Shooting on BLM Land

[colossians323]

Apparently not enough to cut the cord and to move over to NCguns?

Thats Okay, I meant NV. Love calguns been a part of the community for a couple of years now. When you crave freedom and cross the border you'll still be here

[Jimi Jah]

One would think, but criminals who think themselves clever don't often think things through. In the instances I have read about, they wait until the shooter or shooters have put their guns down then walked out to their targets... The creeps will then swoop in and snatch the goods, rather than perform any classic "stick 'em up!" -style robbery. They may or may not be armed... but once they pick up any firearms in an attempt to steal them and perhaps use them against the recreational shooters, they've opened the ball.

Always carry a side arm when marching out to targets.

[200Apples]

Always carry a side arm when marching out to targets.

lol ah yea...

Have you read the thread? Or are you say *you* always carry out to your targets...

[Jimi Jah]

Boy Scout motto: be prepared. I'm far more wary of street urchins at the 7-11 than other shooters on BLM land.

[Salijeus]

At a blm in san diego, robbers waited till the recreational shooters finished all their ammo and then robbed them at gun point.

[M60A1Rise]

An attempted robbery of someone that is armed and shooting seems like a suicide pact. Yes, I'm far more wary of indoor idiots.

Yep indoors my SOP is ALWAYS leave one mag full no matter what. Even though it's pretty safe you never know what's on someones mind.

[Plinker1917]

I just moved up to Nor Cal from So Cal and I used to go out to BLM Land outside of Barstow. There is nothing out there but Joshua trees and jack rabbits. A great place to camp overnight or just go for the day. We would take some EZ-Ups and our weapons. It is so open and remote that we only saw one group in the 10 times that we went. Summer was great as no one was there and the winds weren't bad. Take water shade and your favorite gun and have fun. PM me for where and/or GPS coordinates. Nothing like that up here and man do I miss it. I haven't been able to find a good place to practice to keep sharp with my CCW.

[smak28]

Not sure if you already done so, but I highly recommend you get training on drawing from your holster rather than learning on your own or at least have someone there who has been trained & competent to draw from the holster. I just want you to be safe and learn the right techniques, so you don't develop bad habits.

[legalbroker]

Instead of BLM land and being a rookie holster shooter...take some training...from reputable trainer like ITTs etc. you can draw and shoot almost day while being trained.

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

So I found this site, it gives a general map outline of BLM land and from what I've heard thats where recreational shooting is legal, or the discharge of weapon is legal, as well as open carry is legal.

Im working on getting a CCW, I know I cant do ccw drills from a concealed holster, but I just recently picked up the gun I want to carry and still don't feel totally confident. I can't really do drills that involve putting myself under 'stress' in an indoor shooting range, so Im here asking the veterans, is this map accurate?

I still plan on calling the authorities ahead of time to find out if I may or may not shoot, specifically near a blm spot near my home in Orange. Any suggestions are well appreciated.

http://publiclands.org/

I live near your area too. I usually drive 2+ hours to get to BLM land to shoot and it's mostly because of 2 things...

1. Just because it's BLM, it does not mean recreational shooting is permitted.

2. Many locations in SoCal have seasonal closures due to fire hazard.

In Hemet, there is Bee Canyon and further up the mountain to Garner Valley there is Quinn Flat. Both are BLM and are OK for target shooting, but ONLY in specific areas and only when the fire activity level is 1, 2, or 3... I think 4 and 5 means no-go. I would say that they are always a 4 or 5 for 10 months out of the year it seems. You can call the local BLM station and ask them for the fire activity level for the day. They used to have a direct number/recording, but I think they changed it.

If you go to the BLM land near Barstow, there's a popular place right off the 15 off of Hodge Rd. I think that is OK for year-round shooting. I dislike the location because it's too crowded for me and often has some jokers out there being idiots.

If you go into Barstow, north of the 15 freeway has some limited use BLM areas OK for shooting 24/7. South of the 15 I believe has a lot of shotgun only areas. There is a map here: http://cms.sbcounty.gov/portals/1/fi...reas_final.pdf

That map is a good start for BLM land in Barstow... but be careful. There are some areas that are shown as good to go, that are definitely not. For example, Rainbow Basin is an OHV area and shooting is not allowed, yet this map indicates that it is. This map, plus a call to the local BLM office out there would be a good idea.

[Jimi Jah]

Seems that problem has been solved here. We got one month of BLM shooting (March) before it all closed again.

Now where will all those robbers go for their guns?

[Jay-lee]

Yep.
People think we are joking when we say to never empty your last mag.


We are not joking.

I keep my concealed firearm on me at all times while shooting for this very reason. Never know who you could run into out in the woods.

[DCH]

Going to storage after sunset makes me uneasy. Anyone else have that feeling when a homeless person slips inside the gates and walks past your storage space while you’re in there? Lol. I DO NOT LIKEY.

[timbo399]

There's an iphone app called Public Lands that's really useful. It has different overlays for google maps, so you know exactly where you are in relation to land ownership.

Great to know-- I'll check out that app!!

[DentonandSasquatchShow]

Info online is confusing and sparse at best. I find it best to go to the local field office where you want to go (or at least call them). They are very helpful and have lots of maps and info.