Power without powder is the slogan that is the main goal of East Idaho's newest airgun store.

Owners Dave and Alice Johnson opened East Idaho Airgun at 740 W. Broadway St. in Idaho Falls in September, bringing an alternative to shooting without the cost of gunpowder powered ammunition or the higher risk of hearing damage.

Dave was spurred to open the store after he had to go to Utah to try an airgun before buying one. Dave said his issue was that he wanted didn't want to spend over $1,000 on an airgun before trying it in person.

He said that his only experience with airguns was with cheap and plastic ones commonly seen in sporting goods stores, but after trying one in Utah, he changed his perspective.

"I want people to be able to experience this and say, ‘I didn't know you could do this with these kinds of things now,’" Dave said.

Customer John Barnes said he used to own and shoot a Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun and that was his main experience with airguns. He is now looking into getting one of these guns to use for plinking or target practice. 

"This is kind of more of a rifle-type shooting where it's more accurate. It's not just plinking but it's actually accuracy that you can tune in like a regular rifle," Barnes said. 

Barnes said the other aspect of his interests in an airgun is how quiet they are and and that they give off less recoil than traditional guns. 

Barnes said having the ability to go in to a local store and ask an employee face-to-face about these guns and the ability to try them at the shooting range is awesome.

"You can come in and you got somebody that can help you that knows them and can tune your gun," Barnes said.

For regulatory purposes, airguns are considered a pre-charge pneumatic short-range weapons, similar to hunting with bows or muzzleloaders.

Alice said some people have come into the store and said that they only shoot "real guns," but she said these are real guns, and you can do about the same things with them.

Idaho Fish and Game Big Game Rule book has specific guidelines for hunting with airguns. A .30 caliber can be used for pronghorn, deer, mountain lion and grey wolf, and a .45 caliber for moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, elk and black bear.

"We have all the power of a traditional firearm, just without the powder," Dave said.

Dave and Alice have experience with traditional firearms, with Dave being a firearms instructor. Dave said that he sees airguns becoming the way of the future.

The cost of ammunition for airguns is cheaper than traditional ammunition. Alice said that for a tin of .22-caliber pellets, cost $21 for 500 pellets — 4.2 cents per round — while .22-caliber rimfire ammunition can cost up to twice as much, depending on the brand, grain and features. As is the case with traditional ammo, the higher the caliber, the higher the price per round. 

"It's all about weight, 500 pellets of .22 is about the same weight as 150 pellets of .30 caliber," Dave said.

Alice said she believes many people have given up shooting traditional firearms due to the cost of ammunition.

Dave said that aside from buying the gun and ammunition, most people would need a high-pressure compressor.

"Air is free, and you can fill the tank forever," Dave said.

But for those who don't opt for a compressor, East Idaho Airgun can fill the tanks for a fee, depending on the tank size, and it takes a few minutes, Alice said.

Dave said that the maintenance of these airguns is easier since there are aren't any corrosive powders in the barrel that must be cleaned out. After shooting 500 or 1,000 rounds, placing a dry patch through the barrel and replacing O-rings every six months is all the maintenance needed.

"I just encourage people to come in and check them out," Alice said.

Dave said that he has a woman customer who loves guns but hates how loud they are and ended up walking away from traditional firearms. He said the woman's friends brought her to the store's range and she ended up liking airguns.

"It reinvigorated that love for her because, her whole family is into this kind of stuff, and for her this is something that she could do," Dave said.

For more information, visit eastidahoairguns.com.