There was a time in the not so distant past that indoor bowling alleys or basketball courts were the things to have but now, people are opting to have indoor shooting range built into their homes. Mostly pistol and small caliber single lane gun ranges but some people have installed multiple lanes ranges that can support higher caliber rifles.
An indoor private shooting ranges can be installed in your home for less than you would think. A basic bullet trap set up can be had for about $10k. A fancy premium range with all the bells and whistles can cost a few $100k. I’ve found that your typical indoor range will set you back about $60k.
Indoor Shooting Range for your home
Your typical box-within-a-box design is the best way to approach a home range. The two most common and best ways to create this box inside a box is by using either 6 inches poured concrete or 8-inch center fill cinder blocks. Using these guarantees that no rounds will escape.
You are going to need Overhead Protection in the form of a concrete ceiling, sound management in the form of acoustic dura panels.
Ventilation and range maintenance is important for every indoor range. With ventilation, it’s key to draw air down range, rather than blow it downrange. It’s also important that the range ventilation doesn’t connect to the rest of the house. This is key in keeping lead dust and other unwanted particles away from your living area.
Custom Home Builders to the rescue
Your current home can be retrofitted with an indoor range but the easiest and cost-effective way would be to have it installed when having your home built. I know a couple of custom home builders that would be happy to help you out.
Remember, safety is your first and most important priority. Be sure that your range is set up where no one can approach your range of fire from any direction except behind you.
Consult your local experts before building an indoor range and pull all the local permits that you may need in your area.
Indoor Shooting Range for your home.
If your wallet is deep enough and you want to have a custom range built and shipped to you, there are companies that can do that as well.
While more people are asking for SMART House features, in the near future, maybe a shooting range will be just as common.