How much land do you need to shoot?

[chp5]

OK – I know it’s a hard question to answer and it really depends on many variables, but here it is.

My wife wants to get some land for horses (a/k/a poop factories). I’ll only sign up if I have enough land to walk out the back door and shoot without pissing off the neighbors.

So assume the neighbors would call the cops each time they heard an IPSC shooter practicing. How much land do you need to shoot and not piss off the neighbors? I’m just talking about a 25 yard pistol pit.

Is there any type of sound barrier you can build and that are effective without costing a fortunes?

Thanks.

[Joe4d]

I piss off the neighbors but dont care. They can get bent. I was shooting when the realestate agent showed them the place. They called cops said people were shooting in the woods, Cops told em that's what people do in the woods around here ya dont like it carry your a&(* back to wherever you came from. The one time they complained about the pistol shooting I broke out the 338 win mag they dont complain anymore. I went backwards I bought a place to shoot. Wife ended up sticking horses on it. They do make good shooting berm material manufacturers. Any one looking for horses to train for mounted shooting ? got some guaranteed not to spook at gunfire. The biggest pain is they come up looking for treats or wondering what all the noise is about. Check local laws including noise. Va has a right to hunt constituational amendment, which through court ruling extended to right to practice. I have ten acres depending on the shape and what it borders that may or may not be enough, In my area a anti poaching/roadhunting law makes it illegal to shoot less than 400ft from a road or building you dont own my lot is 1200 foot deep so its fine for a 100yard range. Couple things that would be nice though. Look at the evergreen hedge/trees. I dont remember the species but they grow really thick and about 25 feet high in only a couple years plant a double row of these and they make a pretty good noise buffer those a prefab metal hanger type building 75-100 foot long would work well also you could put some lights in and be able to shoot during bad weather. If I was starting over I would have bought the adjacent 10 acres that house the complainers now 20 acreas would be great. Thing about land once you have some you wish you had more. Those horse need about 3 acreas each of grass or you'll go broke buying hay. On a side note the 15 acres on the other side of them has a nice newer house and huge detached shed/garage and has another 25 acreas attached that is mostly swamp and goes behind all three peices. It's for sale would be a really great place for ya hint hint hint

[Coach]

I own 6.2 acres and have a 25 yard bay. I shoot quite a bit and some close friends use it as well. I have never had the cops called on me, and I don't expect it to happen. But Neighbors for miles around hear it and talk it about the noise. I am sure they have less than friendly thoughts.

But in Central Indiana 6.2 seems to be enough or I have great neighbors. I am not close with any of them so I don't know for certain.

I have done nothing as far as structures to reduce noise. When I was having the berms bulldozed several people asked me why I was bother to build berms. My response of being a good safe neighbor brought about a lot of puzzled looks. People had a hard time believing I was going to the expense. Most said something like I just shoot into the side of the hill or a ravine.

[boz1911]

Even here in somewhat rural Georgia every county has it's own rules. In Fayette county where I live you are supposed to have 25 acres for rifle / pistol shooting. I own 13 acres in the adjoining county(Coweta) where I practice 1-2 times a week with no complaints. In Coweta county you have to be X number of yards from the boundaries and if someone complains you must cease for that day.

Good news is, where my property is located, several neighbors (including my FFL) shoot also.

I also try to be courteous of when I shoot, hence the no complaints........

[waxman]

I have 4 here in MN. My neighbors have called the cops me once. The cop arrived, and proceded to check out my range and said, "wow cool" and then we got into talking about uspsa. He then said "I dont see a problem here" Have a nice day. I have not seen him since. I have some dumba$$ neighbors that built as close as they could to me, even though they bought 10 acres. I have no sympathy for them. I am awakend every morning by there 5 roosters, so I figure fair is fair. I have a 40x 50 area in my back yard for my range.

[j2fast]

I have 4 here in MN. My neighbors have called the cops me once. The cop arrived, and proceded to check out my range and said, "wow cool" and then we got into talking about uspsa. He then said "I dont see a problem here" Have a nice day. I have not seen him since. I have some dumba$$ neighbors that built as close as they could to me, even though they bought 10 acres. I have no sympathy for them. I am awakend every morning by there 5 roosters, so I figure fair is fair. I have a 40x 50 area in my back yard for my range.

I've got 5 acres, haven't set up an actually bay but I do some function testing, chrono'ing etc. on the back part of the property that butts up to a farm. I've now got the same problem Waxman does so I'm waiting to see what happens. The dip-shits in front of us have 17 acres+/- and they built on the back of their property within about 300 feet of my place and I can see their house which pisses me off. I've already start planting more trees to fill in the gaps, talked to the new neighbors the other day and the parting comment was maybe they'll see me out cutting grass. The whole time I'm thinking, not if I can help it, need more trees....

Edited August 12, 2007 by j2fast

[G-ManBart]

I think the really critical questions to ask here are:

1. Do the neighbors have guns?

2. If yes, do you think they can use them?

3. Do you even like them?

[chp5]

I own 6.2 acres and have a 25 yard bay. I shoot quite a bit and some close friends use it as well. I have never had the cops called on me, and I don't expect it to happen. But Neighbors for miles around hear it and talk it about the noise. I am sure they have less than friendly thoughts.

So pistols can be heard from miles around or was that just a figure of speach?

[Bruce]

I think it all depends on how the land is laid out...and what you are shooting. Just a few acres and shooting a .22 might be fine, owning 1,000 and shooting .50 BMG's might not be enough.

We have a couple hundred and good neighbors. Still, I don't shoot on Sunday mornings out of respect for people and everyone's need for a few peaceful hours if they are not in church.

[GentlemanJim]

I have no idea other than a suppressor to reduce noise.

In close areas I think its most important that No rounds bounce out of the range.

We only have one neighbor here about half a mile away, the opposite direction of our range.

I know that when we shoot 50BMG here...you can hear it for miles.

I think your neighbors will get used to it

Jim

[EricW]

The only effective structural noise suppressors that I know of are baffles, which are large wooden or concrete structures that are designed to both deflect bullets and noise downward. Unless you are rather cash flush or have a large supply of free timber, I think the best you can hope to do is ring the berms in multiple layers of poplar trees - which won't do much, but it will help some and reduce the potential of bullets exiting the range.

Depending on geography and ambient conditions, gunfire is quite audible here for well over a mile to three miles over the flatter areas. I hear the machine gunners at the air force base all the time, and they're 3 miles away.

Edited August 12, 2007 by EricW

[Heavy Metal Only]

I have 10 acres, I wished they would come and complaine.

[Heavy Metal Only]

i Should mention, I live out of town and city limits. This heres farm country. But yes I can do as a see fit to do what ever I want. Never shoot in the air , and know your backstop.

[AikiDale]

18 acres, three dogs, two horses and gun friendly neighbors. I knew I'd found the right place when I saw property for sale on Hunters Lane.

[Joe4d]

the poplars grow fast and thick and look better but they loose there leaves in the winter what you want are http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/ThujaGiantT2.htm, unlike some trees sold as hedge trees especially hemlock these are non toxic to horses. I brought up a similar point about responsibility, My neighbor on the other side shoots blackpowder rifles and just shoots off into the woods all my rounds impact on my property. When the left neighbors were looking at house I told them I shoot alot, "Thats ok we shoot too" The Rhode Island hippies that bought the far 15 acreas that's for sale who we finally run off (she's one who called cops") came over when we moved in as we both moved there about same time. She said it was so wonderful living in the country she gets up in moning has coffee and watches the deer. My wife said, "Cool !!!, our freezer is empty", she also told the wife about all the shooting in the woods and about her conversation with the sherrifs dept, that was about the time I walked back to the house with a Mini14 over my shoulder and a Superblack hawk on my shoulder. I said HI and asked her to pick her cigarette butt up. for some reason she hasnt been back over. Hey you need to buy her place, we could make some killer practice stages on the back 35 acreas.

[cking]

Liability is the real issue, just cause it ain't illegal don't mean you can't get sued. Negligence is the basis of the case. So if you have a proper backstop, exercise due care that non of your rounds leave your property you are OK. Otherwise a wise neghbor can get an injunction. Reckless endangerment.

[Micah]

You chaps are heavily envied!

[Jaxshooter]

I am a member of a shotgun club in Florida that has been around for over 60 years. Like everywhere else they are developing around it ( mostly commercial warehouses close). They have built houses about 1-2 miles away and of course when have been turned in for noise. The city spent big money having sound engineers come in and conduct a study as to what could be done to reduce the noise. Long story short, nothing. Sound wave travel is not consistant enough to control. The atmospheric conditions influence it and the origin of the shot also effects it among many other variables. We luckily are grandfathered in and there is nothing they can do about it.

Best you can do is check local laws at the time you are looking at property and hope that you end up with understanding neighbors.

[chuckbradley]

Well, I have 26 acres with a 2 bay shooting pit. It just depends on the neighbors. I have one that is scared of guns and they are the ones that protested my variance to locate shooters connection on the property which ended up with a restriction that only i may shoot on the property. Now that Shooters Connection has moved anybody can shoot here and nothing they can do about it. He called once to notify me he was going to check some fence on the property line and didnt want me to shoot him. I laughed at him and told him not to worry, I dont shoot at anything unless I know what i am shooting at and where the bullet will impact and whats downrange.

My other neighbor whose house is only about 600 ft from the range doesnt mind. I do try to consider them when shooting like early Sunday before a match. She was over today and we talked about the shooting. I was sighting in and practicing reloads with an M1 Garand for a vintage rifle match today. The 30-06 was much louder than the normal pistols we usually shoot. She heard it and said oh thats just shooting.

The sound will carry different depending on the condition of the air. Sometimes a pistol round sounds like a small pop and other times it can be quite loud. This is just over the hill from the house. I may be wrong but it seems the higher the humidity the more the sound carries.

Since moving Shooters Connection I have placed the house up for sale to move closer to work and family. I went to an Auction Saturday for 25 acres. They handed me the plat and deed restrictions that were attached. There it was, no discharging of firearms. I was disappointed. I handed the paper work back and said I was no longer interested because of that restriction.

Good luck with your search. The reason I bought land in the first place was to have a place to shoot. You just have to survey the surrounding property and even talk to the neighbors unless the local laws allow it. Here in Kentucky we have a right to farm act which includes hunting. And no Government entity can pass a gun related law except the state legislature.

[Steve Moneypenny]

meet the neighbors before you buy a piece of property and... ask them about each other

being in real estate there are good neighbors and bad.

I am on 100+ acres but the way it lays neighbors can hear me and have complained.... since it's out in the country nobody cares... the fact that they called the cops on the cops one day didn't help them much either

[shred]

I've noticed that wooden walls built sorta like pallets (half the slats on one side, half on the other, 4" posts) somehow does well to cut gunfire noise-- the shape may help break up the sound waves or something.

[chp5]

I've noticed that wooden walls built sorta like pallets (half the slats on one side, half on the other, 4" posts) somehow does well to cut gunfire noise-- the shape may help break up the sound waves or something.

Interesting. Shred - have you used those walls?

[shred]

I've noticed that wooden walls built sorta like pallets (half the slats on one side, half on the other, 4" posts) somehow does well to cut gunfire noise-- the shape may help break up the sound waves or something.

Interesting. Shred - have you used those walls?

There's a pistol range near here that has them between the parking area and the firing line (about 20 feet distance) and I always notice how relatively soft sounding the shots are in the parking area there compared to the other bays where there isn't such a wall. It's officially a bullseye range, so I think they built the wall as a wind break, but it works as a sound break as well. I've always wanted to try running some standardized tests on it and other wall constructions to see if there's anything to my 'disrupt the sound wave' theory.

Another friend did some research on range noise with his range and found that basically 'guns are loud'. Shooting within side-berms redirects noise up, which helps a lot, but think of dropping a rock in a still pond-- even if you drop it near an obstruction, the waves refract and reflect around that obstruction.

Breaking up the sound waves does help cut the sudden nature of the sound, which also helps from an annoying-the-neighbors aspect, though the total noise may not change much.

[EricW]

Interference probably has a lot to do with it. That's actually an intriguing idea because by designing a barrier that reflects the noise 180 degrees out of phase with the offending wavelength(s) could go a long way toward solving the noise problem.

[LPatterson]

The Paul Bunyan range has got to be as close to people as I have ever seen. I'll bet the neighbors were glad when Saturday afternoon rolled around. But then I live in Montana which still has lots of 10,000 acre ranches around.