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Buyers Guide & getting started tips

Okay, so you've decided you want to buy your own air rifle & scope for HFT.  First off, don't rush into anything!
It’s easy to get lost and confused looking at the sheer range and variety of air guns on offer. What may look like your dream rifle in a glossy magazine may in fact be too long, too short, too heavy or just plain uncomfortable for you to use.
So, before you start throwing your hard earned cash at the first fancy stock you see, take a bit of time to view, handle and shoot as many different models as you can, come to the club and ask to try as many rifles as you can get your hands on, expensive does not mean high scores, the modest S200 has been punishing those with £3000+ rifles for many years, and will continue to do so for a lot longer..

Most good gun shops will have a range facility where you can have a go with a rifle you are interested in. Better still, come along to one of our shoots and the chances are one of our members will have the model you’re thinking about getting. We’re a friendly bunch at Cambs HFT, so we’re more than happy to show you our kit and answer any questions you may have about it!

There are lots of different options to consider when you’re looking to buy;
  • Calibre: air rifles are available in 0.177, 0.20, 0.22 and 0.25. The most common calibres are 0.177 and 0.22. Generally speaking for target shooting most people prefer 0.177 as it has a flatter trajectory.  There is nothing to stop you using 0.22, our competitions have a class for 0.22 shooters and some of our 0.22 shooters regularly rival scores with the 0.177 shots.
  • PCP or Springer?
    A PCP or PreCharged Pneumatic rifle uses a compressed air reservoir to fire the pellet, as such there is absolutely no recoil.
     A Springer, or spring powered air rifle uses a spring powered piston to fire the pellet, so it will recoil. Spring guns can be break barrels, side levers and underlevers in their cocking action.
If you decide to buy a PCP you will need a method of filling the air reservoir; we have a dive bottle at the club which can be used for a small fee, but most people prefer to have their own so they can practice at home as well. A dive bottle with proper adaptors is the easiest way to fill your rifle, you can also get “Stirrup pumps” which resemble a large bicycle pump and require some elbow grease!
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There are literally hundreds of air rifles to choose from these days, but some popular models used in HFT and in use at our club include;
PCP’s
Anschutz 2002
Air Arms EV2
Air Arms S400
Air Arms S200
Air arms MPR
BSA R10
BSA Scorpion
BSA Ultra
Daystate Mk.3
Daystate Mk.4
Daystate Huntsman
Daystate AirWolf
Steyr LG110
Theoben Rapid
Weihrauch HW100
Spring guns
Air Arms TX200
Air Arms ProSport
BSA Airsporter

BSA Lightning
BSA Supersport

Diana 280
Diana 48
Feinwerkbau Sport
Theoben Evolution
Theoben FenMan
Weihrauch HW77
Weihrauch HW80

Weihrauch HW95
Weihrauch HW97
Weihrauch HW99


This list is by no means exhaustive, there are literally hundreds of different models from dozens of different manufacturers for you to choose from.  You don’t have to buy new either, there are plenty of second hand deals to be had. Most gunshops will have a second hand section, and there are additional listings in the back of the AirGun magazines and also on some of the online forums such as the *Cambridge HFT Facebook page* and the Airgun BBS.

Direct links to some air gun manufacturers homepages. These links are provided freely, Cambridge HFT has no affiliation with any specific manufacturers.
Air Arms   Anschutz   BSA     Daystate    Diana    Feinwerkbau    Steyr    Weihrauch

What is trajectory?

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Trajectory is the flight path the pellet takes when it has left the barrel of the air rifle. Contrary to what you may imagine, the path is not straight, it is an arc.

A 0.177 pellet has a slightly flatter trajectory, so the arc is more subtle. With a 0.22 pellet the arc is quite large.

This arc means that you will be able to shoot some targets dead-on, and others will require you to aim high or low depending on their range.

It sounds complicated, but once you understand the basics it’ll make perfect sense to you. There are several free online computer applications that allow you to physically work out the trajectory of your rifle so you can calculate the aim points for targets at different ranges. These programs will show you a graph of the pellets flight at the different ranges and also allow you to print a copy of your scopes reticule with the aim points marked. To use the program you will need to know;
  1. The muzzle velocity of your rifle; using a chronograph how fast is the pellet leaving the barrel?
  2. The weight of the pellet you will be using; the power of your rifle is a combination of the muzzle velocity and pellet weight.
  3. The height of your telescopic sight; this is the distance between the centre of the barrel and the centre of the sight tube.
  4. The magnification you want to use the scope at.
  5. Where you want to zero (sight) the scope in.
You will be able to vary all these settings in the program to see how they affect your aim points.

Chairgun Pro http://www.chairgun.com/

Hawke BRC (Ballistic Reticule Calculator) –this is very useful if you have a Hawke scope as you can use their specific reticules such as the map Pro, SR6 and SR12. http://www.hawkeoptics.com/brc/index.php

Confused? Got a question? Try the Cambridge HFT facebook page for advice from our members!



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