One of the new production technologies that has most affected the firearms market is 3D-printing. Whether for polymer parts like we’re showing you here, or DMLS metal printing of suppressors the computer aided tech has produced fascinating stuff. It has made all kinds of products possible, some useful and others that probably should have stayed on the drawing board.
Today we’re looking at something I think falls firmly into the useful category. The Layerform Precision Cricket LP Target Rifle Chassis brings some of the features found on much more expensive precision rifle chassis to an affordable platform designed for young shooters.
The LP Target Rifle Chassis is a 3D-printed chassis made for the popular Cricket rifles from Keystone Sporting Arms. If you have a young shooter in the family and want to improve the fit and functionality of their first rifle, this is an interesting option worth considering.
One of the first things you’ll notice is that the chassis can be ordered in several different colors. But the more important features are found in its adjustable stock.
Anyone who has spent time helping kids learn to shoot knows that rifle fit can be a challenge. A stock designed for an adult simply won’t work for a small shooter. The LP chassis addresses that problem with an adjustable length of pull that can be shortened to fit smaller shoulders and extended as the shooter grows.
The stock also allows adjustment of the butt angle and height, giving you additional ways to get the rifle situated just right. There’s an adjustable cheekpiece as well, which is particularly useful when introducing a young shooter to a riflescope. Getting the proper cheek weld and eye position can make a big difference in how comfortably a child gets behind the rifle.
Another interesting feature is the removable buttstock. With the stock removed, the rifle can be configured as a bolt-action pistol. Up front, the chassis can be equipped with either a Picatinny rail section for mounting a bipod or a longer combination Picatinny and ARCA rail for those who want additional mounting options.
Cricket rifles aren’t exactly known for having the most rigid stock-to-action interface. The Layerform LP Target chassis uses the factory action screw to secure the rifle, with a single screw passing through the chassis and threading into the action. That isn’t the sort of elaborate bedding or mounting arrangement you’ll find on a serious precision rifle, but that’s not what this is. For a youth rimfire rifle, that arrangement works just fine for its intended purpose.
For testing, I installed a Crickett EX17HMR that I originally purchased for my son nearly two decades ago. The rifle came with its own scope mounting rail, so I didn’t need to use the rail offered by Layerform Precision. I left the old Simmons 3-9×40 riflescope in place as well. It’s been on this rifle for years and has taken plenty of varmints over the years. I also installed a Harris bipod on the front of the chassis to provide some support, and a suppressor to be polite.
To get a better idea of how the chassis works for its intended audience, I recruited one of my nephews to do some shooting. He was just about the perfect candidate for a product like this and, like most young boys, he was more than happy to get his hands on a rifle.
Shooting from a supported position worked very well. That wasn’t particularly surprising, as the adjustable stock and bipod make it much easier to get comfortable behind the rifle. The Crickett we used has a slightly heavier barrel than the typical model, however, and that made it a little more difficult for him to hold up while shooting from a standing position.
Once we settled in, the first adjustment was the length of pull. We shortened it as much as possible, which turned out to be just right for him. The polymer construction isn’t quite as forgiving against the shoulder as a rubber buttpad, but we’re talking about a rimfire rifle with non-existent recoil. It wasn’t an issue during our shooting session.
Next, we adjusted the cheekpiece until he could see properly through the scope. This is one of those things that can make a bigger difference than people realize. A young shooter doesn’t necessarily know what a proper shooting position should feel like. If the rifle doesn’t fit, they’ll often compensate by moving their head or body into an awkward position. With the adjustable stock, we were able to bring the rifle to him instead.
Once everything was adjusted, my nephew looked quite comfortable behind the rifle. His shooting position was good, and he appeared to have a much more natural fit than he would have had with the factory stock. It was a good reminder that sometimes what looks like proper shooting form is simply the result of having equipment that actually fits.
There are a few things worth considering when looking at a 3D-printed chassis. It would be unreasonable to expect the same rigidity and finish found on a premium aluminum precision rifle chassis. There are visible printing texture and surface marks, and the material doesn’t have quite the same substantial feel as a conventionally molded or machined stock. But that isn’t a problem for this application.
The purpose of the LP chassis isn’t to turn a Crickett into a competition-winning precision rifle. It’s to make a small rimfire rifle more comfortable, useful and fun for a young shooter. For that job, the construction is perfectly adequate. I wouldn’t expect it to survive being thrown out of a moving vehicle or subjected to the kind of abuse that would destroy most lightweight stocks. But for a kid carrying a rifle through the woods while chasing squirrels, it should hold up just fine.
More importantly, it provides a better platform for learning the fundamentals. Proper cheek weld, eye relief, shoulder placement, and supported shooting positions are all easier to teach when the rifle fits the shooter. If your long-term goal is to introduce a young shooter to precision rifle competition, or perhaps even develop a future PRS competitor, those fundamentals are worth spending time on.
The chassis also gives a young shooter something that looks and feels more like the precision rifles they see adults using. That might sound like a small thing, but making the experience enjoyable is an important part of getting kids interested in shooting.
The starting price of $59.99 is another strong point. That’s a relatively small investment for the improvement in fit and shooting comfort it can provide. Better equipment doesn’t automatically make someone a better shooter, but equipment that fits properly can make the learning process easier and more productive. It can also help make range time and ammunition better spent.
Layerform Precision also offers chassis options for the Savage Rascal and Winchester Xpert rifles, giving owners of those popular youth rimfires a similar opportunity to improve their rifles.
The Crickett LP Target Rifle Chassis is a pretty easy recommendation for the price. It isn’t intended to compete with expensive precision rifle chassis, and it doesn’t need to. It takes an affordable youth rimfire and adds the adjustability needed to help a smaller shooter get comfortable behind it. The 3D-printed construction keeps the price down while providing useful features that would otherwise be difficult to find at this price point.
For anyone looking to make a child’s first rifle fit better, the LP chassis is a great, affordable upgrade. It helps young shooters establish a proper position, makes the rifle more comfortable to use, and gives them a little more of that precision rifle experience.
You can find the Crickett LP Target Rifle Chassis directly through Layerform Precision.
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3D-printed polymer construction
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Designed for Keystone Sporting Arms Crickett rifles
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Adjustable length of pull
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Adjustable buttstock height and angle
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Adjustable cheekpiece height
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Removable buttstock for bolt-action pistol configuration
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Multiple color options
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Optional Picatinny bipod mounting section
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Optional extended Picatinny/ARCA front rail
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Uses factory action screw for rifle attachment
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Compatible with factory scope mounting rail
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Starting price of $59.99
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Also available for Savage Rascal and Winchester Xpert rifles