Places to shoot informally, not ranges, near Washington, DC

[Bill_Rights]

How does a city-dweller or suburbanite find open land to shoot on? I would be willing to pay for the privilge!

I live in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C, because of my job, and there are a good number of decent ranges and gun clubs around, some not too expensive, either. BUT I AM SICK AND TIRED OF RANGES! If I punch another hole in a paper target, aside from sighting in a scope or basic proficiency-maintenance drills, IT WILL BE TOO SOON and ONE TOO MANY...

I want to be able (and maybe more importantly, introduce new shooters) to shoot plastic jugs of water, rotten fruits, broken toasters, golf balls on the ground, tennis balls swinging from trees, rolling drum lids, ... the mind runs wild. Oh yeh, Coke cans. The problem is, on a range, nothing runs "interesting", much less "wild".

Seriously, I think new shooters need to see the destructive power of impacting bullets. Just "punching paper" gives even me, a guy who has cleaned his own killed game, the impression that a full-power .30 Cal rifle (.308Win, .30-06. etc.) is no more powerful than a pencil poked through wet toilet paper. This is a dangerous misconception. It is an idea that needs to be dispelled by actually blowing some stuff to smithereens once in a while! (Rambo movies are good but not real and not good enough.)

An example of how powerful modern rounds are: Once when we were visiting at a far-away relative's farm, I wanted to capture some shot bullets, to show my kids how they expand and so forth. So I shot my trusty .45 ACP into two big-city phone books and a MidwayUSA catalog all stacked together (~ 5 inches total thickness) from about 10 feet distance, fully expecting that the FMJ would be stopped and the hollow-point would flare out and go nowhere, maybe an inch or two*. Then I could teach them the lesson about how the solid jacketed bullet penetrates deeper but cuts a smaller hole while the HP mushrooms, blows a bigger hole but does not penetrate much. WRONG!! DOUBLE WRONG!!!! Both types of bullets (both 230 grain, 850 fps regular .45 ACP loads) blew completely through the phone books with plenty enough power to kill on the exit side (judging from the rut in the dirt they produced, which was about the same as pointing the pistol at the ground and shooting) and produced fist-sized tear-outs on the far side of the stacked phone books. THIS WAS A HUGE REALITY CHECK FOR ME, never mind about the damn kids. Can you imagine shooting a person with such a devastating projectile? I can't, but I will if I have to. It is going to be a giant, bloody mess, though...

You CANNOT get this experience at the range. Hence my question.

How do you find open ground to shoot on? Has anyone tried posting a Want Ad in a local paper, such as "WANTED: Farmer with open land to allow me to shoot - will pay $100/year up-front for the privilge. NRA member, safety first!"

Maybe in AutoTrader or PennySaver rag? Maybe on Craig's List. Has this ever worked? What can I try? [Or will the first call I get be from the police or the Sheriff?]

* Remember the old movie in which the Preacher was saved from dying by gunshot because the bullet lodged in his Bible, which he was carrying under his coat? (Read on....NOT!!)

 

[Sunray]

Buy some land in rural Virginia. Most farmers, anywhere near cities, are besieged with city dwelling shooters/hunters asking to use their land. Not all farmland is owned by real farmers either. Lots of city people have bought up local farms for their horses and are anti-firearm. There are liability issues and idiots who don't close gates, don't clean up after themselves, etc, too. Not that you're one of them, but those rectal orifi have ruined it for responsible shooters.
"...two big-city phone books and a MidwayUSA catalog..." Not thick enough. A .22 LR will penetrate about 2 feet into a 3 foot cardboard box stuffed tight with dry newspapers. Any .45 load will go right through 3 feet of paper. Have a look at this for .45 ACP penetration in ballistic gelatin. http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/45acp.htm
Did a cover vs concealment demo while in the Queen's Service, long ago. Three of us(two officers and a militia Jr. NCO) literally shot a cinder block(basement wall brick) into wee, tiny, pieces with two .303's and my semi'd M14 at 100 yards using issue ball ammo.
A public range isn't the same as a club. Joining a shooting club will open doors. You'll meet some truly great people too.

 

[JellyJar]

At least you have access to public ranges. I live in NW Alabama and the only real ranges belong to police departments with one private club that has closed membership.

It used to be that around here you could drive a couple miles out into the county and find a gravel pit or something and fire away. Today the county is so built up that even if you owned your own land you might not be able to shoot safely.

I have to use range in a WMA that is way out in the boonies.

You are actually lucky.

 

[7.5-Swiss]

http://www.covecampground.com/

I live in Arlington and occasionally go there, its 3 plinking ranges, costs $ for parking your car, its cheaper on weekdays. You can bring whatever you want to shoot and a trashbag to bring it back - theres always a ton of crap that people have left there as well.

I've been there 4 - 5 times and never had any issues - however, the last time i was there, a group of 3 young men were drinking beers while shooting and at least one appeared to be drunk - needless to say, I got out of there.

 

[akodo]

whatever spot you find, PLEASE make an effort to clean up after yourself as well as after other shooters who don't realize the long term implications of their trashing nice shooting spots

 

[Palehorseman]

I feel for you, I remember when I was taking a millwright apprenticeship in Chicago back in the 1960s. Nearest range was in Elgin, about 40 miles away. The only informal place found to shoot was down on the river, right behind Joliet state prison. I hated Chicago with a passion, day I got my journeyman's papers, I gave notice and we got out.

Later went to work for an oil company, after spending career in AK, WY, etc, I don't think could ever live in a congested area again.

Retired here in AZ, closest shooting area is about two hundred yards from the back gate of the house into over quarter million acres of public land.


http://hstrial-rchambers.homestead.com/Photo_Gallery.html

 

[Bill_Rights]

Thanks for all the great replies w/ ideas and admonishments!

But has no one tried the Want Ad route? (I guess you gotta know someone...)

Sunray said: Buy some land in rural Virginia. Most farmers, anywhere near cities, are besieged with city dwelling shooters/hunters asking to use their land. Not all farmland is owned by real farmers either. Lots of city people have bought up local farms for their horses and are anti-firearm. There are liability issues and idiots who don't close gates, don't clean up after themselves, etc, too. Not that you're one of them, but those rectal orifi have ruined it for responsible shooters.
"...two big-city phone books and a MidwayUSA catalog..." Not thick enough. A .22 LR will penetrate about 2 feet into a 3 foot cardboard box stuffed tight with dry newspapers. Any .45 load will go right through 3 feet of paper. Have a look at this for .45 ACP penetration in ballistic gelatin. http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/45acp.htm
Did a cover vs concealment demo while in the Queen's Service, long ago. Three of us(two officers and a militia Jr. NCO) literally shot a cinder block(basement wall brick) into wee, tiny, pieces with two .303's and my semi'd M14 at 100 yards using issue ball ammo.
A public range isn't the same as a club. Joining a shooting club will open doors. You'll meet some truly great people too.

Good points. I would consider buying some land of my own, money permitting. Reflecting on JellJar's comment "Today the county is so built up that even if you owned your own land you might not be able to shoot safely", in this part of Virginia, west of the Fall Line, it's hilly. You can almost find the side of a hill to shoot into, as your backstop, BUT there are often exposed rocks which could result in ricochets...

As for the anti-firearm population and general built-up-ness, I think it depends upon specific locality and your degree of engagement with the neighboring property owners. I have a friend that lives in a near-Washington VA county that is quite "politicized". His area is such that almost nobody owns more than a 15 acre "farm-ette" (5 acres is minimum permitted by zoning), and neighboring houses are in view. We shoot clays with birdshot knowing that the BBs must land in his neighbors' lots/fields (we try to avoid the actual houses), and nobody cares. Around those parts, gun fire is accepted. However, this buddy of mine does attend all the neighborhood "council" meetings and has joined the faction that asserts their intention to shoot on their own property. I suppose some of the neighbors/attendees would prefer folks not shoot, but they are outnumbered and got used to it. LEARN FROM THIS: Join in, assert your rights, exercise your rights - others will give in (or move out).

 

[Lee Roder]

whatever spot you find, PLEASE make an effort to clean up after yourself as well as after other shooters who don't realize the long term implications of their trashing nice shooting spots

Amen. Trash a HUGE problem out here. Shooter's trash everywhere. Bottles, cans, tv sets, toilet seats, you-name-it, all riddled with bullet holes, whatever was "fun" at the moment.

Sickening.

Whenever I go out into the desert with a gun and a box of bullets, I bring an empty garbage can liner with me. And leave with it FULL. Cheaper than a day at the range.

 

[Route2]

Back when I was on the farm, we didn't much like people shooting on our property and posted our land to keep them out, in spite of the fact that we had a gun rack full of weapons. There were basically two reasons.

First, farming was our livelihood, so we had a vested interest in keeping the farm as productive as possible. As lead shot and bullets corrode, they release impurities such as chromium, copper, arsenic and nickel into the soil and thereby contaminate the soil and reducing the yields of the crops we planted. Also, the lead could leach into the ground water supply, which was where we got the water for ourselves and our livestock. Many shooters would shoot toward our house. (It was annoying to hear the buckshot falling onto the tin roof of the barn.) The chickens would often feed on those spent pellets and become sick, occasionally die as a result. More than once, my Dad caught shooters damaging our cash crops by shooting into the trunks of fruit trees and running through fields knocking fruit off of the plants. It was worse for others. One of our neighbors used whitewash to paint the word "COW" on the sides of his heifers after he lost one of his favorites to a stray bullet.

Second was because of the selfishness (or worse) of the shooters. For instance, a couple of guys pulled up in front of our house and started to shoot out of their pick-up window at a squirrel in the Elm tree in front of our house. Their truck was on an elevated roadway about 15-20 yards away from the tree (the tree was shading our house) so that the bullets that missed the squirrel went into the roof of our home. When my dad ran out of our house, yelling at them to stop, they said it was our fault because we had a squirrel in our tree.

But we would let people who we knew and respected to come and shoot on our property. They were responsible and would use non-toxic shot and clay pigeons. And they were happy to shoot down by the drainage area or out by our old shale pit.

So, as an ex-farmer, if we saw an ad in AutoTrader, PennySaver or on Craigslist, we would probably not pick up a phone and call you. For $100, it would not be worth our trouble. However, maybe you could befriend a farmer at church or someplace. Once he got to know and trust you, he would probably let you (and a small group of your friends) shoot for free. And it would be more fun without a lot of other strangers shooting around you. Just my 2¢.

 

[Ed Harris]

Bill Rights said: "I want to be able (and maybe more importantly, introduce new shooters) to shoot plastic jugs of water, rotten fruits, broken toasters, golf balls on the ground, tennis balls swinging from trees, rolling drum lids, ... the mind runs wild. Oh yeh, Coke cans. The problem is, on a range, nothing runs "interesting", much less "wild".

Garbage shooters are what caused us to lose our range at Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management area. I suggest you try SE Washington D.C. around Anacostia...

 

[MIgunguy]

You'll have to find a friend with some rural land, or buy some land. That's by far the best way to go, that I know of. How far are you from a National Forest? I saw you're in Virginia, the National Forest near Virginia Tech (where I went) had a couple public ranges, one of which you could pretty much shoot whatever you wanted.

 

[Bill_Rights]

Route2,

Thanks for the comments. Excellent perspective. Yeh, I guess there are some rude shooters. I do remember, down south where I'm from, seeing various signs, gas & electric line markers and such on back roads shot. Absolutely pointless.

Ed, I do pack out any "garbage" I shoot at. I insist that anyone I am with do likewise. In some cases, I do have personal permission of a friend/owner to shoot there, so I really feel I can do no less. For one thing, there are other people that use the land, and they would blame him for the mess I made, which is no good (and may lose me my invites).

Yeh, while we are warning each other, DO NOT SHOOT AT TREES, either. It takes almost no time to drive a couple of stakes to staple/tape paper targets to, or find some other object to lean or sit my "reactive" targets on. Bullet gouges in live tree bark are butt stupid. (OK, I have used woods as a distant backstop, so trees are going to be hit, but concentrated fire on one tree is stupid.)

 

[Novus Collectus]

Places to shoot informally, not ranges, near Washington, DC
How does a city-dweller or suburbanite find open land to shoot on? I would be willing to pay for the privilge!

I live in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C, because of my job, and there are a good number of decent ranges and gun clubs around, some not too expensive, either. BUT I AM SICK AND TIRED OF RANGES! If I punch another hole in a paper target, aside from sighting in a scope or basic proficiency-maintenance drills, IT WILL BE TOO SOON and ONE TOO MANY...

I want to be able (and maybe more importantly, introduce new shooters) to shoot plastic jugs of water, rotten fruits, broken toasters, golf balls on the ground, tennis balls swinging from trees, rolling drum lids, ... the mind runs wild. Oh yeh, Coke cans. The problem is, on a range, nothing runs "interesting", much less "wild".

Seriously, I think new shooters need to see the destructive power of impacting bullets. Just "punching paper" gives even me, a guy who has cleaned his own killed game, the impression that a full-power .30 Cal rifle (.308Win, .30-06. etc.) is no more powerful than a pencil poked through wet toilet paper. This is a dangerous misconception. It is an idea that needs to be dispelled by actually blowing some stuff to smithereens once in a while! (Rambo movies are good but not real and not good enough.)

An example of how powerful modern rounds are: Once when we were visiting at a far-away relative's farm, I wanted to capture some shot bullets, to show my kids how they expand and so forth. So I shot my trusty .45 ACP into two big-city phone books and a MidwayUSA catalog all stacked together (~ 5 inches total thickness) from about 10 feet distance, fully expecting that the FMJ would be stopped and the hollow-point would flare out and go nowhere, maybe an inch or two*. Then I could teach them the lesson about how the solid jacketed bullet penetrates deeper but cuts a smaller hole while the HP mushrooms, blows a bigger hole but does not penetrate much. WRONG!! DOUBLE WRONG!!!! Both types of bullets (both 230 grain, 850 fps regular .45 ACP loads) blew completely through the phone books with plenty enough power to kill on the exit side (judging from the rut in the dirt they produced, which was about the same as pointing the pistol at the ground and shooting) and produced fist-sized tear-outs on the far side of the stacked phone books. THIS WAS A HUGE REALITY CHECK FOR ME, never mind about the damn kids. Can you imagine shooting a person with such a devastating projectile? I can't, but I will if I have to. It is going to be a giant, bloody mess, though...

You CANNOT get this experience at the range. Hence my question.

How do you find open ground to shoot on? Has anyone tried posting a Want Ad in a local paper, such as "WANTED: Farmer with open land to allow me to shoot - will pay $100/year up-front for the privilge. NRA member, safety first!"

Maybe in AutoTrader or PennySaver rag? Maybe on Craig's List. Has this ever worked? What can I try? [Or will the first call I get be from the police or the Sheriff?]

* Remember the old movie in which the Preacher was saved from dying by gunshot because the bullet lodged in his Bible, which he was carrying under his coat? (Read on....NOT!!)
Bill_Rights is online now Report Post Quick reply to this message

Not really near the DC area, but well worth the trip is Delmarva Sporting Clays on the Eastern Shore. As long as it is legal and as long as you clean up after yourself and it is not dangerous, they pretty much allow you to shoot at whatever you want. It is a good idea to call them to double check beforehand first though for confirmation.
From DC it may be about an hour and forty minute drive IIRC.