Looking at a FX Wildcat III. Never had a PCP. Have a bunch of Springers. Do mostly targets but some pest. Which Cal. 22, 25 or 30 ????
FX Wildcat III
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First PCP, I’d go with .22 caliber. Large selection of ammunition which the Wildcat MKIII will likely shoot many of them well. Won’t go wrong with JSB’s and this airgun.
15 to 25 grain.
JK
15 to 25 grain.
JK
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I ordered a Wildcat III last week in .22. Like you, I shoot a lot of paper but also do a little squirrel hunting and pest control. I got the compact version so I could more easily carry it through the woods. For rabbits, squirrels and other small game, the .22 should be fine. And you'll get more shots per fill with less noise than with the larger calibers. Wish you the best!
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Target wise (I have a .22 Wildcat Mk III for target shooting), what JK above said. Can't comment on the "pesting" part of the question.
Mike
Mike
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That is what I was thinking. Local dealer only has 30cal in stock. I think I will wait for 22 cal.
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The Wildcat is a hunter. I followed Joe Kool’s posts before buying mine. I had an issue with the AMP and put in a Huma and XL plenum. I am shooting 23 grain, .217 NSA slugs at 999 FPS with a Std Dev of 3.3 FPS. That translates into about 52 FPE. I have gotten 5 shots to touch one hole with the STX liner. you have to do your part. My HST is 5.5mm from Max and I shoot on power 7. My reg pressure is set to 140. I am getting the same speed at 140 that I did at 150. I was amazed that a 1/4 turn of the Adjustment HST made the groups touch! I bought this gun to learn how to tune beyond what my Leshiy is capable of. Yes, 1/4 turn and Wow! I haven’t done the “fall off the reg test, but I am getting well beyond one magazine and probably at least 10 more.
I can load 18.13 grain JSBs and shoot at power 5 accurately all day long. Anything greater than 5, I am super sonic and hear the crack.
Have fun with the gun. For what you are hunting, you will not be out gunned.
BTW, the reason I changed out Regs was that the AMP leaked, FX sent me a rebuild kit, but I like the Huma design.
I can load 18.13 grain JSBs and shoot at power 5 accurately all day long. Anything greater than 5, I am super sonic and hear the crack.
Have fun with the gun. For what you are hunting, you will not be out gunned.
BTW, the reason I changed out Regs was that the AMP leaked, FX sent me a rebuild kit, but I like the Huma design.
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I agree with everyone else on getting it in .22 cal. The ammo will be much less than a larger caliber and you will have a much bigger selection as well. The only way I would do larger is if your pesting includes coyote or larger game.
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Nice story. It looks like you have managed to get a grip on tuning the cat ! Maybe good to add that with replacing the FX AMP regulator with the HUMA you lost the possibility to change reg setting easy from the outside ( little hole in the airtube) . Also people should not expect to be able to reach your numbers without power plenum ! Be it internal like you did or external ( like Joe Kool did)
cheers
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Ladwict is absolutely correct that you loose the ability to external adjust and the XL plenum adds additional capability, even though I can’t fully explain why yet as the newest Wild 3 seems to have a large plenum behind the Reg already. I just see the results on the FX Chrony and paper.
I should also add I have the 700mm barrel or sniper version and the longer barrel helps to stabilize the pellet and provides additional length to increase speed. I was originally hesitant to adjust some more since I didn’t have an air tank and air source to fill it as I was previously using my Hill MK5. Now I may even lower the Reg some more since I can easily fill it the air chamber. I admit, I have a lot to learn. I am going to develop some of the great graphics that Joe Kool uses to tune. I am enjoying the process of learning and PCPs have rekindled my interest in airguns.
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Tough decision for us new guys. Watching videos i see .22 with slugs take out pigeons stone dead. Other videos pigeons flying short distance with slugs from a .30 impact. Teds hold over said .25 for squirrels, but I think that was before slugs. Ted uses 30 a lot also. The guys from 68 whiskey and Rick Rhem say .30 cal. This thread says .22 mainly due to ammo choices and cost. I ordered a .25 as it seems decent pellet count for the cost.
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My used MK3 Sniper (700mm) came in .30 and along with it came the .22 barrel kit. The Sniper was my choice for 2 reasons. First was the 700mm barrel, more power adjustability and accuracy potential. Second was the larger air tube (230cc v 300cc), no brainer for me, more air, more shots, more flexibility. Other possible advantages to getting the .30 is that it comes with the heaver hammer, there are 3 hammers, one for each caliber, 7g, 11g and 13g. This 13g has been useful to me for tuning when using the .22 barrel kit. I also installed a Huma reg for it as well (came with the deal), not the "extended plenum" version, but, I made a 1" spacer that replaced the 1/2" that was installed with the AMP and it obviously increased the plenum area (bonus) but took away the external reg adjustment. I try to be a "set it one and done" guy and did so with the .30 tune and have enough hammer spring adjustment levels below "7" to shoot it in .22 just fine. Pellet and slug costs and selection are also to be considered as well.
Depending on what you want to shoot for ammo. .22 SSTX liner shoots slugs and pellets excellent. The new .30 SSTX barrels are now a 1:22 twist geared toward the slug shooter. My early one came with the 1:37 called the "slow" and it shoots 44.75 and 50gr lights out out to 100yds. The .22 is like most all FX that shoot wonderfully out to whatever. Your tune will determine your shot count along with the accuracy you require. I end with saying, I really love the .30 WC MK3. Great advice posted here by others.
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