Alaska Shooting Specialities: New gun shop opens in Houston so local gun enthusiasts can ‘feel like family’

WASILLA — David Roberts recently opened Alaska Shooting Specialties, a new gun shop in Houston specializing in air rifles, custom paint jobs, and restoration projects.

David Nohr helps Roberts around the shop, and they’re both excited to build up the customer base with local gun enthusiasts.

“When they leave the driveway, they feel like family,” Nohr said.

The shop is currently open but they’re still in the process of finishing up the overall setup. Roberts said it’s the only air rifle shop of this caliber that they know of. He said air rifles are usually more affordable than regular guns.

“Plus it’s a great little hobby,” Roberts said. “I thought it was an explosive idea. We need to get it up here in Alaska.”

Nohr said one of their primary goals is to promote the use of PCP, or pre-charged pneumatic air rifles. He said these specialized air rifles are just as capable as their conventional counterparts, but they’ve yet to catch on in Alaska, largely because they’re still not legal for game larger than a wolf.

Nohr said these air rifles’ calibers range from 1.7 caliber all the way to 50 caliber with an impressive range. He said there’s air rifles that shoot multiple bullet types, shells, balls, even arrows.

“It shoots everything,” Nohr said.

While hunting game larger than wolf is not currently legal in Alaska, people can still hunt small game like rabbits and other varmints, according to Nohr. He said there’s currently a push in the state legislature to amend the statues, and when air rifles regulations finally expand, they’ll be here.

“You can do everything from backyard fun to actually hunting,” Nohr said.

Nohr said efforts on social media platforms and general word of mouth has been going strong, so he’s confident that substantial change is just around the corner.

“A lot of this is getting the word out and it’s getting out there,” Nohr said.

Roberts said they were originally going to open in February, but that got pushed due to COVID-19. He said he shares a passion for all things guns with Roberts and after commissioning a restoration project with him, they decided to run a business together.

“We’re both gun nuts,” Roberts said. “I don’t do it for the money. I can tell you that,” Roberts said. “Dave’s always been an icon to me… He has knowledge that I wish I had.”

Roberts said they work with five different distributors, offering about 30 brand names in their store. He said that he’ll work on just about any gun out there for restoration or paint projects. They also accept gun transfers for a $20 fee.

Alaska Shooting Specialties is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with appointments on Saturday. The shop is located at 11406 LaRae Road in Houston. For more information, call 907-315-5720.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com