Personal Underground Shooting Range

[hdcd]

Ok..this has been on my mind for a while ..I've got a big flat lot in an urban area, lots of space. I could easily put a 25 yard personal range underneath my lot. Anyone ever heard of this? Am I dreaming? Would the regulatory hoops be huge? Advice welcome.

[Guns R Tools]

I think I saw a movie where people get a permit to build a wine cellar or similar storage place then later on convert it to whatever that suits their need.

I think that the ventilation is one of the most important thing to consider. Maybe you can drop one of the containers into the ground with additional support on celing and walls.

I would imagine it would be tough to do in california with quakes and all.

Just an random thoughts.
Good luck.

[wilit]

An aquaintance of mine built a "wine cellar" and behind a hidden door is his boy's room, complete with a single 25 yard lane. You can't even hear it when the door is closed. Very, very cool. Also very, very expensive.

[berg]

Arnold Schwarzenegger has one in his basement in So Cal house (mansion).

If it's a residence you might have trouble if your home owner's insurance co. finds out.

[booknut]

I gotta get me a 'wine cellar' too :p

I know a couple in Willits who built a 'wine cellar' while building their new home. The 'wine cellar' was in the garage. Funny how a wine cellar can double for a grease pit!

Take soil samples and have them analyzed.
Check around (unless you already know) about springs and the water table where your property is at.

Things to consider:
1) Water (its like cockroaches, you just can't seem to keep it out of your house)
2) Ventilation
3) Some sort of baffle system to ease the noise on you
4) earthquakes
5) people parking things on top of it
6) government spy planes flying overhead and using ground-penetrating radar and thermal imaging to document your devious deeds! :eek: :D

[jessegpresley]

Elvis built his own indoor firing range. Don't know if it was at Graceland or one of his other houses. There were years when Elvis always packed, even when onstage (in his boot).

[accordingtoome]

Elvis built his own indoor firing range. Don't know if it was at Graceland or one of his other houses. There were years when Elvis always packed, even when onstage (in his boot).

i think it was in his living room.. have you seen all the T'V's that guy shot :D

[socalguns]

Visit http://rangeinfo.org
You'll be reading for days

[saki302]

If you really have the big bucks, build a room suitable for a bowling alley. It has similar requirements- noise, ventilation, and access in the rear.

Then build it as a 25 yard wine cellar :D

A friend of mine just built huimself a 5000 sq ft. house with a 7 car underground garage- with enough $$ anything is possible.

My idea for a cheap one is just to make a 3'x3' tunnel of concrete under a house with a small 9'x9' room at one end, and a wire-type target system at the other. Say it's for a custom aquarium water plumbing or something. Then you have a small access hatch at the far end, and a good backstop. You shoot with the gun in the 3x3 hole. It should be nice and quiet, and cast in concrete, near indestructible.

Or add a big septic tank right next to your basement- when all construction is done, connect the two with a small tunnel- voila! Instant range!

-Dave

[hdcd]

I'm looking for the semi-cheap option too..I'll be looking at that rangeinfo.org..My main concerns are noise and what-if someone finds out - am I in the slammer for the rest of my life or what?!!?

[LOW2000]

I saw on www.dreamhomesmag.com a house in LA/OC for about 7 million that had its own indoor range.

[JGarrison]

I saw on www.dreamhomesmag.com a house in LA/OC for about 7 million that had its own indoor range.

Low, are you from LS2? Truck guy arent you?

[resistor]

I saw a deal on TV awhile ago where some female country singer has a fully done up shooting range under her house. Several lanes, completely finished with wood panelling and all. VERY well done and I can say I was TOTALLY jealous. I forget who it was though, figures.

[VeryCoolCat]

Don't skimp on the backstop. You might wanna be able to shoot rifle calibers for fun now & then.

[LOW2000]

Low, are you from LS2? Truck guy arent you?

Yep, one and the same.:cool:

[Kruzr]

If that urban area you are in has a city with city limits, you will most likely be violating the law to discharge a firearm in the city limits and especially in a residential neighborhood, if that's where you are. You would have to get it permitted if it proved feasible.

[Top Cat]

This can be done...and it doesn't really need to be underground. Most, if not all, firearms manufacturers, ammunition manufacturers, etc, have some type of indoor test range, underground or otherwise.

The real issue here that you need to be aware of, is the very real hazard to your health from lead contamination. If you use the range much you will be at a severe risk for lead poisoning.

[shopkeep]

As cool as the idea of an underground 25 yard range is, it will always be cheaper to aquire property in the country for this use. Not to mention cleaning up all the shell casings and continually leaving 1000+ casings in your garbage can each week or so just looks damn shady heh!

[accordingtoome]

As cool as the idea of an underground 25 yard range is, it will always be cheaper to aquire property in the country for this use. Not to mention cleaning up all the shell casings and continually leaving 1000+ casings in your garbage can each week or so just looks damn shady heh!

hahaha.. ya what would the trashguy think man :D

[colossians323]

Does anyone have any useful information, I am interested in what kind of expense, and difficulty it is to do this. I think it would be cool to have an underground range. I can walk into my backyard, and shoot my guns, but if I had and underground range, I could shoot anytime of day or night.
I could put at least a hundred yard underground range in depending on expense.

[socalguns]

Visit http://rangeinfo.org/ , all seems very usefull.

As for expense/difficulty,
building an underground range is nothing more than
building some kind of cellar/basement.
You get a permit from city/county if you need one
and build yourself a basement.
You add adequate ventilation (vent at both ends),
maybe some soundproofing,
bullet trap/backstop and you've got yourself your own range.

As for cost of construction, try
http://www.construction-cost.com/
it all depends on your design needs,
choice of material ...

[booknut]

I would say that if you have land enough, in the right place where you could just go into the backyard and shoot, you could build a semi-underground range.

You would wind up with a long 'bump' in your yard, but the excavation costs should be less, as well as the engineering being less complicated.

From personal experience, if you have a building long enough for your range requirements, and large enough to accommodate a small inside structure, you can build a soundproof shooting chamber.

Think of a paintbooth... just longer... with similar ventilation requirements... and soundproofing. ETA - penetration-proof walls/ceiling/backstop.

Since you're likely to ventilate to the outdoors, you need to figure out how to diffuse the report while the vents are running, or shoot without the vents and turn them on after... say, like when you're checking your target.

I, for one, cannot even begin to address the lead issue.
I suppose you could find info on contaminate rates from shooting and figure out what your acceptable exposure time would be before needing the vents on?

The NRA has two large binders on range building.
One is for outdoor ranges, the other is for indoor ranges.
When I purchased the outdoor binder for our pistol club, I think it cost me around $45.

[Sydwaiz]

I've heard rumor there are a couple homes in RPV that have them. Rumor says 100yds too! They've got the land and the money up there so I wouldn't doubt it.

[DSA_FAL]

I wish I had the range-in-a-trailer that the Navy Seals have. I wonder what the cost of one of those trailers is.

[odysseus]

I have shot numerous times at private residences in Cali, all outdoors in areas where you are far away from the nearest neighbor, using the earth as backstop. That would be optimal in my opinion to trying to build an underground range at your residence.

On that topic I have heard a few pointers on other threads. One is concussion. If you are shooting in a tight space that concussion is going to be felt on you. Of course the other issues of importance are ventilation and lead contamination. The ventilation and what it seems like from the request, concealability to near neighbors will be a challenge.

I much have had the idea of a having a spread and building a "barn" of sorts that actually is an indoor range. That way you can better contain lead and ventilation away from the residence. I have heard this will cost a bit of money to construct properly.

[grammaton76]

Could you perhaps recoup the expenses later on, by selling your backstop earth to a lead refinery? :)

[ohsmily]

I wish I had the range-in-a-trailer that the Navy Seals have. I wonder what the cost of one of those trailers is.

I have been in the trailer range they have down at the Coronado base. It is cool that it is mobile, but it isn't that great. Really cramped (duh) and the guy who was showing me around said the ventilation isn't so great in there.