UN-BOXING:
Not much to comment on other than the Wildcat actually fits in the box (as opposed to the Bobcat I received last year which was too wide causing the box to bulge).
Box Contents:
My first impression was just how light the rifle actually feels. It’s a featherweight compared to the other rifles I have owned and shot. The fit and finish was flawless. I was surprised to find that there were no stack-able baffles on my rifle. (UPDATE: Baffles are not necessary since the.25 is already very quiet. They can be purchased separately as an option if you want to add them.)
OWNERS MANUAL:
The 23 page color manual is shared with various FX models but has nothing specific to the Wildcat. This is not good since there some features unique to the Wildcat with no reference or guidance to assist new owners. If someone were to ask me how large the air cylinder is on my .25 Wildcat, I wouldn't know without having to do some searching online as the owners manual doesn't provide specs. I was curious to see if the air cylinder was removable but the manual says "Not possible for all models, see specifications for your model." Trouble is there are no specs in the manual.
CLEANING THE BARREL:
I always clean the barrel of any new gun I receive prior to shooting it. For the Wildcat, I used a pull through cord with some dry patches. I removed the end cap and removed the magazine. Right away, I realized this was going to be tricky as there is hardly any space to get a cord threaded through the barrel. As I was threading the cable through the barrel, it got stuck towards the end of the barrel. I had the same problem with my previous Bobcat and realized I would need a straw inserted in the muzzle to allow the tip of the cable to pass through the smooth twist portion of the barrel. Since I didn’t have one, I had to keep twisting and pushing until it finally made it through the muzzle. The next hurdle was trying to get the cable past the inner lip of the shroud. I ended up using tweezers to grasp the tip of the cable and pull it clear. The final challenge was trying to get the last bit of the pull through to clear the narrow chamber in the breach as you can see in the picture below.
Only 2 dry patches to clean barrel out of the box
Patches surprisingly clean
Views inside the muzzle when the end cap is removed
CHEEK RESTS:
I turned my attention to the cheek rests. Unlike the Bobcat, the cheek rests on the Wildcat are not adjustable. The cheek rest is comprised of two pieces, both held in place by set screws. Here is how the cheek rest looked prior to being removed:
Here is how it looks after removing both sections:
MAGAZINE:
The magazine hold eight .25 cal pellets that are held in place by an o-ring around the inner spindle. Loading pellets is done head first like most magazines. I loaded pellets from H&N, Benjamin, and EunJin with no problems. Actually, which I pleasantly surprised to find that the 35.8 gr EunJin Domed pellet fit perfectly.
Breech opening where the 8 round magazine slides into. Notice the tip of pellet probe and breach O-ring just inside the barrel.
Magazine with inner o-ring visible
READY TO SHOOT:
.25 Wildcat with 17x US Optics LR-17CB scope and Low Hawke 30mm Mounts
View of rifle with coking handle open
Not much to comment on other than the Wildcat actually fits in the box (as opposed to the Bobcat I received last year which was too wide causing the box to bulge).
Box Contents:
- FX .25 Wildcat
- Brass fill probe
- Owner’s manual
- 8 round Silver Metal Magazine (1)
My first impression was just how light the rifle actually feels. It’s a featherweight compared to the other rifles I have owned and shot. The fit and finish was flawless. I was surprised to find that there were no stack-able baffles on my rifle. (UPDATE: Baffles are not necessary since the.25 is already very quiet. They can be purchased separately as an option if you want to add them.)
OWNERS MANUAL:
The 23 page color manual is shared with various FX models but has nothing specific to the Wildcat. This is not good since there some features unique to the Wildcat with no reference or guidance to assist new owners. If someone were to ask me how large the air cylinder is on my .25 Wildcat, I wouldn't know without having to do some searching online as the owners manual doesn't provide specs. I was curious to see if the air cylinder was removable but the manual says "Not possible for all models, see specifications for your model." Trouble is there are no specs in the manual.
CLEANING THE BARREL:
I always clean the barrel of any new gun I receive prior to shooting it. For the Wildcat, I used a pull through cord with some dry patches. I removed the end cap and removed the magazine. Right away, I realized this was going to be tricky as there is hardly any space to get a cord threaded through the barrel. As I was threading the cable through the barrel, it got stuck towards the end of the barrel. I had the same problem with my previous Bobcat and realized I would need a straw inserted in the muzzle to allow the tip of the cable to pass through the smooth twist portion of the barrel. Since I didn’t have one, I had to keep twisting and pushing until it finally made it through the muzzle. The next hurdle was trying to get the cable past the inner lip of the shroud. I ended up using tweezers to grasp the tip of the cable and pull it clear. The final challenge was trying to get the last bit of the pull through to clear the narrow chamber in the breach as you can see in the picture below.
Only 2 dry patches to clean barrel out of the box
Patches surprisingly clean
Views inside the muzzle when the end cap is removed
CHEEK RESTS:
I turned my attention to the cheek rests. Unlike the Bobcat, the cheek rests on the Wildcat are not adjustable. The cheek rest is comprised of two pieces, both held in place by set screws. Here is how the cheek rest looked prior to being removed:
Here is how it looks after removing both sections:
MAGAZINE:
The magazine hold eight .25 cal pellets that are held in place by an o-ring around the inner spindle. Loading pellets is done head first like most magazines. I loaded pellets from H&N, Benjamin, and EunJin with no problems. Actually, which I pleasantly surprised to find that the 35.8 gr EunJin Domed pellet fit perfectly.
Breech opening where the 8 round magazine slides into. Notice the tip of pellet probe and breach O-ring just inside the barrel.
Magazine with inner o-ring visible
READY TO SHOOT:
.25 Wildcat with 17x US Optics LR-17CB scope and Low Hawke 30mm Mounts
View of rifle with coking handle open
