Can You Shoot on Your Property in Maine?

Whether you are a newbie shooter looking to learn the basics or you are a professional shooter preparing for an upcoming competition, adequate shooting practice is the secret to mastering the skills required to become a proficient shooter.

Many shooters find it to be an inconvenience when their local gun range doesn’t open on certain days or if it is located many far away. In order to overcome this challenge, you can set up your own backyard gun range.

Before embarking on this project, it is important for you to research on the local gun laws in your state so that you can ascertain that is it legal and safe for you to shoot on your property.

Can You Shoot on Your Property in Maine?

Yes, you can shoot on your property in Maine provided that the firearm is discharged at least 100 yards away from any dwelling or state-owned boat launch.

Maine Gun Laws

Maine is a constitutional carry, shall-issue state where both concealed and open carry are legal without a permit or license. The USSCA outlines that there is no background check, firearms registration or permit needed to purchase a firearm from a private individual.

The State of Maine offers Carry Concealed Handguns:

• Permits are for the sake of reciprocity and are provided to both non-residents and residents who are at least 18 years of age and have successfully completed a mandatory firearms training course.
• While the state does not have any magazine capacity limit for handguns, it is worth noting that armor-piercing ammunition is prohibited in Maine.

Three Steps to Setting up Your Backyard Gun Range

When setting up a backyard shooting range on your property, it is important for you to accurately follow the guidelines so that you are able to create a suitable environment where you and your fellow gun enthusiast friends can shoot safely. Here are three easy steps to follow:

Choose the Right Location

When setting up an at-home shooting range, location is everything. You should select a region within your property that is free from any buildings or other structures that can potentially get damaged by stray bullets or debris.

If there is a natural hill on your property, then this is an excellent location to set up the range since the landscape offers a great bullet-impact area.

Pick the Right Target and Backstop

The next step is to select the best target and backstop which will occupy your bullet-impact area. An article in Ballistics Magazine outlines the fact that steel targets are the best option since they hold up well to repeated impact.

Experts recommend that the target should be made of through-hardened AR500 steel. You should also invest in a target stand which is a steel base with legs.

Get Protective Equipment

You should never do any target shooting without the right ear and eyesight protective equipment. Just because you are shooting on your private property doesn’t mean that you should forget the safety guidelines that you would have followed if you were shooting at a public range.

Conclusion

One of the best ways to enjoy a fun weekend with friends and family is by having a fun shooting session. On the days when your local shooting range is closed or when you simply don’t have the motivation to travel all the way out of town to a public range in Maine, then backyard target shooting on your property becomes a great alternative.

Always make sure to remember how to properly handle the firearm and that you take the necessary precautions when setting up your backyard shooting range so as to ascertain that the area is safe and secure for shooters.