[carlrodd]

i just ran into a friend that told about an acquaintance of ours building a handgun range in his basement. i suppose he wouldn't be embarking upon this endeavour if he didn't have some idea of what he was doing. anybody hear of stuff like this before? i'd be worried about the lead and gas fumes, but i guess he'll probably address that concern.

[Vern Humphrey]

i just ran into a friend that told about an acquaintance of ours building a handgun range in his basement. i suppose he wouldn't be embarking upon this endeavour if he didn't have some idea of what he was doing. anybody hear of stuff like this before? i'd be worried about the lead and gas fumes, but i guess he'll probably address that concern.

Sure. Lots of basement ranges. All you really need is a good bullet trap and a strong veltilation fan.

A lot of people use plastic ammo -- Speer sells it. This consists of plastic cases and bullets, which you can reload by hand. The primer drives the light plastic bullet, which can be stopped easily by a cardboard box full of newspapers and reused.

[PlayboyPenguin]

I would love to have a basement range. I would save a fortune. All you need is the proper equipment (especially a good ventilation system). Sadly, since I have moved out of the hood and into the burbs I no longer have a basement. When I did have one it was filled by my wood shop.

[mzmtg]

Friend of mine had a bullet trap in his basement made out of welded 1/4" mild steel. We shot .22 shorts into it all day long.

[sturmruger]

Someday after my wife and I sell our current house we are planning building a house. My plan is to use some type of culvert leading away from my house at a 90 degree angle as a shooting range. It will mostly be used for shooting .22 LR, but could be used for large calibers if it get down to -20 outside and I don't want to shoot outside.

[Soybomb]

Just be sure to read up on ventilation, lead poisoning is nasty.

[Vern Humphrey]

And make it a big culvert if you plan to use large calibers -- the concussion will be fierce.

Ask me how I know?

Because I fire-formed some .35 Brown-Whelen cases in my garage range. I was using a charge of Bullseye with a quarter sheet of toiletpaper to keep the powder from spilling out during loading. After a few shots the neon tubes in the light fixtures came loose and fell to the floor.:what:

(My wife complemented me on cleaning up the garage -- she never knew I had to do it to get rid of the broken glass.):D

[sturmruger]

That is why I would try to stick to .22s the concussion is not that bad. I get a headache almost everytime I go shooting outside. I can't imagine what a .357 would be like in a small room with a plastic culvert!

[Thefabulousfink]

My friends dad has a setup like this and let me tell you, it is slick!

He has 120' of 3' highway culvert burried underground with lights at 25', 50' 75', 100', and 120'. The concusion can take a little getting use to, but he has shot everything from .22 to 7mm Rem. There is nothing like going down to your basement to sight in your hunting rifle.:D

I'll post some pictures when I can dig them up.

[carlrodd]

And make it a big culvert if you plan to use large calibers -- the concussion will be fierce.

Ask me how I know?

Because I fire-formed some .35 Brown-Whelen cases in my garage range. I was using a charge of Bullseye with a quarter sheet of toiletpaper to keep the powder from spilling out during loading. After a few shots the neon tubes in the light fixtures came loose and fell to the floor.:what:

(My wife complemented me on cleaning up the garage -- she never knew I had to do it to get rid of the broken glass.):D


i'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but i just about pissed myself laughing when i read that. i can picture it now.

[Vern Humphrey]

i'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but i just about pissed myself laughing when i read that. i can picture it now.

Then someone else has benefited from a lesson I learned the hard way.

I have not lived in vain.:D

[AJ Dual]

The Wisconsin State Senator that's one of the main backers of getting CCW in Wisconsin, Dave Zien, has an underground gun range/fallout shelter.

I've never seen pictures, but last year they did have a GOP/pro-gun fundraiser where you got a tour.

I'd have liked to have seen that.

[Vern Humphrey]

The Wisconsin State Senator that's one of the main backers of getting CCW in Wisconsin, Dave Zien, has an underground gun range/fallout shelter.

I've never seen pictures, but last year they did have a GOP/pro-gun fundraiser where you got a tour.

I'd have liked to have seen that.

Back during the Cold War there was a government program to encourage people to build fallout shelters -- all kinds of tax breaks.

Dang, I miss those days!!:D

[Hemicuda]

the trick to handling the concusion is to place a septic tank against the outside basement wall, and then add the culvert... then punch holes through both sides of the tabk, to shoot through, and line the tank w/ old carpet...

you shoot with the barrel stuck into the chamber, and this works as an expansion chamber...

works pretty well, as we have this setup in a friends basement...

[Standing Wolf]

I'd have a basement range if I had a basement.

[ceetee]

I've been wondering for a while now... Because I don't have a basement, what if I dug a long trench (my yard goes back almost a hundred yards. I could do 50 real easy). I could lay down the pipe, and have a small underground room poured out of concrete near the house. Going with the septic tank idea, and rigging some kind of pulley thing to post and retract the targets... how much would that cost?

A lot more than going to the range, but then, the range isn't convenient to where I live now...

[usp9]

I grew up in the early 1960's to mid 1970's with a .22 range in my families basement. Fired thousands of rounds through a pair of Ithica model 49 saddle guns and my prized Colt Woodsman Match Target. Had about a 2'X2' plywood backstop packed with carpet padding. Man how I miss those days.

[Rob1035]

Reynolda House (family home of the Reynolds family ie RJR tobacco) in my home town has a nice indoor range, 2 or 3 bays, moving metal chickens and the like at the end of it. Its an art museum/historical type place now.

[odysseus]

That sounds more the .plan than anything else. I have always wanted my own private shooting area, however basement or trenched setups can be an issue I don't like. And without a lot of land it isn't always easy to do this. I don't have the space currently, but have thought if I get a property large enough I could use a large prefab metal "barn" structure (cheapest way) or something similar to build an indoor shooting range on the lot with say 50 yards or so and enough space that concussion is not such an issue. Backstop could be an issue, but I would like to even be able to shoot small centerfire rifles. Is this a fantasy?

Now this begs the question, if I am still somewhat close (say a couple hundred yards to a neighbor's home) if shooting indoors is still actionable from say some less than friendly person reporting to law enforcement about "shooting" going on (even though sound would be contained to better than legal limits). I am not sure. On the one hand, plenty of indoor ranges exist, but if private can I still be under zoning ordinances in residential areas?

Reynolda House (family home of the Reynolds family ie RJR tobacco) in my home town has a nice indoor range, 2 or 3 bays, moving metal chickens and the like at the end of it. Its an art museum/historical type place now.

[hso]

i suppose he wouldn't be embarking upon this endeavour if he didn't have some idea of what he was doing. anybody hear of stuff like this before? i'd be worried about the lead and gas fumes, but i guess he'll probably address that concern.

Why in the world would you think that? If he's not an Industrial Hygienist or a range operator he might not have given any serious thought to it.

[xsnydx]

So how difficult would it be to set up something like this?

What I'm really asking is what kind of:

1) minimum distances would you need?
2) ventilation are we talking? Simple med-high volume pump of some sort?
3) backstops for different calibers?
4) $$ would make this a decent "range?"

Thanks for your time

-xsnydx

[strangeone]

I would be more worried about your insurance company finding out about your range than the cops or neigh:uhoh: bors

[BigRobT]

I'd imagine that if you're in an incorporated city or town, there's an ordinance against firing weapons within their limits. Secondly, zoning issues. Thirdly, HazWaste issues from the spent rounds. The amount of lead fumes are negligible, however, the gunpowder fumes could become overwhelming. One would get more lead fumes from electronic soldering than a bullet. Finally, IF you are in the country and can do this, they sell bullet stops that can handle the different calibers. Otherwise, there would be no indoor ranges. I'd surmise a basement range would fall into the high 4 figure range, if not 5 figures by the time it was said and done, unless you can do the masonry, excavation, concrete work (block work), etc yourself. Oh yeah, here in wonderful MN, on cannot discharge a firearm within 500 yards of another house, so there could be another BS twist.

[cosine]

My friends dad has a setup like this and let me tell you, it is slick!

He has 120' of 3' highway culvert burried underground with lights at 25', 50' 75', 100', and 120'. The concusion can take a little getting use to, but he has shot everything from .22 to 7mm Rem. There is nothing like going down to your basement to sight in your hunting rifle.:D

I'll post some pictures when I can dig them up.

Please do! It sounds really cool!

[el44vaquero]

Had an uncle that cast wax bullets for his S&W 29. We would double up on ear protection and shoot them all day long in his basement.

[Sunray]

"...2) ventilation are we talking? Simple med-high volume pump of some sort?..." Most places won't allow you to just blow the air outside. Environmental laws prohibit it. They usually require any vented air to be as clean as that coming in. Last I saw, a proper air scrubber ran about 10 grand.

[Taurus 66]

Basement ranges are great, but what's with the back stops?! What I like to do is make it an adventure - I go appliance hunting. The furnace is acting up ... BOOM! now it's not. The washing machine's not properly draining out the water ... BOOM! now it is. Stationary tub and sump pump have been well behaved. What the Hell ... BOOM! ;) The water heater is running cold, I'll light a fire under it. "Say Hello to My Little Friend!!!"

Seriously, I have shot a limited number of rounds in the basement. Let me tell ya', the space will get filled with that putrid sulfur gunpowdery odor pretty darn quick. Get a good ventillation system. Don't do what I did - open a few windows and start firing away. That was back when I was a few sandwiches short. :)

[aguyindallas]

I just wish I had a darn basement. This is something I have dreamed of...

[poppy]

Entertaining thread. I once had some country property, about 6 acres, but zoned residential, and the neighbors didn't appreciate me using it as an outdoor range. I had plans to build a house there with secondary plans to put in a concrete pipe range, but alas, the boss preferred condo living to country living and I had to sell the property.

Before someone asks me for the range plans, I didn't have anything concrete (pun intended) put down on paper. I still have dreams of that range though. poppy

[NewShooter]

Aguila makes .22 ammo called the colibri and the super colibri that is primer powered only. Could I use this in my garage safely with a proper backstop? Would I still need ventilation.