Does anyone tell me how many acres you must own to shoot 50 Caliber and automatics?

[ForGodandCountry]

I live in Montgomery County,TX near Lake Conroe and my neighbor is shooting these guns on his 20 acres. Other neighbors are complaining of the noise and they think it's me because I live on 40 acres. I am new to the county. Can someone please tell me if 20 acres is okay? The sound is obviously effecting some people. Thanks.

[OUTTAHERE]

Noise aside, more important is the 50 cal. being fired into an adequate backstop? 20 acres is not near enough space to be safely firing a 50 cal. without an adequate backstop. Considering the range of a 50 cal, a much larger area might be required. As I recall, a section of land is 640 acres which is 1 square mile and that is far from adequate space to be open firing a 50 cal. in. If a sniper can hit targets at 1 1/4 mile, you know that it is probable that that bullet is capable of traveling for up to 2 miles. Just some food for thought.

[dumb okie]

It depends on the shape of your property. 1/4 acre wide x 80 acres long should be fine if its square you may be a little shy. ;-)

[Retired Grunt]

Distance X( how far a round can travel under ideal conditions) for standard .50 cal ball ammo is 6,500 meters with 5degrees left and right of the target foe dispersion ( aim, wind drift etc.) another 5 degrees left and right of the target for ricochet plus an additional 100 meters for a safety buffer where no person shall be. So from the firing point if you shoot an azimuth 15 degrees left and right of the target and extend it out 6,500 meters that is what the army requires to be safe for .50 cal

[Nightmare45]

One square mile is 640 acres and not really adequate, but it would depend on backstop, round can travel well in excess of 1 mile, look at the simple 22 round.

[Providence Ranch]

It depends on the shape of your property. 1/4 acre wide x 80 acres long should be fine if its square you may be a little shy. ;-)

Dude, that's like saying "A long as your pan is a half a cup long by two cups wide it should be big enough for that meatloaf recipe." Acres are measurements of area, not linear length. An acre measures 43,560 square feet, and can be any shape.

To the OP, the burden of proof is on the accuser that you are violating some noise ordinance or firearms law. 40 acres is probably plenty of room for a little private range, but that's really the smaller issue. For safety reasons id be very interested in finding out what kind of backstop is being used, and what the direction of fire is, just in case that backstop fails or is shot over, regardless of the ammunition type. A 22 can carry a mile and still do damage, and higher power rifles like the 7mm magnum can travel up to 5 miles with lethal energy remaining. A 50 BMG can ruin someone's day in the next county.

[Axeanda45]

I cant believe this was even asked... And I find it harder to believe that no posters up to this point have even the slightest clue in what the answer is... SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!!!


If you are on your own land, you can do WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT, as long as what you do doesnt infringe on the rights of others (no, noise in the middle of the day doesnt infringe, middle of night, maybe...) As long as you make sure you have an adequate backstop, you can shoot anything you want........ It does not matter if you only have a 20 yd range..... as long as the backstop stops the rounds.....

Disclaimer: it may very well be a law in some counties that you need a certain amount of land to shoot lawfully... but that, in my eyes is absolutely asinine and unconstitutional....

[tcox4freedom]

As long as he isn't breaking any ordinances against this, the only thing he needs to concern himself with is having a sufficient backstop; unless he cares about being a good neighbor.

I live in the county on five acres. There are NO laws concerning shooting a firearm on my property. ALL my neighbors do exactly that. But, we try to be SAFE & respectfull of each other; and not make to much of a disturbance.

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[Providence Ranch]

I cant believe this was even asked... And I find it harder to believe that no posters up to this point have even the slightest clue in what the answer is... SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!!!


If you are on your own land, you can do WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT, as long as what you do doesnt infringe on the rights of others (no, noise in the middle of the day doesnt infringe, middle of night, maybe...) As long as you make sure you have an adequate backstop, you can shoot anything you want........ It does not matter if you only have a 20 yd range..... as long as the backstop stops the rounds.....

Disclaimer: it may very well be a law in some counties that you need a certain amount of land to shoot lawfully... but that, in my eyes is absolutely asinine and unconstitutional....

Hmmm...sounds just like what I said, except belligerent and insulting. Can't you manage a point without making it into a verbal assault?

[Axeanda45]

Dude, that's like saying "A long as your pan is a half a cup long by two cups wide it should be big enough for that meatloaf recipe."

SO, if what YOU WRITE is offensive, it is ok, but I cannot write the same way?


I NEVER "try" to be offensive or abusive, it is just the way I am, deal with it...

I refuse to be "politically correct" because it only hides the TRUTH about things.....

If you cant handle the straight truth, you need to go elsewhere......