Long Range facility basic requirements?

stevebc

stevebc

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"If you build it, they will come."

Ok, I realize this is blue-sky, win-the-lottery type of stuff, but what the hell, winter is coming on and this might be a fun thread to occupy the off-season.
So, what exactly would we need for starters? Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking a piece of land approx 1500m long, by 500m across. This would accommodate say, 1200m shooting, with a generous area for firing line, butts and backstop, and say, 20 targets?
A long flat area with a hill/mountain backstop and no neighbours for a few kilometers in any direction... there's gotta be something out there that would meet our needs and keep the CFO happy. If only we could be given, outright, a chunk of Crown land, in perpetuity...

Any other requirements come to mind? Besides the winning ticket? :D
 
Sigh... 160 pages to wade through. Thanks a bunch, pal! ;)
I saved it though, and will read it later. Thanks.
 
You will need to buy /own/control all the land inside the safety trace AND make sure there are no road allowances cutting across it. Otherwise you face an enormous battle with the CFO to have it approved. There is a group in Mb fighting this very battle right now with the CFO. CFO wants huge side berms the entire length of the 1000 yd range and has more or less stated that even when/if that's done they're still going to deny approval because of a road allowance (not even a road, just an allowance) some distance behind the proposed backstop. This decision from the CFO even though every inch of land inside the safety trace is owned by the guy trying to get the range approved. The CFO is essentially doing everything within it's power to prevent the range from opening.


Road allowances = public access = unmaneagable financial liability and danger according to CFO.

A gun club I formerly belonged to in Mb had to shut it's doors because of one of the landowners 2 miles downrange but still inside the safety trace objected to the existence of the range.
 
Ah Les, we have something in BC called MOUNTAINS. You pretty much cant throw a dead cat without hitting some sort of mountain. I have actually been looking at a number of available acreages and many of them could easily be configured into a range with a backstop of little concern, but the trade off is that in oder to acquire said property at a price one could possibly afford without using the proceeds of crime to do so, means that the location is going to present challenges in terms of distances from civilization.

Here is what i have come up with as a thumbnail in the southern interior of BC....

1/4 section of land (minimum size for a 900M range, and it could not be square, or would require more land), 400 - 800G

You may as well simply purchase the heavy equipment to do the excavation and land clearing, and then sell them off when you are done. There are some damned fine excavators out there for 30-50G and cats for about the same money and I can run one or find someone who will for nothing.

24 target frames = $48G (we have had them made recently, and coulc possibly get them for less.

Concret work (depending on distance from concrete plant) 50G

Fencing and gates 35G

Bringing in services (hydro and phone?)??

Construction of a building to accomodate clubhouse, offices etc. 75-100/sq ft if we do it ourselves, 175-200/sq foot if contracted.

Also, you would want to have a camping area and facilites.

The capital costs of getting this to happen would be roughly 1.2-1.5 million, and that is just for the infrastructure, and just for fullbore shooting sports. I would love to see such a facility open to multiple disciplines to help offset costs. There would be yearly taxes, insurance and maintenance.

I have no frekin' idea what it would cost to insure a rifle range against liability etc, but it can't be cheap.

So, unless you know a welathy benefactor or would be prepared to grow dope in the clubhouse, it is a huge chunk of change.

I figure 2 million to do it right.


If you want to set up 90 minutes from kamloops BC, It can be done much cheaper....

http://landquest.com/detailmain.asp?prop=10432&curpage=1&search=rancheslist

http://landquest.com/detailmain.asp?prop=10433&curpage=1&search=rancheslist

http://landquest.com/detailmain.asp?prop=08251&curpage=1&search=rancheslist



and more....

http://www.realtor.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?&PropertyId=8976459&PidKey=-82741121

http://www.realtor.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?&PropertyId=9144197&PidKey=-185483924
 
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I've been thinking the same thing, Steve.:)

I think I'd tour all the awesome ranges of the World first and shoot on them before I made any concrete decisions though. That is after I won the lottery.:D

I haven't shot on any range past 200m, so I'd definitely like to see some different examples of a good 1000m range. One thing though, it would have to face North. All the best ranges I’ve ever shot on face North, so you don’t get blinded by the sun and your target gets lit up naturally.

I’d like to build some fixed ranges you can shoot from a bench or prone out to; 100m, 300m, 600m, and 1000m. Plus, some outdoor 25m and 50m ranges for pistol and rifle and an indoor 25m range to be used for pistol and rimfire. Also, a good shotgun range for tossing clays and an actual regulation skeet range.

An area with bays for IPSC, speed steel, etc. would be mandatory too.

One thought I’ve had for a range is target pits every 100m out to 1000m. Imagine shooting a competition where you could have a target pop up at any station in your line of fire and you had 10 or 20 seconds to make a shot.

I figure paying $150 a year for that type of range would be quite reasonable and for every 1000 members you’d be grossing $150K a year. That could be a real nice income if only one guy was running the place.

It would be really cool to have a decent gun store and gunsmithing shop right on the property too. Imagine buying a gun and being able to clean it and fire it before you even went home. Not to mention purchasing some ammo at a reasonable cost.
 
Ian, that's the kind of info I was thinking of, and I was looking at acreages in BC yesterday, though not the same ones you did. Yes, I'd locate away from major centres if it saves us money. Plus it'll take longer for "civilization" to start encroaching.
So maybe only 1.5 million? Hmm.
 
Maple sugar nailed it. I would happily pay alot more than $150 a year. A range like that would likely motivate people to re-locate, even to another province. I bet if it were far enough from town a new town of gun lovers would grow just outside the entrance. What would you name the new town though, that's the question.
 
You could name your new town Nokomis, Sk.

It has everything Ian asked for. The land is owned by the SPRA. = zero cost. Butts are already built, clubhouse in place. All it needs is money for a proper expansion. there's plenty of room for pistol and shotgun bays. Whatever your heart desires.

For a whole pile less than 1.5 mil, say $200K you could turn the Northstar range into a range to rival any range anywhere. Now, who wants to move to Nokomis?

It is only 1hr form Saskatoon.
 
It is actually 174 km from Stoon Les and the Pres. already has plans for a silhouette hp range, pistol and shotgun ranges, plus we have moved some more dirt around for better drainage and possibly more frames added for the long range. The target cantileveres are also getting rebuilt before the new season too, they are sitting at the clubhouse now for more welding reinforcing realignment so they no longer scrap the faces on the overhang. Still only 6 frames, but room for two or three more now I think after the dirt moving but it maybe a few yrs out before we see then new frames added. :( Just have to tune the kids up in the spring and we are good to go again, bigger, faster, stronger and who knows, if Doug's plans all come together and it gets used enough, someone may even build a new Motel in Nokomis LOL. Myself I'd like to see them add 18 frames to the east of the existing ones for the longs only (8-12) and the sihouette hp range under these new frames. The big cost is the new concrete bunkers and all the earth moving. Hummm going to need a bigger clubhouse then too ;)
 
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prairieguy said:
You could name your new town Nokomis, Sk.

It has everything Ian asked for. The land is owned by the SPRA. = zero cost. Butts are already built, clubhouse in place. All it needs is money for a proper expansion. there's plenty of room for pistol and shotgun bays. Whatever your heart desires.

For a whole pile less than 1.5 mil, say $200K you could turn the Northstar range into a range to rival any range anywhere. Now, who wants to move to Nokomis?

It is only 1hr form Saskatoon.
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It does indeed have everything including 1200 yard berms. Anyone that builds a 24-target 1200 yard range in Canada will OWN fullbore shooting. The 16 hour drive is a bit much, and there is no place to stay nearby, But I'd come anyway.
 
"...with a hill/mountain backstop..." As mentioned, you won't be able to have somebody else's property as your fall zone.
 
In Prince George, BC, our rod and gun club is in the process of opening a 1000m range. It's been approved to 600m so far and will have a 1000m once more work is done. Has pistol bays as well.

We went with the mountain backstop idea
 
stevebc said:
.... I'm thinking a piece of land approx 1500m long, by 500m across. This would accommodate say, 1200m shooting, with a generous area for firing line, butts and backstop, and say, 20 targets?
A long flat area with a hill/mountain backstop and no neighbours for a few kilometers in any direction. ...
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I read the Shooting Clubs and Firing Ranges Regulations line by boring line and the Inspection and Design Guidelines misrepresented paragraph by paragraph. The key statement is in the Regulations that enable the Firearms Act. The definitions of a range are very clear.

It is a place where a) competitions are held regularly, and it is b) designed to contain a projectile fired in accordance with the c) safety orders. Three key elements.

a) If a fellow had a few friends over for an afternoon and they fired a few boxes at round paper targets, and agreed they didn't need to prove their manhood again for a while. Then they have not had a competition. If you involve the CFO or call yourself a club or business, then you're going to have to dance the whole song and dance.

b) A private citizen is not obliged to comply with any of the control measures stated already. A fellow can shoot whatever (unrestricted that is), whereever, whenever as long as the municipal bylaws are respected. Just like hunting season. When the season opens, there are no rules about berms, backstops, flags or danger templates.

c) Finally, it takes a lawyer to devise a fool-proof plan. If the range orders are the critical document, why not write orders that are so ridiculously direct that only the narrow area of the target is within the rules.

It sounds ridiculous, but they wrote the rules so tight a normal citizen doesn't need to worry too much.
 
Nokomis

Kodiak99317 said:
It is actually 174 km from S'toon Les and the Pres. already has plans for a silhouette hp range, pistol and shotgun ranges, plus we have moved some more dirt around for better drainage and possibly more frames added for the long range. ...
Click to expand...

The maximum range is something like 1600yds from the grid road to the butts. A fellow would have to lay on the roof of a truck or bus parked on the road. And as long as the wind cooperated, he'd have a sporting chance. I forget the exact shape of the intermediate ground, but a few thousand dollars of diesel and dirtwork might make it into the longest rifle range in Canada.
 
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