Personal gun range in a house?

[Katygunnut]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

I am interested in designing some custom features into the house, like reinforced interior walls and steel framed doors for the bedrooms, a vault room in place of (or maybe in addition to) my walk-in closet, etc.

One thing that would be really cool is to have a private shooting range. It would really only need to be wide enough for 2 shooters, and I'm thinking 25 yards long. Well lit and ventilated, etc.

Does anyone have any idea of how much this would cost to build something that is safe and is also sufficiently soundproof? I'm thinking that I want it to be about as soundproof to the rest of the house as a typical indoor range is when you are in the shop area. Would definitely want it to be very soundproof to anyone outside the house so I don't need to worry about neighbors, etc.

Also, is it even feasible from a permit perspective if I want to still be somewhat close to a city (say within a 45 minute commute from downtown Houston)? I would not have the range open to the public, it would just be for my personal use, and I could buy some land for the house if needed.

[WildBill]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

Have you thought about a house with a basement? Do they have these around Houston?

[fulano]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

Have you thought about a house with a basement? Do they have these around Houston?

They do but they are full of water.

[Katygunnut]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

Have you thought about a house with a basement? Do they have these around Houston?

I don't think so. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where basements are standard features of houses (or at least they used to be). I haven't seen many basements since moving to Texas 3 1/2 years ago.

For sake of this discussion, assume that the house is being built from the ground up, so an underground facility is entirely possible.

[sjfcontrol]

A 25 yard long range will end up about 100 feet long with bullet trap and shooting booths. That's going to be a heck of a basement!
These guys build and sell "Modular Live-Fire Ranges", including baffling, traps, sound abatement, ventilation, etc.,but you better have a hefty checkbook!
http://www.ais-sim.com/training_product ... krange.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WildBill]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

Have you thought about a house with a basement? Do they have these around Houston?

They do but they are full of water.

Indoor Pool.

[seamusTX]

Can you have a 45-minute commute to downtown Houston anywhere outside Harris County?

I'm thinking unless you can get into Brazoria, you are going to get no joy from any municipality or the county. Building a new house or substantially modifying an existing house requires review of the building permit.

Then there are those pesky covenants and HOAs.

- Jim

[MoJo]

A lot of cities have prohibitions of discharging firearms inside the city limits. There are environmental concerns, not to mention what it might do to your ability to insure the structure. It's an intriguing idea but I'm thinking it's fraught with obstacles.

[Hoi Polloi]

Me and my practical self, my initial thought on all that insulation, vaults, soundproofing, etc is that the AC bill will be astounding. You'll need to have a full vent and return exchange in every room as they're all going to need to be heated and cooled independent of each other since air won't be flowing freely between them. Some property in an unincorporated area with an outdoor range and a silencer will probably come out much cheaper.

[Keith B]

I will likely be looking for another house in the next 3-5 years, and possibly much sooner (depending on a few factors that are currently being decided).

Have you thought about a house with a basement? Do they have these around Houston?

They do but they are full of water.

That would be an option. Water makes a great bullet trap, but you would have to be PADI Certified and you could only shoot Glocks.

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[sjfcontrol]

On the other hand, it wouldn't have to be a very big basement if water filled -- the rounds only travel 2 feet! No bullet trap needed!
(Two inch grouping on the floor of the pool -- lol)

[Texas Size 11]

A 25 yard long range will end up about 100 feet long with bullet trap and shooting booths. That's going to be a heck of a basement!
These guys build and sell "Modular Live-Fire Ranges", including baffling, traps, sound abatement, ventilation, etc.,but you better have a hefty checkbook!
http://www.ais-sim.com/training_product ... krange.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting...what do you think their definition of hefty is? I didn't see any pricing - not that I am running out and dying to buy one, but I would be curious to what a product like this runs.

[WildBill]

When I was a kid, my dad set up a firing range in the basement of our house. He bought a "Detroit Bullet Trap." It may have been strong enough for shooting .38 Special [lead bullets], but we only shot .22LR. It worked out pretty well. We wouldn't shoot unless the house was empty. This was in the city limits, but at the time there probably weren't any laws against it.

http://aerospace.zibb.com/trademark/det ... p/29273992" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sjfcontrol]

A 25 yard long range will end up about 100 feet long with bullet trap and shooting booths. That's going to be a heck of a basement!
These guys build and sell "Modular Live-Fire Ranges", including baffling, traps, sound abatement, ventilation, etc.,but you better have a hefty checkbook!
http://www.ais-sim.com/training_product ... krange.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting...what do you think their definition of hefty is? I didn't see any pricing - not that I am running out and dying to buy one, but I would be curious to what a product like this runs.

I can't find my notes from the Shot show, but I seem to remember it was somewhere around $700k for a 2-lane 25-yard modular system. If you're interested, I can probably get you a discount if you buy two...

(Note: if you're really serious, call them. I could be WAY off.)

[Rex B]

Years ago I spent some time with a guy that had an auto parts store in downtown Brownwood. After work one evening he asked me if I'd like to do some shooting. "I said "Sure!".
He took me across the alley intot he back door of a very old 2-story masonry building. Then we went downstairs, below street level. There he had a nice handgun range set up. You could not hear shots from outside. He said the local police borrowed it occasionally. As far as i could tell, that was the only reason he owned the building. Probably bought it cheap on a tax foreclosure.

As to the original question, I think I'd make sure my new homesite is in an unincorporated area, and not likely to be annexed by some hungry city anytime soon.
Then I'd build my house. At the same time, have a 40x100 steel shop building built. Build your range into that.

Another alternative might be something like the rifle tube at Bass Pro.
Butt several lengths of big concrete tube at the corner of the house, opening to a corner of your basement.
the concrete could be partially or totally buried. Use the rectangular cross-section stuff and leave the top just above the dirt, and you have a driveway ;)
Have a standard bullet berm at the far end - angled steel plate over sand.
You also want a big exhaust fan at the far end pulling leaded air downrange and out.
This would be pretty quiet.