Private Basement Gun Range

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  • ashby koss

    Shooter
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    18   0   0
    Jan 24, 2013
    1,168
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    Connersville
    This may not be the right area, so please move as needed...

    But a conversation was started and the question came up, is it legal to build a small "self defense" training range in your basement, obviosuly with tons of sound proofing and other materials going into it. Technically this could be within a city limits, which ended up with no one knowing, or if there were basement setups who would know if they are sound proofed so well....

    So the question now I'll bring to INGO, what is your take on a small 20-50" private shooting range (1 lane) in personal basements, and their legality?
     

    GodFearinGunTotin

    Super Moderator
    Staff member
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    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 22, 2011
    50,582
    113
    Mitchell
    Many cities have ordinances about discharging firearms within their limits. I'd bet that's all they need to shut you down...assuming you live in such a town.
     

    Sylvain

    Grandmaster
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    1   0   0
    Nov 30, 2010
    77,313
    113
    Normandy
    20-50” seems pretty small. :stickpoke:

    Contact shooting! :draw:

    maxresdefault.jpg
     

    Tula47

    Expert
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    43   0   0
    Jun 28, 2013
    1,119
    48
    Knox Co.
    My brother-in-law in Wyoming has kind of an indoor range. He has an 18" culvert pipe that starts in his basement then underground goes out into his yard about 35ish yards. When building the house he listed it as a thing to get rid of radon or something along those lines. This sounds rigged but the set up is really nice. At first he didn't have ventilation and it was terrible. So if you do anything a vent is a must.
     

    snorko

    Grandmaster
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    361   0   0
    Apr 3, 2008
    8,294
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    Evansville, IN
    When I bought my house, a duplex, the previous owner had built a sound proof room with a double baffle wall at one end of the basement. He had an old Centerfire bullet trap set up about 60' away and would plink with reduced .38 spl loads.

    Never tried it myself but sold the trap for some decent changem
     
    Last edited:

    K_W

    Grandmaster
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    8   0   0
    Aug 14, 2008
    5,385
    63
    Indy / Carmel
    In the past I was hoping to do the same at my place, but the city that is annexing us will never allow it. I'll make an airgun range instead.
     

    Ggreen

    Person
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    49   0   0
    Sep 19, 2016
    3,686
    77
    SouthEast
    I shoot UTM rounds in my house (don't tell my wife) and in the garage on a regular basis. I've shot at an indoor range with poor ventilation and it sucks, well it didn't suck and that was a problem gun smoke gets thick fast in an enclosed area. You said "tactical" so I assume ar15, glocks, maybe a beretta... UTM covers almost all of those bases and the slides/bolts will be much cheaper than the soundproofing and ventilation you would need to do any amount of shooting over the occasional plink. And you can shoot your friends with it, in a mature safe training environment.

    I have been in a small room while a suppressed 22lr rifle was being shot and there is no reason for hearing protection there and he was shooting into an old stump that stopped everything that 22 could throw at it.
     

    singlesix

    Grandmaster
    Industry Partner
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    May 13, 2008
    7,197
    27
    Indianapolis, In
    I'm downing sizing to from a full basement to crawl space single story ranch, so my airgun range will be no more, and to boot I'm moving further away from MCFG. Didn't realize how much my wife ruled my life until this happened.
     

    nakinate

    Grandmaster
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    9   0   0
    May 1, 2013
    13,425
    113
    Noblesville
    A friend’s dad had one in his basement. He was a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy. It was incredibly well sound proofed. You could barely hear yourself talk inside. He’s since passed away so I’m not too worried about him getting in trouble for an illegal range.
     

    Thor

    Grandmaster
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    2   0   0
    Jan 18, 2014
    10,704
    113
    Could be anywhere
    If legal...besides sound there will be ventilation issues to deal with, and lead if you're concerned about that sort of thing.
     

    GNRPowdeR

    Master
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Oct 3, 2011
    2,588
    48
    Bartholomew Co.
    Many cities have ordinances about discharging firearms within their limits. I'd bet that's all they need to shut you down...assuming you live in such a town.

    Some of those municipalities have laws about airguns too.

    Columbus has said ordinances for firearms, airguns, and paintball markers. Still, there are two indoor ranges within city limits. One of them is new this year.

    Moral of the story? Where there's a will, money, and respect for the people involved then there's a way...
     
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