Well, I just bought my first AR (actually my first gun), a Bushmaster Varminter...with an ATN 5x33L scope, Harris bipod, 2 5 round mags, 1 30 rd mag, a hard shell case, and a case of XM193 :)

I live in a dorm, so I can't shoot around my area...so I drove to a hiking trail and went up a ways, and took a few shots.  Whoa! It's LOUD!  One thing I forgot...shooting earmuffs.  But I didn't fire any more than 2 shots, because I started to get really nervous that somehow I was breaking a law.  I KNOW there were houses that could hear me shooting and would probably call the cops or something.

But was I breaking a law?  Is it legal to just go onto state property like a park and shoot in the woods?  Do you have to be a certain distance from the road?  Where is it not legal?  These are questions I really need to get answered before I even sight this baby in.

Whoa, Bucky! Local Shooting ordinances vary widely from state to state and region to region. Shooting near a hiking trail in an area not "sanctified" for the purpose is bad ju-ju. It's best to haul a rig like that onto a range or private property, where you can shoot without fear of intervention (of the "throw your ass in jail and forfeit your right to own firearms forever" variety).
HTH,
vanfunk

First off, congratulations on your new AR-15 rifle. [:D]

As far as legal places to shoot, you definitely have to be outside of city limits, even if the location is undeveloped. If you did not have permission to be on the property you were shooting on, it could constitute trespassing. Better safe than sorry. Try to find someone who has ground in the country, or head for state-owned ground. You can also join a local shooting rangem, if one is in your area.

Good luck, and have fun. Be safe.

PS-
Are you keeping the rifle in the dorm? If you are, please check your school rules on firearms possession in school housing. Many colleges have a rather Draconian policy on possession - as in "immediate expulsion". Don't think for a minute that "they won't find it", either.
HTH,
vanfunk

Yikes! I will do some checking around.  And vanfunk, I did check my college rules before buying this, and its against rules, so I make sure to keep it only in my car.

KEEP IT IN YOUR CAR????!!!!!  ARE YOU RETARDED????
I can't wait for it to get stolen and used to snipe some little old lady. You obviously didn't think this idea out very well.  Owning a firearm shouldn't be taken lightly, it is a huge responsibility.  
You must get this situation straightened out before you get yourself in trouble or worse all of us in trouble.

Congrats on the new rifle! one suggestion, you might want to think about keeping your new AR at home? there aren't many things worth $800 that you can just walk off with from someone's car....

dude, I live in Vermont.  I've never had anything stolen from me and we don't even lock our house at night.  But you have a point, I'll be careful to keep it covered up or something.

Nice AR man.

Thanks man :)  I love it too.

stuh505, sounds like you have gotten yourself a very nice piece of machinery.  I'm am currently in college as well so I understand your deal with keeping your AR in your car.  I would just put it in trunk and cover it up good.  This is what a friend of mine and I did while we were living on campus.  As long as nobody knows its there I don't think it real likely that somebody is going to randomly break into the trunk of your car.

Of course if you know somebody that lives off campus and that you trust it would probably be better to keep it at their place. Just my $.02

yeah...all of last year, I wanted to buy one, but couldn't because I had nowhere to keep it.  In fact the only reason I have this car now is for the rifle!

Well, congrats on the rifle, and welcome. Now, as others have said, you need to evaluate your current situation. I know that you might very well be in an area where your rig wont be stolen if you leave it there until you are 100, but your trunk is not the most hospitible place for a firearm to live on a permanent basis.

Also, you need to get in touch with the folks down at the local range, and ask if there is a place where you can shoot which might be closer to your current location. Perhapse the local range where you inquire will suffice, but who knows.

Lastly, always wear eye and ear protection. Only if you like to hear and see though. Otherwise, have at it. And once again welcome.

hey thanks for the welcome killingmachine :)

I've been talking on the forum to get advice as to what to buy for a while but I only feel like a real member now that I have one.

I am with you 100% on the protection part...that become painfully obvious to me after my first shot, I wasn't expecting it to be so friggin loud.

I HAVE eye protection (bolle tactical t800 and also the standard assaulters) but I'm not really sure why they are necessary...I can't imagine anything in the rifle exploding into my eyes.  am i missing something?

We never expect anything bad to happen, however Mr. Murphy can pop up at anytime.  Glasses are an easy way to protect your self from injury.  

Although it doesn't happen often, you may end up with a bad round, something in the rifle could be defective causing issues, you may have a ricochet or depry come back at you, etc....

All of the above things are rare, but they can happen.  While shooting an indoor pistol match I was hit with a chunk of bullet the bounced off of the backstop.  Just wear the glasses.

Speach over.  Congratulations on the new rifle.  I understand the college situation.  I kept a shotgun in the truck for bird hunting while I was living on campus.  Just be careful and keep your mouth shut.
Scott

I got my first AR in Aug(My first gun too) Made the same mistake of firing it without  ear muffs on. After all those years of shooting my dad's .22 I didn't expect it to be that loud. I am also a current college student but i live with my older brother and he doesn't mind the gun boy am I lucky.

Go to the hometown forum (look to the upper right hand corner for the link) and ask about a range in whatever area you are in.  Many are not advertised, and rely on word of mouth.  They probably do this to keep the left wing whackos from calling and complaining all the time.

ALWAYS wear glasses when shooting semi-automatics.  Even with the case deflector, a shell can still bounce off of something and hit you in the eye.  I have had several shells bounce off my glasses.  SKSs are particulary bad offenders... throw shells HARD and in random directions.

stuh, check with the University Police, as many times they will allow you to store firearms there for free or for a nominal fee.  Colleges are notorious for having stuff stolen from cars so get it out of there!  I stored mine at the station on campus for years and they were always very accomodating.

Stuh505, you need some basic firearms handling skills and training. You can't be sure of your backstop when your shooting at some random place in the woods for example.

Find an NRA instructor in your area and take a class [b]asap[/b].

As far as keeping your rifle in your car-don't. Don't cover it up, don't try to hide it-just don't keep it in the car. How many of your friends know about this rifle? Do you really think the word won't get out that you keep an "evil black assault weapon" in your car? I live in neighboring NH and our crime rate is just as low as yours-cars still get broken into, particularly if the thief knows that something of value is inside.

You need to think this through a little more and act responsibly before you or someone else gets hurt.

Although I read AR15.com religiously, this is the first time I have felt compelled to throw in my .02 as I am usually humbled by the surrounding learned ones on the forums.

I am a sophomore at a private University in PA.  Last year, I gathered every penny I had around December and bought my first AR (Bushmaster 20", pretty standard).

Before you even consider owning such a big toy at college, you need to consider where it will be stored.  As you are past this stage, you need to do some heavy research this week regarding your situation and where you can leave your goodies.

Universities will clobber you over this kind of situation.  My school just had a little newsbrief in the newspaper about how a custodian found a live rifle round in a parking lot.  You would have thought they had to bring in the haz-mat squad.

In closing, I feel your pain and feel your desire to play with your new toy and keep it close.  Regardless, you need to get that baby OFF-CAMPUS and OUT of your CAR as soon as possible.  One wrong move and you can kiss your right to bear arms good bye for life.

I'm glad to see more folks my age taking up this fine hobby.  We are the future of it.  We may be humbled by the old-timers on this forum but they are here to help us and I pray that you take my little advice since we are both in the same situation.

I have to admit, I drove 6 hours to school and didn't set up a meeting time with the fellow storing our firearms and I was forced to keep my kids in the trunk overnight.  I was a nervous wreck.

- C.L.

PS  Learn EVERY gun law you can possibly remember.  Learn how to store them when travelling, what states you shouldn't even take a leak in if you have a gun in the trunk, and really take care of yourself.

be a good boy and leave it at your parents' house.  and lock it up and put it in a hard case and lock the hard case up.  then put a chain around the case and the bed frame.

that is one option.  

second option:   take it apart as much as possible.  put small parts in ziplock bags.  store these things separately in your folks house.  

either way, keep it off campus or you may end up not being able to own gun at all.

don't worry, there are ways to hide a gun at home and your parents won't know.  i had 3 ak at home when i was 19.  i got my own house now, i keep all my guns in one of the bedroom in the giant remington safe.

Wow, it’s great to see so many college students here.

I just graduated a year ago and know how hard it can be to come up with funds for something like a rifle let alone food. Congratulations to you all on your rifles.

Next thing, stay in school and finish, I wanted to quit several times but here I am and I’m doing well because of it. Besides, that’s where all the hot girls are.

Please wear your eye and ear protection, these weapons are loud and sometimes, bad things happen and you could get a face full of rifle. It only takes one little chunk of something to hit you in the eye and it’s all over for the ole eyeball.

Find some place to keep your weapons off campus. They could be stole from anywhere but cars are not very secure. If someone on campus discovers your rifle you could very well be expelled, not be able to return, or attend any other colleges or universities. You’ll probably be charged with a crime and never see your rifle again. It’s not worth it.

See if the university has a shooting club you can join and a locker where you can legitimately keep your rifle. Local clubs might also help starving students. I used to keep my few firearms in the back of a local gun sore where I had become friends with the owner. There’s lots of options, but I’d defiantly look for something off campus and more secure than the trunk of my car.

Find legal places to shoot. I have a friend who is going through the court system for this exact reason. His pre-ban arf is gone, he’ll probably never see it again and he’s about $2000 into attorney fees already. Again, it’s not worth it.

I wish all you guys the best, stay safe, J

Co-worker and I went "out in the woods" on a logging road east of Portland Oregon toward Mt. Hood...

he shoots there often...

[b]Main thing to consider[/b] when shooting out in the wild - find a spot that has a [b]good backdrop/berm[/b] so your rounds do not travel through the woods...
never know when someone is hiking thru the brush...

Since you live in Vermont - you are most likely safe shooting on State land...
But check the laws anyway...

[sniper2]

I dont know about any other states but here in New York if you are in the woods, on state land with a weapon during the hunting season you ARE hunting. The Game Wardens can be more trouble then the Campus Cop, here they can confiscate your weapon and your car. Now is the beginning of many of the seasons here, turkey for ex. Join a club.

Congrats on the AR15. I just bought my first RRA Nat.Match in Sep; then had to have a carbine, picked that up at the RRA factory yesterday.
Ar15 rifles are like potato chips--can't have just one

I am a retired campus police officer (32 yrs).
We had many students that had personal firearms at school. We provided storage at the police department. They could pickup at anytime as we are there 24/7. We also could provide info about where to shoot, get training, etc.
If your school has fulltime police, check them out about storage.
Hope this helps

As per all of your suggestions, I asked my campus police...and they said that they no longer stored them for liability reasons.  So I guess I will have to keep it in my trunk.  I think it'll be ok.

Stuh505, if you have any friends/relatives around, ask if you can keep it there.  I am at college presently, and I keep my rifles at my friend's house about 20 minutes away.

Good luck and let us know how she shoots.  And also, we need to see some pics.  We can't get enough of those.

Later!

Oh, there will be pics after this weekend!!! I'm going down to a wildlife management area this saturday with some friends to break it in :P