Air rifles in .177, .22, .25 and .30 — spring, gas ram, CO2 and pre-charged pneumatic, from FX Airguns, Diana, Stoeger, Weihrauch and more. This is our air rifle range; air pistols are Category H and sit under a different pathway.
In NSW an air rifle is a firearm. Section 4 of the Firearms Act brings air guns into the definition, with no power threshold and no exemption for the break-barrel you were given at fifteen. It needs a licence — almost always Category A — and a Permit to Acquire for the specific rifle, and it lives in the safe. Airgun pellets are legally ammunition too, so the licence covers those as well and they are collection only from our Roseville Chase store.
Interstate advice is where most of the confusion starts: air gun rules genuinely differ between states, so a video from Queensland can be right there and wrong here. Our air rifle guide sets out the NSW position properly, along with how the powerplants compare and which calibre suits the job.
On powerplants in short: springers and gas rams are self-contained and need no filling gear, but demand good technique and a scope rated for two-way recoil. PCPs are easier to shoot well and more accurate, at the cost of a pump or bottle. Spring is the cheaper start; PCP is where most serious pest shooters end up.
