Equipment in highpower can range from completely simple to overwhelmingly complex. This is mostly due to the personal preference of the individual competitor.
Probably the most common rifle used in highpower is the service rifle. To be able to shoot in this category, your rifle must be based on the M-1, M-14/M1A, or M-16/AR-15 rifle. Service rifles may contain internal modifications and very slight external changes.
The three approved Service Rifles
If a shooter is planning to buy a new service rifle there is no practical reason to choose the M-1 or the M-14/M1A. The AR-15 will shoot better for a longer period of time with less maintenance than the .30 cal. rifles will. In addition many shooters will say that it's easier to shoot a good score with the AR-15 platform.
The entire AR does not have to be purchased from a gunsmith. Many shooters buy a lower receiver assembly from a manufacturer such as Rock River Arms and the upper receiver assembly from a competition gunsmith such as White Oak Precision.
Don't forget a good sling to go with your rifle.
If you want to have a lot of flexibility and shoot a rifle customized to fit your individual shooting style then match rifle is for you. Match rifles are limited to a maximum of .30 caliber, the use of metallic sights, and the ability to hold at least 5 rounds of ammunition in some kind of magazine. Other than that, the owner is free to tweak any part of the rifle he/she wishes.
Most competitors reload their own ammunition. This is done not only for economics but also for consistency of accuracy as well. Different ammunition can be used at different distances. For example, a competitor shooting an M-16 type service rifle might shoot a 69 gr. bullet at 200 yds., a 77 gr. bullet at 300 yds., and an 80 gr. bullet at 600 yds.
Most service rifle competitors use a Sierra 69 or 77 grain bullet at 200 and 300 yards. Hornady's 75 grain HPBT is also popular. For 600 yards Sierra's 80 grain Match King is the bullet of choice for the majority of service rifle shooters.
Most highpower competitors use a stand mounted spotting scope to see their shots when they shoot and look at the targets when they score. While the use of spotting scopes is very common, it is by no means mandatory. These scopes can sometimes be costly with top of the line set-ups costing almost $1000. Newer competitors should not be intimidated by these prices as lower cost scopes are also available.
A common brand of spotting scope
Most competitors use some type of mat to lay on during the prone stages of fire. While a purpose built mat is best, new competitors might want to use a blanket or ground cloth while they learn what highpower is all about.
In an effort to get a better grip on the rifle stock a lot of competitors use some type of shooting glove. Sometimes these are full fingered gloves and others are mit-types with no fingers. Both are well padded.