London Newbie In Need Of Some Advice Re Buying An All-Rounder Rig For Hunting And Ft

[Stevenjdowd 1]

Beyond a few goes plinking on a cheap springer with fairground accuracy as a kid I'm totally new to air gunning. Now I'm a 'growed up' with a job I'm keen to get into the sport properly and journey from plinker to competent shooter.

 

My intention is twofold; to get into the weeds for some bunny busting but also have a set up that could be used effectively for some FT shooting.

 

I'm in the fortunate position of having a budget that could go to £1000 for a FULL rig.

 

What should I consider re guns, glass and other accessories (eg silencers, storage, bipods, mats etc) or considerations (eg calibres, rifle weights, pellets etc)?

 

I prefer the idea of a decent PCP from the off. From research so far I've been interested by the BSA R10 MkII, Air Arms s510, Daystate MkIV (must be second hand for the money!) and Weihrauch HW100, but to be honest I know little to differentiate them and have only dry fired the first two in a gun shop recently. People seem to have love affairs and horror stories with all. I simply want to be up and running immediately without need for named-pro tuning or constant maintenance.

 

Lots of questions, I appreciate. Very interested to hear your thoughts on what direction I should take and why.

 

Also any leads to where I can purchase at best value would be good. Thanks in advance!

[Coypu Hunter 486]

Well, you've already listed the mutt's nuts of the widely available PCPs, so that's a good start!

 

They will all perform well in the field, and on the HFT course, so your choice -- in the most basic terms -- comes down to two elements.

 

Firstly, make sure you're happy with the technical side of all the rifles you're looking at (shot count per fill, magazine capacity, ease of reloading and reinserting magazines, location and ease of use of the safety catch, which style of cocking mechanism you prefer, etc.). That may refine your target list of rifles.

 

The rest comes down to one simple thing: do they shoulder well? In other words, when you pick up each rifle, does one fit naturally into your shoulder, so that your eye drops into the right place behind the scope, the position of your arms feels just right, your finger falls automatically on the trigger, and the rifle seems almost to aim itself as you scan around?

 

That's the rifle to buy.

 

Calibre is a separate discussion. I use both. In short, .177 = slightly faster, slightly flatter trajectory, slightly more range, slightly less stopping power, cheaper pellets. .22 = slightly slower, slightly loopier trajectory, slightly less range, slightly more stopping power, more expensive pellets.

 

The most important thing is accuracy, whether you're aiming at the one-inch kill-zone between a wabbit's eye and ear, or the tiny centre of an HFT target. All of the rifles you mention, in either calibre, are capable of that level of accuracy out to 50 or 60 yards. The rest is down to you.

 

My advice? If you have fingers like sausages, get a .22. If you don't, get a .177, because you'll be able to buy more pellets for the same money to feed your new obsession!

[Rez 4,961]

Ultra. 177. Will be suitable for ALL your needs.

[4sight 31]

What do you mean by FT?.

Field Target shooting is a totally different cup of tea to taking a hunting rifle into the fields.

Do you mean Hunter Field Target?.

A filed target rifle can cost £1500 and a scope up to a grand.

Hunter Field Target is more forgiving and something like an Air Arms S400 with a good 10x scope would work for hunting also. You can also fit a Rowan multishot converter to allow you to shoot off 8 or 10 pellets quickly in the field.

The S510 can be used with a single shot converter allowing you to use it in a Hunter Field Target comp without the faff of taking out the magazine after every shot (the opposite to the S400~).

If you do mean Field Target, you would do well to purchase a separate FT stock with fully adjustable cheek piece, hamster, butt hook etc so that you can drop the action from your hunting stock

As an alternative you could purchase a springer with an additional bespoke FT stock if you wanted to - Air Arms TX200HC and then you wouldn't need £200 for a charging bottle.

Dave

Edited September 10, 2014 by 4sight