Welcome zippy!
I am the match director for FT matches at Port Colborne. I am delighted to hear that you will be joining us!
If you browse through the Field Target board you will see a bunch of discussion on FT.
zippy wrote:
I do not have a PAL so I am looking at sub 500 FPS air rifles. I am looking at .22 calibers because I have some interest in potentially squirrel or grouse hunting, but I'm not 100% certain on that. The main goal is plinking and field target.
I talked with Wes at Airgun Archery Fun, he seems quite the gentleman. He recommended the Beeman AR2079 for a .22 caliber. It looks like a decent buy, and it's fairly cheap, so I would have some budget to buy a scope in the coming months.
I am not a "PCP guy" so I will let our many PCP experts weigh in on that rifle. I can definitely say that Wes is great to deal with.
There is a lot of debate and opinion about .22 vs .177 - especially when getting into hunting. The FT club at Grenville also is limited to .177 only so if you are thinking of travelling to Grenville (which is a great club and I highly recommend the trip whenever you can) you will need a .177
If you are like most people this will become a passion and a year from now you may look back with a grin when you think of your "starter gun"... but lots of time for that. If you are considering getting your PAL it opens up a huge range of guns that can make it easier to hit targets out at our longer yardages, but either way you will have a great time shooting FT.
If you want to talk directly you can send me an email at
rob27portc@gmail.com and we can connect.
I look forward to meeting you at the club in a few short months!
Rob27