intenseaty22's G.A. Cricket Mini Carbine .
- Thread starter intenseaty22
- Start date
Spring 2018 Update
The issue with the shifting POI is basically non existent after a fix was implemented. I did go back to using an O-ring though because the Neoprene gasket did not work out as good as I had hoped. The problem being that after a while is just squishes and loosed it's buffering abilities. Below is a link to that thread.
Taming the POI Temperature shift KCMC.[/QUOTE]https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/taming-the-poi-temperature-shift-kcmc/embed/#?secret=GWdlyg3ff5
One day I noticed that the gun's safety was basically non functioning. It would fire regardless of it being engaged or not. Not a huge problem as long as I was aware of it while waiting to get it fixed. But a week or so later as I was going to shoot a bit, the gun just would not fire. I was pretty sure this was a problem with the safety. I took it in to Charlie and we figured out the problem rather quickly. Sure enough, it was the safety mechanism. It's a good design, but the pin that is attached to the trigger had made itself loose. It's an easy fix albeit room for improvement from the manufacturer in the QC department. As always Charlie's Customer Service is in my opinion unmatched.
The issue with the shifting POI is basically non existent after a fix was implemented. I did go back to using an O-ring though because the Neoprene gasket did not work out as good as I had hoped. The problem being that after a while is just squishes and loosed it's buffering abilities. Below is a link to that thread.
Taming the POI Temperature shift KCMC.[/QUOTE]https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/taming-the-poi-temperature-shift-kcmc/embed/#?secret=GWdlyg3ff5
One day I noticed that the gun's safety was basically non functioning. It would fire regardless of it being engaged or not. Not a huge problem as long as I was aware of it while waiting to get it fixed. But a week or so later as I was going to shoot a bit, the gun just would not fire. I was pretty sure this was a problem with the safety. I took it in to Charlie and we figured out the problem rather quickly. Sure enough, it was the safety mechanism. It's a good design, but the pin that is attached to the trigger had made itself loose. It's an easy fix albeit room for improvement from the manufacturer in the QC department. As always Charlie's Customer Service is in my opinion unmatched.
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Got some Predator GTO pellets to trial from one of our members. Just gave them a short run over 30 yards and...She likes them! At least at 30 yards x 5 shots it's almost a single hole, minus my shaking / human error. I may do another run and try to be a bit more stable, but at 30 yards, they are a winner!
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Damn, nice group.. 
I was shooting the .22 Renegade and .22 Cricket mini today at 55, 70, and 97 yards. Used the 2 inch reactive stick on targets. At 55 and 70 it wasn’t that hard to keep 5 shots in the inner 1 inch circle when it was calm. When wind started swirling it was a different story. At 97 yards in calm I could keep both guns on the 2 inch circle. Those 18.1 grain JSBs are very accurate in both guns. Which was better? I’d call it a draw... FYI, the odd distances were the yardages from under various trees to stay in the shade...
I was shooting the .22 Renegade and .22 Cricket mini today at 55, 70, and 97 yards. Used the 2 inch reactive stick on targets. At 55 and 70 it wasn’t that hard to keep 5 shots in the inner 1 inch circle when it was calm. When wind started swirling it was a different story. At 97 yards in calm I could keep both guns on the 2 inch circle. Those 18.1 grain JSBs are very accurate in both guns. Which was better? I’d call it a draw... FYI, the odd distances were the yardages from under various trees to stay in the shade...Upvote 0
Give them GTOs a try sometime if you can. I’d love to see how they fair at longer distances. I may just have to pick up a tin. I will tell you what, never seen more uniform, shiny, & pretty much perfect pellets before.
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So, after spending a little quality time and service with Charlie, and some fair weather today, albeit with limited time, some performance testing is being done.
The 18gr are flying out at 900 fps on the $. The 25s are going out at 804 fps. Will continue to update this post as I can, even if it goes into the next 2 days.
The 18gr are flying out at 900 fps on the $. The 25s are going out at 804 fps. Will continue to update this post as I can, even if it goes into the next 2 days.
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Not able to play as much as I would like today, but I set gun to shoot the 16s at 905fps. At 30 yards it shoots a single hole anyway. For my purpose, this is perfect. Will try and get shot count per fill in the next couple days.
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Took a little time to do some shooting and see where things are after the last tune. Lighting was not optional outside and the Chrony only worked part of the time. So, the first 25 shot string will be used for speeds.
12-19-2018 @ 1610, light breeze. Filled to about 250 Bar. Gun hammer adjusted to shoot the 18gr JSBs at 895fps.
High 898, Low 890, Ave 893, ES 8, SD 2. Over 25 shots. The actual shot count was about 52 to 54 before falling off the reg.
Did not measure groups, but we are looking at 1/4 to 1/3 inch at 30 yards.
I could not repeat the whole test with the 16gr JSB, but it's a good guesstimate that the gun will shoot over 60 rounds before falling off the reg. Will try and run these numbers when time allows.
I did shoot a couple of 25gr at 780fps for about 1/4" group, and 34gr @ 690fps less than 1/4" (same hole)
All in all I'm very happy with the performance.
12-19-2018 @ 1610, light breeze. Filled to about 250 Bar. Gun hammer adjusted to shoot the 18gr JSBs at 895fps.
High 898, Low 890, Ave 893, ES 8, SD 2. Over 25 shots. The actual shot count was about 52 to 54 before falling off the reg.
Did not measure groups, but we are looking at 1/4 to 1/3 inch at 30 yards.
I could not repeat the whole test with the 16gr JSB, but it's a good guesstimate that the gun will shoot over 60 rounds before falling off the reg. Will try and run these numbers when time allows.
I did shoot a couple of 25gr at 780fps for about 1/4" group, and 34gr @ 690fps less than 1/4" (same hole)
All in all I'm very happy with the performance.
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Predator Metalmags 17gr @ 25 yards.
1. 856 5. 854 Hi/Lo. 862/854
2. 861 6. 859 Ave. 858
3. 858 7. 862 ES. 8
4. 858 SD. 2
1. 856 5. 854 Hi/Lo. 862/854
2. 861 6. 859 Ave. 858
3. 858 7. 862 ES. 8
4. 858 SD. 2
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Lookin' good Christian.
What more could any of us ask for? Great power as well as kick arse shot count! Looks like you got her dialed in too!
Peace and Pellet Grease
Fuss
What more could any of us ask for? Great power as well as kick arse shot count! Looks like you got her dialed in too!
Peace and Pellet Grease
Fuss
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Carbon Fiber Shroud pretty much finished. Still need to test accuracy consistency, but I’m pretty pleased with it right now.
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Looking good Christian. I think I like the larger diameter CF that you used better than the 18mm diameter CF that I used. Nice job!
PS. I know you had asked a little while ago when I did Nicks power tune on his .22 Cricket mini. With just adding the Ernest power plenum and changing nothing else, how would that affect the gun’s performance? I did that Saturday to my Cricket mini. Velocity went up 20 FPS from 855 to 875. Not major but measurable and significant. But now my air tube is longer than my barrel with Tanto. I guess I need a Koi.
Mike
PS. I know you had asked a little while ago when I did Nicks power tune on his .22 Cricket mini. With just adding the Ernest power plenum and changing nothing else, how would that affect the gun’s performance? I did that Saturday to my Cricket mini. Velocity went up 20 FPS from 855 to 875. Not major but measurable and significant. But now my air tube is longer than my barrel with Tanto. I guess I need a Koi.
Mike
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Oh, snap! Yeah, you will need a Koi for sure. I am trying a different approach lately with power/speed. I have started using the 25 & 34 grain pellets at 525-610 fps. Trying to emulate what @tflats is doing with his 25 Leshiy. Jury still out, will report when I have solid evidence of it working or not. So, I am saving my plenum for another unknown to even me project.
I’m still going to tweek a bit more that CF shroud. Looking for a better option than the Gorilla tape. Your original idea grew on me fast, but only after I saw I could do a larger diameter CF, I was not in love with the look of the skinny tube and multiple steps (barrel, adapter, Koi) But centering it while still “floating” is a bit more challenging. I’m also going to paint the tube with a satin clear coat. I don’t really like the ultra shiny tube, something in the middle is more up my alley.
I’m still going to tweek a bit more that CF shroud. Looking for a better option than the Gorilla tape. Your original idea grew on me fast, but only after I saw I could do a larger diameter CF, I was not in love with the look of the skinny tube and multiple steps (barrel, adapter, Koi) But centering it while still “floating” is a bit more challenging. I’m also going to paint the tube with a satin clear coat. I don’t really like the ultra shiny tube, something in the middle is more up my alley.
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I’m going back to shooting the 16gr, the 25 & 34 group really good, when they want to, maybe there’s a piece to the puzzle that I don’t have right, and can’t readily change, like reg pressure. Oh well!
The 16gr are single hole at 30 yards. The gun is very quiet with the Koi on, it’s shorter overall, and looks really good.
The 16gr are single hole at 30 yards. The gun is very quiet with the Koi on, it’s shorter overall, and looks really good.
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Oddly enough, I've never shot the 16 grain pellets from my Mini. I've shot the 18s almost all the time, and the Polymags from time to time when rat hunting at night. FYI, added benefits of the Plenum is that it allowed me to back off the HST almost a full turn to get my speed back to right around 865 FPS. So the cocking is easier, the gun actually sounds better (hard to describe), and the efficiency increased. Like Nick, I can now get about 5 full magazines on a 250 bar fill at 860 FPS with the JSB 18.1 grain pellets...
I've also noticed, and I can't say for sure if it was just the plenum, but my ES for a two mag string (28 shots) is very low. I hadn't checked that in quite a while before I added the plenum, so I don't know if it was this good before (its always been less than 10 FPS). My 28 shots varied from 863 to 869 FPS, with only one 869. So a true ES of 6, but except for one shot, closer to 5 FPS. This is with the stock Cricket reg. that I haven't touched since I bought the gun. I bought it used, so I can't say for sure that its never been rebuilt and polished like Ernest does in his videos...
I've also noticed, and I can't say for sure if it was just the plenum, but my ES for a two mag string (28 shots) is very low. I hadn't checked that in quite a while before I added the plenum, so I don't know if it was this good before (its always been less than 10 FPS). My 28 shots varied from 863 to 869 FPS, with only one 869. So a true ES of 6, but except for one shot, closer to 5 FPS. This is with the stock Cricket reg. that I haven't touched since I bought the gun. I bought it used, so I can't say for sure that its never been rebuilt and polished like Ernest does in his videos...
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Nice! Sounds like that worked out great for ya. Not to put any wicked thoughts in your head, but....did you ever see what Ernest used to do with those plenum spacers? His had a Wika gauge sticking out the side so you could read the reg pressure.
The 16s are actually my gun’s favorite pellets, JSB or AA. Followed by the 18s. I can get the speed and accuracy I want out of the gun and get like 60 shots out of it, don’t recall.
The 16s are actually my gun’s favorite pellets, JSB or AA. Followed by the 18s. I can get the speed and accuracy I want out of the gun and get like 60 shots out of it, don’t recall.
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Yes, I have seen the gage that Ernest put on some of his power plenums. I ever asked him about it, and he said its drilled and tapped 1/8" BSP with an o-ring seal. Don't really need a reg pressure gage, since with this gun the speed stays around 865 FPS with 18.1 grain pellets, and I'm not going to be changing it frequently, if at all. Over 500 ground squirrels and 500 rats this past year at ranges from 15 to 125 yards tell me its pretty much set up the best it can be... Having the 3-15x42 Vortex Razor HD LH on there certainly doesn't hurt accuracy.
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First ever legit group at 100 yards. These are 16gr Sovereign pellets. Speed assumed to be around 900-930fps. Even though I’m in South Dakota, wind was not a factor, or very little. Off bench and using bipod.
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Congrat's Christian! Awesome shooting. Had to go to South Dakota to escape that Georgia heatwave huh? LOL
Fuss
Fuss
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