Please advise a keen newbie!

[ibrahimaslan7]

Hi my name is Ibrahim, I'm looking to get back into shooting in my late 20's as I loved plinking and shooting when I was younger. My dad and brother had shotguns and regularly hunted but I was too young and they stopped hunting by the time I was deemed old enough!

 

A couple years ago I had an SMK DB4(cue laughter) that I used for pigeons at a previous workplace that was decent enough but felt a bit cheap and wouldn't like to use it in the field for rabbit etc.

 

I'm planning to get a cheap but decent air rifle for plinking and practice with the plan of hunting(pest control) once I'm confident enough.

 

Can anyone please recommend a cheap but capable rifle, preferably under £100(very tight budget!) that could also be used in the field with a scope.

 

Also what other gear/equipment would be needed once I do eventually get permission for hunting?

I just need an idea of what I'd need ie. scope, camo clothing, binoculars?

 

Any advice and help would be much appreciated!

[steve_b_wales]

An excellent break barrel air rifle for the money is the Hatsan Striker 1000S. This is slightly more than £100, but worth every penny. A friend of mine bought one for his son, and was impressed with it. The trigger is not brilliant but can be worked on.

 

http://www.hatsan.com.tr/en_striker_1000s.html

 

 

http://www.gunmart.net/gun_review/hatsan_striker_1000

[fenboy]

For you budget the hatsans are about the only reasonable choice , you may be able to pick up a used BSA super sport for £100.

 

I personally would save for a little longer and buy a better quality gun.

[FalconFN]

The SMK rifles can be ok if you are prepared to do a fair amount of tinkering but there seem to be a few fans of the Hatsan model 60 and 55 rifles which you could pick up with a basic scope for around £100. If you can spend a bit more and get a second hand Wiehrauch (HW80, HW77, HW95, etc) it will be all the rifle you will ever need.

 

As for gear, you don't need fancy expensive camo, just a basic army DPM or flecktarn jacket and brown trousers will do, possibly with a hat. Rabbits will smell, hear and see your movement much more than what you are wearing so field craft is way more important than camo. I also take a game bag to put your rabbits in and a knife to paunch them, that's about it. The ideal air rifle scope will be something like a 3-9 x 40 (Hawke, Simmons, Nikko Stirling etc) which can be bought pretty cheap.

 

Good luck

[RED BEARD]

Think I'd wait and put a bit more money towards a good secondhand gun.

[ibrahimaslan7]

Thanks for the advice, I forgot to add that I am left handed so defo need an ambidextrous stock.

Just popped into local gun shop and was advised on a BSA Hornet with scope for £125 but I would prefer a better second hand gun with better pedigree.

[fenboy]

The hornet is a gammo gun made under licence from BSA .

I would hold on until I had £200-£250 and but a HW 95 or 80 S/H they will last a lifetime and if you want to part with it later on will hold all their value if looked after.

[jfletch88]

I agree about waiting, when I was after my first air rifle it was very tempting just to dive in and get a cheap one. But after some saving and hunting around I managed to get a Wiehrauch HW97K for just under £250. Well worth it, and I've still got it 8 years on.

[ibrahimaslan7]

I would love to buy a better gun for £200-250 but unfortunately I just don't have that money at the moment.

Tbh as long as it shoots straight and powerful enough I'd be happy with it until I get more money for a quality rifle.

The Hatsan 1000 has decent reviews and the BSA Hornet can't be that terrible a gun.

Does anyone have or had ones of these guns or similar?