.25 Wildcat owners help( add moderator or not)

"Dave"I have ordered a Wildcat after a lot of reading reviews and watching the few videos out there. I thank those of you that have provided input.

I was watching Jim Chapman's prairie dog video for american airgun hunter and noticed at 1:08 minute mark it looks as though he has a moderator installed. I am looking at putting a Huggett on my Wildcat due to using mainly for backyard pest control and would like to hear from you if the expense and the fact that it is bonded to shroud by AoA is worth going for. The marauder in .22 and .25 are the only guns I have, how does the sound level compare? Is accuracy lost by addition? Can a replacement shroud be bought so I can have one with moderator and one without?

Thanks, Dave

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The hugget shrouds are good. You will not loose any accuracy and the gun will become far quieter. You can also buy a replacement shroud and keep it but I doubt you will need one. AOA does a good job of fitting the hugget to any of the FX guns. As far as I know, the wildcat is already a quiet gun. It may help if you ask AOA as to how much further will the hugget cut the sound down. I have used a hugget on a bobcat before and it did reduce the crack significantly. But the wildcat should be quieter by design. That said, If I were getting the wildcat and needed to cut down on the sound further, I would go with the hugget without thinking twice. They are quality products and precision engineered. Worth the money. You could also reach out to Neil Clauge on this forum. He is an expert on LDC and shrouds. 

Dave, I ordered a Wildcat 25 a few weeks ago and was told the report would be about the same as my Maruader 22. I don't have it yet so I don't know could have been a sells pitch. I hope it will be that quiet,and think it will be.

Perhaps I'm mistaken but the last I heard, a Huggett isn't available for the .25 Wildcat? However, I know the Huggett is available for the .22.. 

You could purchase an additional baffle or two to add to the stack which are easily removable and not attached or glued on permanently. Personally, I found the .25 to be surprisingly quiet for a 48 fpe rifle. From a shooters perspective, the loudest sounds heard are those made bu the striker releasing the air during a shot followed by pellet hitting the target..However, I realize "quiet" is subjective so what's quiet to me may not be quiet to someone else.

Please keep us updated on the results. I am really interested. You are getting the exact set up I want. Enjoy it!

Just my two cents I have marauder and wildcat 25 they are both backyard friendly almost if not same loudness the wildcat just has a different sound than the marauder so if it were me I'd save the money 

I have a .25 Mrod with a depinger and the HDD ,and the Wildcat is still quieter , the impact on target is louder the the gun itself,IMO 

I have the .25 and was quite surprised to find the end cap is hollow (with no baffles), and the shroud doesn't serve any sound reducing function. The report is too loud for my fast, but I otherwise love the gun.

Thanks to FernLoading's post above, I contacted Neil to have an LDC made. Before proceeding, I'm trying to find out if lean remove the whole shroud and replace it with the LDC. If so, it should lessen the additional length the LDC would add to the rifle.

I've had my.25 Wildcat for a few days and it's much quieter than my.22 m-rod or my talon ss .22

I just did a sound comparison with no pellets with the Mrod25 (NBH + HILL DEPINGER - NO MODERATOR) and Wildcat 25 (stock) using my iPhone app (db Meter Pro) 

Wildcat: 99db
MRod 25: 88db

This was by no means a scientific test. I just happen to be close to all my equipment. Test was done in a carpeted bedroom with the ends of the barrels in the 6oclock position of the phone standing 2' away and 3' above the phone. Just sharing what I gauge to be ok for my book.

Quick story: I took the Wildcat out for a walk the other day, very low wind, and after several intentional misses (shots above or about 3' of them) the squirrels did NOT run or run too far. They would turn around wondering what just happened. Proof to me that the report on the Wildcat is good enough and made me appreciate the Wildcat even more. Most of us are lucky to have their own "home-range" so the report is even more important in keeping it discrete from neighbors. As for how quiet you want your airgun to be is just how much you want to spend for the purpose you are shooting. Have fun and be safe.

I have both, a synrod in .22 and a wilcat in .25. There is no way anyone can tell me that the wildcat is quiet. I picked both guns up from Straightshooters, first the marauder, then the wildcat. When I asked the guys over there they said it's just as quiet. BS! I had to buy 4 baffles to quiet it down and it's still not as quiet as the .22 synrod, close but not quite.

Boombots74, I too was disappointed at how loud the Wildcat was, but had nothing to use for comparison.

I went ahead and got an LDC from Neil Clague. No sound meter but the LDC makes the Wildcat very quiet--a night-and-day difference.

The custom workmanship on mine was top notch, and it was even a bit less than what a Hugget runs.

I'd definitely would recommend one, despite the additional length it adds.

Here in Southern California, I would hate to be seen by a cop with an obvious looking silencer on my rifle.....the little "can" on the end of the barrel that un-screws or is held on with a set screw. They would surely confiscate my gun and probably would arrest me too. I worry enough about the barrel-shroud types, which are also technically illegal, since they are easily removable. 

"jbell"Boombots74, I too was disappointed at how loud the Wildcat was, but had nothing to use for comparison.

I went ahead and got an LDC from Neil Clague. No sound meter but the LDC makes the Wildcat very quiet--a night-and-day difference.

The custom workmanship on mine was top notch, and it was even a bit less than what a Hugget runs.

I'd definitely would recommend one, despite the additional length it adds.

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jbell,

Could you post pics of the LDC you got from NC? I'm curious how it looks and mounts on the wildcat?

I was also surprised the wildcat is louder than my .22 Synrod and even my Disco with an LDC on it! 

Steeve once again another airgunner who is misinformed about silencers on air guns. I have had my guns inspected by my local Sheriff's department and they have told me quite clearly that they are perfectly legal on air guns and they are perfectly legal for me to make and sell. There are some game wardens and possibly law enforcement officers who are clearly not aware of the court ruling on silencers for air rifles. I suggest for anyone who is concerned about having their gun confiscated and getting arrested by someone who is not aware they are legal, should print a copy of the court ruling and carry it with them, there is a link to this ruling on my web site. I have also had this ruling looked at by a couple of attorneys who have told me it is quite clear that Alphabet org has no control over air guns, so silencers for air guns are legal, where owning air guns is legal. I am not sure about local ordinances but from what the attorneys have told me, if air guns are allowed then a silencer is also legal to use, Neil.

Jbell, Here's a silly question or maybe not. Did you notice any difference on the POI shifting from when you installed your LDC, how's the groups, before and after? My POI changed when I installed my FX baffles (4). No signs of clipping the baffles either, the grouping suffered as well. 

"clgraham82"

"jbell"Boombots74, I too was disappointed at how loud the Wildcat was, but had nothing to use for comparison.

I went ahead and got an LDC from Neil Clague. No sound meter but the LDC makes the Wildcat very quiet--a night-and-day difference.

The custom workmanship on mine was top notch, and it was even a bit less than what a Hugget runs.

I'd definitely would recommend one, despite the additional length it adds.

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jbell,

Could you post pics of the LDC you got from NC? I'm curious how it looks and mounts on the wildcat?

I was also surprised the wildcat is louder than my .22 Synrod and even my Disco with an LDC on it!

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I'm not set up to post pic links. PM your email address and I can send a pic as an attachment.

The LDC that Neil made replaces the original two cone pieces. Overall the LDC extends about 7 inches beyond the fill port cap.