Hey folks,
Relatively new forum member steved192 here. I've been an air rifle fanatic my whole life but got away from the hobby for a long time due to work, marriage, raising kids, etc. After reading this forum, watching videos, scouring specs for several years, I'm finally ready to jump in to the world of PCP (i.e. lay out the cash). I guess the FX hype rubbed off on me as I have been looking at the FX Royale 500, FX Boss, Bobcat, Wildcat, Crown for quite some time, each in turn as the new models came out and features and adjustability increased. I really like the Crown but the sporty bullpup look of the Wildcat has always been tempting. So....now we have the Mk3 out there. It's got most of the goodies that were excusive to the Crown and Impact, including that whole new hammer spring adjustability/power level dial. That pretty much made the Mk3 a no-brainer for me. HOWEVER, the launch has not been without controversy, at least from my particular perspective. I want the .25 700mm Sniper and was excited by the new power claims of "up to 70 ft-lbs". But then came the reports of only 50 fpe, which is no change from the Mk2. Was there supposed to be a power plenum installed? Or not? No answer has been provided and there is no word if the next shipment will have the plenum or other tweaks that will help it live up to the new power claims. I was considering buying the 1.2" or 2.5" Ernest Rowe plenum and installing it myself. But, there are no Mk3's to be had right now and the next shipment date continues to move further and further out. Plus, I don't even know if there will be any available for folks like me after the big wait lists are fulfilled. And then there's the whole debate on FX reliability.... And I am sitting on a new-to-me filled air tank, scope and pellets....just need gun and rings.
So, I started searching for an alternative. Even though the Taipans, AGT Vulcan & Uragan, Crickets, etc all are very solid and accurate, none have ever jumped out as aesthetically pleasing to me as the Wildcat, and they certainly don't have all the adjustability inherent in the FX designs. So, I took another look at Brocock, a brand I had not paid a lot of attention to. And bang - there's the Sniper XR Magnum (.25) and it looks really good in the same vein as the Wildcat! And it's readily available and in stock NOW. So that's the backstory....
The Sniper XR has many of the same features as the Wildcat like side-lever cocking, externally adjustable reg, adjustable power level, etc The Sniper XR Pro's: Huma reg right out of the box. Fore end rail already installed for bipod. Build quality seems really solid. Maybe barrel assembly a bit stiffer and strong, less susceptibility to being knocked around? 480 cc bottle. And the Cons: Less Hammer Spring/power level adjustability, smaller magazine capacity, trigger might not be as good, less power if next batch of Mk3's truly comes with "up to" 70 fpe, can't change calibers, liners, barrel length and of course it costs a bit more too (about $200). And of course there's a lot of other differences between the two brands like barrel technology, barrel length options, etc.
So, for all y'all out there with tons of experience in the PCP world....what are your thoughts? Should I just grab a seat and wait for some more FX's to hit our shores? Or should I give the Brocock a go?
Your feedback, thoughts and wisdom greatly appreciated!!
steved192
Relatively new forum member steved192 here. I've been an air rifle fanatic my whole life but got away from the hobby for a long time due to work, marriage, raising kids, etc. After reading this forum, watching videos, scouring specs for several years, I'm finally ready to jump in to the world of PCP (i.e. lay out the cash). I guess the FX hype rubbed off on me as I have been looking at the FX Royale 500, FX Boss, Bobcat, Wildcat, Crown for quite some time, each in turn as the new models came out and features and adjustability increased. I really like the Crown but the sporty bullpup look of the Wildcat has always been tempting. So....now we have the Mk3 out there. It's got most of the goodies that were excusive to the Crown and Impact, including that whole new hammer spring adjustability/power level dial. That pretty much made the Mk3 a no-brainer for me. HOWEVER, the launch has not been without controversy, at least from my particular perspective. I want the .25 700mm Sniper and was excited by the new power claims of "up to 70 ft-lbs". But then came the reports of only 50 fpe, which is no change from the Mk2. Was there supposed to be a power plenum installed? Or not? No answer has been provided and there is no word if the next shipment will have the plenum or other tweaks that will help it live up to the new power claims. I was considering buying the 1.2" or 2.5" Ernest Rowe plenum and installing it myself. But, there are no Mk3's to be had right now and the next shipment date continues to move further and further out. Plus, I don't even know if there will be any available for folks like me after the big wait lists are fulfilled. And then there's the whole debate on FX reliability.... And I am sitting on a new-to-me filled air tank, scope and pellets....just need gun and rings.
So, I started searching for an alternative. Even though the Taipans, AGT Vulcan & Uragan, Crickets, etc all are very solid and accurate, none have ever jumped out as aesthetically pleasing to me as the Wildcat, and they certainly don't have all the adjustability inherent in the FX designs. So, I took another look at Brocock, a brand I had not paid a lot of attention to. And bang - there's the Sniper XR Magnum (.25) and it looks really good in the same vein as the Wildcat! And it's readily available and in stock NOW. So that's the backstory....
The Sniper XR has many of the same features as the Wildcat like side-lever cocking, externally adjustable reg, adjustable power level, etc The Sniper XR Pro's: Huma reg right out of the box. Fore end rail already installed for bipod. Build quality seems really solid. Maybe barrel assembly a bit stiffer and strong, less susceptibility to being knocked around? 480 cc bottle. And the Cons: Less Hammer Spring/power level adjustability, smaller magazine capacity, trigger might not be as good, less power if next batch of Mk3's truly comes with "up to" 70 fpe, can't change calibers, liners, barrel length and of course it costs a bit more too (about $200). And of course there's a lot of other differences between the two brands like barrel technology, barrel length options, etc.
So, for all y'all out there with tons of experience in the PCP world....what are your thoughts? Should I just grab a seat and wait for some more FX's to hit our shores? Or should I give the Brocock a go?
Your feedback, thoughts and wisdom greatly appreciated!!
steved192
Still using a higher power level than it came, so the trip to FXUSA Service was still worth it. The only NSAs that shoot good in either of my FX guns are the dish base, which only comes in 29gr now. At 63fpe, I get just over 2 mags from 250bar to 150bar. Not a lot of shots, but they work for me. In comparison, on my DL .25, I get about 3 mags at 48fpe, from 230 bar to 135 bar.
. The wildcat in particular has always caught my eye since the introduction because it’s design is tempting but till recently my choise was Kalibrgun Cricket and Edgun Lelya 2.0 as those rifles were just built better and were easier to maintain and adjust with pellet use. Now with easy external regulator adjustment , superiot barrel, nice customization options and still that nice exterior the balance has switched to FX for me as I decided that the future of my air rifle shooting is in slug ammunition and with the Wildcat MKIII it ticks ll the boxes . Only communication wise FX leaves a lot to be desired with their customers as has been proven in many threads on this website but obviously they can afford themselves to be a cocky party in that respect due to massive demand for their products. Wimpanzee can write a book about it .....
. I assure them to do better as their current one .
