quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
It will be a nice fallout shelter once you get a good layer of lead built up.

Hahaha!

Beside the practical construction and safety concerns, is it even permmissable by state or local codes? I wouldn't be surprised if EPA has something to say about it, too, because of the lead. Do you have neighbors who can hear gunfire?

Seems like a world of issues that can lead to a lot of headache if the gummint get involved, even in what I assume is a more lax place like Alabama.

It might work if you have excellent ventilation, use a good bullet trap, AND you use only lead free ammo. Lead free ammo is expensive, but it’s on the market.

Regular lead ammo, no way.

You should consult with a company who builds indoor ranges professionally before moving forward. We are amateurs!

It would be fun to have an indoor range at home but be careful with your local ordinances. Some prohibit shooting in the city limit, whether indoor or out, without a permit.

I shoot my Daisy air rifle from the CMP and a CO2 BB pistol in our basement with a pellet trap. It's not the real thing but it's fun, cheap, relatively quiet, works great, and there are no fumes.

It was probably about fifty years ago that a my best friend’s dad had a 50 yard range off his basement. He was a general contractor and put in a concrete culvert pipe with a concrete spiral trap at the end that had a trap door that my friend and her sister used to climb down into the trap to collect the lead so he could recast it to reload. He shot a lot of 45 down there. Eventually the city of Ventura grew in around him and he ended up moving out into the country. He wouldn’t do it that way now, but it was fun at the time.

It is possible to do it, with the following:

1. Use range safe ammo with lead free primers and plated bullets. It's the primer dust that is the biggest source of contamination.

2. Use a rubber trap that catches the bullets intact

3. Set up ventilation to provide negative pressure. You would need to partition off a narrow section of the room. 300CFM is nowhere close. For a 5' wide, 8' high space, you need about 2,000 CFM

I know these things because I actually did it when I built my house. I live in the country, so no zoning issues in my case.

My father did this in our basement garage many many years ago. It had not been fully dug out, so there was a huge earthen berm under the living room and dining room.

The berm soon had a very large conical crater from his continuing rimfire practice. We could hardly sleep from the pop pop pop of his practice.

A friend decided to do the same thing in a modern home. He built a bullet trap. Pretty soon the trap was filled with lead and was useless. I think it actually fell from the wall once it became so heavy. But, a trap did trap the bullets. He shot 45 and the mass of lead resembled a kid's lava simulation at a science fair.

what about the neighbors and local government getting involved . without proper permission and or permits it could get very ugly from the legal aspect very quick and could be costly.............drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Where is 45Cal? Doesn't he have a range in his basement?

Yes, he does--I've shot there (with my Grizzly .45 win Mag and .50 AE pistols!). As I recall, it starts in his basement and then continues in a tunnel under the yard.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by D4Heavy:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
the cleanup and maintenance of the area as well as the residue and gun powder that is inevitably spread throughout the house.

My basement is under my detached garage. Not on the same ventilation system as my house. Its completely independent.

Would a few hundred rounds a month make all the much lead? I could capture it all and melt if down and make fishing weights with it!

I mainly want to use it for load development and on the occasion I cant make it to the gun range.

It's the vaporized lead that's the problem. It will coat everything.

Use ammo with lead-free primers and full jacketed bullets?

flashguy

I have a solution which I am working on... I know it is not going to be a real gun range... but last week I purchased from a fellow member an Air Soft Pistol that is a pretty good replica of a Sig P226 even down to the exact weight of one loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm... this is what I plan to practice with in my soon to be developed indoor gun range.... this will allow me to not only practice drawing from concealed but also firing and hitting the target.

Reach out to .45cal he has one. . . . I here.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Where is 45Cal? Doesn't he have a range in his basement?

Yes, he does--I've shot there (with my Grizzly .45 win Mag and .50 AE pistols!). As I recall, it starts in his basement and then continues in a tunnel under the yard.

flashguy

Yep, as I recall it too. I met up with 45, Marzy and SC when I was down in GA for tech training probably like 10 years ago. It was a nice set-up, I think there was a thread with pictures, I seem to recall everyone got a lot of laughs because we were all basically wearing the same type of shirt or something. Good times....

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by D4Heavy:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
the cleanup and maintenance of the area as well as the residue and gun powder that is inevitably spread throughout the house.

My basement is under my detached garage. Not on the same ventilation system as my house. Its completely independent.

Would a few hundred rounds a month make all the much lead? I could capture it all and melt if down and make fishing weights with it!

I mainly want to use it for load development and on the occasion I cant make it to the gun range.

It's the vaporized lead that's the problem. It will coat everything.

Use ammo with lead-free primers and full jacketed bullets?

flashguy

You could also make it even safer by using frangible bullets.

Are you sure you don't want to take up Archery or even Darts for the basement fun?

I once tried a basement range with simply a primer and a wax bullet recipe that I reloaded myself for a revolver. I gave it up after I realized how much power a primer alone has.

you would have to have a SERIOUS ventilation system...

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
Are you sure you don't want to take up Archery or even Darts for the basement fun?

I already have a dart board!

I'm way out in the country. No local or state laws to worry about. Neighbors are a couple acres away. they will never hear shooting in the basement.

I guess my biggest hurdle is ventilation and lead cleanup. Need to figure out if I can get 2000cfm through a 6" exhaust pipe.

Well I am late to the thread.
There are lots of folks on here that have shot in the range.
The fact is it started out as divorce therapy.
I consider it safe with two squirrel cage blowers drawing air out the back .
Was a learning curve and what worked was a member from Argentina that worked for a metal company in atlanta bring me a special 10 Foot long sheet of steal that I mounted at a steep angle to deflect bullets down into the soil

quote:

Originally posted by D4Heavy:
I guess my biggest hurdle is ventilation and lead cleanup. Need to figure out if I can get 2000cfm through a 6" exhaust pipe.

Not an HVAC expert, but I doubt it. Mine has 2 1200 CFM air exchangers. Each has a 12" fresh air intake and exhaust to outside

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Well I am late to the thread.
There are lots of folks on here that have shot in the range.
The fact is it started out as divorce therapy.
I consider it safe with two squirrel cage blowers drawing air out the back .
Was a learning curve and what worked was a member from Argentina that worked for a metal company in atlanta bring me a special 10 Foot long sheet of steal that I mounted at a steep angle to deflect bullets down into the soil

Hi 45Cal, thanks for the response. My basement is truly sealed off except for 2x 6" vents and the entrance door so ventilation is a concern for me. I could open the door and ventilate that way. Sounds like your basement is open on one end. How are you controlling the vaporized lead or are you concerned with it at all? based on some of the responses here, you should have lead walls by now right?