How Often to Shoot on Small Farm?

[DeepSouth]

Around here people tend to shoot whenever they want, some more than others, obviously. But most people, including myself tend to really slow down or completely stop during hunting season.

 

[KYregular]

Every time I start shooting at my place, it's like a call to arms. More shots heard to the left, then the right, and so on. Great neighbors for sure.

 

[Ignition Override]

How often? No idea. But coordination can be important, and it can be more than just good manners.
Remember the line at the end of a Pink Floyd song on Dark Side of the Moon? "Good manners (don't) cost nothing".

A neighbor on rural land about twenty miles east of Collierville TN has a few horses, as do the three neighbors. They can ride horses or 4-wheelers almost two miles west of his home on the neighbor's open, partly-wooded land.
Because much of the land is behind a designated small shooting area (a few metal gongs) he always calls at least one of them if he goes shooting, which is done about 500 yards from his house.

He very seldom shoots, other than pheasant hunting in other areas. He grew up in Essen Germany and despite owning a Beretta 92, classic Colt AR and beautiful shotguns etc, never caught the gun bug, except for hunting birds.

 

[jamesjames]

You are the new guy in the neighborhood. Its important to introduce yourself. Find out if they like to shoot or would like to learn. If they are not gun people, its important to show some respect for peace and quiet while establishing a pattern of trust and dependability. Find out if there are times of the day or week when range sounds would be more bothersome. Establish a schedule so they know that you will be on the range every Saturday from 10 to noon. That way you don't have to call every time to let check in and they know its your range time. Get a suppressor. Remind them to call you to let you know when its a birthday party or other event at their house so you can respect their need for an occasional hiatus. Mainly, keep the lines of communication open and be the stand up gun owner/land owner that we all want to be.

 

[axxxel]

Did I understand correctly that your range is 200 yards from your neighbours house?

 

[OldFashioned]

My neighbor at my last place shot every day with something that was absolutely cannon loud but never bothered me... Usually went out and started shooting too!

 

[Danoobie]

Got 10 or 12 other neighbors which shoot on their land all the time. When you're outside, and you hear somebody banging away,
you know all is right with the world.

 

[Creed Bennett]

I live on the family farm that was purchased by my grandfather 99 years ago. I have 125 acres with 122 being woods. I can’t see either of my neighbors. I have two ranges, one is 25 and 50 yards for handguns and the other is 100 yards for rifle. The neighbor to the north is almost deaf so he’s not a problem and the ones to the south are rarely ever home. We shoot on Saturday and or Sunday afternoons and no one complains. The only time anyone has noticed our shooting we shot about 4 pounds of tannerite. About a minute later my deaf neighbor comes rolling up. He said he heard and felt the explosion and came to see what happened. He ended up staying and shooting with us for a few hours. We all had a great time. The way I see it for those that have neighbors close or within sight it would be good to talk with them and see when everyone will be fine with it. Be nice and invite them to join you. Be professional about it and show them that safety is your top priority. You never know, they may be anti gun and you may be the one that makes us all look good. Invite them over and show them the ropes. You might change their mind and get a good range buddy out of the deal. They might convince their family and friends that shooting is fun and a great stress reliever. The more gun people we have the less anti’s we have. Being a good neighbor is worth a lot these days. In my area we all work together and watch out for one another. You never know when you might be the one that saves their life of they may save yours.

 

[DoubleMag]

About the 3rd time bang bang bang everyone within earshot knows. Which is quite a distance. Loose lips sink ships, it just takes one bad actor in the information link who then takes the info to his bad buddies and, your name is on the potential break-in list. Rural or not, it's an issue. Ask your township trustees.

Just something to think about YMMV but I don't trust people who I don't even know except casually with such info.

 

[Stew0576]

That's why i have 2 large dogs and everyone big enough is trained in firearm use, would not recommend you pay a unwelcomed visit

 

[Stew0576]

As to the OP, my closest neighbor is also a gun guy, he only shoots randomly, i shoot 2 or more days a week, never had a complaint, when i first started saw the local sheriff cruise by but that was all

 

[Steve S.]

The mob is fickle; if the neighbors are gun people, they won’t care. If the neighbors are dog people, then they won’t care about barking dogs. If your neighbors are party people, then they won’t care about loud, late parties. If your neighbors are car people, they won’t care about reving engines and squeeling tires. Neighbors usually force their approved activity noise on other neighbors without regard to the aggrevation factor - they usually don’t care what the neighbors think. The “law” says that I can’t CCW my handgun in neighboring Illinois without legal consequences. The law says that I can smoke cigarettes until I get chronically ill and the neighbor’s (society) have to pay my medical bills - so if the law (any law) states that any activity is “legal”, then it must make everything OK. My life’s experience is that people can rationalize any behavior. Good shooting.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Not enough information… In the area of our farm the culture is to keep in touch with the neighbors for no other reason than to be "neighborly." How far out of town are you? And how big is the town you are out of? For instance, we're close to Hanging Grove which is five houses and the name on the map. If we were closer to the big city of Rensselaer (Indiana) it would affect any number of our behaviors simply out of respect to the neighbors.

Truthfully, whether you live way out in the sticks or in the middle of a huge metropolis like Rensselaer, the Golden Rule is still the best guideline for keeping peace in the neighborhood. Truthfully, the old guy in the local coffee shop is far more able to answer your question than anyone here is. Because let's face it, the best way to get along with your neighbors is to let your neighbors know you just want to live in peace with them.

 

[buck460XVR]

Although it may be, I don't call 34 acres small.

It depends on the terrain. 34 acres of steep hills is a lot more than 34 acres of flat ground. Don't take much at all for a centerfire rifle bullet to leave a piece of property consisting of only 34 acres. One needs to keep their shooting safe. The size of the property, unless we are talking very large parcels, has little to do with what is safe. One needs a safe and legitimate backstop in the direction they are shooting so that no rounds can leave the property. That way, if the neighbors complain and the authorities come over, they can verify what you are doing is safe, besides being legal. Then, who cares what the neighbors think. One must be considerate and not shoot at wee hours of the night, and yes, by all means, invite the neighbors over to enjoy the range and the spirit of community. As with anytime else, one needs to portray a positive image as a gun owner. Keep the place looking nice and be a respectful and responsible neighbor and folks next door will probably get used to hearing gun shots and pay them no mind. Let the trash accumulate so the place looks like a junkyard and constantly let your dog(or dogs) run loose in the neighborhood, and folks will probably get irritated everytime they hear you shoot, and start looking for any excuse to call you in. .

 

[entropy]

When I rented a farm house, I shot every day in the summer. My oldest son was around 10, and I had just bought a couple Mosin Nagants and a case of Czech silvertip. We went through at least 100 rounds a day. Fortunately, Sportsman's Guide is 30 minutes away, and a case of silvertip was @ $40 then. We had a lot of good times then. I had a 50 yard range set up in the feedlot right behind the house, (the beefers were out in the pastures well away from there) and could shoot to 600 yards on the property.

 

[Bushpilot]

I'm in a similar situation as the OP. Many of my neighbors shoot. I try to keep my shooting limited to the afternoons and if I plan on shooting a lot of especially loud guns I take them to the range where I still have a membership. We've never had complaints about the noise or made any complaints about our neighbors shooting and I intend to do my part to keep it that way... A little consideration for others goes a long way...

 

[bassjam]

I have 3 acres that I shoot handguns and .22's on. Behind me is a mile of woods, but there are houses to the left and right. I shoot just about every weekend, and often will shoot .22 subsonics or quiets off the patio during the week while I'm grilling.

I've only had one time when a neighbor called and asked if I could stop, apparently they were having a grillout for veterans and some of the guys there had PTSD and were getting upset. I'm not sure I believed their reason (I didn't hear my phone ring, so the neighbor rapidly fired off about 15 shots of what sounded like a handgun to try to get my attention) but I did stop for the day once I checked my phone and listened to the voicemail.

 

[reddog81]

I could get a round to an area with houses on it, but it would take a freak shot. Like 15 degrees above horizontal.

Be careful if you have others shooting with you. I've seen some people shoot and hit the ceiling 10 yards down range, not once but every round in the magazine. 15 degrees above horizontal is easy to do for some people. Heck I've seen shot out lights directly above the firing line.

 

[Bushpilot]

15 degrees above horizontal is easy to do for some people. Heck I've seen shot out lights directly above the firing line.

Yeah, our clubhouse/indoor range has several bullet holes in the ceiling. You see those and wonder how anyone managed to do that. Our clubs 100/200 yards benches have numerous bullet "trenches" across the bench top.....???? Again how does that regularly happen, is it from accidents, carelessness or recklessness....??

 

[drobs]

I try to limit my shooting to daylight hours. After 9am before 5pm. My closest neighbor on the hill has a nice 100yd range set up. I have a short 25yd range off my back porch.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

Did I understand correctly that your range is 200 yards from your neighbours house?

That's right. It's about to be farther, because this week I bush-hogged weeds on the other side of the berm, providing a new place to set up.

This is a pretty red county (61% for Trump), and I'm sure most people near me will not have a problem. Every time I shoot, it seems like someone else starts up near me. Someone across the road shoots something that sounds a whole lot like automatic fire. It's wonderful.

The neighbor to my north keeps shooting rockets off. No idea what that's about, but I think it's great. People should enjoy their freedom out here. We're 10 miles from town, for God's sake.

I had a minor problem with a lady to my south. She saw me holding a shotgun and started asking me questions. Said her horses were flipping out when I shot close to my house. I looked around on the web, and I learned that responsible horse owners desensitize their animals, and even better, most horse owners are pretty hostile to people who try to tell their neighbors they can't shoot. That was nice information to have.

I don't want to get on this woman's nerves, but she has clearly failed in her responsibilities, and she seems to think she can shift the burden to me. Under Florida law, it's virtually impossible for a horse owner to sue a neighbor for shooting nearby.

Be careful if you have others shooting with you. I've seen some people shoot and hit the ceiling 10 yards down range, not once but every round in the magazine. 15 degrees above horizontal is easy to do for some people. Heck I've seen shot out lights directly above the firing line.

That's very solid advice, and I've thought about it. I have ONE friend I've allowed to shoot, and he's very good. I saw amazing things at the Tamiami range near Miami when I lived down there. There were bullet holes in the roof maybe 75 degrees up from the podiums. Some people should have "NO GUNS FOR ME" tattooed on their faces until they get training.

I thought there would be all sorts of public shooting ranges and areas up here, but boy, was I wrong. The only public outdoor range near me is "unsupervised," which means people waving AR-15's in the air and no one calling, "The line is hot," or, "The line is safe." I haven't tried it because I don't want to get shot (as others have). There are exclusive ranges you can join, but one has a 50-yard maximum and only allows weak calibers, another has a waiting list, yada yada yada.

 

[J-Bar]

Why not pop off three or four rounds of .22LR around noonish, skip a day, fire a few more rounds on the third day, etc. Gradually increase your “noisemaking” over a few weeks time. Neighbors will get used to it. Remember how to cook a lobster...start it in cold water and bring to a boil rather than dropping it into boiling water. It prevents thrashing and flailing!!

 

[JeffG]

I, for one would not shoot unnecessarily during hunting season. I would also be communicating with my neighbors, seeing how they feel, and inviting them to use my range.

 

[jmorris]

I shoot when I want but I have to be courteous to someone more important than neighbors.

They say happy wife, happy life, so I rigged this up so I don’t bother her.



That or I shoot suppressed stuff when I know it might bother her.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I think jmorris is on the right path, either use something to contain the sound or perhaps build a small storage shed to shoot from (as well as storing targets and maybe ammo). Be as courteous as you would like others to afford you and everything should be okay, unless you are an A hole......