Yet another "private range" question

[DThurston]

OK - I'm working with limited information here, but one of my friends asked about folks "putting a range in inside the barn" across the road from his house.

They are in the county, just outside the city limits and there are a number of houses along the road as well as a decent-sized residential neighborhood just a little further away.

Don't know what they intend to shoot beyond "semi-auto assault-style rifles". Could be 22s or could be 7.62x39 or 5.56 or even .308. Just don't know that part.

The area is quite flat, with no natural backstops.

So, what are the important questions to try to ask them to get a feel for whether or not my friend should be overly concerned about ricochets, etc.?

I will say, that if it were my barn/field, I sure wouldn't want to risk any damage/complaints from the neighbors. But then, I'm a cautious type who tries to think of others.

I will add the it appears that the field to the East is part of the same parcel and there is nothing much before the Interstate, which is about 0.5 or 0.75 miles to the E. I have no idea of the intended shooting direction yet.

See below:

 

[badmac183]

As long as they can stop the bullets it sounds pretty cool to me.

 

[IndyGunworks]

doesnt seem like a good idea to me in any way, unless you are talking about a proffesional style indoor range lined w/ steel and having a bullet trap mechanism that is rated for the most powerful round they intend on shooting.

.75 of a mile over flat ground to an interstate is a big no no.

 

[DThurston]

doesnt seem like a good idea to me in any way, unless you are talking about a proffesional style indoor range lined w/ steel and having a bullet trap mechanism that is rated for the most powerful round they intend on shooting.

.75 of a mile over flat ground to an interstate is a big no no.

Well, the feeling from my friend is that the folks are, um, not confidence-inspiring, so I highly doubt that it'll be lined or anything.

I'll see if he can talk to them and ask about what calibers they're planning for and what the backstop/containment is.

 

[inxs]

Indoor ranges have ventilation issues that need to be accounted for, and of course some shooting may induce better ventilation...

 

[top hat 45]

a 22 will bounce aff the ground about 3/4 mile. if they expect the barn wall to stop misses, they are sadly mistaken. i wish everyone could have their own private range, but i feel that if your friend tries to do it with the interstate that close, he's asking for trouble and/or jail. my....daryll

 

[DThurston]

a 22 will bounce aff the ground about 3/4 mile. if they expect the barn wall to stop misses, they are sadly mistaken. i wish everyone could have their own private range, but i feel that if your friend tries to do it with the interstate that close, he's asking for trouble and/or jail. my....daryll

Just to clarify, my friend is the one with the concerns as he lives directly across the road.

 

[selinoid44]

It sounds to me like somebody isn't using thier head. Come on man, common sense tells you this is a NO NO.

 

[Deadly Z Driver]

I think you need to clarify "folks". I think you mean your friends neighbors but it kinda sounds like you saying your friends parents.

 

[308jake]

Sounds like a BAD idea to me. The chances of a serious accident seem high.

 

[sgreen3]

Sounds like a problem waiting to happen

 

[jajwrigh]

The no backstop part makes me nervous. This scenario is begging for trouble...

 

[perry]

Tracked down the "zoomed out" view of that area and don't really see how that area would be all that safe if they just want to shoot inside that barn without any improvements.

Here is a different view:
removed.. .9 miles from the barn to the interstate across corn fields and a small-ish tree row

 

[subtlesixer03]

Unless there is tons of dirt and I do mean TONS of dirt involved not even close to a sane idea let alone a good one.

 

[Wild Deuce]

I looked really hard but couldn't find the story. I thought there was a recent story here in NWI about a couple of guys that were using a basement as a shooting range. A neighbor (a few blocks? mile?) came home and found the side of his house and roof with bullet holes and some of his furniture/belongings damaged. No injuries.

There are some things that scream "Bad Idea" from the start. Non-professional, non-purpose built, shooting range inside a barn is one of them. When the shrieking is this loud, it's a good idea to pay attention and run away before you get sucked into the vortex of stupid.

 

[Jay]

Check with the County Sheriff. Locally, there's a County ordinance that prohibits shooting within 100 feet of a roadway, shooting across a roadway, and no projectiles may leave the property from which a projectile is fired.

That's the way it was a few years ago when I built my range. Things may have changed, but I know of no other requirements locally.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Why does everyone ASSUME that the indoor range wouldn't be built properly with a good backstop? Yes, I would be concerned, but how about walk over, talk to your neighbor, and have your fears either put to rest, or confirmed!
I would be PISSED if I found out my "neighbor" had put up my address and a picture of my property on the Internet and let the whole world know about my plans and/or my gun ownership!
Go talk to him, let him know your concerns, and TAKE DOWN THE PIC. OF HIS PROPERTY!!!
Edit: re-read and realized the op is not the neighbor, but a friend of the neighbor.
Even more reason to take down the pics!

 

[DThurston]

Why does everyone ASSUME that the indoor range wouldn't be built properly with a good backstop? Yes, I would be concerned, but how about walk over, talk to your neighbor, and have your fears either put to rest, or confirmed!
I would be PISSED if I found out my "neighbor" had put up my address and a picture of my property on the Internet and let the whole world know about my plans and/or my gun ownership!
Go talk to him, let him know your concerns, and TAKE DOWN THE PIC. OF HIS PROPERTY!!!
Edit: re-read and realized the op is not the neighbor, but a friend of the neighbor.
Even more reason to take down the pics!

First off, I, personally, do NOT assume it won't be built properly. You'll note that I was asking about what are the best questions to ask the folks to make sure that it IS done properly.

Secondly, the impression from my friend is that the people are not necessarily the best examples of reasonable and responsible people. Given that my friend has limited firearms experience, I'm willing to accept that his impressions may not be 100% accurate. However, he's the one with the kids and living there.

Thirdly, any location is easily searchable and once the shooting starts, there'll be plenty of folks who will "know about" the guns. I realize that I forgot to remove the road name labels and have corrected that. That's why I didn't just link to the maps.

Lastly, I advised my friend to talk to them and ask about the safety measures and the calibers they plan to use as well as the downrange direction.

Really lastly, it seems that the consensus is that, while possibly legal and possible to do properly, our safety concerns are valid and some conversation about it should happen. Since I've only had experience as a user of ranges or large tracts of rural land, I wanted to make sure he and I were reasonable in our concerns.

 

[zoglog]

I can still see the street names in the second picture. Just FYI

 

[85t5mcss]

I can still see the street names in the second picture. Just FYI

Second pic wasn't OP, though.