Which state is the most conducive to long range shooting?

[jhr1986]

Follow-up to this question: How many acres for a 1.2K yard range? Assuming proper backstop (hill/mountain/50ft berm) and rural with no regulations? I can do the math, but 1+1 doesn't seem to always equal 2 in implementation.

You could do it with as little as 100 acres (well in theory you could do it on a single acre but a property of the correct dimensions does not exist (1210 yd long x 4 yd wide)), but that is assuming that the property is a properly shaped rectangle and your range spans from one corner to the other. I'd be looking for at least 400 acres for a range of that distance if I was putting my home on it as well, and there are plenty of 400 acre properties that would not support a 1200 yard range due to the lay of the land.

As a side note - don't be scared of buying land if you can swing it, they aren't making any more of it. I'd rather live in a $25,000 cabin that I built on 500 acres in the sticks than a $1,000,000 house on the golf course in town, even though the mortgage would be the same on either.

 

[LearningAsIGo]

As a side note - don't be scared of buying land if you can swing it, they aren't making any more of it. I'd rather live in a $25,000 cabin that I built on 500 acres in the sticks than a $1,000,000 house on the golf course in town, even though the mortgage would be the same on either.

Not there yet. But the dream/goal is a full section of land. If I get there... well, that remains to be seen. I would certainly hope I could find a section that would accommodate a 1200+ yard range.

 

[Sharpsman]

Yes, please disregard any rumors that Wyoming is an option

Besides most of the private land has been bought up...everyplace I go it seems to be...public land

We like to shoot rocks and other stuff, and some say we are kind of uncivilized

Good looking elk but the rifle's a morphodyke! Hmmm...the elk is hit a little 'fur' back also!!

 

[leadbullet]

Washington, very little snow and only gets over 80 degrees for a couple of weeks during the summer, practically year round shooting with tons of long range spots to shoot.
There is desert, snow mountain ranges, rain forest, ocean shores and lots of hippies to mess with.

 

[DetroitRearView]

Good looking elk but the rifle's a morphodyke! Hmmm...the elk is hit a little 'fur' back also!!

Actually, we have significant terrain variations here in Wyoming...so it was pretty close to a perfect shot since I was at 8000' with the the bull quartering my direction and about to disappear...I had to enter quite forward with the shot and what you see is the exit. Autopsy revealed a double lung as planned, have shot several like this. Notice the lung blood through the mouth. It was so steep that the bull rolled end over end backwards for 200 yards before coming to a DOA rest...hmmm

You may not like Desert Tactical rifles and that is fine by me, I really do not care what you use. This for me works as a great LR 338 Lapua that I pack for miles on foot through the Rocky Mountains on foot, kill stuff, bone it out and pack it out on my back - alone.

And oh, yeah...never use the word DYKE with reference to me or anything I own. I may be 61 years old, but you would only get that word out of your mouth one time face to face.

 

[Llatikcuf]

Not many votes for Alaska, that would seem to be a good option. I am asking the same question as I plan on retiring in 4-6 years. After I retire I am hauling ass out of MASS and am looking for the right combo of economy, land, friendly people and the ability to shoot frequently so MASS is totally out of the question.

Sully

OP was looking for reasonable prices and LR shooting, pretty much rules out Alaska! Think underbrush, swamps and mountain tops. My vote would be eastern Washington or eastern Oregon.

 

[rigmaster10]

Yes Wyoming is great. And the winters weed out the weak of heart.

 

[Tuckersnocat]

Northern NM

I live as far North in NM as you can get and it fits the bill for me. 6,000 ft elevation, thousands of acres of BLM land just across the road that I can use (and don't have to pay taxes on), perfect for long range shooting. In the 25 years that I have lived here I've seen 2 people out there. I have permanent target stands up that never get messed with. The CO rocky mtns are just across the border (that's 75 yards away for me), so I get all the benefits of SW CO without being subject to CO's misguided gun laws.

 

[LearningAsIGo]

All of these places sound ideal to me. I wish I didn't have 2 years left to finish the degree I went back for; unfortunately it's that degree that will likely make the move possible.