Bobcat MK 2 .25 cal

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fr8rbum747

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Apr 8, 2015
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A week ago I became a member of the FX Bobcat club when I received my MK 2 from AOA. I ordered it in 25 cal., had them install a Huggett, install a Hawke Tactical 6.5 - 20 x 42 on a set of FX adjustable mounts and the Atlas BT mount for the Atlas Bipod. It came double boxed with the Hawke separate in the little suitcase with mounts installed. After looking the gun over I put it down to finish putting the Omega Compressor back together after the high pressure piston overhaul. This morning I charged the Bobcat to 220 Bar, cleaned the barrel, and reinstalled the scope. Mounted the scope and noticed the scope was slightly canted in the rings so marked it the positions with a grease pencil and grabbed the Weaver install kit to start over. Paralleled the scope rings on the rail, bedded the upper and lower rings, bubbled the rail to level, bubbled the scope to be level with the rails, reinstalled the scope and upper rings. Removed the Huggett and cleaned the barrel...it was dirty...reinstalled the Huggett and got down to test firing the rifle with two magazines of JSB Exact Kings. By the way the rifle has two gauges. The front gauge is your charge in the air reservoir and it appears the rear gauge in the stock is the regulated pressure. I will have to check this out further. 
First impressions...The total package is heavy and seems a bit awkward to handle at first as compared to my other rifles. Never held or shot a Bull Pup before. Shot a couple of rounds at the 25 yd. splatter target to see where it was sighted and went to town on a bunch of dandelions using the correction of mil dot. I was able to knock the tops off the dandelions at will from 35 yards to 75 yards on the slopping hill behind my 25 yard range target until I had emptied two magazines.
I am grinning from ear to ear...never had anything shoot this well out of the box...that includes the racks full of my powder burners. I guess my M-14 in National Match was close but took a bunch more prep and training.
Ok the thing is QUIET...the Huggett really makes a difference definitely neighbor friendly. Looking forward to setting up the Mag Tech Chronograph to get some numbers along with sighting in the scope at 50 yards and grab the chair gun data to fill out a Mil Dot Card. I will share the numbers and get some pics as I get into the analysis. 
I hope it shoots the 25 cal. Bengy pellets with some accuracy as I have a boatload of those for my Marauder and prefer the harder pellet on the tree rats.
By the way this Airgun Nations Web site is awesome. Ted and Micheal I want to thank you both for developing such a radical tool that we can share this addiction with others in a productive manner.
 
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The Huggett is threaded and does unscrew. I took it off to clean the barrel. The shroud appears to have a common threaded end piece. AOA sent me the original extension with the baffles as well. 
The modification removes the FX extension and baffles. With the Huggett removed the Bobcat is rather loud. Similar to the noise level of the Marauder 25 cal. without its' moderator and baffles.
After cleaning the Bobcat MK2 barrel, I shot a few cleaning pellets through it before reinstalling the Huggett. As my wife shouted, "Take It Outside Kids"
 
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Rocky, the Bobcat shoulders really well and the cheek extension puts you right back in alignment with the scope. I am saying this as I found the SynRod 25 Cal to take more time to get back on target. With the bipod the Bobcat is again quicker to reestablish the target then the SynRod but I am not downing the Marauder as I have probably put more than 10000 pellets through it and it has always been my go to rifle. The 177 Marauder using the JSB Exact Beast 16.20 gr pellets delivers kill after kill on the Starlings as well. Both the Marauders have many modifications and adjustments during my ownership to suit me. I really doubt if I will be further modifying the Bobcat except to adjust something to bring the shot string in tighter after all it is a regulated rifle and should be rather consistent.
Trigger pull...There is nothing to compare. This Bobcat has an amazing trigger, I will check the measurements for safety sake but damn they got this one right. Amazing.
Again I will get more information once I can sit down with the MK2, for now the little woman just told me to take her to the Baseball game in St. Louis. I have my priorities but they are all second to her priorities when free tickets and the ball game is in town.
 
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Rocky, The Bobcat is heavy...The Bobcat feels bulky with its' stock design...It will take some getting used to. With the big scope I knew going in the added weight would be a detriment in the field. So like I always do when I go in the field, I carry either a set of cheap shooting sticks or a Caldwell Swivel Tripod. I glass the area and usually set up far enough out to guarantee a clean kill but not be noticed by the critters. I also use a mirror blind when I go out for an all day hunt that I have from turkey hunting. It all attaches to small backpack with a camel hydration system. I have not decided to sling the Bobcat MK2 but may have to in the future. 
I do plan on using the bipod on the gun for quick set ups but have always carried at least a set of shooting sticks. When comparing to the Marauder the Bobcat balances better but I also have extended the air tube on my marauder which helped move the center of gravity a little forward. Again I have much too much scope on the SynRod in 25 cal. and that extra glass is heavy. I have found that I rarely go above 8 or 10 power but have the Hawke Sidewinder 8 X 32 X 56 on the Marauder. Until I get more carry time I can't really comment any further except that at my age I take it slower in the field than I used to and enjoy what is around me far more than when I was younger, driven to get to my hunting spot before sunrise and knew I had a time limit. Now I pace myself and if nothing presents itself as legal game, well I shoot the acorns off the tree or target the field of Dandelions and of course shoot on sight any of the Starlings that cross my path.
I will be going Trout fishing the Ozarks for about a week and plan to take the Bobcat. I hope to get some trigger time. 
 
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Rocky, after all the hype about the FX Bobcat I knew I had to have one. I mean Ted's Videos with the Edgun and the Bobcat drove me nuts. No matter what comes to my gun cabinet I knew there would someday be a 25 cal. Bobcat. I will make it work and will just have to accept the extra weight as I did when I went after a Moose several years ago with my large caliber Remington and Winchester. Time will tell if this is the gun to have. Maybe a Brocock makes sense with its' light handling, accuracy and portability. But then I would have to give up something because the Brocock is a 22 cal. and I want the fpe of the 25 cal.....Hang in there your gun is coming. 
 
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The Huggett is threaded and does unscrew. I took it off to clean the barrel. The shroud appears to have a common threaded end piece. AOA sent me the original extension with the baffles as well. 
The modification removes the FX extension and baffles. With the Huggett removed the Bobcat is rather loud. Similar to the noise level of the Marauder 25 cal. without its’ moderator and baffles.
After cleaning the Bobcat MK2 barrel, I shot a few cleaning pellets through it before reinstalling the Huggett. As my wife shouted, “Take It Outside Kids”

fr8r - I have a 25 cal BC on order and I'm concerned it might need the Hugget for backyard shooting. I have a HW 100 and a 22 cal Marauder that I shoot without complaints. Can you tell me what the noise level of the Hugget BC is compared to the shrouded M-Rod. Have you put the stock shroud on the BC and can you say how much it reduces the noise levels compared to the Hugget?

Thanks - Jay
 
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Killzone, yes the stock FX-3 inch moderator chamber can be reattached if you remove the Huggett. The base of the Huggett has a threaded adaptor that matches the thread of the FX exactly. With the FX Moderator portion on the rifle the rifle is quiet. Comparing the two, the sound is suppressed but of a different type of sound. What I have found is the Huggett noise is vented out the sides of the device so the sound you hear is very similar to the stock FX but slightly differing muffle. From the shooting position you hear the suppressed air of the Huggett. However, the noise level beyond the muzzle of the rifle is lower with the Huggett and continues to diminish in sound level as you move further from the muzzle. 25 yards, 35 yards etc. So what the Huggett does is suppress the shot and keep that noise with you at your shooting position lowering the report downrange. Both systems work very well at reducing the report to insignificant. The stock rifle moderator is shorter by 3 inches when attached to the rifle compared to the Huggett. That was tested on Level 2 power for the 25 cal. I will check Level 1 noise suppression later as I think Level 1 will work for anything I plan to shoot within 35 to 40 yard range (The Garden Vermin). Also Level 1 power is more back yard friendly in town. Hunting Level 2 out there at 50 to 75 yards will prove the value of the Huggett. Level 2 has proven to be so powerful that I will not shoot that level in the back yard garden area. Level 2 has been destroying my target backstop during the sight in and chronograph work. Hope that answers your questions...More later.
 
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Ok I have enough of the Chronograph work done to give some data to anyone interested in the Bobcat MK2 in 25 Cal. Before I post the data I want to note that I have only run one full tin of JSB 28.39 gr pellets through the rifle (350 shots) and started the second tin other than sighting in the scope for this session. The rifle is just beginning to settle in without any adjustments from stock. The regulator maintained 2000 psi indication until shot 87 on power level 2 on the first go where it began falling off the regulator. That is 230 bar to 120 bar at which point I refilled the reservoir.
Power level 2: 87 shots...886 high / 865 low / 875 AVG / 6 SD / 21 ES. The first set. Refilled to 230 BAR. (48.61 FPE) 
Power level 2: 84 shots...885 high / 870 low / 878 AVG / 3.6 SD / 15 ES. The second set. Refilled to 230 BAR.
Power level 1: 100 shots...656 high / 645 low / 649 AVG / 3.0 SD / 11 ES. Now I stopped at 100 (Nature was calling...too much ice tea). I was just at 150 BAR and had not fallen off the regulator. Refilled to 230 BAR. (26.56 FPE)
Power level 1: 140 shots...656 high / 645 low / 649 AVG / 3.0 SD / 11 ES. Are You Kidding Me, I was still just above 130 BAR and on the regulator. 140 shots on low power for me is epic with this consistency. I gave it a rest at this point and packed it in for the day, got tired of loading the three magazines I have. I make no claim as to what others may achieve with a different Bobcat MK2 but for my rifle, stock tune...I am "Happy, Happy, Happy"....to quote the Dynasty...and must say if this continues there will be some of my air gun closet queens in the classified section.
 
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Yep just a typo I missed on the JSB 25.39gr...
Since the review I have been enjoying the rifle. Took it on a hunt in Missouri for squirrels...plenty of squirrels but the woods I was hunting were victim to some 90 mph straight line winds last year and the trees were a tangled mess. I shot three squirrels and spent most of the rest of the day recovering the little critters even after marking the shots with my paint ball gun. Thick, thick tangle of branches and trees ended up grabbing the Poulan chain saw to get the last squirrel. Called it quits for that day with only three but must have been 20 others raising cane with me while the fat man crawled around their woods. Still a good time and will clear some of the brush before I hunt there again. 
 
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