Building a Crickett Rifle for Survival
Normally viewed as a children’s training rifle, the Crickett rifle is a small single-shot bolt-action that incorporates a manual striker. So after inserting a round into the chamber and closing the bolt, the striker must be manually cocked before firing. Nothing fancy here, just a straightforward design that is easy to operate. The standard Crickett rifle model comes with a very short 12-inch length of pull, a 30-inch overall length and a 16.1-inch barrel. But what makes this piece so interesting is the factory weight of just 2.5 pounds. It weighs almost nothing, which is a plus when hiking or backpacking.
The PVC stock may not win any awards for good looks, but it’s simple, tough and allows storage of cartridges and other small items that might prove handy.
Its light weight has made many looking to shed weight from their loads embrace the Crickett rifle. This has led to a host of modifications to this relatively mundane design. The conversion seen here is nothing new; people have been building similar rigs using the Crickett rifle for years. A quick search of the web will turn up many similar pieces and how-to articles if you are interested.
RTWT.
(Hermit’s Notes: While at the hardware store, you might consider also buying yourself a piece of 3″ PVC (long enough to store the rifle parts) and two end caps to build a ‘cache- tube.’)