HFT: Help kit me out

[Yogi_Rides]

Greetings folks,

I am long time hunter & shooter that at one time or another has competed in virtually every shooting discipline save one, air gunning. I don’t say that to boast, but rather to give some context.

I am finally setting my eye on this sport & as I look at the various guns & equipment of FT I am frankly amazed. For the 1st time in decades I am in position where I don’t know what I don’t know. Worse still, I really don’t have the gumption of spending weeks researching every rifle & scope so if y’all could provide some suggestions I would be most appreciative!

While I have read the 177 vs 22 controversy I believe I would prefer a 22 anyway because it will likely get used for critter killin as well as HFT. Im old school so would prefer a nice wood stock as opposed to synthetic. I would also ask for a recommendations as to what glass to put on it.

The only other question is price. While I am blessed to be able to afford to buy what I want, I won’t spend a lot just because I can. I have to perceive some value in it so if you could, qualify your recommendations on why that is what I should get. I know a lot of it will be highly subjective but its your opinions & insights that I am looking for.

Finally, I love classic looking rifles & I like bullpups, I have no interest in something that looks like it belongs on the set of Star Wars.

 

[doninva]

To each his own but IMO, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage with a 22 over a .177, for field target. It would help if we know which class you want to shoot. There are hugh differences in equipment in hunter, WFTF and open classes. Are you looking to shoot pcp or a springer. Field target is a great game and you can spend a few hundred or a few thousand dollars depending on how serious you want to jump in. JMHO, Don

 

[Motorhead]

Buy a RAW TM or HM1000 .... Top in with an ATHLON HERAS SPR scope ( 6-24 mil for Hunter class ... 10-40 MOA for open or WFTF )
World class set up for under 3K

In the middle sits .20 caliber which is an EXCELLENT FT caliber as well light/med hunting caliber. ( My personal choice for both suggestions )

 

[Franklink]

Buy a RAW TM or HM1000 .... Top in with an ATHLON HERAS SPR scope ( 6-24 mil for Hunter class ... 10-40 MOA for open or WFTF )
World class set up for under 3K

In the middle sits .20 caliber which is an EXCELLENT FT caliber as well light/med hunting caliber. ( My personal choice for both suggestions )

View attachment 510780

Seriously solid recommendation, all around (gun, scope, caliber).

The .20 is the best of both worlds for your stated use.

 

[Yogi_Rides]

To each his own but IMO, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage with a 22 over a .177, for field target.

I agree with you, however I am pretty good at doping wind & range (long time LRBPCR shooter). I think (hope) I can overcome the challenge of an increased trajectory with good range estimation. If it turns out I am not as good at it as I think I will just buy another rifle for stricktly HFT. I do however want to give it a go with 22.

It would help if we know which class you want to shoot. There are hugh differences in equipment in hunter, WFTF and open classes. Are you looking to shoot pcp or a springer. Field target is a great game and you can spend a few hundred or a few thousand dollars depending on how serious you want to jump in. JMHO, Don

Sorry, I guess I didnt specify. I plan to compete in Hunter class. I may end up in WFTF if the bug bites hard enough but I am mostly looking to get my feet wet with HFT.
I want a PCP gun. I already own a number of Springers, several of which might actually work out OK for HFT but where is the fun in that? New sport so I gotta have a new gun right?

 

[Yogi_Rides]

Buy a RAW TM or HM1000 ....

HM1000 is on my short list! This is the 1st Ive heard of the RAW TM. Thanks for that, I will look into it (this is exactly why I made my OP )!!

Top in with an ATHLON HERAS SPR scope ( 6-24 mil for Hunter class ... 10-40 MOA for open or WFTF )
World class set up for under 3K

Again thanks, while I am interested in discovering new rifles my google-fu failed me on learning about glass is honestly my 1st priority. Sure I could go buy a Nightforce or the like but I really didnt want to spend that much. I am looking for as much glass as I can get in the sub $1000 range.

In the middle sits .20 caliber which is an EXCELLENT FT caliber as well light/med hunting caliber. ( My personal choice for both suggestions )

And another excellent suggestion! I honestly hadnt considered a 20. I most certainly will now!

Beauty of a rifle you got there, thanks for sharing!

View attachment 510780

 

[Motorhead]

Better picture of whole rifle ... tho with another scope that fell short of being ideal ( Schmidt Bender )

Keep in mind in FT you must use the scopes Parallax to range targets and that requires a 10 yard minimum focus !!!
As well SHALLOWER is the Depth Of Field, better an optic is suited to the FT game ... After wearing out 3 identical scopes over 12 years of heavy FT use ... then searching once more for a replacement worthy of my use the ATHLON HERA SPR series has knocked it out of the park and it is doing very well as my Holy Grail replacement.

Second picture a Magnetic attached JD's Customs Nautilus side wheel on the ATHILON

 

[scotton]

The RAW is a great recommendation. For scopes, be careful. For shooting hunter class, you have very specific requirements. The scope has to parallax down to 10 yards, which automatically removes a lot of high end glass. It also needs to have a shallow depth of field to make range finding with the parallax easier. The Athlon Heras SPR does both of those things well. And it just helped win the National Championship. Make sure you get the reticle with .2 subtensions since you have to hold over for Hunter class. I believe it's the APRS6 reticle.

 

[dgeesaman]

I’m here to emphasize that as a beginner, 50% of your success will be based on how well you’ve set up your parallax wheel for ranging.
You need to have 10-20y marked and dope confirmed at each yard and 20-55y marked on the wheel and dope confirmed every five yards. While HFT class limits the range finding accuracy it’s still absolutely essential.
I see too many beginners kinda shortcut their ranging parallax setup and they lose several shots per match for no particular reason.

I think .177 is the caliber for FT. .20 is not bad but it gains you little as a hunting gun. Not to get cocky but I think you’ll end up with a separate high power .22 or .25 for hunting soon enough. A sixty FPE .25 cal is a much more versatile hunting gun than a 20fpe field target rig. But it’s hard to say more without knowing what you want to hunt and the environment.

I’m a huge fan of RAW rifles. USFT and Thomas are also popular at the top end but I don’t think they gain much over a well tuned RAW. Martin and other tuners provide great support. While it sounds nice to have knobs and wheeligigs to change the tune as many brands offer, it’s never as reliable or useful as it seems. If you buy the repeater you can use the mag for FT or a single shot loader.