FAQ 58 ( How much land needed for shooting)

Another question I get pretty often is "How much land do I need to set up a shooting range?"
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I have 2.2 acres here in rural Ga., and we do target shooting regularly in my back yard. The land is hilly and heavily forested. The only issue we ever had was a neighbor about a mile behind us heard all the shooting one day during deer season and thought someone was hunting on his property. He called the sheriff and a deputy came out, checked out my range, and said "Y'all be careful", and left.

[rlross]

I couldn't stop starring at the pumpkin in the tree behind him

[ArcticGator]

I was dissappointed when the random tree pumpkin did not meet it's gruesome end lol

[MarbleDemo]

A rare predatory tree roosting pumpkin can be spotted at 12seconds in, they rely on ambush tactics to survive.

[davejss]

I'm kind of lucky, I guess. I only own an acre of land, but I'm bordered on all sides by a thousand acres of state forrest. I walk out my back door to my small shooting range, and just beyond that is a hiking traill that leads me into the forest where I hunt deer, turkeys, and other game. So I have the benefit of all that land, but only pay taxes on my little plot.
And in my little corner of Taxachusetts it's still too much!
All in all, life is goo!

[cgrm]

I like that hickok45 dresses like an average joe, almost every gun channel has a guy running around in cammo they bought at bassproshop this guy here keeps it realistic and honest, i hope to set up a range as well if you want to be extra safe you can set up a dirt wall out of top soil or gravel but that is pricey and wont look so pretty in the back yard.

[islanderATP]

This is a great question, one I have been pondering lately. I am outgrowing ranges (especially indoor ones) and been thinking that my next investment should be some land out of the city.  I would love to just walk out my house and be able to plink and practice at my leisure.  Guess I will also need a land-layer=)

[SedanChevy]

Used to have 3 1/3 acres. It wasn't a ton of land, but how it was set up (combined with our neighbors land) we had a wonderful shooting area. Our land was at the bottom of a hill so we were able to shoot down into the giant field at the bottom.

[deputysheriff]

Kept waiting for you to turn and shoot the pumpkin "laying" in the tree branch.

[williamkennison]

I used to have a very sweet multi part target setup on my 5ac place in the Ozarks. Depending on which way I was facing in the same location I had a 25yd pistol range, a 50yd shotgun and a 200yd rifle range. Just had to move around a wire spool Thai I had built up as a bench rest/ shooting table. The only problem was the garden was in the middle of the rifle range half of the year but the good thing was the deer and coyotes used to come in that same field to feed or hunt. Talk about having the target dialed in from your livingroom window.

[stephenhorne]

To answer your grammar question: The land lies. The land cannot lay, but only lie. "Lays" would require a recipient object. Thanks for that! Also thanks for the great answer to this question

[metzphan]

Retiring to Tennessee Oct. of 2015, bought land with shooting safety as my main concern.

[mjisabelle]

I am glad you finally addressed this question!. I have a 1/3 acre here in CA that we use for airguns only. Sweet (and legal, we asked our neighbor cop) and pretty fun for plinking. As for our firearms there is always the ranges and public land near us. 

[creepin]

I know this is an old video but I'm new to the channel and I just wanted to add my 2 cents. Brief background, I do range safety for a living, everything from 9mm up to AC130 gunships. As hickok45 said, lay...lie....we'll just say terrain. Surrounding terrain is very important. Always have a good backstop to fire into if you don't have positive control of the area beyond the target. Just for some basic data: A standard .308 ball round (M80) has the capacity to travel 4, 100 meters downrange (Distance X) from the firing point. That is taking into consideration a 15°-18° shot elevation and skipping off of earth, water, steel,  or concrete. Lateral ricochet (Distance W) can reach 1, 461 meters for earth or water and 861 meters for steel or concrete and that extends almost to the end of the downrange distance. Bump that up to a hotter round like most of us fire, Black Hills, Hornady Superformance, etc... and the Distance X increases to 5, 288 meters, Distance W increases to 1, 542 earth or water, 990  steel or concrete. There is also a vertical ricochet to consider. the old M80 ball has a vertical hazard around 700 meters for earth or water and 450 steel or concrete. Hotter rounds,  750 for earth or water and 500 for steel or concrete. That's far above any of the standard earth berms I've seen at public firing ranges. As anyone who has been on a machinegun range at night can verify, those tracers go really high and far after they go through a target and hit the ground. Slower velocity rounds will usually increase in lateral ricochet distance after striking harder impact media. For comparison, 9mm ball rounds carry an 1800 meter Distance X regardless of impact media. Distance W is 158 meters for earth and water but increases to 400 meters for steel or concrete. Vertical for 9mm ball is 93 meters for earth or water, increases to 250 for steel or concrete. Long post, I know but I just wanted to give a little information for everybody's reference. More than once I've had people hunting on bordering property that think if they shoot out of a tree stand those bullets stop as soon as they hit the ground, and more than once I've had to jump out of a tree and find cover while rounds whizzed past me. (followed soon after by me chewing on somebody's backside with promises to return fire next time)   BE SAFE and remember "Life IS Good"

[drfroglegs]

My house sits on 7.5 acres, but it slopes downhill and there is nothing but swamps behind my house for over 4 miles. I'm working on clearing my 200yrd range as we speak! My cousin owns 20 acres at the top of a hill with houses all around and he can't shoot more than pistols/shotguns. It's all about location and topography.

[webster]

I kept expecting you to pop that pumpkin in the tree. Lol.

[Mikishots]

The range we see on the videos is great, I like it very much; long and narrow, a valley in the middle, every shot has a ground stop behind it. Perfect.

[billycarr]

Rural East TX here. 8 acres appx 200' wide by 1600' long. My land from the road rises the 1st 200' then flat for 200' where the house sits (no flooding ever) then falls and ends at a rise and a mile of hayfield. I have neighbors on both sides, we have talked and they like guns and put up with the occasional 100 rds popped off. The tree line on both sides abate the noise in season, winter when the trees are bare, not so much. It is so nice to be able to step on the back porch and pop rounds.

[jamesbasler]

Great question!!! I don't have quite as many steel targets as YET!!! But I was lucky enough to find 10 acres that has a layout, good enough for a range of my own. I often look to your vids, for ideas for target layout, and such. Thanks hickok45!!!

[LouisianaOutlaw]

Im on 55 acres, building a 100 yrd range atm doesnt take up much room at all ive got a hill on the back side but no neighbors for miles past that. Im sure someone with atleast an acre could build a 50yrd maybe even 100yrd range with the right layout maybe even some man made enbankments at all sides for extra protection if needed. Ranges= practice and practice makes a better shooter every firearm enthusiast should practice as pften as possible imho