The sound of gunshot

BuckWildM9 said:

Would i visit my neighbors and discuss first?

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Ab-so-lute-ly! I know nothing of Texas law but the Visit should be pre-Build ... ideally, it should have occurred pre-purchase.

BuckWildM9 said:

And i assume id need a permit, permission from the state and building orders as well as a large stack of papers. Im from illinois btw.

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I wouldn't assume that. Here in my part of Ohio there is zero permission, permits or paperwork of any kind needed to build a range. I strongly suspect that many parts of Texas are the same way.

Until a rancher sells out to a home builder and the soccer moms move in............Watched it happen in TX, CO and NV

If you've got five acres and a backstop and you're outside of the city limits then you have a firing range.
Welcome to Texas!
It's polite to ask your neighbors (if any), but it's not required... .

BTW, I eat breakfast to the sound of rapid-sequence shotgun blasts most mornings.
I rather like it.
-And I live well within a small town's limits, six miles from Mexico.

BuckWildM9 said:

Texas kinda sounds like the promise land

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If you have the money to buy your own place. Personally, I really like all the open public land in NV, ID, CO, UT, AZ, NM, WY and MT

I live in Iowa and as long as you follow the required rules your neighbors can't do anything. At 3 miles a gun shot is going to sound like a pin hitting the floor.

What if you ask the neighbors and they say no? Is that going stop you from doing legal activities on your property? If you are going to do improvements to the land to build a permanent range you need a county license.

Rather than asking permission, I might phrase it as a notification. "Hey, if you start hearing some occasional gunshots, I don't want you to worry. It's not criminal activity or poachers... it'll just be me on my own land, shooting into a safe backstop. I'll obviously refrain from doing this crazy early or late. Let me know if you ever have a special situation like an outdoor wedding when you'd like me to hold off for an hour or two, or if you'd ever like to come over and try out the backstop yourself."

It really depends on where you live. If you are moving out to some nice acreage away from town it's almost expected that there will be gun shots, especially during dove and deer season. Where we have our land outside of Gatesville, everyone has at least an ad hoc target range on their land, if not something they've pushed up with a blade.

Closer in to a city... well, that might not go over so well. Still, even on the outskirts of the DFW metroplex, dove season can be a particularly loud time of year.

The main questions are what part of Texas are you going to move to, what do you plan to do there, are you bringing family and what's your budget.
All of Texas is not equal for all purposes.
Where I live, 5+ buildable acres with access to utilities may be over a quarter of a million.
Fifty miles north, fifty acres may be less than half that.
Around Big Bend, five acres may be almost pocket change.
Around the big cities? Ouch.
It's all in what you want.

I most certainly WOULD make certain you are not violating any existing laws.

I most certainly WOULD NOT ask your neighbors leave or even notify them.

Nor, would I seek out permits unless is is made clear to you that they are in some way necessary.

The shooting statutes should be clearly worded and easily accessible for you already.

Also, be certain to not over-invest time or resources until you are confident about operating a *range* on your property. Could be all is OK and legal and still something comes up regarding being a good neighbor and you may wish to back down.

Also, suppressors ROCK!


Todd.

ClickClickD'oh said:

It really depends on where you live.

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I guess it does! I hear gunshots from several directions every day of the year. Just thought it was part of living in the country. I have a backstop set up and shoot when I want to. Had one neighbor asked if I had a shooting range. He only asked 'cause he wanted to use it.

As stated, in Texas outside the city limits there won't be an issue shooting into a backstop on your property. No permits. I notify my one neighbor before I shoot because she works with horses, but that is just a neighborly courtesy, not a requirement. My range is facing down a hill into a dry ('cept when it floods about twice a year) creek bed. The trees and surrounding terrain actually do a good job of diluting the noise. My wife can't hear the 22lr, 38, 9mm or 40S&W when inside the house, but she always hears the 556/223 and 7.62x39 as well as the 357. I'm on 22 acres and range is in the back corner of the property.

BuckWildM9 said:

Texas kinda sounds like the promise land

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Parts of it are.
Some other spots, not so much...

It's nice to have your own place with land to shoot on, I count myself fortunate to not have to rely on public ranges, WMA's etc.

Once you establish everything is good to go I think the etiquette varies, depending a little on how close people are, the type neighbor you have and maybe take into consideration what you're shooting. Generally in the middle of the day, weekends especially in a lot of places you would be fine doing whatever you want. Around here a big thing is are you in the "city limits"? If you're not there's not a whole lot to discuss, unless you're being unsafe. Sounds of gunfire is common all around where i'm from, especially if it's a nice day.

Here's my situation.... If you're standing in the middle of my land looking at the targets there's a close-ish neighbor on the right side of the property. They are around 5-600 yards away. The other neighbor to the left is probably about 3/4 mile away. My property is a long rectangle/strip, I shoot longways, not across the short section. In the direction i'm shooting, I can't even give an educated guess on the nearest house behind my backstop. I'm shooting into a natural "berm" that runs across the property where they put a pipeline in forever ago. Anyway, the closer neighbor sometimes will work late hours. I've figured out his schedule somewhat but obviously don't know the day to day. If I go out early in the morning, I may start with a 22 or something suppressed. Going up to normal non-magnum handgun calibers, not much to say there. But, I will give them a heads up if i'm bringing something out thats really going to make some noise. Think along the lines of 257 Wby, 300 RUM, or the 30-06 you mentioned in my opinion fits that category. To me it's more about taking a good neighbor into consideration than asking permission. Seems like @ATLDave has it figured out.

The guys on the opposite side shoot at all times, even later at night than I think they should. They have had L.E. called on them for disturbance because at times it's gone close to midnight, 'high powered rifle' sounding type stuff. My understanding from the person that called is that the officer that checked it out said they were being reasonably safe but they were "advised" to shut it down before it gets much later. These guys usually don't get any sort of notification from me.

Thread prompted me to go take a picture of my range. Plan to add another gong to the right when I clear that downed cedar tree. Rubber Dummie is pretty shot out, probably should replace him, maybe get two this time!

I'd look for a 10+ acre property that has Ag or Wildlife exemptions in place already or get ready to pay more property taxes if you are in a county anywhere near civilization. I see lots of "large house on 5-9 acres for sale" and I know why they are selling. I hear shooting most evenings, more shooting friday and saturday nights, and guaranteed noise sunday afternoon, religiously. Sometimes I join in the chorus. There is no noise ordinance here and everyone takes advantage of it from time to time.

I don't think Texas is heaven but compared to most states these days it is. It has good bbq, good music, good mc riding weather, economy, and firearms aren't looked upon as some shameful habit by the general population. Even in Austin.

theotherwaldo said:

If you've got five acres and a backstop and you're outside of the city limits then you have a firing range.
Welcome to Texas!
It's polite to ask your neighbors (if any), but it's not required... .

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It depends on the county.

Up here it takes 10 acres.

Nice setup @Walkalong

Polite goes a long way in life even with folks who may not 100% agree with you.