I think it is key to establish WHAT version of FT we are talking about. For open or WFTF, buying certain expensive equipment or top of the line equipment is necessary. However, for Hunter, all the expensive special bits and bobbles are not necessary or even banned from use.
Consider, in Open, you are not limited by scope power, so buy the biggest most powerful scope you can afford, it will buy you points by being more accurate at ranging at 80x power. But, in Hunter, you cannot use this scope to its fullest power - you'd be better off using an affordable scope that tops out at 16x power. In Open, you probably need a special stock, something with many adjustments, a hamster, things you can adjust between lanes, is comfortable when shot in an awkward position. But, in hunter, you can't take advantage of such a stock, you just use the basic/standard stock that comes with the gun. In Open, you can also take advantage of shooting specific clothing, like shooting coats and pants. But, again, not allowed in Hunter.
The key thing is you can reasonably get into Hunter and be competitive with a PCP and an OK scope for less than $2K. You do not need a Thomas, you do not need a March scope. As stated before, if you think you need these things, what you really need is practice.
However, for Open (or WFTF) you are probably going to have a bigger spend on the gun, more specifically the stock, along with a bigger spend on the scope. Not that you can't do ok with less, but you will need to buy or build your way into something that's going to work for your chosen position. When you look at guns designed to shoot from position, like a 3-position stock for 3p rifle (the Olympic sport), the top of the line guns are nearing $7K, and more than half of that value is in the stock, and they usually come with sights, which is probably another $700 of value.
For Hunter division, there aren't many points to buy with equipment, get as Daystate Huntsman and put a UTG 4-16x on it, and you are good to go. However, there are tons of points to be bought if you choose to play open or WFTF - suit up and buy those forced position points, get a high powered scope and buy the precise ranging and ability to click so you can hold center, and buy the gun and stock that will work the best for it all.