Setting Up Personal Shooting Range on Rented Property

[4Freedom]

Hi, I know this sounds a bit far fetched, but I am just thinking possibly in a few months or so, I may like to go try to find a rental where I can setup my own personal shooting range. Yes, it kinda been a desire of mine now, since I have taken a great interest in firearms, but sadly where I live I am both too busy to drive to shooting range and very far from most shooting ranges. The decent shooting ranges near me are at least a 45 minute drive and are quite costly.

Well, I don't have money to buy a place and feel safer, with the economy being in the toilet and all, to just go ahead and rent a place. Around here, most landlords give long leases and seem to be more easygoing. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had advice and tips on what to do if you wanted to rent a property with acreage that you would want to set up as a personal range.

I know some of the basic answers to this question, be far from neighbors, know where your bullets are going, don't shoot across rivers, roads, etc etc. I would like to learn about how to create a backstop and setting up a safe and legal shooting area. Probably, I am getting ahead of myself, but I like to learn about the proper safety and range equipment most people use on their own property, if they have this setup.

I am not really sure about the laws and also the legality of shooting on rented land. Perhaps, I am at risk of commiting a crime, seeing I am not a land owner? Also, if I am interested to be shooting on the land, should I consult the landlords in advance or should I just not tell them, seeing they may never know about it anyway? Would notifying local law enforcement also be important, to notify them I would be doing target shooting on the property, so they don't mistake it for a threat or illegal hunting, etc?

What is the minimum amount of acreage that many would think is feasible to set up a range where you can shoot out to around 500-1000 yards? ANyone know what are some of the best places in Oregon/Washington that to setup a small range in your house's property? This is the main area I am looking to move. I am sure if I lived in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, I would have way more options. I have been considering Eastern Oregon, as I know it is more shooter friendly environment and land more open land, however I do like the greenery and warmer weather in the westside. Its hard to leave where I am based.


I know most likely I won't be able to achieve this desire, perhaps I will just have to settle moving closer to a shooting range or to rural area where I can shoot. Oh well, I thought it was worth looking into, in case my desire can become a reality.

 

[Frank Ettin]

You'll probably need to consult a local lawyer because there may be local land use and zoning issues. But more importantly, you'll need to be sure the lease will allow you to shoot on the property. Your landlord may be okay with it, but then again your landlord might have some strong objections to your depositing lead on his property. There are places where that could adversely affect the marketability of the property, its value or its suitability for certain subsequent uses.

 

[kingpin008]

Also, if I am interested to be shooting on the land, should I consult the landlords in advance or should I just not tell them, seeing they may never know about it anyway?

If you don't own the land, it'd be a pretty low thing not to tell the owner what you intended to do with it, IMHO.

Let's play "what if" for a second.

What if one day you're happily plinking away, and for some unseen reason (recent rain has exposed a rock in your berm, your new rifle isn't sighted in correctly and is shooting four inches high, whatever) you make a shot and it comes back and hits you, or a friend you have over to visit and use your range, or some hapless Joe out walking his dogs in the woods next door.

Who's going to get sued? Well, you are, of course - but what about the property owner? He's sure as heck gonna get roped into it. All because you didn't feel like telling him about it. That's not what responsible people do to other people.

Also, unless you plan on taking a backhoe to the backstop when you leave the property and mine out every single scrap of lead from the rounds you fired into it, you're damaging his or her land, and leaving them with a potentially very expensive cleanup operation to restore it to the orginal conditon, should they wish to sell it or develop it later on.

Unless you feel like getting a big old bill for lead abatement sometime down the road when the landowner finds out what you did and hires someone to remove all the lead from his property, I'd make sure they know what you intend to do on the land, and are OK with it before you begin to build or excavate any such structures.

 

[CapnMac]

Well, most municipalities have laws against firearms discharge within city limits, so you'll need to go look out in the country. Rentals out in the counrty can be spread thin, which is good, since you don't want the nieghbors griping about the noise to the Sheriff (who you might want in future to sign on the line marked CLEO).

Some jusrisdictions have minimum lot sizes for firing off weapons, too.

Then, there's the issue of how do you set up a berm on property that is not yours. If I come check on my property and my tennant has brought in or moved 30-40 yards of material for a berm, I'm like to have some pointy questions to ask. Ditto if I find concrete or galvinized culvert laid out to the task too (means a smaller berm, though).

That being said, if a person were to go online and check on out-of-city limits rental properties, and you go drive around to look at them o nthe week end, taking a moment to sit with the windows down can give a sense of the area. Might even hear some shooting, in the right areas. Might even find a place that is next door to some friendly folk. Or not.

 

[jaybr]

I know nothing about the laws out west, but in my county you must be 600' from a dwelling to legally discharge a firearm, doesn't apply to your own dwelling obviously. I built a new house a couple years ago on 37 acres and setup a private range. There was an old fire road on the property, and I had the builder dump all the excess clay from the basement excavation down the fire road. This saved the builder a bunch of money on hauling, and gave me a 20' tall berm to shoot into. It's nothing fancy by any means, I setup a picnic table on the edge of the driveway where the fire road comes out which gives me 100 yds to shoot. I also recently setup a silt fence along the edge of the fire road to stop brass from flying into the woods where I can't find it. There are 2 other large parcels next door that just recently sold but no houses on them yet. I've met the new owners, both of them also hunt, so I offered them use of the range. I shoot all the time and have had zero complaints.

If your looking for 500 - 1000 yds your going to need a big peice of land. Assuming a square parcel, you'd need about 210 acres to get 1000 yds across, fortunately most parcels are not perfect squares.

As far as doing this on a rental property, I think the others gave good advice.

 

[4Freedom]

Thanks these posts are very helpful and informative for me. I will have to keep researching deeper about this. Does anyone suggest I put up a Rental Wanted on Craigslist or something? I have to admit I will feel awkward asking some landlord if I can go shoot guns on their property, they may right away think I am some sort of nut. I will just hope to find some good country-minded, right-wing 2nd Amendment friendly person who happens to have a good and large enough piece of legal land to shoot.

Well, this is more of a dream for me, I really doubt I will pull it off, but figure if I can why not try. Contacting a lawyer, sheriff and landlord definately sound like very important things to do here.

One thing that really sucks is where I use to live in Southern Oregon there was so much places to shoot and the law didn't stop you. These guys where hunting on public land near my parents backyard, perhaps 1000 yards or so more away in the place I use to live. My anti-gun mother called the police on them. The policeman came and said they were not breaking any laws as they were not on our property and on the public land. HE also said he goes and hunts in the same area where they do. LOL.. My ultra liberal mother out of luck . They were walking around the area with guns, but not firing near the residences. Well, geez.. Too bad I grew up in anti-gun family, 15 years ago I wish I could have taken advantage of the sweet deal I had. I think our old house backed up to infinite acres up a large mountain. Oh well, started late in life, better late than never.

 

[Frank Ettin]

...I will just hope to find some good country-minded, right-wing 2nd Amendment friendly person who happens to have a good and large enough piece of legal land to shoot....

Please consider that someone can be a "good country-minded, right-wing 2nd Amendment friendly person" and still have qualms about you setting up a range on his property. Depending on where it is, adding lead to the environment could affect the value of his property and/or wind up with him having a big clean up bill if he ever wants to sell the land.

 

[4Freedom]

Please consider that someone can be a "good country-minded, right-wing 2nd Amendment friendly person" and still have qualms about you setting up a range on his property. Depending on where it is, adding lead to the environment could affect the value of his property and/or wind up with him having a big clean up bill if he ever wants to sell the land.

Yes, sorry, I should have added to this. Indeed, even I would think twice about having someone shoot on property I owned, unless I knew the place was perfectly suitable for it and would not result in any major damage to the property. I would not feel bad in anyway if a landlord said that he would not allow me to have my own personal firing range on his property. Its certainly a luxury to be able to do so, sadly it shouldn't be, but since finding places to shoot near your home in this day and age are not easy, it really is.

What I was referring to is finding a person who will either allow me or understand what I want and not harass me. I fear that if I ask landlords about this they may think I am crazy or even report me to the police. You know with the anti-gun mentality going around here in Pacific Northwest, you have to be careful when it comes to these things. Some of these country properties are owned by animal rights activists who the minute hear the word gun, think hunter. I don't even hunt, but I know from my own personal experience they can be venomous.

 

[moooose102]

years ago, i rented a small house that was on 22 acres near grand rapids michigan. it was at the bottom of a large wooded ridge (roughly 300 feet tall), and at the top was of all things, a golf course. anyway, i went to the local cop shop and asked about hunting small game there, mostly because we woke up one morning with 2 hunters about 15 feet from out house. the officer said that it indeed was legal to hunt and shoot there. i called my landlord and asked him if he had any problems with me shooting there. as it turns out, he was a senior member at the golf course above the house i was renting! he said he was ok with it, as long as i did it safely, and if anyone at the golf couse ever heard a bullet flying by, i would be looking for a new place to live. i did a responsible job of picking where to shoot and set up a 300 yard range! i used to shoot my 300 win mag there a bunch, plus whatever else i wanted. there was never any problems, except i had some trouble with others using the range. imo, 1) make certain it is legal to shoot there, 2) make certain your landlord has no problem with it, 3) be very cautious, and 4) make certain of all of these BEFORE you rent the property. good luck!

 

[kingpin008]

I ask landlords about this they may think I am crazy or even report me to the police.

Well, they can think you're crazy all they want, if that's their mindset. What do you care what they think of you?

And if they call the cops, they're going to get a shock when they get there - because there's absolutely nothing illegal about enquiring about using land for a shooting range (especially if you've already ascertained that it's in an area that such an activity is allowed by law).

So basically, you're worried about nothing. If you ask a potential landlord and they go off on you, thank them politely for their time, and move on to the next potential landlord. Simple as that. Anyone who's going to rant and rave at you (or go so far as to call the cops because of a simple enquiry) is a freaking loony-tune and best avoided anyway.

 

[gym]

Well my uncle who is deceased so it doesen't matter what he did now, but he had a range in his basement, it was about 50ft, he just soundproofed the basement. You couldn't hear anthing upstairs, let alone outside. Since the police chief was his best buddy. They also had a range that all the members had a key to , on a piece of land with an old building on it, in Nausau County. It was all guys who were old time shooters and their family members, you had to be sponsered by 2 members to be considered. There were fees, but not much just the taxes and electric. Maybe a few hundere a year, any time I went there were 3-6 guys there, everyone knew everyone else, it was a great group of gentlemen with a vast knowledge of weapons, I used to just shut up and listen.