The Cricket twins

In a funk the last week or so when shooting offhand, so took a break from it today to get dope on my new .25 Cricket carbine. Shot some groups with the .22 as well, just to see how they compare under the same environmental conditions.
Hot & humid, but shade, a small fan, and a pitcher of iced tea helped keep it fun. Weather app was telling me 6-10mph wind, but it must've missed my ridge. Leaves were barely moving, maybe 1-3mph tops from my left to right. Dandy conditions for shooting.
Both of these were purchased from & tuned by Charlie Frear at Georgia Airguns (highly recommended, btw). Czech sisters with southern accents, if you will.

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This design is, relatively speaking, older (middle aged?) in the PCP airgun world. Released 2015-ish, I think. Based on the 1st gen Cricket action- will be interesting to see if they get a refresh, linger on as is, or are dropped from the lineup altogether. No idea how popular they are, but suspect they're a small piece of the pie compared to Kalibrgun's bullpup platforms.
So how did I end up with two of them, both bought 7+ years after intro? Well...somehow managed to not notice they were a thing until recently. Why did I end up with them? They marry two things I've come to strongly favor in airguns: they're of eastern EU heritage, and are not bullpups. Now hold on, not badmouthing bullpups. They're popular for good reasons. Just don't shoot them as well, & have proven it to myself more times than I care to admit with a variety of makes & models.
So on with the show. Got the dope, but wasn't ready to stop shooting. Shot for groups at 50 yards, 5 shots to a group alternating between the two rifles on the first six, then two more with the .25 to finish the tin. JSB 15.89 in the .22 (black targets), JSB 33.95 in the .25 (orange targets). No cherrypickin' here, lest I be cursed with leaky o-rings & spilled tins.

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Did chronograph work last week, both starting with 250 bar fill. 70 regulated shots with the .22 at ~30fpe, 43 regulated shots with the .25 @ ~60fpe. Pretty darn good with 250cc & 280cc cylinders, respectively.
Just tickled with how well mannered they are for their energy outputs. Very quiet, with "dead" shot cycles.
 
@Ranchibi , was a rare moment of foresight to shoot at different colors, doubt I would've remembered which was which otherwise. Guess it wouldn't have mattered!

@thumper - Checked websites for all the eastern EU manufacturers I could think of before ordering the .25, just to see if there was something else that should at least be considered. AGT, Taipan, Edgun, RTI... all bullpups. Maybe I missed one. Think Edgun used to make one but dropped it a ways back.
Have owned all of those except RTI & all were excellent, just couldn't mesh with the stocks & weight distribution.
 
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Agree it would be great to see Taipan, AGT etc offer something similar. But, all about the cost to bring it to market, and how big they think the market is for that kind of rifle.

For a while there, thought the ultra-niche market of "eastern European non-bullpup adjustable comb & buttpad" airguns might consist of just me! I don't feel so alone now 😆.

I'm a function over form kinda guy for the most part, but they're good looking rifles too. Don't know what species the wood is, every description on Kalibrgun or vendor websites just says "wood". If forced to hazard a guess, would say beech since that part of the world likes to use it for gun stocks. Not as desirable as high grade walnut, but I've been impressed with the durability of beech on CZ guns I've owned.
 
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Agree it would be great to see Taipan, AGT etc offer something similar. But, all about the cost to bring it to market, and how big they think the market is for that kind of rifle.

For a while there, thought the ultra-niche market of "eastern European non-bullpup adjustable comb & buttpad" airguns might consist of just me! I don't feel so alone now 😆.

I'm a function over form kinda guy for the most part, but they're good looking rifles too. Don't know what species the wood is, every description on Kalibrgun or vendor websites just says "wood". If forced to hazard a guess, would say beech since that part of the world likes to use it for gun stocks. Not as desirable as high grade walnut, but I've been impressed with the durability of beech on CZ guns I've owned.
Question:
Are your 2 Kalibrgun Cricket Carabines regulated?
Is the hammer spring easily adjustable?
If regulated, is the reg pressure adjustable?
What speed were you shooting the JSB 15.89s?
 
Question:
Are your 2 Kalibrgun Cricket Carabines regulated?
Is the hammer spring easily adjustable?
If regulated, is the reg pressure adjustable?
What speed were you shooting the JSB 15.89s?
- Yes, they are regulated.
- Yes, with a flathead screwdriver (or a dime/penny), but the stock must be removed.
- Yes, but must be removed- not externally adjustable.
- Shooting the 15.89 grain pellets at 920fps. Can get to the 950's at the current reg setting, which appears to be ~120 bar.
 
I really appreciate your comment about the "dead" shot cycle. I have a few crickets (original, II, and II tactical) and have shot the carbine. Of these models I can most definitely say that the tactical does NOT have a "dead" shot cycle. It's actually quite noticeable. It's the one gun that will not be accurate for me when shooting from a bag. It shoots best off a bipod.

Thanks for sharing this and great shooting!
 
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I really appreciate your comment about the "dead" shot cycle. I have a few crickets (original, II, and II tactical) and have shot the carbine. Of these models I can most definitely say that the tactical does NOT have a "dead" shot cycle. It's actually quite noticeable. It's the one gun that will not be accurate for me when shooting from a bag. It shoots best off a bipod.

Thanks for sharing this and great shooting!
Thanks! Glad the "dead" description made sense... something that's hard to describe & impossible to quantify, but you know it when you feel it.