amazing for me. The only drawback (and also with the Cricket) is the Hammer forge barrels need to be cleaned more frequently. I didn't think this at first but now once I get a few flyers, it's time to clean the barrels. I have been making the claim that my .22 Marauder is on par shooting with my .22 Cricket carbine. Both shoot straight throughout the shot string while on the regulator (4 magazines) and are very close in accuracy. I would support AJshoot's statement, that an entry level gun such as the Marauder or Hatsan with a quality barrel, regulated (or small extreme spread), and tuned to the right fps can shoot as good as the high quality guns. Right now with all the sales, you can still do all the mods and be around a grand. If I change the stock (which I think I will) it will put it over. Why did I do this……...It was a fun project to do and I wanted to learn about how these airguns work and if a screwed up it was only $400 (not $1500). I am considering doing a .25 Marauder bottle project this winter. Hopefully I can get Aaron's help again. He knows what he's talking about! 
Thanks for all the comments,
Doc
 
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