Buying A House To Build A Shooting Range

[jonp]

I am thinking of buying a new house. It is quite a bit smaller than the one I am in but it is in the country even farther and has 5 Acres of which several are old hayfields backed by a mile of woods or so. This would let me build a 300yrd rifle range. So I am wondering whether anyone has ever considered moving to a new house to build their own range in their backyard?

[jmort]

I did so. Had 20 acres buried deep in the hills backed-up to huge area of public land. Very nice. Had to sell it and I am currently planning next move. I was so far back in the hills that often only 4 wheel drive was only access. Now I have no neighbors but can get to pavement quickly which is a bonus but I can only fire off a few rounds every now and then. Miss being able to shoot in any direction I pleased. Go for it. I had a small house on 20 acres that I preferred to both my brothers' two million dollar homes. I like living in the sticks.

[jonp]

I hear you jmortimer. Before I moved south I lived in my hunting camp. Leased on 5,000+ acres and behind 2 locked fences several miles off of the tar. 95% of the time I was the only one there. Work up a load and go into the yard to try it out.

[jmort]

It's not that I don't like people, but I prefer being being away from them and doing what I want with no friction. I hate crowds, traffic, and feeling constrained from doing what I want. Sound like a good move to me. I will take a small modest house in the country any day over a big house in the city.

[osteodoc08]

Where ever I move to next will be my last home. It doesnt have to be big, but must have room to farm, raise farm animals and shoot! I'd love to go out to 200 yards at a minimum and preferably up to 500 yards.

[AlaskanGuy]

I love having the ability of shooting in your backyard..... Aint nuthin like it....

+1 to what morty says

[mpmarty]

We bought a forty acre parcel with a three acre piece attached with a small older mobil home on it. We lived in the mobil while we built our current home on the acreage. We built a thirty-six hundred square foot single story ( I hate ladders) "ranch style" three bedroom three bath home to our own specs after drawing and rearranging the plans several times. Now I shoot when I want to.

[lancem]

Do it... Just came in for a sandwich from extending my 200 yd range to 300 yds. Looking to buy the 80 acres next to me so that I can stretch things further if I want. Like Jim people in general irritate me so I've done us all a favor and moved 60 miles south of Nowhere :) Don't know that I'll stop at 200 acres but with the house in the center of it and the nearest neighbor over a mile away it works for me.

[jonp]

"It's not that I don't like people" I actually don't care much for people. Casual hello's now go away works for me.

[DeputyDog25]

My wife and I just bought a 17 acre farm out in the sticks. The awesome thing about is that it had a 300 ft chicken house on it that had all been cleaned out, thus an indoor 100 yard range. I had a friend come in with his dozer and backhoe and we basically closed up one end for a bullet trap. It is 40 feet wide, so I have all kind of room to do alot in it. I also have two other barns on the property and a stocked fish pond.

[NVScouter]

I just bought a new house this spring. My selling point was the property size and a small hill that is now my shooting range back stop. I knew I'd be in this home for some years so it was on property range or nothing for me. I have a 50, 100, 125 and soon to have 200y range set up. A couple steel hanging targets and hundreds of prarie dogs round out my nightly shooting.

[bedbugbilly]

No. I'm every fortunate that I have a 50 yd. range in my back yard for pistol shooting as I have farmland. At some point though, we will be selling our house and building a new one in town that is more "age friendly" as we get older. I am going to miss having a place to shoot in the back yard but one has to get their priorities in order as one ages. Fortunatley I'll still have several places I can shoot on the farm. It's hell getting old . . . . .

[jwber]

My goal in the next 5-10 years is move to the northern part of Michigan with enough land to hunt and shoot on (10+ acres).

[Beagle333]

No. I have never not had a shooting range in the backyard. :grin: I have lived several places in AL and this state pretty much is a shooting range. I like it!!

[357maximum]

Not only have I considered it.....I did it. I was raised by a handloader in a house that had a shooting range and it just seemed natural and just plain RIGHT. Load workup is faaaast when one only has to open a window to try something out, a 20 yard walk takes me to a solid benched range that has up to 250yards with backstop. I can also jump on the mower and go to the corner of the place to shoot 440+ yards iffin I choose.


That same "quickie" load test window has also been used to kill deer/turkey/pheasant/rabbit etc ....the law does not have a maximum size on your huntin shack afterall. My house is not much but it sets on a little piece of Heaven.....it truly is all about priorities. You can have your million dollar house on a cul de sac....I'll stay right here where I can touch off a gun at 2am and no one flinches,notices, or cares.

[IraqVet1982]

My goal in the next 5-10 years is move to the northern part of Michigan with enough land to hunt and shoot on (10+ acres).
What part of Michigan are you in now?

I'm about five miles north of Detroit and my dream is to move out west. I tell my wife I want to be able to shoot a gun off my back porch. This is largely inspired by a movie (I believe it's the Godfather, but I'm no movie aficionado) where they shoot clay pigeons off the back porch of a mansion. I always thought that was cool, long before I was ever into firearms.

[Jack Stanley]

Duputydog 25 , that is shades of Frank Marshalls "coops" range he used in his youth . If you don't raise chickens I would think an indoor range would be mandatory ;-)

Would I consider buying property just to have a range in the yard ? yup !! ... already did it ;-)

Jack

[bnelson06]

One of the reasons I bought our house was for the shooting range possibility

[Mumblypeg]

It was a prerequisite for my home to be able to shoot and P off the back porch and nobody complain.... and I do just that.... but not all the time... :-)

[MaryB]

Build a sound proofed range in the basement of the new house. Who would know?


No. I'm every fortunate that I have a 50 yd. range in my back yard for pistol shooting as I have farmland. At some point though, we will be selling our house and building a new one in town that is more "age friendly" as we get older. I am going to miss having a place to shoot in the back yard but one has to get their priorities in order as one ages. Fortunatley I'll still have several places I can shoot on the farm. It's hell getting old . . . . .

[MaryB]

I am surrounded on 3 sides by farmland with only one neighbor towards town. I am the very last lot on the edge of town. I am petitioning the city to build a small 25 yard pistol only range in the backyard. Neighbor would not care.

[jonp]

Build a sound proofed range in the basement of the new house. Who would know?
I know a guy back home that did it. When he built his house he said "why not" and built part of the basement into a pistol range with exhaust fans, target trap etc...It was pretty cool and if your building anyways it does not cost much to dig a slightly bigger hole

[jonp]

I should have been a little different in the wording. I should have said "Have you bought a house...." not " Have you considered..."

[Green Frog]

I voted yes, and I think at some time or another ALL of us have had one of those "what if" daydreams. My shooting partner's former home (that he and his wife built) had a 50 yd range (mostly for pistol) built back in the woods when the 'dozer guy came to do the landscaping around the house. Another friend (now deceased) built his house almost as an afterthought to his shop that had a window out onto his 100 yd bench rest range. Down the hill, he had a 200 yd range for schuetzen, and held matches regularly. Yep, his wife had left him sometime before that! ;) Now if I can just win the PowerBall™ tonight! :mrgreen:

Froggie

Froggie

[pipehand]

The place I have now has a berm and I have measured shooting positions out to 200 yards. Have been cutting through the woods to make a second berm at the 300 yard mark. This is the second house I've bought because of the capability to shoot. The first one was two doors down from a Gun Club I belonged to.

[gotlead]

I just came in from testing some loads in my yard and saw this thread. I am usually shooting
Reduced or small caliber rounds to be more neighbor friendly. But they are ok with it anyway as I
Helped to build their berm for shooting too.

[500MAG]

I keep telling my wife that we will be purchasing our home to retire in an area where I can shoot right in the yard. I'd like to have a detached building with my reloading setup. Test a load by walking out and shooting.

[fecmech]

When we bought our home almost 50 yrs ago I had 100 yds off the back porch. Since that time homes have been built across the road and I do my serious 100 yd shooting at the Club. In deference to my neighbors (who really do not mind) I usually just use my 50 yd set up with low intensity cartridges.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Left Colorado 10 years ago. Had a 100 yard range, lived at 8700 feet altitude with long winters near Denver. Colorado was changing even then. Bought an old farm in Wyoming. I can go to a 1000 yards on my place, though mostly 100 and 200 yards is fine. The 'neighbors' all have guns in their trucks. If you DON'T shoot or hunt you are considered 'strange' and suspect.

[dragon813gt]

I would love to buy a parcel of land large enough to shoot on. Unfortunately w/ land costing what it does I don't see it happening. I don't want that large of a mortgage. I did buy a garage that included w/ my current home as an afterthought :laugh:

[Three44s]

Remember the movie "Second Hand Lions"?

That's what my wife and I have for our digs ........ front deck, driveway .7 mile long up a long hill. Open range. Plenty of shotguns to chose from to drive off "traveling salesmen" ......... LOL!

My only compelling interest is moving off far enough so my wife's horse is not so bothered by my shooting ........ I make my shooting back stops at will with our ranch's back hoe or if need be ........ one of our Cat's.

Got a nice Man Cave in our "barn" ..... (the load room).

Yes, we planned it as we built it ........ and yes, she's a shooter too!


Three 44s

[quilbilly]

We built our house in the woods with that in mind. When the excavation crew first came in to put in the septic system, I had them pile all the dirt, stumps, etc in a big pile 45 yards from where the covered front porch would be. Voila! Instant testing and Contender pistol range when we moved into the new house. It helped that the excavator/contractor was a fellow shooter and knew exactly what I had in mind. The hardest part is keeping the jungle (aka rainforest) from taking it back but the local deer love all the edge browse the range creates.

[Artful]

On of my friends has his house in town and then he bought land out in the hills but he has cut himself a private 200 yard range out there, and even with fire restrictions on BLM/state/fed land he can still go and shoot.

[Harter66]

When I moved into the home I'm in now I tinkered every means to stretch a 100yd closed indoor range from a sound proofed loading room and 310' of culvert to side walk over 325' of dirt floor 2 high cinder block w/a 6x6' room and shooting slots. Then I got laid off and its still 3 miles to the desert......

[jonp]

I should update the original post. The hayfield is 1,000ft long with a mile of woods behind it so a 300yrd range would fit with no problem not a 100yrd range

[smokeywolf]

We started out nearly 2 years ago studying for a move to Texas. We wanted a minimum of 10 acres.
Because of Texas' slowly but surely growing Dem/lib/progressive infestation problem, we have now ruled out Texas or any of the States that border Mexico.

After evaluating weather, bugs, politics, taxes, cost of living and how much land we can get for our limited kitty, our search has lead us to Missouri where we are now determined to end up with 60 acres or better.

You bet I'm going to have a range.

smokeywolf

[magimerlin]

It's not that I don't like people, but I prefer being being away from them and doing what I want with no friction. I hate crowds, traffic, and feeling constrained from doing what I want. Sound like a good move to me. I will take a small modest house in the country any day over a big house in the city.
Your not the only one... my friends family and I are actually looking at possible places in alaska....lol

[Urny]

My wife and I bought a 75 acre farm on the Ozark Plateau in Southern Missouri for this very reason. Actually she bought it while I was working long hours in Nevada's gold mines. She found a place and called me to come look at it. I told her that she knew what I required in our new place, that being my own shooting range and the freedom and game availability to hunt on my own land. Also we desired to live off the paved road and around neighbors who are like minded. She bought it and I later flew out to look at it. It's about as perfect a place for what we want or need as we could wish, with deer, turkeys, and almost uncountable tree squirrels for hunting. Now we are retired and over the next half year or so will get relocated there.

[smokeywolf]

Urny, you're about a 12 to 18 months ahead of me.

smokeywolf

[rondog]

Would I? Absolutely! That's my biggest dream! If I could only figure out how to PAY for it. Living on a dream property but having to commute piles o' miles to a job doesn't sound good. The fuel costs alone make me shudder. Probably cost me my wife too, but no big loss there.

[NVScouter]

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/NVScouter/D1921575-3B4B-411E-BDA8-742AAFDF9021.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/NVScouter/media/D1921575-3B4B-411E-BDA8-742AAFDF9021.jpg.html)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/NVScouter/9DC21DBA-345E-48C8-9252-EA7A6BB77BD3.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/NVScouter/media/9DC21DBA-345E-48C8-9252-EA7A6BB77BD3.jpg.html)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/NVScouter/ED3B1985-D690-4E70-8649-8FD64D7F4D03.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/NVScouter/media/ED3B1985-D690-4E70-8649-8FD64D7F4D03.jpg.html)

needs a lot more dirt

[EDG]

Your back stop looks like something my grandfather would build.

[dondiego]

You need to fill it with sand so you don't ruin the RR ties.

[NVScouter]

You need to fill it with sand so you don't ruin the RR ties.


Hence the last sentance below pictures.

Also I have some ties behind it that I'm back filling to add a blow out area just in case.

[sirgknight]

Even though a 1000 yard range would be the cat's meow, it doesn't take a "big ranch" to enjoy having a private shooting range. We have a modest 10 acres and still have enough room for a 100-yd range which could easily be extended to 200 yards. 100 yards is simply ideal for my needs. My berms are set at 25, 50 and 100 yards.

[dondiego]

Hence the last sentance below pictures.

Also I have some ties behind it that I'm back filling to add a blow out area just in case.

AHAH! Didn't see the more dirt comment! You are gonna love it!

[NVScouter]

AHAH! Didn't see the more dirt comment! You are gonna love it!

My butt was tired after pulling all those ties and dirt is by shovel power. That 38-55 270g @ 850fps (270g@850fps) was enought to sink into the tie. My friend is coming over with the skid steer to add some dirt.

[dondiego]

Nice sturdy shooting bench too. Looks like that hill in the background would serve as a good backstop too!

[jonp]

That hill in the background would make a nice "Quigley" backstop for that rifle

[Bill in Ky]

I built my home on 17 acres and placed it on the property where there would be a 100 yard range off the patio..

[NVScouter]

Nice sturdy shooting bench too. Looks like that hill in the background would serve as a good backstop too!

Thanks I'm adding a sun shade, ammo holders, and white board to the elevated portion of the left too. Just need to find some time..............Its gotta be around here someplace :bigsmyl2:

[wacki]

Just get a liberty Leonidas or mjolnir. Not even your wife will know when you're shooting.

[scaevola]

I miss shooting in the back yard; in Arizona we could shoot right out the back door. When I retire I plan on being able to do so again.

[MT Gianni]

House is listed now with that in mind. I am only 2 miles from the range and 1+ miles from town but I want my own.

[rking22]

Over the past 55 years I have lived 6 years without the ability to shoot at home, that was during college and a couple years while we were building. Bout went nuts as I grew up on the farm hunting ,shooting and/or fishing any time I wasn't working or sleeping :) Can't imagine living in or near town, the 50 mile round trip to work gets old after 25 years but I have my peace and quiet. I'm another "you've read my T shirt ,now thats enough social interaction" kind myself. I built a berm 200 yds from the house but generally shoot various places that have natural backstops now. Corn is too high for the berm presently :) Could go to 1000 one place on the farm but no longer have the desire to work that hard ,I'm pretty much just a plinker and hunter nowdays. Nice to load a handfull of 38s and walk outside and see how I like them. Go for it, you'll love it and probably better for your health in the long run too.

[smokeywolf]

House is listed now with that in mind. I am only 2 miles from the range and 1+ miles from town but I want my own.

My rental property was listed a month ago, sold a week later, will (good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise) close escrow next week.

Just got hired to start up and manage a prototype machine shop for a rather large motion picture equipment company, which may end up postponing our move to a ranch/farm. But, I don't think it will postpone our purchase of a property.

One property we've been looking at has a pond/lake with a duck blind in place.

smokeywolf

[NVScouter]

Just get a liberty Leonidas or mjolnir. Not even your wife will know when you're shooting. I had to google. Scilencers are OK but no point for me. If my neighbors cant handle my shooting they can move into town. Besides I let them shoot prairie dogs so if they come over its usualy to join in. But the backstop is to give my an extra sense of safety when sighting in my big boomers.

[NVScouter]

Trees sure make a difference though, smaller acreages like yours or mine can do a lot more with trees. I'm adding willows around my pond (left of target hard to see) and some trees to the left and right. Then anyplace I can see a neighbor will be getting trees too.
Even though a 1000 yard range would be the cat's meow, it doesn't take a "big ranch" to enjoy having a private shooting range. We have a modest 10 acres and still have enough room for a 100-yd range which could easily be extended to 200 yards. 100 yards is simply ideal for my needs. My berms are set at 25, 50 and 100 yards.

[bob208]

we have 5 acres can shoot 200 yd. with some work. 100 is easy. with the way ranges are getting having your own is the best. we have an old farm house it needs work lots of work but I can shoot any time I want. plus deer are all around.

old tires filled with sand dirt or in my case coal ash makes a great back stop.

[NVScouter]

I've had richottes shooting off tires. You're impacting dirt and using the tires as structural right?
we have 5 acres can shoot 200 yd. with some work. 100 is easy. with the way ranges are getting having your own is the best. we have an old farm house it needs work lots of work but I can shoot any time I want. plus deer are all around.

old tires filled with sand dirt or in my case coal ash makes a great back stop.

[tygar]

Absolutely. Except for when I was stationed in DC (7 lousy dam yrs) I pretty much always could shoot on my property.

On my current 37ac place I can test fire out the basement door, walk about 20yds to my 100yd range or go about 100yds to my hay field which currently has a 200yd range. If I get "unlazy" I can easily do 400 & if I want to cut trees I could go a long ways. Not sure how long but 5-7 for sure.

Can not stand to hear anything but nature, see neighbors or live where I have to drive in traffic to get anywhere. Altho, my 1mi long driveway, is gravel & 21A, & just dusts up my Vette every time I drive down it. The Mustang isn't as bad but still get dusty. Want to pave it but that's actually more money than I want to spend.

Country boy, country life, only thing for me.

[snaketail]

OK, I'll give you the "Readers Digest" version...
Bought land with the Texas Veterans Land Act and moved a temp housing (Camper) on to the land. Set up a 200 yard shooting range and went to work building my house. The land around me sold and the neighbors didn't like the shooting.
Texas law - if the gun range was there first you can't complain about it. But they did - and they complained to everyone they could.
The State told them to knock it off but they went to the County commissioners.
The County then told me my property was converted agricultural land (No it wasn't, it was 30 acres of pine trees!) and they wanted the past 30 years taxes paid within 90 days.
I turned it over the to Texas Vet Land people. They held a meeting and told the County that they couldn't ask for the 30 years taxes. The County protested, the State held firm. The County took the State to court (I felt lucky to get the camper off the land without having to pay for it). State told the County "You can't sue the State." and the judge threw the case out. The County refilled for more back taxes.
Bottom line - I returned the land to the State and gave up on my home and shooting range. The State used those 30 acres to build a small prison.
I haven't been back to the land since all this happened - but I'll bet those people in East Texas, who bought the land next to mine, wish there was shooting range there instead of a prison.
I didn't win, but I didn't lose either.

M

[daniel lawecki]

I'm looking to move to Michigan and buy 60 acres of land with a modest size home. Hunt shoot and fish on my own land me and a neighbor will share a 20 acre lake.

[NVScouter]

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/NVScouter/2F8A51D0-6AAD-4F4E-ACAE-FEDD58A920EE.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/NVScouter/media/2F8A51D0-6AAD-4F4E-ACAE-FEDD58A920EE.jpg.html)


more dirt! Shot my 38-55 with my 323g design over 25g R7 dug 19" deep still!

[shaman]

111190

I think the picture says it all.

1) It is easier to enjoy your morning coffee on the front porch, sitting at your shooting bench than it is trying to shoot off lawn furniture.
2) .22 brass is a viable alternative to landscaping mulch.
3) Having a shooting bench on your front porch is a powerful statement. Burglars tend to stay away. So do Jehovah's Witnesses, salesmen, and left-wing petitioners.

Story #1

James T., the now-retired animal control officer, asked me if he could borrow my porch on weekdays to thin the feral dog population. He called me at work one morning rather despondent.

"What's up James T.?"

"Pardner, I think I'm gonna have to hang it up. I just missed a 650 yard shot. I think I'm getting to old for this."

"James T.! Where on earth are you getting a 650 yard shot on my place? "

"From your front porch."

"But the longest shot I know of is only 450 yards."

"Oh, I'm shooting clear to the next ridge."

Story #2

Back about 8 years ago I came back on Friday night late and did not get a good look at the place until morning. I cooked a TV dinner and went out to the shooting bench to eat. The shooting bench was gone. I was peeved. Somebody had stolen my shooting bench. It was made from scrap wood. It was heavy. Nothing else seemed to be missing. I ate my dinner inside and went to bed mad.

The next morning, I went out and sat drinking my coffee on a borrowed kitchen chair, still fuming at the loss of my shooting bench-- both the table and the seat were gone. It was a foggy morning, and as I sat there, I noticed a divot in the lawn that matched the leg of the table. Further out in the lawn was another and then another. I put down my coffee and started following the trail. About 30 yards out, I found the whole shebang trapped against a hogwire fence. Then I looked back and discovered there were a bunch of shingles missing from the roof. It turns out a little tornado had come through earlier in the week. It had left a ball of tobacco twine on the front porch, but it had taken my shooting bench and carried it out to the field. A neighbor told me he had ended up with a neighbor's shed picked up and put down on his property intact. He liked where it landed, so he just paid the other neighbor for it.

[dondiego]

shaman - Those are interesting stories. Why don't you post where you live?

[shaman]

oops. Sorry, I hadn't put my location in. It's fixed now.

[jonp]

I am throwing the flag on Shaman's stories. No way can he find enough 22 Ammo to use the brass for mulch. :shock:

[dondiego]

I am throwing the flag on Shaman's stories. No way can he find enough 22 Ammo to use the brass for mulch. :shock:

There are several bricks of .22's laying on the ground at my range. They almost make a mulch! I am still opening bricks of Federal .22's with a Cabela's price tag of $7.88 on them. My friends would always kid me when I would carry ten or more heavy bricks out of the store after every sale. They don't laugh now. They want to come shoot up some of my "cheap" ammo.

[shaman]

I am throwing the flag on Shaman's stories. No way can he find enough 22 Ammo to use the brass for mulch. :shock:

My sons and I started putting brass mulch down in 2001. We've cut back considerably due to cost and availability, but when we do shoot we're often using ammo that was purchased back during Reagan's first term. Some of the countries of origin don't exist anymore.

[MaryB]

Range I go to the 22 brass at the pistol range is 2 inches deep in front of the benches where they sweep it off the concrete. Think a scout troop cleans up the brass once a year to sell as scrap

[seaboltm]

I too did it. Had 200 acres near the Red River of North Texas, closest neighbor was about half a mile away. Built a two story house on top of a huge hill which had a view to a creek line some 350 yards away. I would use a bipod on the upstairs porch to pop coyotes and hogs down on the creek with my M1A. That was fun. I got greedy and thought I needed a promotion, so I sold it. Now I make a bunch more money, but some days I wish I had just stayed put. But I can retire in 6 years, although I will probably work another 10 or 11. Then I hear Montana calling my name.