Moving to New Hampshire

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I'm moving to New Hampshire because 1. Maryland passed an AWB, so I'm leaving on principle, and 2. my company has volunteered to move me to the Hopkinton office (from Maryland) and I refuse to live in Mass. I'll most likely be living in far southern New Hampshire, right near the MA border. Maybe around Nashua/Pelham/Holis.

I'm an avid shooter: I compete in 3 Gun, long range (both F Class and tactical), USPSA Pistol, and hunt (deer, piggies, and waterfowl.) I've been lurking around your site for a little while researching and wanted to verify what I think I've learned.

- NH doesn't have an AWB and won't likely pass one any time soon.

- Suppressors/SBR/SBS/FA are perfectly legal, except for hunting purposes. (I like hunting with a suppressor; oh well. Can't have it all.)

- NH is "shall issue".

- I can shoot/hunt on my private property, so long as it isn't within 300 feet of someone else's property's structure (without permission) or within 25 feet of a road.

- There is no gun registry of any kind.

- No mag limits

- No weird permit requirements to buy ammo.


I do have a few questions, though.

1. Are there any limits on powder storage/quantities for smokeless or black powder?

2. Are 50BMGs ok?

3. What are the better stocked gun shops in southern New Hampshire for both guns and reloading supplies?

4. Are there any weird/unexpected laws I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm really excited to move to a truly free state. [thumbsup]
 
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You are correct on all accounts, although you might have trouble finding property in Nashua/Pelham/Hollis where you can shoot safely. There are plenty of clubs (ranges) in the area though.

1) Don't think so.

2). Yep

3) State Line Gun Shop, Riley's, Shooter's Outpost are the popular well-stocked gun shops in Southern NH. There's plenty of others.

4) Not a law, but don't expect (or demand) the same level of state services that you may in Maryland. Government intrusion is frowned upon up here, and interaction with the government at all levels kind of reflect that. Your taxes are less, but you'll pay a greater number of fees (vehicle registration, license, dog registration, etc). Think of it as fee for service.

Good luck.
 
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Thanks for the reply. Are there any clubs that allow shooting steel? Pepper poppers or Texas Stars, or I could bring my own? How about long range?
 
Thanks for the reply. Are there any clubs that allow shooting steel? Pepper poppers or Texas Stars, or I could bring my own? How about long range?

No or very rarely. It's too built up. Especially where you're looking. Farther north or west maybe. I moved out here from the desert where I shot steel targets all the time. But then again there was no one within miles of the ranges out there. Here I've only seen paper. Shrapnel can fly up and away from a steel target and hit a home which may be only a few hundred yards away.

Nashua and Pelham both have ranges that go out to 400-600 yards. Most others are 100 or maybe 200. Or whatever range is available on your property.
 
Government intrusion is frowned upon up here, and interaction with the government at all levels kind of reflect that.

I just shed a small tear of joy.

Maryland just passed an "Impervious Surfaces Enhancement". What does that mean? It's a RAIN TAX. I'm not sh**ing you. They now record the rainfall, do some mathematical voodoo in relationship to how much ground you have covered (house, parking lot, etc), then send you a tax bill for the amount of rain that fell. This is just one of the *hundreds* of taxes that Marylanders enjoy.

No government intrusion? Where do I sign?
 
Londonderry has some steel gongs that Acme got in my last group buy to donate to the club. I know a few other members have steel targets they have purchased from me also.
 
Thanks for the correction, cerberus.

I just shed a small tear of joy.

Maryland just passed an "Impervious Surfaces Enhancement". What does that mean? It's a RAIN TAX. I'm not sh**ing you. They now record the rainfall, do some mathematical voodoo in relationship to how much ground you have covered (house, parking lot, etc), then send you a tax bill for the amount of rain that fell. This is just one of the *hundreds* of taxes that Marylanders enjoy.

No government intrusion? Where do I sign?

Yeah the most annoying is probably when the appraiser comes by to evaluate your property for tax purposes. They'll try to get in to see the inside, but you don't have to let them in. They'll measure the outside of the house instead.
 
Thanks for the correction, cerberus.



Yeah the most annoying is probably when the appraiser comes by to evaluate your property for tax purposes. They'll try to get in to see the inside, but you don't have to let them in. They'll measure the outside of the house instead.

They tried that BS this year, they tried to tell me they do it every time, there is a new owner, I explained I have owned it since 2005 and they never did it. I don't have time to take off out of work to show them how carppy the house is only to have them over estimate the value of the home

Oh and welcome to NH
 
Thanks for the correction, cerberus.



Yeah the most annoying is probably when the appraiser comes by to evaluate your property for tax purposes. They'll try to get in to see the inside, but you don't have to let them in. They'll measure the outside of the house instead.

Hope he can outrun a 145lb Great Dane named Parker. [smile] He's not a real "people-person".
 
Gun shops in that area would be:

Collectable Arms & Ammo in Merrimack
Riley's in Hooksett
Shooter's Outpost in Hooksett
Merrimack Firearms in Merrimack
Stateline Guns & Ammo in Plaistow


Those are the only gun stores that stock anything worth while, and their prices are excellent on just about everything.
 
Sweet on the move! [grin]

If your steel targets are properly angled downwards at 10-15 degrees no spall will go up. Throw some up in your yard and have at it.
 
You forgot another bonus: NH has zero restrictions on knives, and full statewide preemption on knives as well as guns.

That means you can carry an automatic (switchblade) wherever you go, unless it's somewhere that weapons are banned.

And speaking of places off limits for carry, the list of places banned by state/local law is very short: 1) Courtrooms. That's it, that's the whole list. And they have to provide storage for your gun/knife while you're inside.
 
As far as hunting goes, check out the "resident landowner" rule for deer season, plus of course we have bear, moose, turkey, and wild boar.

I can shoot/hunt on my private property, so long as it isn't within 300 feet of someone else's property's structure (without permission) or within 25 feet of a road.
The actual law is slightly different from the summary, see the big thread or just read RSA 644:13, and all of 207:3.

Are there any limits on powder storage/quantities for smokeless or black powder?
Are 50BMGs ok?
There might be something under the fire code regarding bulk powder?
Some gun clubs don't allow full auto and .50 caliber and above, but that's just the club rules, no NH laws restrict them.

Are there any weird/unexpected laws I should be aware of?
If you want the maximum benefit at the lowest tax burden, consider expanding your search a little further out from the border, looking specifically for upwards of 11 acres, or at least for land not in a "compact area".
 
Welcome to NH. You won't regret it one minute.

I would do some more research on towns on city-data.com. That was a good resource for me.

Also search this forum for a thread with all the town/local tax info. Each town in NH is different. Some have curbside trash pickups, others just have transfer stations and you have to bring trash to them, etc.

Nothing super weird up here. People honestly don't give a rat's rear if you have guns. If anything they'll want to see it so they can buy one. Totally different experience than Massuckchusetts so I'm sure it's similar to the Land of Marys.
 
Sweet on the move! [grin]

If your steel targets are properly angled downwards at 10-15 degrees no spall will go up. Throw some up in your yard and have at it.

I was thinking angled targets and a texas star for shotgun practice (which would also be safe from ricochet.)
 
As far as hunting goes, check out the "resident landowner" rule for deer season, plus of course we have bear, moose, turkey, and wild boar.

Bear tastes bad, but moose, turkey and piggies I'm all over! I've never got a moose, before. What about wolves and coyotes? Are they ok to shoot? I pig hunt at a friend of a friend's farm in East Texas and they shoot the pigs, leave them until coyotes show up, then shoot them, too. (they lose livestock to them regularly.)

There might be something under the fire code regarding bulk powder?
Some gun clubs don't allow full auto and .50 caliber and above, but that's just the club rules, no NH laws restrict them.

That's Maryland's situation; it's not so much a law as a fire marshal issue. You are supposed to have no more than 5 lbs of black powder and 5 lbs of smokeless per person per dwelling. That means that you can't get 8 lb jugs in Maryland, which is a pain.


If you want the maximum benefit at the lowest tax burden, consider expanding your search a little further out from the border, looking specifically for upwards of 11 acres, or at least for land not in a "compact area".

Thanks for the advice; I did some searching last night and found a few properties with 10+ acres that were in our range and in a suitable location. My company is flying my wife and I up to house search in a few weeks, so I'm going to note a few of these and see them in person.
 
The only negative I can think of is the "View" tax some(?) communities will impose if you have an exceptionally nice view.

On the other hand if you have a decent amount of land (10+ac?) you can put/keep it in "customary use" and pay a much lower prerty tax.

People keep telling me how high NH taxes are, but that's relative. Living n metro MA, taxes are MUCH higher here than almost anyplace in NH.

Don't think twice. Do it.
 
The only negative I can think of is the "View" tax some(?) communities will impose if you have an exceptionally nice view.

On the other hand if you have a decent amount of land (10+ac?) you can put/keep it in "customary use" and pay a much lower prerty tax.

People keep telling me how high NH taxes are, but that's relative. Living n metro MA, taxes are MUCH higher here than almost anyplace in NH.

Don't think twice. Do it.


Everyone keeps pointing out NH's property taxes as being high.

I live in Baltimore City, where property tax is 2.5% of the home's value annually (more than anywhere in NH), on top of state and local fees and taxes for everything imaginable. We have a bag tax (tax per bag at the grocery store), bottle tax, rain tax, etc. We have fines for parking too close to the curb, parking too far from the curb, parking too close to the car in front of you (which is funny because if two cars are parked too close together, the both get tickets) not having a lid on your trashcan, not sorting your recycling, etc. One year, in a snow storm, the city canceled trash collection then proceeded to ticket everyone for having too much trash.

Needless to say, I can't wait to get to NH.
 
You may want to think about moving a little futhur north than the Nashua area. Maybe North of Manchester ,Hooksett Bow areas are nice
 
I <3 these threads,congrats. I feel like there are a lot of friendlies moving up there, now if only someone would buy my house. [angry2]
 
Welcome to NES !

For strange laws, I understand you can not carry a loaded weapon in the car at all in NH (Free staters correct me if I'm wrong on this).

Other than this oddity, I think you're making the correct choice !

Best wishes, and good luck with your impending relocation.
 
Welcome to NES !

For strange laws, I understand you can not carry a loaded weapon in the car at all in NH

Not strange at all!

Can't carry a loaded handgun in a car in NH UNLESS you possess a NH firearms license. It's like this in a lot of Free America. The car "conceals" the gun, thus the need for the license to "carry concealed" (carry in a car). No loaded long guns in/on a car at any time (an anti deer-jacking law) in NH (or MA or ME) and no exemption for firearms license holders.
 
Not strange at all!

Can't carry a loaded handgun in a car in NH UNLESS you possess a NH firearms license. It's like this in a lot of Free America. The car "conceals" the gun, thus the need for the license to "carry concealed" (carry in a car). No loaded long guns in/on a car at any time (an anti deer-jacking law) in NH (or MA or ME) and no exemption for firearms license holders.

Thanks for clarifying that point, for myself, I'm too cheap to spring for the $100 for an out-of-state carry permit, YMMV.
 
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Bear tastes bad, but moose, turkey and piggies I'm all over! I've never got a moose, before. What about wolves and coyotes? Are they ok to shoot? I pig hunt at a friend of a friend's farm in East Texas and they shoot the pigs, leave them until coyotes show up, then shoot them, too. (they lose livestock to them .

Bear was pretty good the one time I had it.

And the only state in New England that protects coyotes is MA, where the season is only 6 months long. Everywhere else? Fire away.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
 
Everyone keeps pointing out NH's property taxes as being high.

It's relative. Relative to my area, NH taxes are low.


You may want to think about moving a little further north than the Nashua area. Maybe North of Manchester ,Hooksett Bow areas are nice

Hopkinton is fairly deep inside enemy lines, OP is looking at a one hour drive from Nashua to Hopkinton with two hotspots of traffic. You're not wrong, but another 30 miles north is another 20 minutes of driving.
 
Hopkinton is fairly deep inside enemy lines, OP is looking at a one hour drive from Nashua to Hopkinton with two hotspots of traffic. You're not wrong, but another 30 miles north is another 20 minutes of driving.
^
This.

I'd love nothing more then to move DEEP into a friendly area, but I have to be within driving distance of Hopkinton and an hour is bad enough.

Honestly, I had no idea New Hampshire was this liberty-loving. We are very excited to move to the state; Maryland is a lost cause. Time to abandon that sinking ship. (I will miss goose hunting, though- It's HUGE on the Chesapeake Bay. Opening day, they are as thick as mosquitoes and can literally block out the sun, at times. When a large flock takes off, their calls are deafening. As a hunter, it will make the hairs on your neck stand on end.)

Are there butchers all over that will take field dressed game for processing? Cut, package, sausages, etc...? What about taxidermists? I can't imagine field dressing a moose... that's got to be an ordeal.

(sorry, I know I'm all over the place)
 
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Bear was pretty good the one time I had it.

I've only had it twice and both times was pretty bad. Like eating the sole of a shoe. It's one of the only game animals that I would consider bad, but who knows? Maybe I just didn't have it prepared correctly. I assume bear tags are a lottery, like moose?
 
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