Guns - Making $ from Land???

[Navotifarm]

Something most of us here want is to be able to make money from our land. I have have several failures from food entrepreneurship investments so I'm looking for something simpler with less investment but on-going income. ALL ideas welcome. In my favorite thread on here, the one with the photos, there was a kind of shooting gallery with an earthen berm. I would sure like to know how to make such an earthen berm, how thick it has to be, how high and long, distances. For guns, etc. Yeah, how can I get rich setting up a shooting practice range for all the folks who have taken the 4-hour gun course to get their concealed carrt permits but that's all they know about guns!
Also if I set such a thing up, how much money to charge and for what? Does anybody on here (besides the smart posters with the photos) have such a set-up???

[big rockpile]

Well you can do it but it needs to be into a side of a Hill and Signs Posted at least a Mile behind the berm and to the sides that this is a Shooting Area,then you need your Insurance.

big rockpile

[Wis Bang 2]

There are NRA standards that are recognized by some states. There is an indoor/outdoor shooting club near me that was being surrounded by McMansions & Starter Castles.

The encroaching yuppies decided to bring suit to get this local danger shut down and NJ, taking an unusual stand, backed the club saying it was grandfathered when zoning was adopted and it was desigend to meet the NRA range standards.

The club then agreed to raise it's berms as added insurance and the surrounding fields were brought into the preserved farmspace program. It does look unusual to see this pocket of farmland surrounded by suburbia.

This part of NJ is very flat and this place is in a slightly depressed area so the angle of normal fire is well below the berms, someone found the right place to put it years ago.

[Bret4207]

Before you even think about this, check and see what insurance will cost.

[Chuck R.]

I’ve got a private range on my place, but I didn’t build a berm, I cut into a hill to use as a primary backstop. My second backstop was also cut into the hill at a higher point. For my little range set up, I’ve probably got about $4000 tied up in earth movement/gravel, and another $2000 tied up in commercial armor plate targets, stands etc.

What you want can be done, but generally it won’t be cheap. Because my range is private, and no money ever changes hands, I do not have to worry about special use permits, insurance, licensing, and an environmental impact study etc. I go to great lengths to insure that my range remains private and can no way be construed as either a commercial operation or a “club” because again it opens me up to a lot of regulation and insurance requirements. There is no shooting on my place unless I’m present and I make it a point to shoot a decent hours to keep my neighbors happy. For some reason, nobody wants to live next to a range.

Once you get into area of commercial use, you’re looking at building a range to NRA standards and carrying insurance, besides the usual business regulations for your location. A guy about a mile from me built an NRA certified range, complete with baffles etc, it is a great facility. He’s a CCW instructor and his intent was to use it for the firing portion of the certification. The county still shut him down because he did not obtain a special use permit beforehand complete with environmental impact study. He’s now out tens of thousands of dollars in improvements and construction. He can use his range for private use, because you can shoot on your own land in my county, but he cannot make any money from it.

A cheaper route might be a sporting clays type outfit, just due to the limited safety fan compared to centerfire ammunition.

Go to the NRA site, they have literature for range construction, and I believe they can or will assist.

Chuck

[ronbre]

we have a small home range, with a high berm and private property behind it..however..i am sometimes concerned that a ricochet might hurt someone.

there are gun ranges nearby, but they have a high hill behind them..then there are the noise ordinances.

[Stephen in SOKY]

Don't forget to budget for cleanup of lead down the road. Our club banks a bit of money annually as we know at some point cleanup will be required by the EPA.

[unioncreek]

Contact the NRA to see what it would take. There is also insurance available for clubs through them. Our muzzleloading club has insurance through the NRA and it costs about $400.year for a million in coverage.

Bob

[highlands]

Bunch of buddies were out shooting in a nearby town. They failed to take proper precautions, apparently, since one of their stray bullets penetrated the wall of a neighbor's home and killed the man inside sitting in his armchair. One of the people just got convicted.

I would not touch this venture with a 50,000,000 foot pole.

[Stush]

I give a LOT of credit to anyone that has a firing range (indoor or outdoor) that they open to the public. I grew up with a father that was a gunsmith. Customers would come in, and I would think, "well, its going to really take a lot to top that level of stupidity". I was always wrong.

When I dad moved out of state and set up shop at his new place, I bought his old property and shop. The first thing I did was close the shooting range to the public. I just don't trust most people and don't want the liability. Even my nephews and kids know not bring guests.

If you go forward, you have three steps to do in order:

1) Check with your municipality to see if they are going to allow it under their zoning if there is any.

2) Call and see if you can get insurance at any reasonable price.

3) Call the NRA and see what their safe range specs are and decide if the cost is something you want to incur.

My guess is that you will find that there are other ways to make money with less liability.

[geo in mi]

I would think you might be able to grow nuts. Better than inviting them in.
geo

[AR Transplant]

geo nice.