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Firearms Legal Protection

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  1. #1

    Thoughts on the safe distance/land area for shooting on my property

    I'm fairly new to the hunting and firearms scene, and I wanted to get some thoughts on what is a safe range for shooting on a parcel of land. My folks bought a cottage (north of the rifle line) that also came with a 10 acre lot, which is stacked side by side with other similar sized lots by other cottage owners that all use it for hunting. I was pretty excited to be able to hunt with a rifle for the first time (only used a muzzleloader in the lower zone), and also to have a spot to do some target practice. My dad seems to be overly concerned about using a rifle, and I want to see what some of you think.

    I think dimensions are about 600 wide by 800 long. There is a slightly elevated deer blind right near the road facing away from the road, so it is about 750 ft away from the end of the property (which is divided by a wire fence going through the middle of the woods). The property is HEAVILY wooded, with two narrow shooting lanes through the trees that would give about an 80 yd max shot. Now I know that a .22 can go over a mile and the larger rifles 2-3+ miles. But that would require a skyline shot right? I saw ballistics for a .22 that shows a drop from 50-80" at 250 yards. So even if I shot perfectly level in a total clearing I should be in the mud before the next property, right? I suppose if it were clear, I might have a little more concern than I do (I honestly wasn't concerned at all before he said something). But I will always be shooting at a slight downward angle anyway because not only is the blind elevated, but the shooting lane is kind of swampy because it drops even more.

    Do you factor in the dense woods into the equation? Would I still be safe to shoot to the side if I'm 300 feet from the next property? They have a window in the blind out that side so I'd like to believe the previous hunter would have (again, shooting slightly down).

    Now I'm sure the ballistics for a .243 or .30-30 that I would be using for deer don't have nearly as steep of a drop, but I can't imagine that people are needing 2 miles of property to hunt with one of these.

    Thoughts?

  2. #2
    I am a Forum User
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    Dear redeemed:

    I would highly recommend that you have a positive backstop for your rifle range.

    Either use existing topography or build a backstop such that you are 100 percent positive all bullets will be caught by the backstop.

    When hunting, every shot needs to be evaluated prior to pulling the trigger with regards to where the bullet will go.

    Regards,
    Cranky

  3. #3
    MGO Member Eric D's Avatar
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    Take a look at this video. This is most likely the reason your dad is concerned. This is the power a round has even after travelling 600 feet. As already mentioned, don't shoot without a proper backstop.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_3Yyo0Nt0

  4. #4
    Thanks for the input guys. That video is certainly surprising to me and I totally agree. I don't care if a bullet only has 1 ft/lb of energy at 600 feet I would never want to risk it hitting someone lol. I guess my point was that to me it seems literally impossible that a bullet would even make it 300 feet, given that the trees are too dense to see that far in any one spot, and that I would be shooting at a downward angle. I know if you are hunting out of the tree stand at a somewhat close range the backstop is the ground. So I guess my question is if I'm shooting at say a 10-20 degree downward angle from parallel is the ground considered a backstop? I'm sure I have some slight hills where I would be hitting them at more of a dead-on angle. If I can see the ground in my scope, is that a safe shot?

  5. #5
    MGO Member Eric D's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redeemed View Post
    If I can see the ground in my scope, is that a safe shot?
    Maybe not. The issue is you have no idea what is right below the surface. There is always a risk a round could ricochet off something, like a rock.

  6. #6
    Interesting....points taken. I will definitely do a lot closer investigation before I go firing rounds out there.

  7. #7
    MGO Member Galeforcerm's Avatar
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    Just have somebody push up a mound of dirt and shoot in to the dirt.

  8. #8
    MGO Member
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    I'll go along with others in stating that either shooting at an angle into the deck or relying on heavily wooded trees as a bullet stop are not the best ideas.

    Maybe look into building a DIY berm? That's the safest way to stop a bullet. Not mine:




  9. #9
    I am a Forum User
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    even if your safe, neighbors and other people complain, so factor that in - what time you shoot, how long, even go for lower noise ammo perhaps....

  10. #10
    MGO Member Roundballer's Avatar
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    and 5


    Life Member, NRA, Lapeer County Sportsmen's Club Disclaimer: I Am Not A Lawyer. Opinions expressed are not representative of any organization to which I may belong, and are solely mine. Any natural person or legal entity reading this post accepts all responsibility for any actions undertaken by that person or entity, based upon what they perceived was contained in this post, and shall hold harmless this poster, his antecedents, and descendants, in perpetuity.

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