This is a repost from one of my mentors Tom Givins of Range Master Firearms Training Services in Lakeland Florida. Since Texas is known for its open space, and people routinely having the ability to shoot on their own property, I found this extremely interesting. It is a great article and points out some things that you may not have thought about when shooting on private land.
| Practice on Informal Ranges? Tom Givens Jan 1, 2026 |
| Practice on Informal Ranges? If you are going to shoot your firearms on property not designed and maintained as a firing range, you are going to have to take precautions. Here are a few things to consider. Is there an adequate backstop? A tree-line is NOT suitable as a backstop, no matter how thickly or densely wooded it appears to you. There is space between those trees and bullets will invariably find those openings. Is there a safe place to handle weapons administratively? That space should include a bullet proof backstop, just like the firing area. Is your berm/backstop adequate? Your berm or backstop must be capable of safely containing whatever type of ammunition you will be firing. There should be no large rocks or pieces of metal in the back-stop, as these can cause bounce-backs, or ricochets. Is the berm tall enough to prevent a round from going over it? At typical shooting distances, if the muzzle is above the top of the berm, that round will travel quite a distance. A pistol bullet fired at that angle will travel a mile or a bit more. A centerfire rifle round fired at that angle may fly two miles. So, you need to know what is on the other side of that berm for quite a distance. Remember that YOU will be held accountable for the final resting place of every bullet you launch. Here are three cases that illustrate the results of not paying heed to these issues. Woman killed by stray bullet fired by neighbor who got gun as Christmas gift, authorities say https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh annon%27s_law_(Arizona) https://www.yahoo.com/news/sheriff-woman-killed-armed-neighbor-190043207.html |
