I must admit I am enjoying the replies to this thread, even if they have wandered a bit. Never mind ... all good fun, especially for a rainy Sunday morning in Cambridge. ... no, sun has just appeared.
Just to clarify ... you can use whatever scope you want to in HFT but you are not allowed to adjust it once you have taken your first shot. Thus, no range finding by focus adjustment etc, no change of magnification.
But I digress. Another issue that came to mind recently, rekindled by an article written by the venerable Gary Chillingworth in AG was whether or not you can 'buy' success in HFT (and by default, FT I guess). I had always thought the answer was a resounding 'No', you cannot buy success because it all depends, within reason, on the skills of the shooter and the kit being used. My 'within reason' exclusion is because I would never expect a skilled shooter to win an HFT / FT competition with e.g a Meteor or Airsporter, no matter how good they are. But again I digress.
But what about top end rifles, particularly springers like the TX200 and HW97/77 types that are proven contenders in competition. Can you 'buy points' with them? Stimulated by Gary's article and a few comments from other shooters, I now think you can. I doubt if many people would disagree that 'out of the box' either of the TX200 or HW97/77 are capable of winning competitions in the right hands. They have a proven pedigree. But I now think that even a top shooter can buy points by spending money on rifle modifications .. a new stock, extensive tuning of the internals etc etc; all aimed at, seemingly, reducing as much as possible the vagaries of a recoiling rifle to make the shot cycle as tame as possible. I stress that I do not think this is wrong; everyone has the right to strive for perfection in their kit. This may well also help a 'moderate' shooter improve performance but I suggest it will be unlikely to turn a moderate into an elite shooter as that essential element, skill, cannot be bought.
But if now asked, 'Can you buy success' I think I have to say 'Yes, if you have the ability to make use of the changes made'.
Cheers, Phil