Tactical Cricketts

[Ron-Solo]

The other day I took my 8 year old Grandson and 6 year old Granddaughter out shooting. My Grandson has been shooting for 3 years now, but this was the first time out for my Granddaughter. She had a great time and is already asking when we can go out again. She was really excited to shoot her pink Crickett rifle.



Her results at about 25 yards:



My Grandson has it figured out:



I started her off shooting at some baloons and once she figured things out she really had a blast. The baloons give instant feedback. By the end of the day, she was loading and cocking the rifle herself, and did not want, or need, much help from Grandpa.

The Crickett rifles are great for young shooters. There is another one in my safe for their little brother, who isn't ready yet.

I also have 10/22 rifles waiting for them when they get bigger. The 8 year old has fired his, but it is still too big for him and he prefers his Crickett still. I was able to get three with consecutive serial numbers and put a pink Hogue Overmold stock on my Granddaughters rifle.

When we were done, we filled two trash bags with other people's trash, even though our trash wou8ld have fit in a quart zip lock baggie. Teach them young, treach them right.

It was a GREAT day at the range.

[sholling]

That's awesome!

[roushstage2]

That's great! Out of curiosity, what scopes are those?

[Casual_Shooter]

Very cool. Got to get my kids out shooting one of these days.

[trob]

Awesome! I wish i was shooting at that age. Had to wait until i was about 11 before i got my first rifle.

[gunnerstuff]

Excellent! That is how my kids started also. Love those crickets, it teaches them the complete cycle of a gun, not just pull the trigger.

[Rule .308]

The bi-pods are a great idea, the youngsters have enough things to concentrate on without having to worry about holding the rifle steady and down range. Are you going to teach them how to use iron sights too?

My 8 and 9 year old grandkids were at the Sports Fair with me a few weekends back. With the 10/22 and optics the 8 year could not miss, with the SP101 in 22 he missed every single target, boy was he surprised.

I spend as much time as I can in the backyard with them with air rifles and a nice set of peep sights, my 12 year old neighbor boy is dying to do the Apple Seed shoot.

Good to see you getting them out there and teaching them how to do it right, way to go Grampa.

[pennys dad]

nice! boy ur grandon has it dialed in! love the cricket setup

[RandyD]

You and I think alike. I bought my daughter the same pink Crickett, and mounted a scope on it. I chose a 2.5X Leupold; looks like you chose the Crickett scope. I like the idea of a bipod and will follow your example. I also like your idea of using balloons for instant feedback and gratification. Your grandson's group is excellent. Challenge him to make his next group smaller or move the target out farther.

[Ron-Solo]

The scopes are both 4x made by Crickett. They are hard to find right now. I'm looking for one for the youngest one's rifle. It also needs the Crickett scope mount which runs bout $12. The bipods are Winchester from Walmart as are the sling studs the bipod mounts on.

He spent most of his rounds spinning one of my small metal spinners. He was also practicing head shots on my zombie mannequin.

And yes, they will learn iron sights too.

[JAGACIDA]

You sir have created a tradition.

[Chaos47]

Awesome!

[Low-Pressure]

Thanks for sharing. Those pictures are priceless!
Here's my daughters pink Crickett. She's been buggin me to take her shootin since I installed her new accessories. Schools over this week, so we will have a daughter daddy shooting date next week .
Crickett scope base
Leapers UTG scope 4x32
Caldwell XLA bipod

[Ron-Solo]

I love the Hello Kitty stickers.

I've had the grandkids for the last three weeks and we did a lot of stuff. Sadly, I had to take them back to mom and dad today in Arizona. they got out of school before Memorial Day. We did. Road trip to see the giant Sequoia trees, the Winchester Mystery House, Pismo Beach, Calico Ghost Town, target shooting, and a couple of nights camping. I'm exhausted but it sure was fun.

[TheExpertish]

Oh heck yes. The boy has nice groups. Gotta love it. I think I will need to get my kids a pair to play with.