Setting up a range on your property.

CDRGlock · Post by **CDRGlock** » Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:37:25

What's the best way to make sure you're in compliance with setting up a range on your property?

I realize that it has to be 100 yards away from a nearby house and the road. What are the regulations? What official would be best to consult? A police officer? Someone else?

vaeevictiss · Post by **vaeevictiss** » Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:50:55

If money is not an option, which it is for me so i can't afford this lol, railroad ties and a few truck loads of dirt.

What i did tho was make a large berm using fallen trees and rotted firewood. I slowly built it up over the past year but would still like to go bigger and higher.

To top it off i ended up taking a lot of the old brick and block from my chimney that collapsed last year during the earthquake and threw it all behind the berm for the rounds that do make it through.

An advantage i have in my yard although is that it slopes downhill so when i shoot it all goes into the ground soon after.

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jdonovan · Post by **jdonovan** » Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:21:43

CDRGlock wrote:What's the best way to make sure you're in compliance with setting up a range on your property?

What are the regulations? What official would be best to consult?

The regulations are from your local government, usually if you are not in a town, it would be the board of supervisors. Also, county zoning will likely have influence on your ability to setup a range.

I realize that it has to be 100 yards away from a nearby house and the road.

I think you're reading the hunting regulations...

A police officer? Someone else

Don't EVER ask a police officer for legal advice. If you want to know about the law ask a lawyer.

Very few counties have regulations about recreational firearms discharge. Most have hunting regulations but they don't apply unless the target is a game animal.

The two biggest hurdles you've got to over come are noise, and backstop/projectile control.

Noise control - distance, baffling, or suppressors are the only thing that will control noise. I know in my county I can't exceed 90 db at the property line. That's a bit of a challenge to do when you start with a 150+db report.

projectile control - This will depend a lot on whats behind/around you. If you think your just going to put up a mound of dirt and be ok... you're probably not... unless its VERY rural, or you've got huge amounts of property. You need to account for shots over the berm, or put in controls so you can't. also need to account for misses to the sides, ricochets etc...

Do a little googling, and you can find several public sources for range design. If you want to do it right, there is quite a bit more to it than 3 dump trucks of dirt in a field.

Empire · Post by **Empire** » Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:42:26

I'm went with a zombie theme for my personal range. I spread the targets out at 10, 25, 50 and 100 yards with the 100 yard zombie having a steel plate face. As long as you hear the "PING!" then you know you hit his brain pan. The range slopes downward toward very thick woods that spread about a mile deep. For the closest zombie being at 10 yards a head shot would put some shots at almost a treeline angle so I made an outhouse facade which hides a 50 gallon barrel of packed dirt placed directly behind head/chest placement. The zombies themselves have torsos made of 3/4" oak plywood that usually last about a month or so of casual shooting. I keep a stack of extra precut torsos on hand for replacement when the heads are basically just a web of toothpicks. For head targets I use 7" white paper plates so you can make out most bullet holes from 50 yards. We typically are only using 22's and mostly hanguns and pistol caliber carbines. The "tombstones" in the cemetery portion make a nice place to stack beer cans or spray cans etc.
My kids love it and my wife would much rather shoot here within walking distance of home than at a public range dealing with......well, the public.

ksanftleben · Post by **ksanftleben** » Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:09:50

Empire wrote:I went with a zombie theme for my personal range. . . .

Marnific! Now I have a project to try and get to this summer.

Rock of the Marne, Kurt (3ID, 1981-1984)

CDRGlock · Post by **CDRGlock** » Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:29:57

If I buy a particular property, it's on a mountain in the suburbs. My backstop would be the other side of the property with a mountain. I would set up a backstop to limit backsplash. Sound would be a major issue, as well as clearing this from adjacent neighbors.

The lot is over 7 acres.

jdonovan · Post by **jdonovan** » Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:05:13

CDRGlock wrote:The lot is over 7 acres.

7 acres isn't that much separation from neighbors for noise control.

vaeevictiss · Post by **vaeevictiss** » Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:19:28

This is why i advocate suppressors lol. I'd have one for all my guns if i could afford it haha.

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CDRGlock · Post by **CDRGlock** » Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:33:02

jdonovan wrote:
CDRGlock wrote:The lot is over 7 acres.
7 acres isn't that much separation from neighbors for noise control.

I don't hear a thing. I wear hearing protection.

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