Posted: 5/8/2017 9:18:33 PM EDT
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I've been living in the People's Republik of Kalifornia for over 30 years. In the same house. I've been shucking stuff left and right in anticipation of a move to AZ to a place where I can have a nice home, and shoot weapons (developing loads?) on my own property.
Little did I understand how difficult this last requirement was for the realty businesses to deal with! So, folks, how do I go about finding a home that is not more than 30 minutes outside Phoenix or Tucson (or Casa Grande, which is nearly between the two) where I can practice my hobby at home and not annoy people? Other locations considered, but at my age I would likely not wish to live anyplace that can get ice on the ground.... grew up in Indiana, and have fallen on my *ss enough for this and the next life. I remain, bewildered, and would truly appreciate any inputs 'yall might have. NOTES: I found several places SW of Tucson via Long Realty, but they were essentially farms on flatland, an hour away from Tucson. That won't work for the little lady. Got to be w/in 30 minutes of a major grocery store. Paved roads most of the way would be good. I've an article from an old issue of Precision Shooting outlining a "silencer" made from an ~10' diameter oil collection tank, turned on its side, welded to a trailer, and filled with hanks of old carpet that would work in a pinch to keep the noise down; only useful if there is an excellent backstop such as an arroyo or foothill.... tanks mac |
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The Phoenix and Tucson metro areas have both been growing like crazy and areas that were rural 10 - 15 years ago are now filled with strip malls and HOA communities. You might be able to find something 30 - 45 minutes outside the metro area, but be prepared for development to follow you. There is quite a bit of land around Phoenix and Tucson that cannot be developed, for instance reservation land, national forest and state parks. This forces both areas to grow outward many miles from the city centers.
If a grocery store and no snow are the only requirements, parts of Cochise, Pinal, Yavapai and Gila county would likely have areas you could get enough land to shoot on your own property. |
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I grew up in Tucson but settled in Sierra Vista. However I'm a retired Army 19D. I then taught a t Buena and now teach the firearms vendorship at SERP in Vail.
Sierra Vista has several shopping centers and a rather huge hospital. Bisbee has hospital and great restaurants and shooting at the Sierra Vista range or go behind the mountain and shoot all day. Benson has a fairly large shopping center and hospital, and lots of land to shoot on. Vail has new housing, new shopping centers on Houghton and the best range in AZ (SERP). My company teaches there (Gator Farm Tactical). All of these towns have access to Tucson without having to live there. Actually Long Realty can help with all of it. You will not be harangued in any of these places for being a gun person. That is unless you carry a High Point, then you will be asked to leave. 
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good luck... I think its due to the fact so much of the land is sold off by the government in chunks to developers, but you can be in the middle of nowhere Arizona, and the there is a subdivision with 7k foot lots nuts to butts.
I don't know about Tucson, but in Phoenix... 30 minutes from edge of metro and a grocery store, maybe somewhere south or west of Maricopa or near Coolidge. North of Florence, I know of one guy secondhand that has a private range somewhere out there. Perhaps around Superior? Its a lot of maybes and an optimistic 30 minutes no traffic and you are flying. You would have a much better chance of success around Prescott or Flagstaff, buy you will still need some bucks. How about Kingman or Lake Havasu? |
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I don't think it's going to be worth the time & money for you.
Consider buying a house next to a range and just buy a membership there. Rio Salado Sportsman Club, Ben Avery, Phoenix Rod & Gun, and Cowtown are the big outdoor range complexes here. There are a ton of nice indoor ranges all over town. Be aware that in the summer, the fire restrictions are going to probably roll up your property, regardless of the state/federal area that it falls under. That would put a damper on your target shooting if you buy land outside of a metro area, or could be used by helpful neighbors to stop any shooting that takes place on your property. |
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No one thinks outside the box...
You just need a piece of property, most likely no HOA that can accept a 50' shipping container easily without being an eyesore and peaking to many inquiring minds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vp5rD2U7DE |
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Quoted:
I've been living in the People's Republik of Kalifornia for over 30 years. I've an article from an old issue of Precision Shooting outlining a "silencer" made from an ~10' diameter oil collection tank, turned on its side, welded to a trailer, and filled with hanks of old carpet that would work in a pinch to keep the noise down; only useful if there is an excellent backstop such as an arroyo or foothill.... tanks mac Remove the CA indoctrinated brain and put on the AZ brain of freedom. Forget the big tube to shoot thru and buy or make a proper silencer. I'm in Prescott on 5 acres and have a gong set up @ ~100 yards. Most of our shooting is subsonics & supers using a very efficient form 1 can. We occasionally shoot without the can but try to keep it to a minimum. Our neighbors are understanding and we are very reasonable in what & when we shoot. I can't just bang away for hours with a 308 sans the silencer and expect the neighbors to be OK with that. In other words, I shoot off my back porch but it's not a rifle range that I can do whatever I want. We do have a neighbor a few hundred yards away who has a full range set up on his 40 acre lot. I can hear it but it's far enough away to not be an issue for his neighbors. As others have said it is not easy to find a large chunk of land that is both close to the amenities of civilization and affordable in AZ where you can just shoot whatever you want. It can be done but either bring $$$ or plan on a compromise that includes noise reduction & good neighbors. You may want to consider a place like Prescott, yes we get 4 seasons but winters are not bad. We get some snow but it's gone in a day or two. Even in January you can expect bright sunny days where a t-shirt is comfortable in the sun. The benefit is we don't bake in the summer like the lower parts of AZ. In the Phoenix area you may find something in the Buckeye area. It will be HOT in the summer so be sure you & the Mrs can take the heat. You can also consider buying a place that is very close to open land where you can set up a shooting bench. If you pick your house location well this is very doable with perhaps a 15 minute drive. Best of luck. |
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I don't think it's going to be worth the time & money for you. Consider buying a house next to a range and just buy a membership there. Rio Salado Sportsman Club, Ben Avery, Phoenix Rod & Gun, and Cowtown are the big outdoor range complexes here. There are a ton of nice indoor ranges all over town. Be aware that in the summer, the fire restrictions are going to probably roll up your property, regardless of the state/federal area that it falls under. That would put a damper on your target shooting if you buy land outside of a metro area, or could be used by helpful neighbors to stop any shooting that takes place on your property. |
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Budget pending. if you can afford it, there's some homes north of the 101 on 67th and 59th avenue with underground shooting ranges. Gotta go over the mountain and they're pretty expensive, but your CA sale should offset it. |
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Quoted:...........
You can also consider buying a place that is very close to open land where you can set up a shooting bench. If you pick your house location well this is very doable with perhaps a 15 minute drive. Best of luck. We are 60 minutes from a big shopping center in the Phoenix area but are five minutes from a great and little used spot in the desert. |
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30 min outside of Phoenix, is still in town. 30 min outside of the burbs is easy. There are lots of places out by Gold Canyon and Queen Valley to buy a house with a nice bit of land that boarded by forest. You can head out to the edge of Queen creek and do the same.Â
It just all comes down to what you want and how close by. Home Depot and Grocery store or do you need a mall and 50 fast food joints. |
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I thought Joe Foss died in 2003? The aviator? Joe Foss Range |
This home has been for sale for a while. It has an underground shooting range in the guest house basement. 
Attached File Do want. |
| If your ok with just shooting pistol caliber 15 ft just get 1/4 acre anywhere and bury a 20ft conix with a whirly bird on either end and run an intake and exhaust fan off the lighting you put in. Hang a 3/8" piece of steel angled down with another piece laying on the ground and 1/2" plywood verticle to stop shrapnell. Most expensive individual part will be excavation but totally worth it. |
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I don't think it is possible to meet your requirements, don't forget, the property you shoot on today may be hemmed in by a development in the future.
You would probably be best served by getting a home near a range (if long range is what you seek) or SGC or C2 Tactical, Caswell's (if pistols are your main concern). I am a member at Rio Salado and there are world class shooters that use the range, plus there are very experienced guys that can help you out if you have issues. Accuracy Speaks is even on the range property. |
I have been looking at land and building a house in a few years and getting my own rough pricing and 1 thing i wanted was a range. The more and more i looked into it, the more i realized it wasnt going to happen without costing a huge amount. I was looking in buckeye, so it may be more "do-able" in other places, but nothing closer to the city. Between the zoning and safety needed, plus...as its been said, the once desert is full of homes, the cost isnt worth it. It reminds me of what happened to Speed World (a drag racing / dirt bike place in WAY north phx). I went there in my 20s and there was NOTHING out there. well over time houses were built next to it, and people complained about the noise and now they are shut down. Granted, people also bought right next to the Air Force base and complained about the jets  so sooner or later, they will get tired of you shooting and in the name of safety, you will get shut down.
as its been said, it will be better to just be a member at a range close by. Im not a fan of public ranges, but depending what you want, and if you can use it on none public days, its worth it. I really like the buckeye range, but the 1 thing im not a fan of with them as a member is you have to be a RO every now and again. I cant stand dealing with dumbasses and i dont have a filter, so it prob wouldnt be best for me to do it. lol |
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Thanks, guys.
Please keep it coming. I really do appreciate it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am selling a house I have owned for 33+ years in The People's Republik of Kalifornia, in Orange County. I have an enormous amount of equity to spend on the place of my dreams, in addition to what the Italian Lady can contribute. I'm a lucky guy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ My plan was, when retired, to buy a motor home, perusing the USA to find where to retire. I had envisioned a place on the Tennessee River where I could fish of my front porch, and shoot off the back. I met up with Italian Lady, who claims she cannot spend a SINGLE night in a motor home, before the above, was accomplished. So I told The Italian Lady, that if we aren't going to go looking, THEN WE ARE going to buy a property in AZ where I can practice my favorite hobby on my own property. Screw the fish. I thought it would be LOTS easier than it seems to be.
:-(
Around here, all of the ranges have been shut down for one reason or another. The Corona Sportsmen's Club is about 50 miles from home, south of Lake Matthews in Liverside County, and the last 3 or 4 miles are on dirt roads. It is a private club, and there is no range master. You get bit by a rattler, shot at by some fool on a dirt bike (it happens!) or do something stupid, and you are a long way from help. Last time I went there I had eight or ten thou of gun stuff in the back of my car. Got in an accident and my auto was still in shape to get home. What if I had required a tow from that far from home? I guess I could have called Ueber, but that was not on the radar for me then. My best guess is that all of my treasured projects would have gone stolen. That is just ONE reason why I would like my primary shooting range to be @home? tanks lots. |
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Just a suggestion: Try looking into the Prescott area.
Look into Chino valley, Paulden, and Prescott Valley and look for land out in those locations. You may actually find what you're looking for there. Or settle in Prescott. Depending on where you live, there will always be a spot to go shoot off the grid. Our hometown shoot location is in the area and you can stretch your long range legs up to 5 or 6 hundred yards. Totally enclosed from three sides. Good luck wherever you may end up. |
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Man, I'd love to get a house with some land to shoot on. That's the dream when I'm retiring age.
One option that's at least better than nothing if you do find yourself in a house in the burbs or elsewhere where you can't shoot firearms is to get into air rifles. You can shoot them in your back yard in most cities, and it can be as addictive as BRD. I live 15 mins from Rio Salado, 20 mins from Tonto NF shooting areas, and can shoot pigeons and targets at 15-20 yards with my air rifles in .17, .22, or .25 from inside my house out my back door. So I can recommend East Mesa as a pretty good shooter's area, next best thing to having your own real range. |