Hey guys,

My brother in law is thinking about buying some land and building a private shooting range on it.  I was wondering if there are any laws in North Carolina against this?  I know here in Georgia you can't shoot within 500 feet of a road/residence and have a safe backstop, other then that it is fine.  Thanks for any help ya'll can give me

You have to follow your county ordnances..
In Onslow County the ordinates states that the range must be built to NRA specs.
A Lil $35 book to tell you how to build a range from the NRA.
Also probably going to need some type of Surveyor/Planner/Engineer to draw up proposed plans with grading and drainage for the range.
Also lead pollution is a big thing, make sure wetlands and flood zones are out of the range and beyond it..

This is just the cliff notes version...

I'm 90% sure you can shoot on your land however you want, but to actually put a range up, thats where it becomes a headache..

CXS

Yea, he doesn't want an "official" range.  Just somewhere where he can shoot privately....

Yea, just make sure its safe and your not breaking any ordnances...
Put up a pile of dirt for reassurance.. (see how I did not say berm)
Once you start making berms, or what not, the county wants to get involved..
But a pile of dirt at the back of the property is just a pile of dirt..

CXS

A good tip is what Custom-X_Sponjah (what the hell is a Custom-X_sponjah?) mentioned is to make the "range" look as innocuous as possible.

If a stranger is sneaking around on the land (or the cops show up for any reason) there should be zero indication to a quick look-around that there has been shooting going on.

A big pile of dirt with a shovel laying next to it with corresponding color/consistency dirt sprinkled around a garden or flower patch will look like landscaping where laziness struck, not a backstop for rifle fire.

Setting up a clothesline between the dirt pile and house (if there's going to be a residence on site) gives you a place to hang targets, or you could use that orange construction netting and put the netting around the dirt pile ("for safety or to keep animals off") to hang targets on.

When I go shooting here (moderately populated patch of county land surrounded by incorporated city) I staple targets to trees and fire at a downward angle (about 20-40 degrees down from where I shoot to where the targets are, depending on the tree I staple them to) so I have a series of trees, hills, and the ground itself as my backstop.  The direction I'm firing in is towards an undeveloped mountain with all the residential area to my rear.

If anyone shows up the only indication of gunfire is the couple of trees I've cut down (god, i love AK-47s and .357s ) and random shell casings I failed to pick up and chuck into the woods.

Oh, plus the Yankee vermin that move down here love to call 911 when they hear gunfire, but the Sheriff's Department either lies to them on the phone and pretends to dispatch someone or they tell them to STFU because I havent had a Deputy show up in about 8 years.

Thanks for the added tips PFC-Demon  You guys are great!

<----- not bad for a 23yo kid eh..

have fun, be safe..

CXS

Oh, PS....


Dont talk about the "range" and dont charge people to come over and shoot.

The only people that should know about your shooting spot are you, the land owner, and THE END.

If someone starts jaw-jacking about a neat range and someone overhears it and spreads it around they might say it's an illegal business and blah blah zoning blah blah permits blah blah safety inspection moo moo blah.