So which rifle should I get? Most FT shooters use either a PCP or a steel spring powered rifle. If you want a PCP, try to looking for a rifle with these features (1) shoots at near 20 ft-lb, (2) Air Pressure gauge, and (3) air regulator.
As for a spring gun, most FT shooters agreed on the TX200, the HW77, and the HW97. I see some people do well using break barrel such as Beeman R1, R9, and R11. A word of warning with a break barrel, your scope cannot extend out too far; else you cannot cock the gun or load the gun. This also means you cannot mount a long scope. The advantage of the break barrel is that they are easy and fast to load. This is an advantage in Airgun Silhouette matches.
With a PCP you need to buy a scuba tank and perhaps even charging adapter/hose (if one doesn�t come with your gun). You can buy a second hand scuba tank in a scuba shop. I recommend getting a scuba tank that can hold more than 3000 psi. You get more air this way.
Other items to buy�.
(1) 2 to 3 inch semi-hard foam to sit on.
(2) A shooting strap also knows as Steady Aim hardness.
A shooting strap will give you two advantages
(1) Your hold in the sitting position will be noticeably steadier than without a strap.
(2) Your shooting position can be easily repeated. This is important; else your Point Of Impact (POI) will change.
�OK, I purchased everything listed, now what?�
Before you can begin sighting-in your AR you must...clean your gun barrel! This is important. There are many websites that can tell you how to do this. A word of advice, don�t ram a cleaning rod from the gun�s muzzle down the bore, because you can damage the crown. Once damaged, your gun�s accuracy goes to hell.
�Now that I have everything and my rifle and scope are setup, should I go sight-in my rifle in the shooting range?�
I did when I first started FT. You could if you want. Many shooters recommend that you sight in your rifle at most FT distances (ranges 10 to 60 yards). I find that sighting in your rifle at different distances is time consuming and painful for a beginner. It is more important to have fun in your beginning stage. Later, when you get more serious, you should actually shoot your rifle at various distances to check your settings.