I'm thinking of opening an outdoor range. Advice?

The NRA has range services including help designing and constructing. This might be a helpful resource for you:
http://range.nra.org/

Spend plenty of time on the legal issues, consult with a good attourney, figure on a LLC and lots of liability insurance and don't hire range Nazis to run things.
Other than that, seriously, good luck. Decent ranges are few and far between.
Vonderek is right on recommending NRA help.

"...lots of liability insurance..." Look into the cost of that first.
And exactly how much land you'll really need. Far more than you may think. You need several miles for the fall zone alone.

The NRA Range Design manual is highly recommended. Right now, there seems to be one architechtural firm, Clark Vargas, that specializes in range design. Get them on your team. Expect to pay some pretty big money for a baffle structure unless you are way out in the country. I'd seriously consider selling memberships, possibly with partial ownership, to raise capital.

One thing I would carefully consider is the potential customers. How well can they shoot? Really? The club I shoot at has had serious problems with our 50-yard pistol range...people set up targets at 7-10 yards without really noticing the baffle support columns. If they shoot at any angle, it's easy to hit one of the supports.

My advice? Maybe have a 15-yard defensive shooting range. Then a 50-yard range - with a strict rule of no targets at less than 25 yards.

The other thing I'd seriously look at is whether or not the potential customers can handle an upscale facility. I've been to some ranges in Europe that were eye-watering. Think country clubs with a shooting range instead of a golf course. You would need a lot of capital for it, but it might be worthwhile.

Several miles will probably not work for the average guy unless it is fertile farm land and you can find a tenant willing to accommodate your range schedule.
Look for hills as backstops, study zoning laws for prospective property, learn range preemption laws in your state, the further from prospective neighbors and development the better. You may by land and develop well within the law and still have some a$$ hat buy and build down range and if he has the time and the money your life will be hell.
The best ranges I see out west are those in steep canyons with controlled access or backed by hillsides that will never be built upon.

Just out of curiosity, where are you located?

First and foremost speak with an attorney who knows land use regulations and requirements. Second find what insurance companies will demand for proper coverage. Lastly make certain the business is held by a corporation and that you have an attorney incorporate the business for you. You'd be surprised how many corporations are invalidated in litigation lawsuits because proper paperwork was not properly maintained. Also, have the business rent or lease the property from a separate real estate company you set up. You don't want the same business to own the range business and the real estate. It's just another layer of protection.

The only other thing I can think of if you have any significant assets in your name, consider putting them into a trust. If you end up getting sued and the corporation is pierced (found invalid) they will go after your personal assets. Litigation attorney's always look for deep pockets and will do anything to access them.

Sixteen years of contract and litigation experience taught me a lot.

My only advice would be: don't expect to make a profit.

What advice would you give someone embarking starting an outdoor range?

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Take a close look at all of the established private outdoor ranges open to the general public in your area and see what makes them successful.

Chances are that you won't find any. Cost/Risk/Liability makes it hard to make it even a break-even proposition. The EPA will not be your friend, several years ago one of the local ranges here was donated to the government rather than have to pay for the lead remediation.

45_auto said:

Quote:
What advice would you give someone embarking starting an outdoor range?

Take a close look at all of the established private outdoor ranges open to the general public in your area and see what makes them successful.

Chances are that you won't find any. Cost/Risk/Liability makes it hard to make it even a break-even proposition. The EPA will not be your friend, several years ago one of the local ranges here was donated to the government rather than have to pay for the lead remediation.
__________________
Always remember that half the people out there are below average in intelligence - and the average is pretty low!

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Curious that you would post intelligence levels, then post check out all the "Private" outdoor ranges open to the public.. ????? That in itelf is contradictory... So which is it.. a private range or one open to the public..

My Private range had been around since 1939, we have 5000 members we have a surplus in excess of 380,000 dollars... in 75 years we have not one single serious accident.
We sit on 88 acres, have air conditioned range house with down range being outside.. we have individual Big bore, black powder, Small bore, Pistol, air gun, archery, shot gun, 5 stand, 3 trap ranges, 2 skeet ranges, table traps, an air gun field course through the wood with 50 stations, and an archery field course through the woods... we have an air conditioned Club house and a fully staffed kitchen.
it started with a corn field 75 years ago and then we bought up all the land around...

Evil-Twin said:

Curious that you would post intelligence levels, then post check out all the "Private" outdoor ranges open to the public.. ????? That in itelf is contradictory... So which is it.. a private range or one open to the public..

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I suspect he means privately owned outdoor ranges that are open to the public without a membership requirement.

JSH1 said:

I suspect he means privately owned outdoor ranges that are open to the public without a membership requirement.

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are there publicly owned outdoor ranges?
My point to the OP was we started out with a dream... and a corn filed... and it grew into one of the nicest ranges in the country.. we get 20 to thirty people a week trying to become a member.. we have new member orientation once a week every Sunday , they line up in front of the club house, after they have been vetted by a full back ground check, with 2 references and a club officer. The club is very strict... safety is heavy handed.. no more than 5 rounds in any gun... no human silhouettes.. our club is family oriented... its not a tactical range or a cowboy shoot um up range.. each range is controlled by a range officer..
Lots of rules but you do not have to look over your shoulder wondering if some one is a hotdog... anyone can call the line, and anyone breaking the rules is subject to immediate suspension.

Evil-Twin said:

are there publicly owned outdoor ranges?

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In my experience, outdoor ranges are either private clubs that required a membership or on public land.

This is the only outdoor range that I know if in the greater Portland Metro that is open to the general public: http://www.englishpit.com/about/index.shtml The land is owned by Clark County Parks and Recreation and they have contracted out the day to day operation.

The range I used in Alabama was in a State Wildlife Management Area and only required a hunting or fishing license to use.

FireInCairo said:

Maybe an indoor range would be easier?

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Maybe, maybe not. Either is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get up and running.

JSH1 said:

Maybe, maybe not. Either is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get up and running.

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Yes, but an indoor range is easier to restrict bullets from leaving, requires much less land and does not upset the neighbors near as much.

Few years back, a Local Sportsman club I belong to looked into expanding into another area. With the amount of land required for a 100 yard outdoor range, the cost of that land and the cost of turning it into a range that no bullet could exit, it was cost prohibitive unless one was looking at just breaking even or a very long term investment. This was at a non-profit organization level with much of the time and physical labor donated. Then every piece of land we looked at, had a neighbor that was adamantly against us being there once they knew rifles and handguns were gong to be shot there. Shotguns not so much. Folks know there is little chance of shot going more than 200 yards, even when shot a an acute angle with a stiff tailwind. We ultimately decided to put the monies and free labor into improving the 100 yard range we already had.

Indoor ranges require less land but that can be offset by the cost of the ventilation system. The owner in this article claims $2 million for ventilation and bullet traps: http://projects.seattletimes.com/2014/loaded-with-lead/2/

How to become a millionaire owning a gun range? Start with three million.........

All of the above advice about legal considerations, potential development, bullets leaving the site, etc. are valid concerns and you will need a THOROUGH business plan before investing/borrowing dime one. Therefore, you will need an accountant on board besides an attorney.

Maybe you could give a hint on where you want to do this???

Seattle Times article ....

As noted if you plan to start up a new range, I'd review some of these points;

1 read and keep the extended media article by the Seattle Times about ranges/lead-toxins/EPA-OSHA issues. They ran a story about lead, toxins, dust, etc & how it can effect the long term health of range cadre-staff. The article was discussed on a few forum topics a few months ago.
2 keep the range clean and encourage shooters-customers to be considerate of the property. Have trash cans, brooms, fire extinguishers, etc handy. Post signs or be clear about what & where you want any discarded items; paper trash, cans-bottles, spent cases, scrap, etc.
3 If you post any rules or SOP signs, make sure you use large print or that a range shooter-member can clearly read it. If you or the range staff need to have any special requests or regulations about the range, be clear with the customers/members. I've been to indoor-outdoor ranges where cadre or staff either didn't know the rules or they were unfair-unethical about enforcement. Some places don't allow full auto guns, others say no holsters, some say no more than 2 shooters per lane while in use. Customers-shooters aren't mind readers or be willing to "police" themselves.
4 Train the staff to be nice, polite, professional. You don't need mall ninjas, nitwits, know-it-alls, or weekend Rambos. They should be well trained & able to deal with different groups of people.
5 Get a good CCTV/DV camera system. Color images of shooters, vehicles, doors, parking lots, etc. Many times unstable or intoxicated people show up at ranges then want to commit suicide or harm others, . It happens at gun ranges in my metro area about 2/3 times a year.

Location, location, location and unconditional release of liability. If you met those requirements it shouldn't be a big deal. There was a privately owned range opened to the public south of here a few years back. It closed because there just wasn't enough cash flow to make it viable.

+1 on the legal issue, outside of city limits does not automatically ensure your OK.

The red zone ranch comes to mind, a range built outside the city limits in Anna TX. I think it was open for just a few months before they shut them down.

You don't want to be the guy that buys the land, does all of the dirt work, gravel everything and build structures, only to have it become a complete waste of money.

"Maybe an indoor range would be easier?"

Absolutely not.

I've advised clients on both; there simply is no comparison in my state...but we have a different topography here in East Tennessee that lends itself to mitigating certain potential downrange problems.

Further, the requirements on the federal level are burdensome, onerous and incredibly expensive for an indoor range. The alphabet agencies are determined to make life difficult for your potential business because they are lazy, slothful, ideologically-driven and totally absent senses of humor.

On the plus side, as many have noted, the NRA can be an incredible resource for your endeavor...ask for their help.