Can i use a fx wildcat compact in177 for hft competition or im wasting my time, need small gun do to im handclap.
N/A fx wildcat compact in 177 for hft
- Thread starter keith1
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I own the W/C m3 compact in .22 and can tell you it's extremely accurate, I don't know how the .177s shoot. The compact only weighs 6lbs on my scale, plus optic.
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The real experts will be along eventually so in their absence I will offer a YES you can use it for HFT. My Wilcat in 22 is laser accurate & I cant imagine your 177 being any worse. I dont know what kind of velocity the 177 gets but you will likely need to turn the power wheel down a tich on yours. 20fpe is the max allowed for HFT.
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The WC is a nice platform. I have two: a .22 and a .25. No one here has mentioned any experience with an FX .177. I have played around with my Crown and Dreamlines with .177 and from my experience, I don't feel that FX makes a reliably accurate .177 rifle. They have not put much research and developement into this caliber because it seems that everyone wants big, high power buffalo guns. Just look at the match results of various FT matches including the World's. There are some FXs, but not many. Air Arms, RAW, Daystate, and Thomas seem to dominate. I used to shoot HFT with a RAW HM1000 and it was deadly accurate. If it's a compact rifle you seek, look at a Brocock or Ghost. The English seem to have a good handle on .177 accuracy. You may score a good price during Black Friday sales.
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My assumption when I read this was the OP already owned a FX in 177. If that is true... Shoot what you got, if you enjoy it then plan on stepping up your game with bigger purchases to hopefully do better. Expert advice is a duel edged sword. They are going to point you in the right direction to do well. What they lose sight of, specfically because they are experts, is those that just want to compete to have fun.
If considering an initial purchase & dont already own a gun then listen well to the experts but you have to balance that against any limitations you might have to deal with. At the end of the day its about having fun. if the FX meets your needs then I say do it. If off the bench you can keep its shots inside a 15mm circle at 25 yards then it is plenty accurate enough to do well with. Everything after that is operator headspace & timing (meaning your fault).
In the end... Shoot what you got or what fits your needs & have fun with it!
If considering an initial purchase & dont already own a gun then listen well to the experts but you have to balance that against any limitations you might have to deal with. At the end of the day its about having fun. if the FX meets your needs then I say do it. If off the bench you can keep its shots inside a 15mm circle at 25 yards then it is plenty accurate enough to do well with. Everything after that is operator headspace & timing (meaning your fault).
In the end... Shoot what you got or what fits your needs & have fun with it!
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Hi Keith1,
Absolutely! The Wildcat in .177 will be just fine. Some folks seem to think there is something wrong with FX .177 barrels, but my experience does not bear that out. I have been using a Crown Mk II with a 500mm FX Superior STX liner for the last couple of years. I have done very well (including just missing the podium at the Pyramid Air Cup this year).
The difference between the folks who are near the top in the sport and everyone else has way more to do with your ability to shoot offhand and from a kneeling position. Those two lanes can be between 8 and 12 points in a typical 60-point match. Since I can't kneel (hip and knee replacements) I shoot both forced lanes offhand. When I have a good day on those lanes (above 75%) I am near the top. More typically my 30-50% means being an "also ran".
The other key thing about HFT is accurately ranging targets beyond 45 yards. That is very hard to do with just about any scope because in HFT you are limited to a max magnification of 16X (even if the scope can do more). That really is the great leveler as the $4K scopes don't do much more than the $500 ones.
At the end of the day it is just really fun to get out in the woods with a bunch of folks and spend the morning knocking down animal shape targets! Way more fun than punching paper (IMHO).
Cheers,
Greg
Absolutely! The Wildcat in .177 will be just fine. Some folks seem to think there is something wrong with FX .177 barrels, but my experience does not bear that out. I have been using a Crown Mk II with a 500mm FX Superior STX liner for the last couple of years. I have done very well (including just missing the podium at the Pyramid Air Cup this year).
The difference between the folks who are near the top in the sport and everyone else has way more to do with your ability to shoot offhand and from a kneeling position. Those two lanes can be between 8 and 12 points in a typical 60-point match. Since I can't kneel (hip and knee replacements) I shoot both forced lanes offhand. When I have a good day on those lanes (above 75%) I am near the top. More typically my 30-50% means being an "also ran".
The other key thing about HFT is accurately ranging targets beyond 45 yards. That is very hard to do with just about any scope because in HFT you are limited to a max magnification of 16X (even if the scope can do more). That really is the great leveler as the $4K scopes don't do much more than the $500 ones.
At the end of the day it is just really fun to get out in the woods with a bunch of folks and spend the morning knocking down animal shape targets! Way more fun than punching paper (IMHO).
Cheers,
Greg
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I can tell you from experience the Wildcat Tube Compact version is wonderful offhand, maybe one of the best. I have not obviously tried them all, but it is well balanced and light weight.
I have never tried any air competition so I dont know how it would do as far as competing. There have been some complaints of the 177 liners not performing as well as the other Calibers, but I think that is more slug related. The forum is full of members with excellent 177 Crowns and Dreamlines, so the liners are certainly capable of great accuracy. I am building a 177Cal Maverick myself, and I have relatively high accuracy demands out of my setups.
But at the end of the day however good or bad the Wildcat does in a formal match is going to depend on what you need out of it. Some people are happy just to attend an event and have a good time and the Wildcat will do that easy. Some people want to be moderately competitive with other shooters and themselves, the Wildcat can do that too. Some people have to win and demand performance out of their equipment at the highest level, I think the Wildcat might do that in the right hands.
ETA: I agree with the posts above, if you already own the Wildcat just take it out and try an event. No matter what you have, there really is only one way to learn what works for you. Gotta spend some time outside with your equipment.
I have never tried any air competition so I dont know how it would do as far as competing. There have been some complaints of the 177 liners not performing as well as the other Calibers, but I think that is more slug related. The forum is full of members with excellent 177 Crowns and Dreamlines, so the liners are certainly capable of great accuracy. I am building a 177Cal Maverick myself, and I have relatively high accuracy demands out of my setups.
But at the end of the day however good or bad the Wildcat does in a formal match is going to depend on what you need out of it. Some people are happy just to attend an event and have a good time and the Wildcat will do that easy. Some people want to be moderately competitive with other shooters and themselves, the Wildcat can do that too. Some people have to win and demand performance out of their equipment at the highest level, I think the Wildcat might do that in the right hands.
ETA: I agree with the posts above, if you already own the Wildcat just take it out and try an event. No matter what you have, there really is only one way to learn what works for you. Gotta spend some time outside with your equipment.
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I was looking at the ghost compact in 177 and 22, also drop a email to brk asking if the 22 can drop its power drown to 20 flt if so that the one thankyou for your help in this matter keith
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Greg thanks again so right now im using a daystate huntmans revere in 177 and 12flb great little rifle, however like to go smaller and liter the wildcat caught my eye it gose to 20 flb and better on the shooting stick you think it will be ok?
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FWIW & YMMV heres my ballistics for my FX Wildcat 22 that I setup for HFT. Its shot with JSB Hades 15.89gr.
I have confirmed these numbers on paper so gonna give it a shot in HFT this spring. Depending how it plays out I may change my zero point. The most difficult target will be the 55yd one which equates to a 1.6mil holdover. I think its workable, if any experienced HFT shooters have any feedback I would love to hear it.
I have confirmed these numbers on paper so gonna give it a shot in HFT this spring. Depending how it plays out I may change my zero point. The most difficult target will be the 55yd one which equates to a 1.6mil holdover. I think its workable, if any experienced HFT shooters have any feedback I would love to hear it.
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Keith,
I have never owned a Wildcat, but did have a Maverick. They have essentially the same action which are derivatives of the Crown action. So I don't see any difference there. The Crown Mk II Superlight barrel system does away with the steel barrel housing used in the Crown Mk I (and the rest of the FX line) and suspends the barrel in the shroud using delrin spacers. How much difference that makes in performance I don't think anyone knows (though it makes the Crown MK II a bit lighter and moves the cg of the rifle back.
Folks I know who use the Wildcat rave about how it shoulders and how great it carries. The Daystate Huntsman Revere is a great airgun! I have shot FT (Hunter) matches with a bunch of Daystate rifle users and never felt at a disadvantage. Same goes for the guys using Thomas rifles. FT is way more about your ability to settle yourself down, steady your hold, and consistently get your shot off. Of course, as you likely well know, it is also about doing your homework before you get to the match. Getting the rifle tuned to shoot accurately and consistently (I use the 30/40 yd Challenge her on AGN for that).
I think you will like shooting 20FPE. It allows a heavier pellet with higher fps so it isn't as affected by wind and is not dropping as fast at the longer ranges.
So - go for it! Have fun. If the rifle doesn't work out you can always post it on AGN (and take a bit of a beating of course
).Cheers,
Greg
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I have the sniper version, I have the reg set to 120 bar & the wheel set at postion 1. I had to tweak it with an allen wrench to get a consistent 746-751fps.
I havent chronoed it back at position 7 to see what I did to my max power but I am happy where she sits now.
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