Some of you may recall the survival gun build by Booligan I covered last June. Well, Booligan continued to improve it and ended up with a much more streamlined version of that survival pistol built with the very affordable Keystone Cricket as the base firearm. Booligan’s new chassis design is built to be as light and handy as possible, which also included a storage slot for his .22LR suppressor and built-in cartridge holders on both sides. His chassis as pictured and designed was made around the pistol version of the Crickett, but will accept Cricket rifle actions as well. For anyone still scratching their head about “survival guns” I’ll risk quoting myself below from the AllOutdoor.com article.

Just to be clear for those new to guns, survival guns have been around for quite some time and have taken many forms from pistols, rifles and shotguns, or even combination guns with two or three barrels to accomodate more than one caliber. The overall concept for survival guns typically involves using a short, lightweight gun that can take small game for sustenance, or in a pinch, defend one’s self from larger game or people if need be. Militaries around the world have looked at survival rifles and survival pistols for air and space crews since the mid 20th Century.

Booligan’s previous iteration of his survival pistol.

3D PRINTED SURVIVAL GUN CHASSIS FOR KEYSTONE CRICKET

The following is Booligan’s own words on his latest version of his survival gun build, and a quick look video from his YouTube channel Booligan Shooting Sports follows:

This is the latest iteration of my ever-evolving Crickett pistol build. Previously, I had taken a Crickett pistol and installed it in their factory aluminum chassis, which was then later fitted with a folding brace and other 3D printed accessories that I designed. The more I added to it, the more complicated and bulkier the whole package became, and I decided it was time to follow the Chapman method and I began to simplify and add lightness.

The big change was to start from scratch with a new chassis design. Thanks to the power of math, some properly scaled photos, and my sloppy CAD skills, I was able to put together a simple chassis setup with AR grip compatibility and a rear picatinny mount to use my custom side folding brace design.

A note on my brace design, obviously this is a hot button issue in the current political climate, but my design reflects a good faith attempt to create a legal design following approved elements. It has a shorter length of pull than the ATF’s “allowed” 13.5”. The rearmost area is smaller and thinner than the approved Shockwave Blade, indicating that it is clearly designed as a brace and not a stock. I also went ahead and included a forearm strap so that it, you know, actually functions as a brace. Frankly, I designed a better brace than the other “approved” braces on the market, and as the ATF doesn’t approve standalone accessories anymore, only taking a holistic view on approving a whole firearm or not, this is where the compliance road ends for me (at least until the release some actual written guidelines in the next month or two).

Back to the chassis itself. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t lose any functionality compared to my prior chassis setup, so I added onboard ammo storage for .22 LR rounds and included a cutout with a threaded base to store any 1” diameter suppressor, in my case, my much loved Amtac Fire Ant can. For the pistol grip, I went with another favorite design of mine, the VZ61 (see my ridiculous 3D printed VZ61 based on the CZAR receiver by Deterrence Dispensed) printed in wood PLA (yes, it’s printed wood) but modified slightly at the rear to better fit with my brace hinge.

I also made a modification to the bolt itself so that it cocks automatically when closing, taking out that extra step when loading a new round.

The end result is as shown, weighing less than 3 pounds and able to fold up to a package less than 12” long. It stores easily in a backpack and deploys quickly. The shortened barrel ensures that standard velocity ammo remains subsonic, and when shooting through the can, the striker impacting the round and the target getting hit are realistically the most noticeable sounds. It is precise thanks to the free floated fluted barrel with target crown and accurate due to the super long eye relief pistol scope, which is easily able to be used properly with the brace. The printed top rail has a rudimentary iron sight system built in to give you back-up in case of optics failure. Overall, the idea was to make a useful, lightweight plinker or small game getter, and I think it hit that mark quite well.

As you can see, Booligan is quite happy with his survival gun design, and regardless of how others feel about it, it’s refreshing to see someone set out to design and build something from scratch that serves their own purposes. Booligan’s YouTube channel also features a longer breakdown that you can view HERE if you want a more in-depth look, as well as his explanation on his modification to the Crickett bolt to cock on close, instead of the manual cocking for each shot as it comes from the factory.

Keystone Crickett modified bolt to cock on close (left-handed bolt)

Booligan’s Reddit thread on his latest version of the survival gun can be viewed HERE, and his other projects can be seen on his YouTube channel Booligan Shooting Sports. The 3D print files can be found at Booligancustomgunworks.com if you’d like to print your own survival gun chassis, or any of the other files he has available as well. Keystone Crickett rifles and pistols can be found at Keystonesportingarmsllc.com which range from $159.00 and up.

3D rendering of Booligan’s survival gun chassis.

What do you think about Booligan’s latest chassis design for the survival gun build? Do you think this fits the bill as a survival pistol?