FX Impact and WildCat bipod mounting [PHOTOS]

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 I know earlier in this thread that someone had asked what the thickness of the stock was of the Wildcat for mounting a bipod. 

The answer is that it's really damn thick. I had ordered some parts before hand and none of them fit. You were looking at needing a 1 inch 10–32 screw if you are going to go from a Picatinny rail mount to some kind of rear stud like this... http://m.lowes.com/pd/The-Hillman-Group-10-Zinc-Plated-Standard-SAE-Brad-Hole-Tee-Nut/3012545

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by how much meat there was to work with. 

 
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Hey Eddie,

Yeah I saw that - just wanted a better look at how it was attached to the stock. Would I be correct in saying it's mounted to a picatinny rail?

I really want a wildcat, but I'm a bipod shooter (lazy arse shooter :p lol). Maybe the wildcat will help me with my off hand shooting?

I currently hunt with a Gen1 Marauder - so that bugger is HEAVY when loaded up with scope, bipod and night vision. Hell, even without the NV setup - it's still bloody heavy!
 
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Following up on Teds tip about the BT1517 and having finally taken delivery of my FX Wildcat in .25, and having acquired the required courage (beer may have been involved). I finally bit the pellet and took drill to stock (or more accurately drill and drill-stand). 

The stock of the FX Wildcat seems to be made of some kind of reconstituted plastic/rubber combination. This makes for a very tactile warm to the touch stock. Whilst the down side of this material is that it doesn't hold threads very well, the up side is that it does machine well.

Below is a picture of the bits I used to attach the rail:
~original

This next picture shows the inside of the stock with the rail fitted:
~original

These next two pictures just give an overall view of the finished stock:
~original

~original


Basically drilled two 6.5mm holes perpendicular to the underside of the forend at the required spacing, then using the 6.5mm holes as a guide, counter bored the holes from the inside of the forend with the 22mm flat drill (again perpendicular to the underside of the forend). Finally using some thread lock, assembled the bits. The trick is clamping everything together solidly to hold everything in place and level while drilling, but other than that the material the stock's made out of is easy to cut into.

One FX Wildcat good to go.



 
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ATLAS BT15 PICATINNY RAIL ON THE .25 WILDCAT - INSTALLED BY KIP PEROW AT AIRGUNS OF ARIZONA
I recently bought a genuine ATLAS bipod to use with my new FX Wildcat and existing Daystate Air Wolf. I went with Atlas since they offer a model with a quick release lever to make switching between rifles a breeze. In addition to the Atlas bipod, I ordered the Atlas 3.35" Picatinny Rail and Atlas Individual Faster kit for both rifles. Since I have no faith in my ability to install the mounts without damaging the stocks of my rifles, I decided to leave it to the pros. In my case, I had Kip at Airguns of Arizona do the installation work for me. The installation took just 2 days and boy was it worth it. Kip did a top notch job as you can see from the pictures below:

Inside the Stock - BT517 Fastners

Atlas BT15 Picatinny Rail (mounted)

Bipod Attached - Note ADM 170S Quick Release Lever

Wildcat on Atlas Bipod


COST BREAK DOWN:
  • $269 - Atlas BT10-LW17 V8 Bipod
  • $20 - Atlas BT15 3.35" Picatinny Rail
  • $5 - Atlas BT517 Fastener Set
  • $65 - Rail Installation at AOA
 
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"Ted"
"RichardUK"
The FX Impact definitely has the cool factor - but will it hold zero between being taken down and being put back together? Only time will tell.
Click to expand...
When I saw Fredrik Axelsson take it apart and put it together at IWA, I just sat there with a smart@$$ look on my face. He asked, jokingly, what I was being so smug about. I said, that is a great trick, but I will NEVER take it apart once I get it zeroed because I don't want to have to monkey with re-sighting the gun in every time. Fred said it WILL return to zero. I said, I will believe it when I see it. Fred then showed me how the barrel secures differently to the breech than any other FX gun. I admit, that seemed much more hopeful than the traditional (screw-in) method. And he showed me the quick-release scope mounts, and they also looked to do their job well.

The goal of the whole system it to eliminate user variability. Meaning that the scope and barrel attach with a 'set' amount of force - the same every time.

BUT - there are SO MANY tiny things you can not see that can affect POI. Tiny discrepancies invisible to the naked eye that can translate into several inches at 100 yards.

I told Fredrik that if the POI shifts less than 1cm at 50 yards, I will declare it a success. If the POI doesn't shift at all, I will declare it a miracle. :)
Click to expand...
"
I told Fredrik that if the POI shifts less than 1cm at 50 yards, I will declare it a success. If the POI doesn’t shift at all, I will declare it a miracle. "

A "miracle" may be in the making... Michael did a quick test on POI and barrel changing with the FX Impact:

http://airgunnation.dev/topic/fx-impact-qa-does-the-poi-change-when-changing-barrels-video/

 
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I used the smallest Picatinny rail possible and placed it as forward as I could. This allows as much room for my support hand. I cut the fastener anchors into smaller circles with diagonal cutters. The sharp edges cut into the counter sinked walls for grip and kept them from spinning.

Side note, to keep the rail centered:
I placed just the forend upside down on a (level) bench then put the rail where you want it...now rest a small level on the rail. Move it such that it is true with the level (side to side) and silver sharpie the hole locations. This is to ensure the rail is on the bottom and not off to the side any once mounted. The rail I had is not flat on the furniture side but concave, so I knew it wouldn't be twisted in that manner.



 
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You know, I think in this case because the stock is so short they said, "Leave 'well-enough' alone." There isn't alot of room for a rail depending where the shooter supports his hold, that's why I used the smallest one and placed it as forward possible which I suggest for any that will do the mod. I saw now there are walnut and laminated stocks on FX's website, none of which show rails.

I think cost may come into play too. It's an extra step in making it and even if holes were pre-drilled who's to say those holes would line up with any rail out there? Some have no fore or aft play because it's just 2 holes not ovals to adjust.

Bottom line, there will always be an after market for parts and a need for gunsmiths. I consider this type of tinkering very fun to make something all the more my own. But I have confidence in my limited skillset and tools. I do see your point, of course. If this was marketed as some kind of 'tactical' platform that is practically based on rails it would be foolish to not have one somewhere. Yet it is sold as a bullpup, short and light.

It is immensely more useful for hunting at night with a rail I will say. I used the new OLight brand weapon light, PL-1 Valkyrie, to wack the nocturnal critters in my yard. It's a fantastic setup and a great weapon light. Best place to get it is GoingGear. Join their email list to get the insider and wait for major US holidays to save. :) I might pick up another one and keep it on my pistol.
 
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