Get Into HFT - Rifles

Gary Chillingworth kicks off a new series that explains what kit you need to get into Hunter Field Target shooting

Before we start this month’s piece, I want to thank you all for the great emails I have been receiving. I will try to get round to answering all your questions, and if I can’t answer it in print, I will get back to you via email. If you want to send me a question or have an idea for an article, please drop me a line at: [e-mail].

I am always trying to get people into shooting HFT, so I will answer a question from reader, Dave Thompson. Dave asks: What do I need to get started, and should I go high-end or budget, spring or PCP?

Over the next three or four months, we will look at rifles, scopes and other bits and pieces that you can use for HFT and shooting in general.

Rifles for HFT are essentially just rifles that you can use for hunting, plinking or target shooting. They come in different styles and, of course, you will need to decide if you want to shoot .177 or .22 and then spring or PCP. There is a huge amount of equipment out there and you could walk into any quality gun shop and see a plethora of rifles, scopes and other paraphernalia. There is no way that I could look at every rifle and scope on the market, so I have chosen only to speak about the kit that I have personally owned. This way I can place my hand on my heart and say that these have been good for me and I can recommend them. However, if there is a gun that you are interested in, then Air Gunner has a lot of reviews online and I am sure that you will be able to find all the information you need.

To look at rifles, we need to break them down into sections; for PCPs these are target rifles, hybrids and sporter-style. For recoiling, it comes down to gas-ram or spring, and for calibre I will try to go over the benefits of .22 versus .17.

TARGET RIFLES