Choosing your rifle

Patrick Hook helps you to choose a foxing rifle, though finding the one that best suits you is not as straightforward as you might think

In the past few issues we’ve been looking at what needs to be done to become a fox shooter. We began with discussing ways of getting shooting permissions, then examined some of the less obvious — but all the same important, issues surrounding acquiring your firearms certificate. Assuming that both these stages have gone well, the next step is to buy a rifle and get it ready for the field.

What suits you

Choosing the rifle that best suits your needs is not necessarily straightforward because varying circumstances will dictate different choices. The first basic decision has to be whether you intend to shoot from a truck or from on foot, and that will be determined by two basic factors: the nature of your shooting ground, and any physical limitations you may have. After all, there’s little point in setting everything up for a vehicle if there’s nowhere to drive.

“Do you intend to shoot from a truck or from on foot?”