U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- After years of development and testing, Winchester Repeating Arms is proud to release the all new autoloading Wildcat 22 LR rimfire rifle. Designed to push the boundaries of performance and value, the Wildcat is loaded with features to enhance every aspect of the shooting experience.
The Wildcat is a straight-blowback, striker-fired design that uses a hemispheric firing pin for extra reliability with rimfire ammunition. The extensive use of rugged polymer construction contributes to a weight of approximately four pounds. The lower receiver assembly houses the bolt and fire control group, and is easily removed with the push of a button. Once removed, the bore can be cleaned from the chamber end to help prevent damaging the barrel rifling.
Among the many features of the Wildcat is a 10-round rotary-style, polymer magazine that is easy to load, locks the bolt open after the last round is fired and can be ejected using either the side-mounted rails or the release tab in front of the magazine. The Wildcat is also compatible with aftermarket 10/22 magazines.
Other notable features include a striking-looking composite stock that is comfortable for a wide range of shooters to shoulder. The close radius pistol grip enhances finger to trigger reach. A ghost ring rear sight and ramped front sight offer fast target acquisition and an integrated Picatinny optics rail allows for the attachment of optics. The integrated Picatinny rail allows a bipod, light or laser to be easily mounted. Sling mounts are built into the stock.
The Wildcat is available for a suggested retail of $249.99.
Features:
- Easily removable lower receiver assembly
- Upper receiver with integrated Picatinny optics rail
- Ambidextrous synthetic stock with integrated sling mounts and Picatinny accessory rail
- 10-round rotary style magazine with last round bolt hold open
- 18″ precision button-rifled chromoly steel barrel with recessed target crown
For more information on Winchester Firearms, visit winchesterguns.com.
I can’t wait to get hold of one of these to try it out, it might be a great little rifle, I will know after I have it for a while. I will give it chance. I bought a Remington nylon 66 black and chrome in 1960, I liked it so much I went back and bought the brown and blue one. I still have both after many bricks of ammo through the brown one it started to lose accuracy I thought it was wore out, I couldn’t see much rifling left in the barrel, but after soaking with lead and copper remover and scrubbing with wire brush a lot, the rifling is back along with its accuracy. So i am ready to give the new Winchester Wildcat a try. I have a Ruger 1022, three different Marlins, a Winchester 1904, a Remington 25 with hex barrel and couple of other ones to compare it too.
You reckon the ol’ boys in the 1870’s were saying the same things about the new fangled metallic cartridges? They look like toys, they aren’t reliable, they’re too dang heavy to carry, a real man loads his own powder, etc. etc. Technology will always advance and leave prior protocols behind. I’m in my 70’s and I like the new Wildcat. Grew up with wood stocks and solid steel but a 4 lb. 22 with an 18″ barrel would be wicked fast to deploy. A lot of time and effort obviously went into it’s design and it has a lot of good points, guess you just can’t please everyone. Or is that the vocal majority these days, like in so many fields, seems to be the haters. I’ll bet there’s a big audience for this little gem, if it proves to be a reliable arm…..
$250 for a plastic gun that tries to copy a 10/22? I can find 10/22’s all day long for $250 for a base model. So, why buy this plastic monstrosity?
Odd. I bought a Winchester Turkish-made “Wildcat” .22 rifle several years ago; bolt action, very nice wood, and one of the prettiest little guns I’ve ever seen. Same name, very different looks/action, extremely accurate. Odd to name this one the same.
I’d classify this as the Black Swan of 22 LR Rifles (Ugly Duckling but seems to perform). $250 seems high for a 22 LR that doesn’t look much more than a Matell Saturday Morning TV Western rifle. I have 10 Ruger 10-22’s, and I’m not a fan of the plastic rotary magazine.
Some nice features in there but the “styling” leaves me gagging
just appears to be another attempt to boost sales another lack luster plastic 22 how original heaven forbid someone actually design a new rifle from the cartridge up seems like there’s more money to be made in producing an original product these days something that is completely different from the same old tried and true predictable cash flow generating marketing ploys just a new angle on the same tired old product
If you think that, You must almost certainly be under 30 years old. Garbage compared to what manufacturers used to turn out….
Nice….another cheap plastic P.O.S.
Remember when guns were made with quality materials? ….So tired of looking at this garbage ….
Needs a threaded barrel so you can add a can!
It looks like the front sight is lower than the rear sight (they’re not on the same plane).
IT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT GUN .I LIKE IT.
Cheep cheesy plastic toy rifles
Stock is a tupperware special.matte finish opps glass beaded then spraypaint semi gloss
A front sight HAS to be lower for the same reason that a scope is not parallel to the bore, but is mounted so that it is higher at the rear. If center of bore and line-of sight are parallel, it is impossible to sight-in. The two MUST cross each other. TWICE.
Thanks. I was just looking at my scope mounted AR and it looked funny to me. Now I know it is supposed to.
Turkish winchester ??
I was interested in it until I found out they are made in Turkey.
The Remington Nylon 66 ran into the same comments in 1959 only there wasn’t social media for people to run their mouths as if they are the final authority. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Ever pin fired firearm shares similarities with the ones before it. I own Marlin, Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Mossberg and Savage .22’s. all shoot well. Accuracy wise, the 20/22 falls dead last and lives in a safe. My 1961 Remington 66 still runs great but after almost 60 years of shooting is losing it’s tack driver status. I really dislike people that feel a need to denigrate and castigate a product they don’t own just to feel authoritative. In reality, you appear small minded.
I’m with you brother!
The Nylon 66 was unique but a plastic piece of crap.
Still own the one I got as a Birthday present back in the 70’s and I can still knock clay pigeons down with it. My new 10/22’s don’t even compare in reliability with the Nylon 66. Jam after jam after jam. Even running high dollar ammo. My Nylon will shoot any of them, and out shoot any other semi auto .22 that’s in my safe.
See this on guns america news,h8trs look lame there as they do here. And tech marches on
That’s just a plain ugly gun
No it doesn’t look like grandad’s 30-06. But I like it a lot, if it is as accurate as a 10/22, which I already own.
Where’s that super cool target come from?
Winchester, bring out a version in 25 Stevens. It would be a interesting rifle.
Neck up the 17 wsm to .25 cal . Would be a perfect small to medium game round .
I see everything has to go through the “do *I* like that” MODERATOR now, another comment section has been neutered I see… Sad.
@Rock, Me too, strangely.
Damn ANOTHER company copying the proven superior Ruger designs. Just buy the damn Ruger, get the original design from the start. JKH is 100% correct, it IS UGLY !!!!
The only thing copied from the Ruger (that I can see) is the magazine. The receiver/action design looks complete different!
And honestly, it makes sense to use 10/22 magazines. They’re ubiquitous. Making a new magazine would be stupid. It’s like designing a new 223 magazine when there are millions of AR-15 magazines already in people’s hands.
Rock , you took the words right out of my mouth. Ruger = tried and true , period .i should know , I own enough of their rifles.
That design does incorporate some nice idea but did they really have to make it so UGLY?
Who cares? A rifle should be functional, not pretty. Are you shooting it or displaying it? I’m sure you can find plenty of non-firing, pretty ones for display. Besides, those pretty ones are just going to get scratched up if you are taking them anywhere but the range in their nice soft cases.
Why don’t they make a quality product of steel and pretty wood that is appealing to the eye for Crist sakes I would be ashamed to be seen with that abortion guess they think we are blind as well as stupid god awful design
look at this sour puss whining and fudding about….This rifle literally takes the best of america’s most popular rifle and adds all the out-of-box features that the 10/22 sorely lacks…at the same price point…and you want to cry about that? at least winchester is willing to point out ruger’s stagnant innovation with the 10/22 line. it was a good rifle, but given the amount of time it’s been out in the market, it should have had all these improvements that the wildcat22 has by now. oh well, winchester is taking a shot and lets see if ruger has a response to this. I doubt it.
Looks and sounds like a winner.. Just wish they had threaded the barrel. RH
Very nicely made so fare look like it should be an pretty reliable rifle the price is high for a .22 Cal hopefully it won’t be that much in stores , I may invest in one thanks for the video !
Very nice. A little high on the MSRP considering the cost of the Ruger…but expect dealers to be asking under $200.