| PCRI Product
Evaluation
Bobcat Semi-Auto
DESCRIPTION:
The Bobcat weighs two pounds, three ounces, and is 15 1/2 inches in length.
The Bobcat features a seven-inch removable barrel (threaded), a built-in
power feed, no tool take-down, angled vertical bottle adapter, Lonestar Grip,
trigger safety, integral sight rail, venturi bolt, and a wide
 trigger
shoe. Machined from solid aircraft aluminum, no castings, or extrusions are
used in the manufacturing process of the Bobcat. The power feed tube will
accept a standard 7/8" elbow.
The Bobcat also features a recock adjustment, which gives the user the ability
to tune the recock, and velocity C02 independently (ED NOTE: We had some
difficulty adjusting the recock. It took more than two hours to tune the
gun the first time). The velocity can be fine tuned via the allen screw located
on the right side of the gun. Also, the main spring tension can be altered
to increase or decrease the velocity. The Bobcat is a well made paintgun.
ACCURACY:
With a securely bench mounted gun, we fired 200+ rounds of paint (three different
brands) at four target distances (2400+ total rounds fired). At 50 &
75 feet the target size is 8" x 11", while at 100 & 125 feet, the target
size is increased to 22 x 22". All testing is performed indoors at
60 - 80 degrees (f). The gun is re-sighted at each distance change and factory
fresh paint is always used. All guns are chronographed between 275 - 285
FPS whenever possible.
The results . . .
At 125, feet the accuracy ratios were 39% for Nelson Precision, 30% for Zap
advantage, and 37% for RP Scherer Marballizer. At 100 feet the ratios were
increased to 44% for Nelson, 38% for Zap, and 47% for RP Scherer. At 75 feet
with the target size reduced, the ratios were 33% for Nelson, 31% for Zap
and 36% for RP Scherer. At 50 feet the ratios were 92%, 91%, and 97%
respectively.
The overall accuracy results were as follows:
Nelson Precision - 51%
Zap Advantage - 47%
RP Scherer Marballizer - 55%
OBSERVATIONS:
During accuracy testing we, encountered 5 ball breaks in 2477 rounds (.0020%)
fired (2 Nelson, 2 Scherer, 1 Zap). All of the breaks occurred in the breech,
which makes cleaning the gun a bit difficult. Out of the box, the Bobcat
chronographed at 290 FPS with a standard tank.
COLD WEATHER:
The Bobcat operates with pressure as low as about 375 PSI (pounds per square
inch) so cold weather performance will be excellent.
MAINTENANCE OF VELOCITY:
This test shows a gun's ability to maintain it's velocity during rapid fire
situations. We chronographed the Bobcat at 290 FPS and fired 2 quick shots.
The second shot chronographed at 288 FPS.
3 shots - 291 FPS
4 shots - 287 FPS
5 shots - 292 FPS
6 shots - 285 FPS
10 shots - 281 FPS
VELOCITY CONSISTENCY:
The following 'string' was shot indoors at 88 degrees (f)
288 290 284 286 288
290 281 296 282 289
291 287 291 287 281
276 287 283 287 290
279 292 292 290 284
285 281 290 276 285
284 279 280 288 291
OBSERVATIONS:
Like it's predecessor, the Panther, the Bobcat will work on liquid or gas
C02. However, a siphon tank will not work with the vertical tank set-up.
The Bobcat will give you about 875 shots from a standard (gas) twenty-ounce
tank. The gun will cycle continuously when air pressure is too low. The angled
vertical bottle is very comfortable, especially with a twenty-ounce tank.
Having the angled tank gives the gun excellent balance, and keeps the gun
small (under 16 inches with the tank in place). Also, the angled tank allows
you to keep the gun closer to the ground than a standard vertical set-up
when you're crawling.
The Bobcat is a blowback type gun, and fires from an open bolt. The bolt
assembly can be removed without the use of tools (only when the gun is not
under pressure), and a squeegee can be pulled through the entire mainbody
and barrel. The Bobcat's trigger pull is about 450/1000's of an inch,
and is a bit stiffer than that of the Panther. We were able to shoot 56 shots
per 10 seconds consistently (5.6 shots per second).
FIELD TESTING:
We field tested the Bobcat in a variety of situations and encountered no
major problems. There were no breakdowns, or velocity problems. We did have
a few more ball breaks than average (about 1/400) in rapid fire situations.
CONCLUSION:
The Bobcat is a very well made paintgun. It maintains velocity during rapid
firing, it's quiet, easy to clean, and fairly accurate. The Bobcat is small,
lightweight and well balanced. The Lonestar Grip allows the user to change
the C02 configuration to bottom-line easily and inexpensively. The only drawback
with the Bobcat is the ball breaks in the breech. However, we were able to
cut down the breaks by lowering the operating pressure using a Thruster
regulator.
At $289.95, the Bobcat is a very good value.
PCRI IS PLEASED TO AWARD THE BOBCAT, FROM INDIAN CREEK DESIGN, OUR THREE
STAR SEAL OF QUALITY.
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