.22 Henry mini bolt vs Crickett

[CityOfSteel]

I am going to buy my son his first gun and like the Crickett .22 design but i have heard that the Henry Mini Bolt is nicer.
Is this true?

I want a gun that will last my sons lifetime and be something he can remember long after i am gone.

What type of sights does the Henry Mini Bolt have?
I know the Crickett has a rear peep site which i like due to how easy they are to teach a new shooter how to use.

The price of the Crickett i will get is about $160 for stainless and the Henry is around $240.

Thanks for any info or testimonies.

[psucivil]

I would check out the Savage Rascal as well. My parents bought my niece one last year and she loves it. The nicest thing is the adjustable accutrigger and also the manual safety. Price is comparable to a cricket.

[chrmm22sr]

Im interested in see what others say Im getting my son his first rifle here in the near future and was leaning towards cricket for a few reasons


1) different stocks including adult stocks avaible 60$ range

2) Made right here in Pennsylvania

3) like the peep sight as well

[39flathead]

Read the above post^^^^^

Some good info there.




Henry has been a bit of a let down lately IMO. They went to a plastic front sight on some of the guns, stuff like that.
That said, if you bitch about it, they were sending out a metal one.

I looked at every single youth .22 out there. I looked at adult models and thought about cutting the stock down.

I ended up with a Crickett for my girls.
They'll move into a 10/22 when the time comes.

[chrmm22sr]

Thats my exact plan teach my son son on the cricket then he can pick from any of my 22's for range trips Adult supervised of course

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

I went the Cricket for my grandson....The cricket is made in pa has great sights and it impressed me with its accuracy.

My 7 year old grandson couldn't get his Cricket back from the older kids once they had hit several target at ranges of around 50 to 75 yards.

[ForwardAssist]

The Remington 514 Boys Rifle is a good choice. I prefer it over the Cricket because the 514 cocks the firing pin when the bolt is cycled. The Cricket requires you to manually cock the firing pin every time the bolt is cycled.

The Henry Mini-Bolt has fiber optics front and rear sites. (Williams Fire Sights)
The Cricket and 514 have irons.
The 514's receiver is grooved for 1/2 inch rimfire scope mounts.

Honestly, I think I'd just buy a 10/22. It will be just as useful early in his life, and a lot more useful later in his life. I gave my nephew a 514 for Christmas, and now I wish I'd gone with the 10/22.

They are more versatile, more fun, and there are many different cosmetic kits that can make them look like anything from an M4 to a G36.

[39flathead]

The Remington 514 Boys Rifle is a good choice. I prefer it over the Cricket because the 514 cocks the firing pin when the bolt is cycled. The Cricket requires you to manually cock the firing pin every time the bolt is cycled.

The Henry Mini-Bolt has fiber optics front and rear sites. (Williams Fire Sights)
The Cricket and 514 have irons.
The 514's receiver is grooved for 1/2 inch rimfire scope mounts.

Honestly, I think I'd just buy a 10/22. It will be just as useful early in his life, and a lot more useful later in his life. I gave my nephew a 514 for Christmas, and now I wish I'd gone with the 10/22.

They are more versatile, more fun, and there are many different cosmetic kits that can make them look like anything from an M4 to a G36.

I've seen more than a couple kids get way too excited when hitting their first targets (balloons, soda cans) for me to give a first time shooter an auto loader.

Not saying that all kids are the same and I suppose you could load it singly, but I went with the Crickett to avoid the chance.

[A/C guy]

Here is a photo of my granddaughter on her first range trip with the Savage Rascal. Synthetic stock in various colors, cock on opening the bolt, accutrigger, peep sights. Priced somewhere between the Henry and Cricket.

[ForwardAssist]

I've seen more than a couple kids get way too excited when hitting their first targets (balloons, soda cans) for me to give a first time shooter an auto loader.

Not saying that all kids are the same and I suppose you could load it singly, but I went with the Crickett to avoid the chance.

That's why I went with a bolt gun. But in retrospect, he's a smart kid and well settled. He learned the basics and safe handling pretty fast. He progressed past the bolt gun in two or three range trips.

Which is why I would probably just get him a 10/22 if I had to do it all again. But it depends on the kid.