Hello manic, if ratting is your aim without breaking the bank a ratcatcher xl will be ideal, good enough for targets at your club too,I dont know what your budget is tho but a second hand s200 would be anothercheaper option than the hw100 s510 etc route, if you want to progress further you will need to upgrade later on tho but as a start its a cheap reliable rifle, then you need to stick a scope on it and decide on a lamp or night vision to see the little sods, I use both and nv is the most effective by far,joining a club is a good idea always there is a lot of knowledge there and usually some