JULY 2012 BUILT my own range - Mass - Private Land

GM-GUY

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With all the new rules at the Sportsman's Clubs at the ranges, I've decided to setup my own range [smile]

The firing line will be 300 feet+ from the road (dead end)
The firing line will be 500 feet+ from all houses besides mine
I will be shooting into a hill that is 50 feet higher than the target area.

I'm going to build a 3x3' impact area that is made from 6x6" posts - filled with sand.

The range will be 30 yards, I'll still have to take my rifle to club range and the shotgun for deer season.

I'll only shoot when the neighbors aren't home or if they are shooting with me.

The firing line will be inside the tree line so no one will be able to see me from any house or the road.

What have I missed? Any pitfalls? Would you call the local PD to confirm the rules?
 
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With all the new rules at the Sportsman's Clubs at the ranges, I've decided to setup my own range [smile]

The firing line will be 300 feet+ from the road (dead end)
The firing line will be 500 feet+ from all houses besides mine
I will be shooting into a hill that is 50 feet higher than the target area.

I'm going to build a 3x3' impact area that is made from 6x6" posts - filled with sand.

The range will be 30 yards, I'll still have to take my rifle to club range and the shotgun for deer season.

I'll only shoot when the neighbors aren't home or if they are shooting with me.

The firing line will be inside the tree line so no one will be able to see me from any house or the road.

What have I missed? Any pitfalls? Would you call the local PD to confirm the rules?

I would, as some towns outright prohibit shooting in town or require police permission first. As a courtesy, i would call the PD before shooting, only because someone visiting the area or passing through could call the PD to report gun shots, and the PD are obligated to respond. If they know you are shooting, they can tell the caller not to worry.
Invite the cops to swing by and take some shots with you. That way they will be familiar with your situation and likely to support you if some libtard outside your circle of friends wants to make a big deal about it.
 
can I become a member? this is a great idea.
In lancaster where I live there was an old shooting range that was in contention between clinton and lancaster town boards . So when the land parcel was for sale someone bought it!! it's awesome because it is within all regulations as it had been for 85 years now they use it every weekend..
 
Would you call the local PD to confirm the rules?
I wouldn't. Police are seldom a good authority on legal matters. If you need advice about the law, call a lawyer.

I suggest that you (or your attorney) carefully check the town bylaws and statutes. The town may have a bylaw or statute that prohibits it.
 
I wouldn't. Police are seldom a good authority on legal matters. If you need advice about the law, call a lawyer.

I suggest that you (or your attorney) carefully check the town bylaws and statutes. The town may have a bylaw or statute that prohibits it.

+1

Do the research first, and be sure of your standing legally. I would, however, run the idea by the Chief of Police and see how he reacts. Even if everything is perfectly legal, the Chief can make your life hell if he doesn't support the idea.

And if things go through as planned, I would definitely do the following:

1. Have an open invite for the Chief and his crew to shoot with you.
2. Set up a date for the next NES shoot.

Good Luck!

*
 
Do the research first, and be sure of your standing legally. I would, however, run the idea by the Chief of Police and see how he reacts. Even if everything is perfectly legal, the Chief can make your life hell if he doesn't support the idea.
I agree that you should do the research first and only talk to the chief after you can quote chapter and verse, showing that it is completely legal.

The other thing I would do is to order the range design book from the NRA. That way, when you go in and talk to the Chief, not only can you say that it is legal under state and local laws, but also that you have designed the range in accordance with NRA design standards.
 
I suggest that you (or your attorney) carefully check the town bylaws and statutes. The town may have a bylaw or statute that prohibits it.

This would be my advice as well. MGLs do not prohibit it (in fact, MGL 269-12E specifically provides an exemption to the "500' rule"), but some municipalities prohibit the discharge of firearms.
 
One other area of concern would runoff of lead into the water.. (Not sure if it was a state agency or local.) My club had to put a simple roof over the impact area of our 25yd range, even though we have a layer of clay a foot below grade.
 
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One other area of concern would runoff of lead into the water.. My club had to put a simple roof over the impact area of our 25yd range, even though we have a layer of clay a foot below grade.
A roof is good. In most conditions, lead is not very mobile in groundwater.
 
Especially in 230 grain chunks!
Shot is the worst -- the most surface area per weight. And the more surface area exposed to rain and groundwater, the more lead is going to get leached. If you do put a roof over the backstop, that reduces the amount of water that can get at the lead. And the less water that gets at the lead, the less chance for lead to leach into groundwater.

This is the backstop at my club:

outdoor1.jpg
 
I would put up some no trespassing signs (assuming you don't have them up already). IANAL so I don't know if there is any liability for trespassers in this situation.
 
This is just going to be a personal range, no club or any such nonsense. There was a great article in the NRA magazine awhile back about Range Nazi's, and it hit all major points that my and the other clubs in the area are going to.

There have been no accidents, no complaints, no issues - now they build a new covered shooting area and it has gotten a bit more than I am willing to take on a regular basis. I'll still shoot my rifles there and my shotgun slugs, but as for the rest (9mm pistol and 22 rifle) I'll stay home.

The roof is a good idea, but I'm not going to build a Taj Mahal - just a safe, legal spot to shoot in my backyard with a bench to spoil myself.
 
If you are only going to have a 3x3 impact area then just build a bullet trap with rubber landscape mulch. Every so often you can go in and recover your lead to give to those who cast bullets.

If you built a 3x3x3 cube with a steel backplate you would be able to catch most popular pistol and rifle rounds.
 
I like the bullet trap idea. Who knows what the epa will want for lead remediation some time in the future. If you capture it all in a closed area...you will never end up a superfund site.
 
I like the bullet trap idea. Who knows what the epa will want for lead remediation some time in the future. If you capture it all in a closed area...you will never end up a superfund site.

+1 this is an excellent idea, because you may want to sell the land at some point, or your beneficiaries, so it is best to contain anything that could cause environmental concerns down the road. Not much extra work to build an adequate trap, and that will also allow you to recover lead for casting (if you do), or to sell/donate to others that recycle it.
 
And if things go through as planned, I would definitely do the following:

1. Have an open invite for the Chief and his crew to shoot with you.
2. Set up a date for the next NES shoot.

*

I respectfully disagree. Particularly, and especially because this is in MA.

The police are not your friends, nor do they want to be. Never invite them to your property or inside your home. They're not there for any other reason but to try to find something that you have done illegally. Never talk to the police, never invite them onto your property. If you invite an anti-gun police chief or officer to your house I can almost guarantee you that he will actively be searching for and will find something illegal that will shut your fun down. It may not have anything to do with the shooting activities, either.

Know and follow the laws, but keep the police as far away as possible.
 
I would post the 2 signs twelve feet high in a perimeter around your range spaced every 50 feet. I would also place them on your property facing your neighbors behind the range and on each side, maybe 50 feet into your property from your property line. This way no one can say, I had no idea.
 
If you invite an anti-gun police chief or officer to your house I can almost guarantee you that he will actively be searching for and will find something illegal that will shut your fun down.

The "if things go as planned" part of my comment includes confirming that the Chief is OK with the idea. If you have a Chief that is supportive, it can only be in your best interest to welcome him to your range. Certainly, there would be some ground rules (like shooting only happens when you're home), but it never hurts to work with LEO's. They're not all out to get you, and they're not all out to take away your guns.

Hell, invite town officials too, if they're willing. The more folks you can get out on the range and enjoying themselves, the more support you'll have in the future when you need it. If a neighbor moves in next door five years from now, and starts complaining about all the noise, I'd love it if the Chief of Police walked over from my range and told the guy to STFU.

This is not a new philosophy - GOAL has been using this technique for years to get as many folks as possible on the range so they establish a positive opinion of shooters and the shooting sports.

But, hey - if the Chief is anti-gun, yeah.... all bets are off. I would think twice about building the range in that town.

*
 
As a courtesy, i would call the PD before shooting, only because someone visiting the area or passing through could call the PD to report gun shots, and the PD are obligated to respond. If they know you are shooting, they can tell the caller not to worry.
.

This. I shoot on private property and call the local police every time. Some people will complain every time even though they know it's you shooting. I would inform them in advance the first time and get a feel for how they will react. The dispatchers know when I call and say "ok thanks". They will respond if you don't call and someone complains.
 
I respectfully disagree. Particularly, and especially because this is in MA.

The police are not your friends, nor do they want to be. Never invite them to your property or inside your home. They're not there for any other reason but to try to find something that you have done illegally. Never talk to the police, never invite them onto your property. If you invite an anti-gun police chief or officer to your house I can almost guarantee you that he will actively be searching for and will find something illegal that will shut your fun down. It may not have anything to do with the shooting activities, either.

Know and follow the laws, but keep the police as far away as possible.

Ugh....... Ummm..... Ok....You do not think that they will never find out and end up there anyways??

Better to get out in front of it
 
Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. If it ain't against the law do it without asking or telling anyone.
 
A buddy of mine bought an old box van,sound proofed it the best he could and shoots out of that...he didn't shoot at all last summer and it turned into a giant hornets nest which took 2 days to bomb them into submission.
 
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