Posted: 6/24/2007 6:45:28 AM EDT
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Hey friends, I may be moving out to S. Carolina in the next year or two so that my wife can be closer to her mother. I told her two years, but we'll see - she's ready, it seems. This would be around the Columbia area. I guess my dreams of a rural home in northern Wisconsin are no more. While no definitive plans have been made, it looks like it may happen. She misses her mom. So, most importantly, what are the gun laws like? My brother will head out there with us (we are a close family). He was the semi builder at DSA for some time and now runs his own custom shop. Will that be a problem in or around the Columbia area or would it be ok? I haven't called the town hall yet. It doesn't really matter if we are in the city, as long as we are somewhat close. We are also active with our state grassroots group (ISRA). How active is the one is S. Carolina? I looked through it, but couldn't tell much. Where would folks shoot out there? I have alot more questions, but I'll leave it at that for now. My wife is going out there next month to be with her mom (and gamble in Mississippi somewhere). She'll be looking for an area outside the city where we may be able to get a bit more land with a home (we live outside Chicago where the houses essentially touch each other). I really appreciate your time and thanks for any insight you can give me. |
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Most any type of weapon is OK here - SBR, MG, SBS, suppressors etc. I do not see a problem for your brother but you need to check local zoning to ensure he is OK in a specific location. FN has a plant in Columbia making M16's! I live on the coast so I can't say what you'll have for gun clubs in the Cola area but I shoot at the National Forest ranges down here and have never had any problems shooting anything from 22LR to 50BMG. Compared to the gun laws where you're at now SC is going to be heaven! But it feels like hell in the summer with our hot weather & humidity. Here's link to the ranges in the Sumter & Francis Marion forests. target ranges HTH |
Thanks for the answer, Clicker. It's good to hear that FN has a plant down there. And, thanks for the links to the ranges. In terms of the heat, I'll just learn to deal with it. I much prefer the cold to the hot and humid. |
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Yankees acclimate to the heat, trust me. I still prefer the winters, though. SC is a good place to live, and very friendly for shooters. There's a ton of hunting and shooting going on. How far away from Columbia could you live? Depending on job requirements, you might consider Fountain Inn, Simpsonville, or Newberry as more rural, but still close to the MIL. |
Thanks for the reply, Vaughn. I'm not sure how far from Columbia I could live. I figure 30-45 minutes, maybe? Her mother is there and I actually have a friend who moved his warehouse down there so I would like to see him sometimes. I do know that my wife refuses to get a house where we are right next door to our neighbors. I can spread my arms and touch my neighbors house and ours at the same time. I think she want's abit more space and privacy. As far as commute time, that's not really a big issue. I work 3 miles from home and it still takes me 30 minutes to get there. Also, I'm really glad to hear it is a nice place for shooters. That will make the heat worthwhile. I am a bit worried about the heat. Oh, well! |
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When I first moved down here from PA, I just about died every summer. It is HOT like you wouldn't believe when you aren't used to it. But you do get used to it. Your body will adapt, moving blood vessels to the surface, and you'll soon find yourself freezing cold in winters that you used to get by wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Were it me, I would look for a house in the northwest quadrant. I26 runs straight up to Spartanburg and you can can grab 385 long before then and run it straight into Fountain Inn, Simpsonville, Mauldin and Greenville. All of the new subdivisions I'm seeing built are relatively small in lot size (maximizing the profits, of course), but the older ones have very nice sizes. If you're looking to buy a large tract of land, the farther away you get from the city, the cheaper it gets. Don't forget, newbies in the region are required to provide proof of good will to the locals. It's a time-honored tradition and failure to uphold said tradition could result in expulsion. Beer and bullets make great proof. And don't be skimpy. |
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I am a two week Columbia SC resident and am completely happy with the decision to move here. I am originally from Manhattan, N.Y. but spent the last 19 years in FL. So I have experienced the best of the city and the country. Columbia to me seems to be pleasant mixture of both. There is a lot to do and nice people to do it with. The people are friendly, there are great places to eat. Shopping is good just about any store we have back in FL is here (except an Apple store closest one is three hours away). I second the the North West side especialy Irmo I and the Lake Murry area. You can get a 3000+ Sqft house on 6 ackers for less than 380K which is a steal compaired to I.L. prices. The beach is two less than two hours away and the mountains three. There is a great lake here in Columbia SC called Lake Murray it is huge you could get lost out there. I went wake boarding on it and had a blast. I also went dirt biking at an ATV park which was also alot of fun, they had a few black diamond trails which almost killed me. As for the firearms are concerned it is just as friendly as F.L. Once my house is finished being built I will be bringing my toys up (includes some C3 items MG's Cans). I have not found a range as yet, but have been told that there are some good public ranges that are C3 MG friendly. I hope this is True. The traffic or what the locals call traffic is not what I call traffic. The traffic here moves at a good rate (60mph) unlike the parking lot traffic I have experienced and had to contend with in N.Y. or F.L. I have gotten lost a few times on the wrong side of the tracks (farrow rd. on the other side of the canal in columbia) at night and did not think it was that bad. Well compared to some S holes I have been in in South F.L. or N.Y. I even stopped to ask for directions probabbly not a wise move on my part. I would have to say working and living in Columbia South Carolina has been a great experience so far, I belive I'm a lifer. |
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I'm a converted MN resident living in Columbia. I must say its a great deal for what you get. Rent is cheap(I'm in college) and the city is pretty nice. The bad areas are nothing compared to Mpls and neither is traffic. The summer heat took me about 2 months to get used to and now I don't like it any colder than 70F or its long sleeve t-shirt time. I shoot at the Mid Carolina Gun Club, which is about 30min outside of town off I-26 towards Charleston. I like shooting there, but I do shoot a lot of clays(I hope I don't get banned for admitting that). It's pretty nice here overall. x156 |
Thanks for the input, Vaughn! I'll bust out the Franziskaner's and we'll raid my brothers little shop. |