Building your own range?

[SevenSixTwo]

So, you can shoot on land with permission from the land owner and approval from the Police.

Yet you can only (I assume) build a range on your land with Home Office approval?

What's the reasoning? Gunz is gunz, right? Or can you build one for your own use without HO approval?

#justaskin

[John MH]

Ask the NRA for advice.

[Mikaveli]

As far as I was aware, you can't target shoot on your own land as such. You can 'zero' if your FAC covers hunting / pest control etc, but it's not quite the same.

It is kinda odd - you could have a .308 for deer, then fancy a bit of target practice on the same land, but technically you'd be breaking the law.

For a target range on your own land, nothing stopping you building the range itself. But to target shoot on it it'd have to be part of a HO approved club. ...or you could start your own. Get 9 mates, liability insurance and a written constitution etc. and job's a good one. :)

[SevenSixTwo]

Thanks. Dawning on me that UK laws do need a major overhaul!

[Chapuis]

That's not quite true about being H.O. approved, it is possible to have a private range. As already suggested you should get in contact withe the NRA and purchase a set of guidance notes if you are serious. Don't forget that you may (MAY) need planning consent so you will also need to contact your local authority also. The local police have an input also with regard to public safety.

All in all it's possible but not simple.

[Rickoshay]

The same planning constraints for the range would need to meet PAM21(which you will be familiar with) if that helps 762?
In addition of course, as other posters have stated, you would need HO, Police and possibly even Local Government planning approval (which includes Environmental impact assessment, and that brings Defra into it too) to build your 'own range'.
A good reference point is Paul Hill at Corinium (formerly GRR) in Cirencester. Is still don't quite know how he got his range danger area template approved without a sentry box, but he did!

[SevenSixTwo]

Thanks all. It's not something I'm considering, at least in the short term; kinda more interested in the mechanics/politics of it.

[meles meles]

Or maybe you should consider an underground range like the one at Calton Moor ? Of course, underground being our domain, ooman, you'd need a chit from us...

[Gaz]

So, hypothetically, if you built a range on your private land and then got the land approved, would that not count as being able to shoot on your own private range?

[Chapuis]

Gaz the land would only be approved in the sence of for shooting over open ground so that anyone using it would then have to have an open certificate or the appropriate condition on their firearms certificate allowing them to shoot over this named land. This should not be confused with an approved range built to recognised standards or with an approved (H.O.) club.
It would be quite unlikely that any Chief Constable would vary any certificate on such a range for target shooting if the range hasn't been constructed to recognised standards and hasn't been inspected and certified as such. Such a range would also need planning permission from the local authority.