Land for personal shooting "range"

[Damien45]

Hello, my wife and I are discussing where to settle down when I retire from the Navy. I am from AZ, she is from WA. We are currently in NC and I am stationed in VA. I am currently looking into states to retire to in 8yrs. The goal is to purchase land to either build on or use for a personal range.

For those that live and have the land to "walk out your back door" and shoot, how much land, what areas (state/county) and did you have to do something to prep the land?

 

[rhinoh]

I have 10 acres in the NC mountains that I shoot on. Didn't really do anything except make sure I have a safe backstop area.
It is perfectly legal where I am and except for one, who doesn't mind, the nearest neighbors are over 1/2 mile away.
However- if I shoot more than a few rounds someone usually calls the county Sheriff's Office.
They show up, tell me it is legal, and act annoyed they were called.

 

[Damien45]

We are looking at NC since we already live here now and like it. Just trying to plan a few drives around the state to see what the rest is like. What area are you near?

 

[mnrivrat]

No matter where you choose, I would think that 10 acres is a minumum in order to get rifle range distances.
Back stop,either made or natural, is a must, and so is the right neighberhood. That includes the legal, zoning, as well as the folks that live next to it.

Access of course needs to be considered. And if your living on the land or not, a need for security should be considered. Particularly if you live seperate you need to figure out how to keep others from using or doing damage to the property. (as well as liability issues)

A place that has a lack of flying insects like nats and skeeters is also something to consider.

Climate , and land type can make a big difference.

 

[Damien45]

When researching the land location, what is the zoning I should be looking at? I am certain commercial is out. I've looked at a couple county sheriff websites to try to find laws/regulations regarding that other information you have mentioned. I have not had a lot of luck. Any suggestions on wording for search, or websites?

 

[jmorris]

My backyard "range" has a bullet trap, I don't have a lot of dirt moving equipment and i figured it would be less maintenance than a berm over the years.



Where I do longer range work has a 25' tall "berm" provided by mother nature and who knows how many thousands of years. I do have to keep a tree line clear as there is a creek between the bench and targets down range and also built a structure for shade.

 

[V-fib]

I live on 40 acres in west MI about 20 Mi from lake MI. I have 3 "ranges" one a range with a large pile of dirt, a bullets trap range out my back door and another that I set up to shoot from my garage when using my bench rest for sighting in scopes etc. Our land borders 1000's of acres of national forest and my neighbors are all hunters so there is never any problem with law enforcement being called because I'm shooting.

v-fib

 

[Damien45]

Jmorris, that's some beautiful land.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have a range 100 yard range on a 4 acre plot. It is in a hollow behind the house. It is an ideal spot. There is a natural berm 50 ft high on three sides.

 

[Old judge creek]

Mine's 100 acres in the Nevada high desert and my on-site distance range is 1000 yards.




We also have a cowboy town built for private SASS matches.

 

[buck460XVR]

My "private range" is in a valley on 40 acres in the "bluff and coulee" region of Wisconsin and my backstop is the surrounding bluffs that are hundreds of feet in height. My old "private range" was on 80 acres where I trucked in 3 loads of washed sand($150) to make a backstop 20 feet high. Both ranges had nutting but trees behind them for miles.

But....I also have access to two local ranges that charge less than $25 a year and offer 200 yard targets. IOWs, I have other alternatives and would not have spent a major amount of monies to create my own. In my opinion, there are a multitude of reason to pick a place to live. While having your own private range is nice, even as a long time shooting enthusiast, I can't fathom it being the highest of priorities, especially if there is a substantial amount of investment to make it safe, or one has to give up other priorities. 8 years is a long time to think about it and get your priorities straight. 8 years ago I used to ride dirt bike every weekend. Now I don't even own one. The dirt track we used to have on that 40 acres is now the range..........

 

[Hangingrock]

Yes the primary consideration is safety but equal status would be your neighbors and their proximity. Out of consideration for others I don't shoot on the weekends (yes being retired has advantages) and I usually shoot between 1-4PM. Neighbors can be problematic specially if you are not from here and don't have three generations' buried in the ground.Basically I shoot handguns on my property.

With rifles I have an established venue PHA (south of Lexington, NC) of which I'm a land share owner member.

 

[Damien45]

I agree with what you are saying Buck. It isn't the primary consideration. It is an option based on the time I have to consider before doing it. A large part is because I am tired of being in areas that are restrictive due to either distance, regulation or expense. While Phoenix is what I call home, and it offers numerous options, it may not be what's wife would want as far as where to retire.

There are many factors going into the location selection. If I can own enough land to do something like that, I'd like to.

 

[jr_watkins]

22 acres

I'm on 22 acres. Shooting range is in a gully where the creek bends, I shoot slightly downhill using the bank as the backstop. Creek is dry 95% of the year. I have only cleared about 40 yards back so I don't shoot high power rifle, only pistols, 22LR, and the occasional AK.

Located in Texas, about an hour east of Austin. Cleared the area with a chainsaw originally, now I just keep the grass mowed.

I'm in the shade most of the year, but adding an awning is in the near future.

Glass bottles are my favorite target. We all recycle in our own way!

The absolute best thing about your own range is you can move while you shoot. The public gun ranges might as well cement your feet in place.

 

[redneck2]

I'd think most of the gun friendly states would do. Keep away from cities. Rural Indiana is fine for shooting, but the weather is less than ideal. I'd probably steer towards Eastern Tennessee, etc for easterly. Mebbe Missouri for something central, then there's most any mountain state.

I think it's more about climate and immediate neighbors than a particular state. Last weekend we had people shooting on both sides, and i could hear full auto off in the distance. Sweet.

 

[OpticsPlanet]

I have 10 acres in wisconsin. I would agree that anything smaller than 10 acres restricts you to pistols and .22LR.

the layout matters though...I looked at several pieces of land and anything close to a true square wasn't really going to work. I ended up with a long rectangle and so far no complaints from the neighbors when i spend a day pulling the trigger.

-Matt S.

 

[buntline]

I live in SW New Mexico, and there are, in my area, no restrictions on much of anything. Lots of land available at or under $2K per acre for bare, buildable, 10 to 20 acre parcels, most of them vacant. very few people..less than 1 per square mile here. Hardly anyone to bother.

I have one 20 acre parcel with a 30 ft. deep dry sand wash that has a dam that is washed out on one end that makes a great backstop. Perfect below-surface range that is perfectly safe unless you shoot up in the air. I shoot on my other land, too, but that one is the perfect range.

New Mexico looks mostly like Arizona, only much less people, generally equal or more liberty, and LOTS cheaper to buy and own....Joe

 

[preachnhunt]

We have 21 acres about 70 miles from Lexington in Ky.
Hilly enough for safe shooting options. No zoning. This kind of land is less than $2000 an acre. Neighbors don't mind the shooting.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

This sounds like a ideal group buy.

 

[mnrivrat]

When researching the land location, what is the zoning I should be looking at?

At a state level check with the Department of Public Safety .

On a county level the Planing and Zoning Office , or also the Public Health department can, and do control ordinances, that may effect a private shooting range.

 

[Walkalong]

I have a few acres and shoot 100 yards across a natural drain. There another 30 feet of elevation above the target area, plus I am making a berm. I will shoot both rifle and pistol there.

For pistols I can shoot to the left from the same spot where I have set a bracket to hold a 2x4 and a steel plate. There is a rock backstop, plus the land runs uphill both behind and to the left.

 

[Walkalong]

You can see a rock and the shooting table across the drain from the steel target. I have a couple of different steel plates I can hang, plus I made a target stand I can staple cardboard and targets to. The steel is at 100+, so I can set a paper target at 100 yards.

 

[GarySTL]

I'm in Missouri so what I say may not apply in other states.

Missouri has various classes of counties. I'm in Warren County about 50 miles west of St. Louis and it's a third class County. That means they are not allowed to have laws against shooting on your own land. The County just east of me is St. Charles County and they have land area requirements. I'm in a small subdivision of 4 acre and bigger lots and most of my neighbors shoot on their property. I have five and my backstop is a berm as well as a 3' by 4' AR500 steel plate. I shoot everything from 22 to 308.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Sol]

First, look at each states climate.

Here in Ohio you can get some land and shoot on it, but you may have 4 feet of snow to contend with for what feels like half the year.

Second, after you have chosen a state that strikes your fancy, look at the legalities of the specific town, city, county, parrish, village etc. etc. you choose to settle in.

In the county I live in, there is not a square inch of land that one can legally discharge a firearm in. I cannot build anything, I cannot even repair my own house without a permit. My fence has to be a certain height and so on and so forth. You get the picture.
You can however go one county west of me and get a piece of land and you can shoot, build whatever you want, and dig a pit to china without a permit. No building inspectors, no county engineers, no stupid regulations.

I guess it all boils down to research and personal preferance.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I have 4 rural properties in 3 developments totaling 148 acres on which I do a lot of shooting and hiking. Many of these rural communities in AZ do not allow shooting. I have a couple adjoining lots totaling 74 acres in one that prohibits "excessive shooting" and I've never had a problem. Ironically one that makes no mention of shooting and seems to be filled with fellow gun nuts is in a gated community West of Prescott with super strict appearance and building CC&Rs (where I have a 36 acre lot I intend to use as a future home site. Some pictures in my ultralight thread: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21431738/130005 - Clean.jpg House is going on top of that mesa if I can get a road cut up the far side which is significantly less steep).

My latest 38 acre lot along the AZ/NM border near Zuni (just 3 miles south of the Navajo "New Lands") does not allow target shooting at all (due to it being crawling with game in a historically under-hunted and very remote area). It is a special situation and I went into it knowing that. This is an aerial photograph of a mass game trails just 1/3 of a mile from my lot: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21431738/Game trails.PNG

In AZ a uncooperative landowner could legally prevent you from shooting within 1/4 mi of their house, which makes 40 acres a sort of practical minimum (for square lots). Of course silencers (a lot cheaper than land) make for good neighbors.

Mike