Acceptable start time-Backyard range

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  • DentonDog

    Member
    May 18, 2017
    47
    Caroline Co, MD
    Want to keep neighbors happy here. Don't shoot before 10:30am nor after 4:00pm on weekdays. No shooting on weekends. Immediate neighbors have said it's OK for me to shoot, but don't want anyone complaining.
     

    Batt816

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 1, 2018
    4,087
    Eastern Shore
    Want to keep neighbors happy here. Don't shoot before 10:30am nor after 4:00pm on weekdays. No shooting on weekends. Immediate neighbors have said it's OK for me to shoot, but don't want anyone complaining.

    Wow ... No shooting on weekends? No shooting after 4 on weekdays?....
    Glad most of my neighbors are all shooters too. Nothing is set in stone but normally 9 til sunset here. Normally back off during deer firearms season out of respect for anyone who might be hunting close by.
     

    BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    I typically won’t shoot on the weekends before noon or so. I cannot shoot week day mornings because I’m always working at sunrise. On weeknights I’ll shoot up until dark.
     

    Nanook

    F-notso-NG-anymore
    Wow ... No shooting on weekends? No shooting after 4 on weekdays?....
    Glad most of my neighbors are all shooters too. Nothing is set in stone but normally 9 til sunset here. Normally back off during deer firearms season out of respect for anyone who might be hunting close by.

    If there is a lot of gunfire, they get used to it pretty quick.

    On many, many afternoons and evenings at Berwyn R&GC I would be doing some pistol work on the 50yd line and several deer would walk up from the creek to see what was going on. Even worse is calling a cease fire on the 100yd line due to the deer coming up to graze on the grass.
     

    TexDefender

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 28, 2017
    1,572
    My suggestion would be 10 AM, and keep it consistent (Time and Duration). That way if something odd happen it will stick out more to your neighbors. I would check to see if you have any local ordinances regarding firing ranges and noise. Don't need tick off neighbors and you want to be within the law if you have a busy body.
     

    Sundazes

    My brain hurts
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 13, 2006
    21,301
    Arkham
    Want to keep neighbors happy here. Don't shoot before 10:30am nor after 4:00pm on weekdays. No shooting on weekends. Immediate neighbors have said it's OK for me to shoot, but don't want anyone complaining.

    So that would mean no shooting on my property. I work during the week until when ever, 5, 6, 7... But weekends should be fair, after say 10 am.
    Get a couple suppressors.
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    Depends on where you live. Around here, we do not have people who are too lazy to get their butt out of bed, most are up before the chickens! First shot as soon as it is light enough to see well enough to be safe. Last shot, just before dusk. Neighbors will even shoot their African big game rifles and no one complains. You do have to give up your man card if you even so much as contemplate shooting a .50BMG though! Oh, we don't allow wearing your sister's jewelry either!:D
     

    Mag Dump

    Active Member
    May 31, 2017
    246
    Frederick, MD Region
    Good morning folks & happy Easter!

    Wanted to get some feedback from you guys about this. I’m lucky enough to have enough property & awesome neighbors so I set up a sweet backstop for target shooting. Shooting .22lr almost exclusively since it’s quiet & fun.

    My question for y’all is: what time in the morning do you consider an acceptable “start time” for kicking off some target shooting?

    To me it seems weekdays allow me to start earlier since home improvement/landscaping crews typically start work around 8 & tend to be louder than I am. On the flip side, on the weekend things are a little quieter around here until about 10a so I typically watch the clock tick until 10a before I start sniping paper targets.

    I’m trying to be courteous to my neighbors regardless of legality even though the .22 isn’t even that loud. Does my “timeline” seem like a reasonable approach to you guys? Anyone think I could start earlier or later? Personal experiences & opinions welcome!!

    Thanks in advance.

    I have a range in our small patch of woods out back and we have neighbors all over and some are not that far away. I have grappled with this issue as well. Here is what i have found works well:

    1) Suppressed- any time, any day.

    2) .22s and suppressed subguns- when most folks are awake and won't be bothered.

    3) Loud guns- 11 am/noon until 4-5 PM.

    4) Machineguns- the "wake the dead" ones especially, I usually save these for holidays like July 4th, Labor day, Memorial Day, etc. Give MDSP a courtesy call ahead because they WILL get calls, and raise all manner of noisy hell from 11 am/noon until 4-5 PM. I have been told that the rifle caliber machineguns can be heard all the way in Brunswick when the wind is right!

    I know it is only a matter of time until the fun can no longer happen and I have to cut back on the noise. I imagine first we will cut back to suppressed and .22s, eventually have to cut back to just archery out back once more houses get built but for now, I am trying to see how long we can go by being as considerate as I can be and hold off that inevitable nuisance suit for as long as possible!
     

    ralph.mclean

    GOC (Grumpy Old Cop)
    Jan 27, 2018
    236
    Edgewater, MD
    Having a noisy, early morning neighbor who likes to mow his grass at 8 a.m., I's say be kind, and start at 9 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays...

    But did you think to ask you neighbors...?
     

    10point

    Member
    Mar 24, 2014
    29
    Cecil county
    I start cutting grass when ever I want be it 4 in the morning or midnight with the tractor lights on. But gun's are diff I have good people living around me never before 10 am Mon thur Sun.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Do you have noise ordinances for your county or city? If so, make sure it’s outside of those times. IMHO, is do 9am week days and 10am weekends and about it down no later than 30 minutes past sunset or 8:30pm, whichever is earlier.

    The later because of any neighbors with kids (depends on the family schedule, but mine I try to put to sleep at 8:30. Most of my friends with young kids bedtimes range from 8-9 generally)

    I’d also touch base with my immediate neighbors to see if it’s bothering them or they’ve got any special considerations (like shift work). Worse comes to worse I need to have really odd hours at my home range part of the week or something I could live with. I get to shoot on my own property!!!

    Pretty much so long as my immediate neighbors weren’t being A-holes and had a good reason I’d do my best to abide by it. Happy wife, happy life is the rule. Happy neighbors, happy life is a pretty good guideline.

    PS that doesn’t apply to me though as I can’t. Where I am moving I can do a little bit of hunting on my property, but that’s going to be mostly crossbow or if somethings trying to get in to my chickens. Dang HoCo. Though my wife wouldn’t let me setup a shooting range on our property anyway. Maybe in retirement or if we buy a hunting, I mean vacation property. With her, I figure I am not getting away with recreational shooting on anything less than 20 acres.
     

    J Beard

    Deplorable Member
    Jan 28, 2013
    856
    Calvert County
    If there is a lot of gunfire, they get used to it pretty quick.

    On many, many afternoons and evenings at Berwyn R&GC I would be doing some pistol work on the 50yd line and several deer would walk up from the creek to see what was going on. Even worse is calling a cease fire on the 100yd line due to the deer coming up to graze on the grass.

    Agreed.
    I have been at 3 rivers and had deer walk under us shooting clays.
    Crazy sight to see for the first time.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Agreed.
    I have been at 3 rivers and had deer walk under us shooting clays.
    Crazy sight to see for the first time.

    I’ve seen it at IWLA Damascus before with them wandering near the ranges while shooting is happening. The one that pisses me off the most is the local ground hog that likes to wander out on to the rifle range. I’ve stared at that sucker through a scope several times in the past. Not tempted to get kicked out for taking it out, but of all the places a ground hog could live and be the safest, IWLA is probably it.

    I had him literally walk in to my line of fire once to sniff around my target stand and of course had to hold my fire for a couple of minutes till he decided to amble off.
     

    JohnnyE

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 18, 2013
    9,464
    MoCo
    I’ve seen it at IWLA Damascus before with them wandering near the ranges while shooting is happening. The one that pisses me off the most is the local ground hog that likes to wander out on to the rifle range. I’ve stared at that sucker through a scope several times in the past. Not tempted to get kicked out for taking it out, but of all the places a ground hog could live and be the safest, IWLA is probably it.

    I had him literally walk in to my line of fire once to sniff around my target stand and of course had to hold my fire for a couple of minutes till he decided to amble off.

    At Mt. Airy chapter, we had to call a few cease fires because turkeys wandered right in front of the 100 yard targets at the rifle range. Tempting, but no.
     

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