Reviews of the .25 FX Wildcat (Feel Free to Add Yours)

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Adding to my review since I took it ratting last night.

I have made a friend through the local Farmers Market and I've ratted on his property a few times with moderate success. I say moderate due to the way his farm is setup. It's all spread out and requires longer shots, and as a hunter you are almost always out in the open. He asked me to come by and Rat again as he's been having issues due to the drought (A common Theme around these parts).
So I show up a couple of hours before dark and he walks me around to see whats been happening.
The rats have chewed through wood and plastic to get into his green houses, they have set up multiple nests under the chicken coops and in his barn you can see hay bails that have been chewed on.
I told him how his property makes it hard due to the walking and noise produced to sneak up on them. He laughed and walked me over to his barn and showed me his new toy. An electric man lift, similar to this one.

So he set this thing up in the middle of his property and boosted us up and so it became a snipers nest. I could see pretty much all the target areas, except inside the barn.
To make a long story short, the wildcat is an impressive Ratter! It's quiet, powerful, accurate, comfortable and thus far, reliable. 37 Rats in 5 hours and the WC performed extremely well. Zero Issues. I am pretty sure the .25 is too much for ratting, because it makes a mean hole in rats.
My friend was happy that they are dead, although he doesn't like the disposal part of it, so I gathered them up and dropped them off at another farm I used to rat, where he is now using a large contingency of Cats to manage his Rat issue. He freezes them and then feeds them to kittens so they know what food to eat.

Mike

Here is a pic of my current setup:
Wildcat .25
Sightmark Photon XT
Javelin Bipod

 
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No.. I missed some.. I filled the tank once during a break.
If you meant "Did it take more than one shot per Rat?" The answer is no. If I hit them they were done. Mostly Head shots. A few neck and body shots due to them moving. Everything was pass through, so I had to be careful of what was behind, which isn't much when you are shooting down.
 
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My .25 Wildcat seemed a little "crunchy" every time I pushed the handle forward and loaded a pellet, like it was dragging on something. I thought, maybe this was just the way it was supposed to be. It seemed a little strange since all my other FX rifles have been silky smooth. Today, I cleaned the barrel and while I was at it added a little Napier Power Airgun oil to the breech o-ring. I could feel the difference immediately! Just that little bit of oil made a night and day difference! 
If you're experiencing something similar, you might want to give this a try. 
Happy Shooting! :D
 
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"pheelgood"Adding to my review since I took it ratting last night.

I have made a friend through the local Farmers Market and I've ratted on his property a few times with moderate success. I say moderate due to the way his farm is setup. It's all spread out and requires longer shots, and as a hunter you are almost always out in the open. He asked me to come by and Rat again as he's been having issues due to the drought (A common Theme around these parts).
So I show up a couple of hours before dark and he walks me around to see whats been happening.
The rats have chewed through wood and plastic to get into his green houses, they have set up multiple nests under the chicken coops and in his barn you can see hay bails that have been chewed on.
I told him how his property makes it hard due to the walking and noise produced to sneak up on them. He laughed and walked me over to his barn and showed me his new toy. An electric man lift, similar to this one.

So he set this thing up in the middle of his property and boosted us up and so it became a snipers nest. I could see pretty much all the target areas, except inside the barn.
To make a long story short, the wildcat is an impressive Ratter! It's quiet, powerful, accurate, comfortable and thus far, reliable. 37 Rats in 5 hours and the WC performed extremely well. Zero Issues. I am pretty sure the .25 is too much for ratting, because it makes a mean hole in rats.
My friend was happy that they are dead, although he doesn't like the disposal part of it, so I gathered them up and dropped them off at another farm I used to rat, where he is now using a large contingency of Cats to manage his Rat issue. He freezes them and then feeds them to kittens so they know what food to eat.

Mike

Here is a pic of my current setup:
Wildcat .25
Sightmark Photon XT
Javelin Bipod

Click to expand...

How do you like the photon? Is there a reticle that has mildots for holdover?
 
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Wildcat Review Update: June 21, 2015

I have had the .25 Wildcat for 16 days now and am happy to report there have been no issues or problems with the build quality of the unit I received. There are some new observations and findings that I have identified which I will share with you below.

ADDITION OF A NEW ATLAS BIPOD:
As I mentioned in my last update, I wasn't having much success using the Wildcat with a shooting rest. Not being one to let obstacles get in my way, I decided now was the time to invest in a good bipod that could be shared between my Wildcat and Air Wolf. The Atlas was the best option as they sell a model that comes with a quick release picatinny mount. I purchased two mounting kits comprised of a 3.35" picatinny rail and an individual faster set. Since I have zero faith in my ability to mount the rail to the stock, I opted to leave it in the hands of the professionals so I dropped the stock off with Kip over at Airguns of Arizona so he could install the rail to the stock. The cost breakdown for everything was as follows:
  • $269 - Atlas BT10-LW17 V8 Bipod
  • $20 - Atlas BT15 3.35" Picatinny Rail
  • $5 - Atlas BT517 Fastener Set
  • $60 - Rail Installation at AOA
I left my gun with Kip lat Tuesday and picked it up Thursday evening. As expected, Kip did a top notch job mounting the rail to the Wildcat's stock. I couldn't be more pleased. Here are some pictures:

Atlas BT15 Picatinny Rail (mounted)

Bipod Attached - Note ADM 170S Quick Release Lever

Wildcat on Atlas Bipod


COCKING AND MAGAZINE INDEXING ISSUES - POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSE AND FIX
I found out, through trial and error, that over tightening the second stage (screw C in picture below) can cause the cocking to stop working. To restore normal cocking, loosen the second stage set screw slightly until the gun cocks properly again. I found the second stage set screw also has a direct influence on the indexing of the magazine. how the magazine indexes so if anyone encounters cocking issues or has a magazine that isn't indexing properly, your first course of action would be to try adjusting the second stage set screw to see if that fixes your problems. Here is a breakdown of the various set screws and some words of advice:

A – Trigger Stop
B – SEAR RETURN SPRING – DO NOT TOUCH!!
C – Second Stage
D – First StageCAUTION:
  • The first rule of Screw B is: You do not touch Screw B. The second rule of Screw B is: You do not touch Screw B. Leave screw B alone. Don’t touch it.
  • Do not to over tighten set screw C as it will prevent the gun from cocking and the magazine from indexing properly
  • Do not to over tighten set screw D as it will prevent the safety catch from engaging
WILDCAT TRIGGER TOO CLOSE TO THE GRIP
Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I find the Wildcat's trigger to be too close to the grip which has made it near impossible to keep the gun steady and stable when firing a shot. I have never had this problem on the other guns. In the winter, I typically wear size L gloves so if you wear a size L or larger glove, you may want to try out the Wildcat in person before you purchase the gun sight unseen. I'd be curious to hear from other owners on their findings with the trigger location.

That's it for now. Catch you all later.
 
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IF AOA installs the Atlas rail like they did on my Bobcat it won't last long till it pulls out the threads and gets loose!! They just drilled and threaded the stock and the plastic stock/threads don't hold up very well. Well they did it for free.......I tried to epoxy the holes and retap with terrible results. A thread insert is the only way! 

$30 to drill a hole and tap...ouch...

You may find these at your local fastener store..if you have one.

E-Z Lok-453-5 Thread locking insert Thread size M5x0.80 external thread size M8x1.25


You need a M8x1.25 tap and 17/64"size drill bit 
 
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"scotty" Travelsforfun, that is a nice looking set up! Very nice of you to list your parts and the cost as I am shopping/ dreaming. What is the scope you are using there?
Click to expand...
Thanks. The scope is a US Optics LR17 17x with Gen2 XR reticle. Here is some info on it:

LR-17 features a 44mm objective lens sits in front of a Turret Parallax Adjustment Locater (TPAL) system guaranteeing the sharpest image resolution possible throughout the 3.2-17 power magnification range. Target acquisition for accurate shots beyond 1,500 yards is possible when dialing the power ring to maximum value. LR-17 optics features an Erector Repositioning Elevation Knob (EREK) system with 1/10 MIL or ¼ inch per hundred yards (IPHY) click values that maximizes gross elevation travel adjustment. The same mechanical precision engineered into the EREK knob is incorporated into the US#1 windage knob to ensure that reticle adjustment is precise. A 12-position illuminated reticle system provides an advantage for taking your best shot in low light conditions. Housed in a rugged, Type III hard-anodized 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum body, the LR-17 will always hold zero from daily use and in the harshest field conditions. 

The GENIIXR reticle in the LR-17GENIIXR features hold over points below zero to better facilitate range estimation and trajectory compensation. The reticle incorporates alternating hash marks and dots that are spaced out in ½ MIL increments. The hash marks and dots represent 5 MILs of total elevation adjustment above the horizontal axis; 10 MILs of elevation adjustment below horizontal axis and 5 MILs of windage adjustment to the left and right of the vertical axis. The GENIIXR reticle is thinner to obscure less of the target for a cleaner image. 
  • 12-position, MIL scale Illuminated Reticle System (IRS) is optimized for target engagement at medium range distances and when engaging targets at medium range in low light conditions. 
  • Proprietary thin film coatings fused to precision-ground and polished lenses project sharp image resolution at over 85% light transmission beginning from the objective lens through the eyepiece to ensure a crystal clear sight picture even in low light conditions. 
  • Adjustable eyepiece with a range of +2 to -3 diopter ensures a sharp and distinct reticle image.
  • 32mm eyepiece and a 44mm objective yield a 3mm exit pupil. 
  • At 1.8X magnification the field of view at 100 yards spans 41.6 feet for maximum situational awareness through the sight picture.
  • At 10X magnification the field of view at 100 yards spans 12.8 feet for maximum situational awareness through the sight picture.
  • Low-profile Erector Repositioning Elevation Knob (EREK) is easily manipulated in any environmental condition including cold and inclement weather, with or without gloves.
  • EREK incorporates a center screw for rough zeroing allowing maximum upward travel of 90 distinct, positive clicks per revolution in 1/10 MIL increments or 1/4 Inch Per Hundred Yards (IPHY) when adjusting elevation.
  • Turret Parallax Adjustment Locater (TPAL) knob corrects perceived image shift, or parallax, at distances as near as 30 yards to infinity.
  • US#1 windage knob with 48 distinct, positive clicks per revolution facilitates adjustment in 1/10 MIL increments or 1/4 Inch Per Hundred Yards (IPHY).
 
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