AOA Blog

The ensuing month since the Part I post on the Cricket II Tactical (C2T) didn’t allow for a lot of additional time behind the gun due to some medical issues and totally uncooperative weather. However, I did enjoy the time I had working with this little powerhouse. Since the basics of this bullpup were covered in Part I, this installment will cover the scope used and results from range sessions.

               A loaner Meopta MeoPro Optika6 was in my inventory and it provided a good fit for the power of the C2T with its 2.5 to 15 magnification. That can really make small objects look very large and clear plus the oversized zoom ring makes adjustments easy with its rubberized covering and very aggressive texturing. Meopta also includes a threaded throw lever that screws into one of four holes along the rim of the ring for fast adjustments. Extra screws are also provided to cover the remaining holes to keep debris from collecting in them. A side parallax adjustment knob having a smaller version of the aggressive texturing also eases dialing in a clear sight picture at various yardages. Speaking of clear sight pictures, this scope is made in the Czech Republic and they are renowned for their optical glass. Meopta is in its 89^th year of making high quality optics, so it goes without saying you’d have a hard time finding an optic with better clarity, especially at this price point. Additional features include anti-reflective and hydrophobic coatings along with being nitrogen filled and waterproof. Aluminum caps having the same aggressive rubber texturing cover the windage and elevation turrets, which are adjustable in ¼ MOA very positive clicks. Zero can easily be reset using a coin or screwdriver once sighted in. This is a Second Focal Plane scope so the reticle remains the same at any magnification and won’t obscure a small target zone at high magnification. The reticle is a duplex type and other reticle options are available when ordering the scope. The scope also comes with lens covers connected by heavy rubber straps that hold them firmly on the scope; much better than the flimsy elastic cords used with some other lens covers. Its black matte finish blended perfectly with the finish on the C2T. Excellent glass with high magnification capability does come with a cost in weight so it did add 25 ounces to an 8.5-pound gun. Having the bottom six slot picatinny to attach a folding bipod to helped the overall weight be less concerning.

               As far as performance, as can be expected from an airgun in this price range, it was very, very good. The C2T is also a product of the Czech Republic and Europeans take their airgunning seriously. The guns action was smooth and I never experienced any feeding problems other than when I tried Predator Polymags. They were just slightly too long to work with the C2T magazines and there is no way to feed individual pellets. The safety was positive at blocking the trigger and easy to use being just above the trigger.

               I didn’t get the chance to determine a total number of shots per fill at 6000 feet altitude as I never let pressure go much below 200 bar. From 230 down to 200, shooting a variety of pellets of differing weights, I was averaging 30+ shots before topping off the gun. The User’s Manual states working pressure is down to 110 bar so it seems feasible you could get 90 or possibly more shots from a single fill. Accuracy results were excellent across a range of pellets at 25 yards. Pellet weights ranged from 14 gr. Up to 25 gr. hollow point slugs with results of five shots touching to pretty much a single ragged hole in a few cases. While H&N Field Target Trophy and Hatsan Vortex Supremes were not its favorites, they’d still get the job done if hunting with the C2T. Extreme spread and standard deviation were excellent with all of the pellets tried, opening up a bit when shooting the Argentinian-made Apolo slugs. Even so, the slugs traveled at an average 892fps having a 9.65 extreme spread and 4.12 standard deviation. For hunting that means over 44fpe!

               A shout out here has to go to the new Norma branded pellets provided by AofA. They just recently started carrying this line and I think they have a winner here. Packed 200 to a tin, they were very clean. The S-Target Match at 14 gr. is designed for accuracy, of course and has a slightly reinforced skirt. It lived up to the accuracy claim producing a ragged single hole grouping. The Superpoint Strike at 14.5 gr. is designed for penetration and was also super accurate. The Golden Trophy FT Heavy, designed for energy, weighs 17.6 gr. and this domed pellet is considered a dedicated hunting pellet. It produced five shots touching and over 41fpe having an extreme spread of 5.60 and standard deviation of only 2.23. I have some similar results through another gun as well so look forward to doing more shooting with them.

               All-in-all a great experience with a great little bullpup gun. I mentioned a couple of pet peeves with the C2T and after spending more time with it I’d prefer the grip thinned out somewhat for more comfort but by no means a deal breaker.

               If interested in obtaining any of this kit or wanting to know more, give AofA a call.

The name “cricket” brings to mind small noisy insects and, depending on your age, a classic Disney character. The Czech Republic manufacturer KalibrGun may have intended a connection to either of those things when they named their awesome bullpup air rifles, or, maybe not. Nevertheless, their handy and compact pellet launchers are accurate and well-designed, plus of high-quality old-world craftsmanship.

               The Cricket is the flagship model and KalibrGun has stuck with a good thing in the bullpup configuration. More recent models have improved by relocating the cocking lever to mid-receiver. However, all manufacturers must innovate and come up with a new product to stay relevant. KalibrGun’s latest model capitalizes on the popularity of tactically designed (tacticool?) guns.

               The Cricket II Tactical models are offered in barrel lengths of 17.7-inch and 23.6-inch. The shorter version comes in .177 and .22 calibers. The longer version comes in .22, .25 and .30 calibers. My sample is the long-barreled version in .22 and has an overall length of 34 inches. It weighs 8.5 pounds, which is on the heavy side, especially when adding optics, but it does balance well in the hands even so. I selected a Meopta Optika 6 2.5-15x44mm second focal plane scope to mount on the platform, bringing the package to just over 10 pounds.

               The receiver is made from aluminum and finished in a matte black. Two laminated wood pieces comprise the vertical grip and buttstock. My sample sported a dual color orange and grey laminate that really stands out in a crowd. Solid wood and other laminate colors are offered, of course. The vertical grip also has a nice laser-cut checkering to promote a good purchase. Having fairly large hands I found the grip filling. Those with small hands may find it a bit too large and search for a potential aftermarket option. A thick, dense rubber buttpad that is adjustable vertically. A 500cc carbon fiber wrapped bottle resides in front, under the barrel/shroud with a large, easily readable manometer marked in bars. Maximum pressure listed in the full color instruction manual is 300 bar. Since the manual covers several models, there is a mention of red, yellow and green fields that don’t exist on this manometer. Additionally, no instructions are given on adjusting the trigger, yet the specs show it can be changed between 2 and 10 newtons (approximately 7 to 36 ounces). Speaking of the trigger, it is a curved, wide, smooth-faced plastic job that is single-stage and averaged a pull of one pound, 4.1 ounces. It is housed inside a generous open-bottomed trigger guard and just above the trigger is a red safety button that blocks the trigger. Pushing the button to the left unblocks it.

               Two 14-shot rotary metal magazines ship with the gun along with the brass fill probe and extra O-rings for resealing. The two magazines can be stored in the wooden buttstock and are held in place by ball bearing detents. An 8.5-inch picatinny rail sits on top of the receiver with an additional 4-inch accessory picatinny rail on the bottom. The barrel has a sound dampening shroud and the muzzle is threaded to allow additional suppression to be added, although this gun is pretty quiet in .22. Adding a DonnyFL Koi suppressor took the noise down to a mouse fart, but of course, added length. Still, it made for a nice-looking package.

               Features on this gun include a swappable cocking lever, now relatively common on air rifles, making the Cricket II Tactical model truly ambidextrous; and MCL, the Magazine Control Lever. This lever allows manual indexing of the magazine in addition to loading and unloading of the magazine. There is also a red-tipped cocking indicator that projects out of the back of the rifle. Pet peeves about the Cricket are the lack of a hold-open or bolt stop after the last round is fired and the magazines cannot handle longer pellets such as the Predator Polymags. Also, a soft padded surface on the cheekrest area included for the price would have been a nice touch. Cheekrest options are available from the AofA website.

               KalibrGun offers a 12-month warranty, however, AofA extends that to three years. MSRPs are: $1695 for the shorter (45) model and $1795 for the longer (60) version.

               More about how it shot will be in Part II, but in the meantime, you can reach out to the knowledgeable folks at AofA for any questions or to talk about the other fine models in the KalibrGun lineup.

It was great to get back to SHOT this year. Seeing old friends and wandering miles of aisles while experiencing sensory overload on all things gun related is always a fantastic time. A number of companies, both big and small, decided not to attend, which made the show floor seem somewhat deserted. In actuality, the show attendance was only down about 25% according to what I’ve heard. Even so, there were plenty of new airgun-related things to see despite dreaded COVID’s impact on these companies for two years. Just a few highlights are listed here to whet your appetite.

              Starting with my favorite purveyor at the show, AofA, (no money exchanged hands – honest!) they didn’t have a booth at the show, but KalibrGun did and a new semi-auto bullpup prototype was on display. In a tactical-looking thumbhole style laminated wood stock, it carries a 580cc carbon fiber tank. In .22, .25 or .30 caliber, t will have a fully adjustable trigger and allow adjustment of the hammer spring. The plenum volume is also adjustable from 38 to 53cc’s. The cocking handle can be swapped for left-handers. An option with a carbon fiber stock is planned as well. So new it had not been named, no pricing was available and I did not get info on the rate of fire.

Under the Western Big Bore brand, AofA also announced a carbine version of their .45 caliber game-getter. Another laminated wood stocked air rifle, this eight-inch shorter version will still be a powerful hunting arm, just much easier to field. A unique feature of this new version is that it will also shoot a proprietary arrow! Stay abreast of developments here.

              Speaking of arrow-firing capability, both AirForce Airguns and Umarex introduced new models this year. AirForce’s model comes in two flavors, a long version that shoots arrows and short version shooting bolts. Both utilize 4500psi tanks as shoulder stocks and are regulated to take the pressure down to 1500psi to launch the projectiles.

               Umarex also showcased a twin barrel arrow launcher called the Air Saber Elite X2. It only launches one arrow at a time using 1500psi from its 4000psi tank. One fill provides 25 effective shots, sending the arrows at 450fps. A second generation of their Air Javelin, the Air Javelin Pro. It now uses HPA as opposed to CO2.

               In airguns, Umarex launched quite a few new ones, however, the big news was a 20-gauge HPA shotgun named the Primal 20. Utilizing a 4500psi tank it is capable of sending a 395-grain fin stabilized slug at 700fps, generating 430fpe. It comes with a removeable choke so other aftermarket chokes can be installed plus the side-cocking handle can easily be swapped for lefties.

               Beeman introduced a new version of the Chief II model – the Chief II Plus. The air tank was changed to 3000psi which should yield 100 shots-per-fill. Available in .177 or .22 in synthetic or wood stocks. A regulated Commander model is also new this year and sports a more robust rotary magazine with a shot-count window.

               Benjamin introduced a new Bulldog model in .457 caliber. Having all the features of the .357 caliber version, it can fire 350-grain slugs at 760fps for 450fpe. As is the trend in airguns these days, its cocking handle can be swapped to accommodate left-handers. The Armada now comes in a semi-automatic version. It is housed in a chassis-style stock in .22 caliber only. Claimed velocities are 950fps.

               Of course, other interesting airgun related items and accessories were also introduced at the show. Be sure to contact AofA if you come across something in particular as they probably are already aware of it and can hook you up with so many of the great things associated with this hobby/lifestyle.

If you have an affection for older airguns, whether it is because you have been around long enough to have actually owned or admired one in your youth, or simply appreciate the lines and mechanics, you may have the need one day to have it restored. Should that be the case, I would like to put in a shameless plug for my friend Tim Smith of Smith Airgun Repair. Tim is the editor and publisher of Airgun Hobbyist magazine, yet still finds time to run Smith Customs and the repair business with the able assistance of his wife Sue. I’ve known Tim for over a decade, yet had not approached him until recently about restoring one of the old, dilapidated specimens I picked up at either a garage sale or gun show somewhere. I decided it was high time to pull the trigger (see what I did there?) on putting the Crosman V-350 in my possession back into shooting shape.

               Crosman introduced the V-350 single-shot, Slide Action Barrel Cocking (aka: push-barrel) BB rifle in 1962 when the company was just getting into spring-powered airguns. Up until this time they had been producing CO₂ and pneumatic guns since beginning operations in 1923. It was based on an old Quackenbush design and held 22 BBs. It continued production virtually unchanged until it was discontinued in 1969, by which time over a quarter million units had been made. The V-350 was modified with some improvements in 1969, including a Monte Carlo stock, and redesignated the Model 3500, which carried on production until 1975.

               The V-350 was in pretty rough shape when I sent it to Tim and Sue. The stock was beat up and most of the bluing was gone and there was some rust pitting on the barrel where the shooter grabbed it to push the barrel back into the receiver in order to cock it. It was also missing its front sight and was basically a mess that needed some tender loving care.

               After sending the air rifle off, I put it out of my mind as I was in no particular hurry and expected it would be at least a couple of months before I would be getting it back. To my surprise, after just three weeks it was on its way back to me. I couldn’t believe the transformation and to say I was pleased was an understatement. Not only did it look good, but it was a shooter again and shoots very accurately, for a smoothbore, out to about 30 feet. A complete breakdown of the replaced parts and labor costs is provided on your receipt. Of course, labor accounts for the majority of costs involved and the V-350 will become a wall-hanger, no doubt, since it has more nostalgic value to me than dollar value as a collectible. And, even though it has been professionally restored, the actual collectible value is less than what I have into it. However, if you have a valuable old airgun that you would like to have restored, reach out to Tim and let him know what you have to determine if he can do the work and come up with a cost estimate. He can be reached at: info@smithairgunrepair.com.

               Additionally, if you are into vintage airguns, be sure to check out AofA’s available inventory of used and collectible airguns on their website which can be found here. Bookmark the page and refer to it often if you don’t see what you are looking for as they purchase collections, attend airgun auctions and accept trade-ins on purchases, so the available items change often.

There are a lot of scopes on the market today. Some good, some junk and then there are the quality scopes that deserve a shot at being the next scope on your favorite air rifle. Generally, the scopes coming out of Europe would fit that bill as some of the best lenses have come from that part of the world. Meopta is a Czech Republic company that has been in business since 1933 producing quality optics. They also are a leading manufacturer and partner to many of the world’s finest optical brands and their catalog even reaches into the semiconductor, medical aerospace and military industries.

The sample provided to me is their MeoPro 2-10×42 model, one without all the bells and whistles in order to compete with lower-end scopes on the market without sacrificing quality and value. Others in this Optika5 line include a 3-15x44mm, a 4-20 x44mm and 4-20x50mm or 4-20x50mm with illuminated reticle. The name for the scope series is derived from their 5x magnification capability (2-10 and 4-20…).

My sample is a beautiful scope with flawless finish. The image is bright and clear with a Second Focal Plane duplex style reticle Meopta calls Z-plex. Also available in this model within the series is holdover-style stadia called the ZPlus. In the 4-20x50mm models an additional BDC 3 “Christmas Tree” style reticle is an option. Rubber armored turret knobs and magnifying ring with raised triangular cuts make it comfortable and easy to grasp and turn the knobs. The scopes come with durable rubber lens covers having sturdy rubber bands rather than the wimpy elastic cords on most provided covers to keep them in place. The one-inch, single-piece aircraft grade aluminum tube makes for a strong scope body and is coated with a special abrasion -resistant matte black anodized finish that helps reduce glare. The turrets are zero-reset types that can be adjusted using a coin and the click adjustments for windage and elevation are in ¼-inch MOA. Proprietary advanced lens coatings provide true color representation and unsurpassed low-light performance in its class including MeoBright, the anti-reflective coating that provides up to 91% light transmission while cutting glare. All external optical surfaces are also coated with MeoShield anti-abrasion coating, plus a special hydrophobic MeoDrop coating to repel water, grease and dust. All Optika scopes are Nitrogen purged and waterproof. Additionally, these scopes are engineered to withstand heavy recoil and are built tough enough to handle the extreme bi-directional recoil of spring piston air rifles. A removeable throw lever is included with the scope and an optional sun visor is available.

Generally, European scopes run on the higher priced side of things. Because Meopta saves their costs by not advertising in magazines, etc., they pass those savings on to the consumer. As mentioned earlier, this Optika5 model is pretty much bare bones to keep its price point low so this unit does not have a side wheel parallax adjustment, but there is a version called the 2-10x42PA, with the “PA” standing for Parallax Adjustable. Additionally, the 4-20x50mm model comes in a version with an illuminated reticle.

The Owner’s Manual is printed in eight languages, which indicates the reach of Meopta’s market. Being made in a country that is part of the European Union, even instructions on how to handle the scope for recycling “after its useful life” are included because the EU is heavily committed to recycling. However, with reasonable care, this scope is sturdy and should last a long, long time. Costs are also saved on packaging as the box the scope comes in is entirely of heavy cardboard with corrugated supports to hold the scope in place. No foam or Styrofoam is used in the packaging of the scope. I suspect this is just a much because of the aforementioned EU recycling consciousness as it is for cost savings.

This unit will add 20.8 ounces to your setup and is just over 12 inches long. Its MSRP on this model runs $350, and that includes a Lifetime Transferrable Warranty for all Meopta optics sold in the U.S.; another indication of a quality product for the cost when a manufacturer stands behind their product with a lifetime warranty.

 While it is not yet showing on AofA’s ­­­­­Meopta web page, a quick call to my friends there should have you on your way to receiving one of these beauties on your doorstep.