Buying land for private range use: any suggestions?

[mak91]

We're getting started and are thinking about 300K for some land within an hour or two of San Antonio. Anyone care to make some recommendations on minimal acreage, location, things they would or wouldn't have done when buying similarly purposed land?

Thanks very much.

 

[rp-]

Don't get anything next to a green belt. Make sure the properties adjacent are all owned. Greenbelts tend to attract visitors and workers which can get shot...

Bracken range is almost like an old quarry but much smaller. It is all dug into the ground so bullets don't tend to ricochet. Remember, point blank range means the max range a projectile will travel when fired from a barrel parallel to the ground. This can be well over 300 yards for most rifles and over 50 yards for some pistols.

Make space for pistols, rifles, and shotguns. The more peoe can bring, the merrier they'll be!

Make a space for long range shooting. Maybe make a space for 50cals on or near there too. A 100 yard range has no place for a 50bmg...

Also, the closer to town the better.

Just my 1.5cents worth. I've thought about starting a range myself.

 

[Maverick44]

Do you mean private range for yourself, or a private range club for members to use?

If it's for yourself, I would suggest getting away from any developed areas. You don't want your range to be surrounded by suburbs in 20 years. My grandfather used to hunt dove not that long ago in areas around DFW that are now nothing but suburbs and businesses. Expansion can happen faster than you think.

 

[Wyldman]

Save a bunch of money, as much as you possibly can, for the insurance. The land will be cheap by comparison.

Crush, kill, mangle, maim, destroy.

 

[HKShooter65]

Flat land will require a bulldozed berm or some very significant backstop to be safe.

I'm fortunate enough to have inherited some land in the hill country with a natural 50-75 foot tall bluff 200 yards inside my property line.
Perfect shooting range.

Buy something with enough natural topographic undulation to make shooting safe and easy.
The farther from a city the better IMO.

Hill country, for me, is more charming than south of SA, but that's just personal.

BTW our place cost us $11.24 an acre.
Thing have gone up a bit since 1923!!

 

[TheDan]

You don't want your range to be surrounded by suburbs in 20 years.

If he has 50+ acres then the suburbs will have to just suck it up. Plus the suburban crawl will really help the value when it's time to sell.

In my previous neighborhood there was a field between the houses and HEB. Folks out there with shotguns every day during dove season. I'm guessing the field is over 10 acres since they never got hassled for it.

 

[mak91]

To clarify, I am looking to buy land for my own shooting use.

Just happened to be at capitol armory and someone mentioned that Austin, not on my list of potential places to buy, requires 50 acres for centerfire shooting in town. Hopefully this requirement is not universal.

 

[Mreed911]

To clarify, I am looking to buy land for my own shooting use.

Just happened to be at capitol armory and someone mentioned that Austin, not on my list of potential places to buy, requires 50 acres for centerfire shooting in town. Hopefully this requirement is not universal.

It is, inside most city limits.

 

[Renegade]

Buy in an unincorporated area.

 

[diesel1959]

To clarify, I am looking to buy land for my own shooting use.

Just happened to be at capitol armory and someone mentioned that Austin, not on my list of potential places to buy, requires 50 acres for centerfire shooting in town. Hopefully this requirement is not universal.

The State only requires a landowner have 10 acres of land (or to be able to be aggregated with adjacent neighbors to make up at least 10 acres), in order to be able to discharge weapons on the property. That only applies to unincorporated portions of the county though, as cities have a tendency to up the ante--as you've noticed.

 

[karlac]

Wouldn't hurt to at least familiarize yourself with extraterritorial jurisdiction, with regard to possible firearm restrictions:

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.229.htm

 

[busykngt]

I own some shooting land in Collin County and have studied the governing laws pretty extensively. Read the link karlac posted - it's your "beginning bible" to understand what impact growth can have on your buying decision. My advice is to buy the largest tract of "trash property" - think desert or floodplain (like Elm Fork in Dallas) - that you'll be able to afford to pay property taxes on. An old rock quarry or high cut bank along a creek would be a plus (see the hill country comment posting). Since you're considering the purchase for your own personal/private use, $300K ought to be plenty to find something an hour or two outside of SA (as long as you're not looking north!). *** Of course the concept of "trash property" usually goes against the idea of buying for future investment - more of just land to play {shoot} on ***


Sent from my Apple thang.

 

[Charlie]

The State only requires a landowner have 10 acres of land (or to be able to be aggregated with adjacent neighbors to make up at least 10 acres), in order to be able to discharge weapons on the property. That only applies to unincorporated portions of the county though, as cities have a tendency to up the ante--as you've noticed.

Not true. For example, a person can discharge a firearm in Kerrville city limits as long as it doesn't leave the property or endanger anyone. The "10 acres" thing is not law as far as I am aware. Please correct me if I'm wrong with a cite from Texas law.

 

[Renegade]

The "10 acres" thing is not law as far as I am aware. Please correct me if I'm wrong with a cite from Texas law.

I think he is referring to link Karlac posted.

 

[Charlie]

Well, I skimmed through the link but didn't see anything that said, "you cant' discharge firearms in the state of Texas on less than than 10 acres". I may have missed it so correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Charlie]

And if it is that you can't discharge a firearm on less than 10 acres, how come it's not a violation in the city of Kerrville?

 

[diesel1959]

Not true. For example, a person can discharge a firearm in Kerrville city limits as long as it doesn't leave the property or endanger anyone. The "10 acres" thing is not law as far as I am aware. Please correct me if I'm wrong with a cite from Texas law.

Go to Local Government Code, Title 7, Subtitle B, Chapter 235, Subchapter B, Section 235.022. http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.235.htm

It reads as follows: To promote the public safety, the commissioners court of a county by order may prohibit or otherwise regulate the discharge of firearms and air guns on lots that are 10 acres or smaller and are located in the unincorporated area of the county in a subdivision.

Therefore, you have a State law which empowers County authorities to the extent only that they can't ban firearms from being discharged on pieces of property greater than 10 acres in the unincorporated portions of their county.

Cities have their own ability to separately pass ordinances restricting discharge of firearms within their incorporated limits. Not every city in Texas opts to so restrict, I suppose (regarding your Kerrville question.).

 

[Charlie]

Go to Local Government Code, Title 7, Subtitle B, Chapter 235, Subchapter B, Section 235.022. http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.235.htm

It reads as follows: To promote the public safety, the commissioners court of a county by order may prohibit or otherwise regulate the discharge of firearms and air guns on lots that are 10 acres or smaller and are located in the unincorporated area of the county in a subdivision.

Therefore, you have a State law which empowers County authorities to the extent only that they can't ban firearms from being discharged on pieces of property greater than 10 acres in the unincorporated portions of their county.

So, it's not a state law that one cannot discharge a firearm on less than 10 acres. Correct?

 

[Charlie]

I keep reading that one must have 10 acres or more to discharge a firearm legally in Texas. That is untrue. Counties (or cities) can pass laws but until a county does, it is NOT against the law for a person to discharge a firearm on less than 10 acres.

 

[diesel1959]

So, it's not a state law that one cannot discharge a firearm on less than 10 acres. Correct?

I just quoted you a State law--straight from the Texas Local Government Code. It says that so long as you have greater than 10 acres in the unincorporated portion of the county, you're good to go. The county can't touch you and that is with the State's blessing through preemption. And the city can't touch you as you aren't within their jurisdiction. What part of that is not in harmony with what I've previously stated?

It is an exercise for the individual to determine whether their own County has elected NOT to restrict up to the limit allowed by that section of the law. I'm not personally aware of any Texas Counties that have not done so, but research away!