I spent a year in NZ in 2017/2018 and have just returned with the goal of settling here permanently.

I used air rifles a lot for work and recreation back in England and I'm looking to buy an air rifle to help deal with some of the smaller pest species where I'm currently living.

As a kid I used traditional springers but have got used to using pcp rifles (nothing fancy, a kral NP02 and BSA Ultra) but without a FAL currently those are not an option.  I'm after a relatively quiet, accurate and reliable rifle, mostly for rats, rabbits and invasive bird pests, plus perhaps the occasional possum.

It hasn't taken me long to realise the air rifle market is a lot more limited here in NZ (one of the very few things I prefer about the UK) so I'm hoping to get some recommendations from members here on which rifles to look at and which to avoid.

A couple I've looked at so far are the Gamo Swarm Fusion Gen3i and the Gamo Wildcat Whisper.

I use .177 back home because sub 12fpe .22 are slow and the trajectory sucks but I'm open to using either here with the higher power rifles.

Thanks, looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.

Welcome, I wouldnt touch the gamo myself, but i have worked on a lot of them fixing their crappy triggers.

They might have improved over the years but ive seen nothing to lead me to think so, But everyone is different and depends on what you are wanting to do with it.

Great, you are asking the right questions for down under options.

Stay away from Gen ii and Gen iii multi-shots.

Wildcat is probably ok but I note it is not listed on Vaughan Sports sales list and they are the NZ supplier.

When heading out to manage pests I choose a .22 which is lightweight and mid power 15-20ft/lbs.

Have a look at fixed barrels, for Gamo this would be a CFX and please consider the .22 calibre, well proven and one of my most effective hunters. (see under reviews)

I would steer clear of the higher power units >20 ft/lb, they are difficult to cock, harsh to operate and will wreck any scope.

The large consumer brands all have good and bad options. I have many Gamo and several Umarex units which I am perfectly happy with but I recognise their limitations.

Alternatively a preowned but well made European model with good maintenance will give many years of quality service.

Do not discount a well mannered CO2 powered rifle, sub 12ftlb but fixed barrel will lend itself to accuracy.

I will post up a few proven choices and please check out mine and other members reviews for a NZ point of view.

Thanks for the advice. My number one choice atm is a Cometa Fusion, having seen some very favourable reviews on this rifle. I want to compare it with some others like the Cometa Fenix to see if one suits my needs better than the other.

I'm also leaning towards the nitro version of the Cometa Fusion but haven't read any actual comparisons between it and the conventional spring version, so not sure if the extra $100 being asked is worth it? It comes with a Hawke 3-9x40AO scope, I've had a few of these and always been happy with them but on pcp's, hopefully they will hold up to the recoil too.

I'm certainly not discounting CO2. Having only used sub 12ftb air rifles previously, I'm very comfortable using these for hunting, so long as they are accurate, or should I say so long as I can be accurate with them. I know I will have to relearn good springer technique having gotten used to pcps.

I took a lot of rabbits and squirrels with a 7ishft/lb Slavia rifle when i was a lad, it was very smooth and accurate, swapped it for an 11.5ft/lb webley xocet which recoiled quite violently imho and I think my success rates probably went down despite the extra power.  That has made me a little shy of powerful spring rifles.

I think I will go .22, that extra 5-10ft/lb of energy from the rifles over here I assume will make them a fair bit flatter shooting that the sub 12 versions in the UK.

I'll have a look at the gamo CFX and other  fixed barrel rifles too. Cheers

I might put a scope on it and shoot some groups if I get some time too.

Definitely interested, thanks.  I've just been reading up on them and it seems like there are a lot of positve user reviews out there, certainly compared to some other gamos but it does seem that they still have some issues and need some work done to get them shooting very well. Ther trigger seems to be the main thing folks aren't happy with. 

Do you have any pictures of the rifle and how would you rate it? 

Also do you know the likely cost of shipping? I'm sure the rules here will be different than back home in the UK, so I have no idea how simple/complicated or cheap/expensive it would be to post an air rifle?

Feel free to send me a private message (assuming that's and option on here?) if that makes things simpler.

Cheers

Gamo is crap.

But, the best Gamo is the CFX and $100 is a great deal and certainly a good starter to get back into airgunning here and seeing what else is around you might fancy.

After the CFX gamo really focussed on a quest for fastest velocity, and then added in things like multishot capability. The problem is the build quality is not good so they teeth rattlers, light weight stocks so harsh to shoot, the multishot mechanisms are plastic and wear out quickly.

Thats all fine if they are priced for their quality, but down here they simply arent. They should be priced at $399, not $999, for that money you can get a Weihrauch HW95 that will do possums and last long enough to hand down to your grand kids.

CFX platform is around 20 years old, pretty good quild quality and not too over powered.

Triggers are pretty firm and not the most crisp.

The cometa fusion is a great rifle for the money, better build than gamo and far better adjustable trigger. Good power, accurate barrels. I used to use one at a target shooting club i belong to, after I polished the spring ends and relubed it it could stack pellets nearly as good as my TX200

I think you are right, Paul has made a very good offer and I will likely take him up on it. I see myself getting a cometa fusion down the line but as I'm new to NZ and looking for an employer that can help get me a work visa, saving the extra $$$ is probably the sensible thing to do right now.

I've never had a fixed barrel rifle like the CFX either, so I'm keen to try one out.

Short of making basic screw turn trigger adjustments I've never done any work on any of my air rifles but it would be something I'd be keen to learn and it seems like there is some good info to be found on here.

Will definitely give you a shout or Mercs if I need to rebuild/mod anything on the rifle.

I'm off to google bulk filling CO2 now.  My only experience with CO2 is a 2240 stlye pistol and never really considered them much before coming here as pcp's were a better option in general.

Despite what seems to be very sensible advice to avoid gamo's it looks like I will be getting one from Pauly. Although not exactly a CFX I believe it is pretty much the same rifle internally.  I've read that you make and supply replacement triggers for these older model gamo's.  Is that something you're still doing and do you have any available to buy?  I may not need one, Pauly has said the trigger isn't too bad but I also like the idea of learning more about how these rifles work through upgrades, so a new trigger would seem like a good place to start.

I will be taking Pauly up on his offer, as you say it will be great bang for my buck and a good way to get into shooting over here.

I had briefly looked at the Umarex Magnum but hadn't realised they were quite as powerful as that.  Not sure I'll go down that route this time around but 12g CO2 adapter or bulk filling (I know nothing about doing that yet) could make that a tempting option.

Thatnls for the welcome, I'm looking forward to some plinking and invasive pest eradication.

Of the quarry you can take with an air rifle here, what is the best eating? I've eaten plenty of rabbits but not much else you can shoot over here. I did see someone tried possum and said it was very good, but also mentioned having to check for TB which is a bit off putting.

I was forgetting about quail and pheasant being an option here, ducks too.  What pigeons are you guys eating? Feral rock doves? Noone back home really eats those but we have wood pigeons as an option and they are a bigger cleaner bird so people choose to eat those.

I'll assume at least the rat and hedgehog are a joke but if not, each to their own :D

I would think wallaby is delicious, having enjoyed eating kangaroo but I was speaking to a guy here that shoots a lot of them and he, and noone he hunts with eat them Says they can be full of worms and that puts them off.  I'd be worried in case they might have been poisoned too, but a healthy young one in a poison free area I'd definitely try!

 Hedgehog I'm dicey on, but  curious. Might be a while but I'll probly try it at some stage.