How much noise from shooting in National Forest gravel pit?

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MaynardDad

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We looked at a house in Ripton, Vermont, and the first thing the realtor said was that there's a gravel pit in the nearby Green Mountain National Forest that people use as an unofficial shooting range. The pit is about 500 yards from the house, straight through some trees.

Asking around in town, we learned that the shooting noise is the main reason the guy is selling the dream home he built 5 years ago. So I'm trying to guess whether he's particularly sensitive or whether the shooting from the pit is going to bother us as well.

There was no shooting while we were there (a nice Saturday in June, a little warm).

I don't expect that anyone here will know the particular area, but in general, what kind of use can I expect of a gravel pit in a national forest? Enthusiastic magdumpers from dusk to dawn every day? :)

I live 1500 yards from a range now, but that's a club with some rules to be nice to the neighbors. I only hear gentle pops that make me want to grab my gun and head over and join them. But 500 yards is 10 dB louder if I did the math right, maybe more on account of the mountain sides. I don't quite know what to expect and hope that you can help.
 
Whats the problem? There's an active and unofficial shooting range near the house. Sounds like my kinda place. Also, the guy that lived there prior could have been some shitlib transplant who the locals took a disliking to... If that's the case and you post here, you likely wont have any problems.
 
HecklerKoch said:
Why don't you hold a NES shoot at the pit while you and your wife take another tour of the home.
Click to expand...

This. If you can get a nice house for a good price at the cost of a little popping in the distance that doesn't bother you, why not?

If some weird acoustics funnels the sound into your bedroom window, that might be a pass.
 
Found this (Google):

Neighbors Are Fired Up About Target Shooting on National Forest Land

Those were the days when Sparks Pit was a local secret. But it's now mentioned on internet sites, including ones frequented by shooters in neighboring states. According to Pike, the Three Percenters militia group held a training exercise there a few years ago.
.....
Sinclair is proposing changes. He's seeking approval from forest legal counsel to prohibit shooting at Sparks Pit from dusk to dawn and to ban explosive targets such as Tannerite. Sinclair said he's also trying to step up the very occasional visits from forest service and partner agencies to discourage drinking.
.....
"When we moved up here, I had no idea this was here," said Pike, who moved to Vermont from Connecticut and built his home near the pit in 2013. "I would not have moved here had I known."
 
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Don't be the Guy, who only likes the sound of gunfire, when you're the one making it...


"Every time a gun is fired... an angle gets its wings."
 
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Looks like Sparks Pit is fairly heavily used. There are members here who shoot there according to one thread.

Forest Service has banned the use of Tannerite and also shooting between sunset and 8:00 am as of October, 2017.

Order 2017-01 Sparks Pit Overnight Closure ... - USDA Forest Service
USE OF EXPLODING TARGETS IN OR NEAR SPARKS PIT IN RIPTON. GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST
 
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dingbat said:
Take a lawn chair and park yourself 500 yards from the range you live next to now for an afternoon.

Personally, I love driving race cars and riding motorcycles, but would not want to live 500 yards from a track.
Click to expand...

This+ . . . . Nothing for nothing but, . . . Happy Wife, Happy Life
 
wife and i looked at a house in pelham nh not far from the range. we sat in front of the house on a friday afternoon and as much as like shooting, we were in agreement the pop pop pop would get old quickly. noise from pelham is probably an everyday thing so i suggest you spend a little time "scopin" it out
 
My house is near some pits that have been used as an unofficial range. Nit wits kept leaving a mess of broken glass, wood, paper, cans, ect. Weyerhaeuser has bought all of Plum Creek's land and it is now blocked off by large boulders but people still shoot there but they have to walk in.
I'm more like 800-1000 yrds from the area and I still hear gunshots on a regular basis only if I'm outdoors. It's not heavily used but use does pick up come hunting season.

If I was you I'd spend a few days in the area before dropping $$$$ on a place you might learn to hate really soon then you get to wait for a buyer. Anyone who doesn't do there due diligence has nobody to blame but themselves.
 
I just took a few minute to listen to all the sound I hear at home that I have become immune to:

Cars, trucks, sirens, horns, an occasional gunshot, airplanes, someone yelling “ Fck you Bubba.”

I could probably get used to relative peace and quiet with a close by shooting range.

Not saying you could.
 
I live 2,000 feet from Independent Sportsman's Club in Foxboro and in between there are a lot of trees to help buffer the sound. On any day they're open, I can easily hear persons plinkin' away and on some days I can hear the metal targets getting occasionally pinged. And while the sound does not bother me, it does bother my dog who lets out a few barks once in a awhile in response to his perception the world is about to end.
 
mibro said:
Found this (Google):

Neighbors Are Fired Up About Target Shooting on National Forest Land

Those were the days when Sparks Pit was a local secret. But it's now mentioned on internet sites, including ones frequented by shooters in neighboring states. According to Pike, the Three Percenters militia group held a training exercise there a few years ago.
.....
Sinclair is proposing changes. He's seeking approval from forest legal counsel to prohibit shooting at Sparks Pit from dusk to dawn and to ban explosive targets such as Tannerite. Sinclair said he's also trying to step up the very occasional visits from forest service and partner agencies to discourage drinking.
.....
"When we moved up here, I had no idea this was here," said Pike, who moved to Vermont from Connecticut and built his home near the pit in 2013. "I would not have moved here had I known."
Click to expand...

After reading the article I can understand the concern. It sounds like persons have been taking advantage of an opportunity and have ruined it with carelessness and ignorance. And by the gist of the article, it sounds like an accident waiting to happen...
 
Jason Flare said:
I just took a few minute to listen to all the sound I hear at home that I have become immune to:

Cars, trucks, sirens, horns, an occasional gunshot, airplanes, someone yelling “ Fck you Bubba.”

I could probably get used to relative peace and quiet with a close by shooting range.

Not saying you could.
Click to expand...

This. ^

I grew up in Lowell. I can't sleep if it's too quiet...
 
My neighbor and good friend, who owns a few thousand acres has a berm setup about 800-1,000 yards from my house, but there is some topography between us. If I am outside and he or friends are using it I can hear it. If I am inside, I can’t hear it....with the exception of the 50 cal!!!! It is private property though so it’s either my neighbor or someone he/we know, and when I hear action I generally join in if the wife will let me go play. The topography is such that even irresponsible use won’t cause any problems, which is nice.

It is NH and you hear random gunfire from near other houses from time to time. Most everyone near me has enough land to safely shoot out the back door. It would bother me if I didn’t hear the random occasional gunfire.

Someone near by, I have no idea who, must have some sort of signal cannon because every now and then I hear a really really big boom, it shakes the house!! If/when I find out who it is I really hope that they will let me try it out!!
 
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This thread is a serious head scratcher for me. Countless other threads about ranges fighting the antis and the town trying to have them shut down. Many times noise is the excuse. Now when it comes to living in some place that has shooting nearby, we judge it by a different standard?

I grew up in a rural part of the Midwest. 5 houses on 1 1/2 acre lots on a dead end dirt road. Corn field across the street. Wetland in back. Neighbors would shoot off the back deck most nights.

I live in NH now. I hear fireworks all summer overhead that shake the neighborhood. I love it. I guess I am a live and let live person.

OP, the choice where to live is 100% yours to make based on what you value.
 
i just looked up ripton, vt. there's a population of 588. unless ripton is a vacation destination for shooters i wouldn't worry. and i'm a little taken aback that a shooter(?) on a gun site is worried about noise coming from a local range. i guess you're a not in my backyard kinda guy.
 
greencobra said:
i just looked up ripton, vt. there's a population of 588. unless ripton is a vacation destination for shooters i wouldn't worry. and i'm a little taken aback that a shooter(?) on a gun site is worried about noise coming from a local range. i guess you're a not in my backyard kinda guy.
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It's not a range though. I draw the line at Tannerite at 2 am. Hell, you'll probably see my obituary one of these days after I dementedly chase down a couple of landscapers with leafblowers at 8 am.
 
ya can't win, my guy comes at 1 pm, always has. the woman across the street complains that that's when she puts her baby in for a nap. [angry2]
 

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