Cricket vs. Chipmunk...what's the differences?

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Grunt

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I've pretty much narrowed down a choice between these two rifles for my son's first rifle but what is the difference between these two? I've heard that Crickett bought out the Chipmunk rifle but the Chipmunk is also still being sold as well. So just what are the differences between these two and which one is the better quality?:confused:
 
I don't know about the differences between those 2 specifically but when it was time to get my son a similar rifle I went with the Henry Mini Bolt. Same single shot, separate cocking system as the 2 you mentioned but it has stainless / synthetic construction, fiber optic sights and most important: a safety lever that you can use to carry the rifle loaded and cocked while small game hunting.
 
I just discovered the one offered by Thompson Center. It looks interesting!
 
I bought my daughter this rifle. Academy has them on clearance for $165, and it is built was better than any cricket. Plus the pistol grip shortens the length of pull. There is a thread on here called Daughters first rifle.

BSAHotShot.jpg
 
My daughter wanted the pink camo, but I had to convince her, I mean persuade her, that the black would be a better choice because we have a boy in the family. She didn't want the black. One reason being I didn't want to spend the money for a pink camo as my son would be using the rifle later in life, and by the time he is big enough to shoot it, she will be big enough to move up to a bolt gun or auto .22 LR.
So we thought that the only options were real tree, pink camo, or black. Once we saw the BSA brown. She liked the brown, and said that since J.D., my son, would be a boy scout one day, she would like to get the brown one. She also said that the brown would be harder to see in the woods. She is a good sister. Already thinking about her brother's hunting future.

I would have gotten her the pink camo if it came down to it. Don't get me wrong, but the BSA brown was only $165 from Academy. So that is what we got, and she was happy with it. She just didn't want the black one. I can tell you that I will be using this rifle for squirrels if she doesn't go with me on all the hunts because I can shoot .22 short hollow points out of it, and the best part is that it weighs 3 lbs. One-hundred rounds of shorts and this rifle weigh less than my Model 60 empty with a scope mounted.

It will be a year or so before she can go hunting because she has to be proficient in firearms safety with her own rifle, and know to look beyond what she is shooting at. She knows the basic rules, and is very good at incorporating those firearm safety rules, but she doesn't have real world experience with anything other than a bb gun. So we still have some range work to do before she can go live.
It is all a learning experience. She will get there, and she is willing to learn without any flack because she knows what a gun can do. She has seen deer wounds, and I have also shot melons with my 30-30, .22 LR, and .44 Magnum to give a visual of what bullets do when the hit things.
 
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I bought my daughter a Savage Cub. It is a great rifle and she can easily outshoot me at 25-50 yards with it. Its a little large for offhand for a really little one but its self cocking, safe, and has a great trigger. Since learning to shoot on it she now also has a Rossi 22/410 and a Ruger 10/22.
 
Same darn gun, both made by Keystone Sporting Arms. Cricketts have synthetic stocks, Chipmunks have wood stocks.
 
Been looking at these also for my 3 boys. Is the cocking piece on the Cricket plastic?
 
I also really like the little Savage Cub. My daughter, on the other hand, keeps longing for a pink Cricket.
 
I just discovered the one offered by Thompson Center. It looks interesting!
I got one of these and it looks great. My daughter isn't quite ready for it, but I will be teaching her to use sights long before incorporating optics. The sights on the TC seemed far better than the other youth options and the shim adjustable stock means I might not have to buy a new rifle for many years.
 
Highly recommend you get a rifle with a detachable box mag. Savage has several. You lock away the mag until the child is older. A pure single shot youth rifle is going to be relegated to the back of the closet in no time at all. And, IMO, never get a pink rifle. Rifles are not toys.
 
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