tl;dr: Where can I go outdoors around/near Raleigh to do this (for free):


http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot15.htm

I have been leading a senior design team that is developing a Kevlar additive. Part of my project is to shoot treated Kevlar and see how it performs compared to untreated Kevlar.

We are getting near the testing phase, so I am starting to research any places where I can go outdoors, set up my ballistic target, and have some friends shoot my school project.

I assume this would be out of city limits. I want to avoid going to an indoor shooting range like PDHSC because I do not want to pay the lane fees for my team and everyone who would be coming by to shoot. Plus, we need to be shooting a specific target and I'm not entirely sure how the range owner would feel about that.

Basically, my ideal location is an open field that is relatively private out of city limits, where no one will care that a couple of college kids are shooting a box. If you can't tell I don't really have any idea on the laws for doing this type of stuff. Back home we would just find some place in the woods to shoot Coke bottles, so I want to make sure this is by the books.

Any leads?

3/6/2010 6:45:08 PM

I too am interested in a place around here to shoot at stuff that is not at a range.

3/6/2010 7:13:15 PM

talk to pdhsc, if you can convince them there is no risk to anything they might let you use the space on the left.

3/6/2010 7:15:04 PM

I'd be fine shooting indoors, but I doubt they would let us go down range after every shot we take. I'll talk to PDHSC and see what they say. After all I am a student with a school project, who could say no to that

3/6/2010 7:27:09 PM

sure, why not have a stranger come to my house with a Kevlar vest and guns. I mean that sounds smart! LOL

3/6/2010 7:41:56 PM

http://www.wakegov.com/firingrange/about.htm

you could try to talk to someone at the wake county fetc and see if you can pull the "help me out with my school project" thing

some of those guys down there might find it interesting and be willing to help you out. it's worth a shot.

you might also want to post in the gun thread in the lounge. i know some of those guys have fields and stuff where they have permission to shoot outside the city limits and they might be willing to help you out too.

3/6/2010 7:42:33 PM

ha literally to shoot your school project!

3/6/2010 7:47:01 PM

^^What in the fuck are you babbling about

^

Quote :

" FETC sign Public Access Hours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: 1 p.m.–6 p.m."

Weird hours, but thanks for the heads up. I've found that people in the military and police force are very interested in my project...and although its not exactly new, its pretty damn cool, so this may be a good way to go as well. Not so keen on the 2 hour safety orientation and test, but w/e.

I didn't want to post this in the gun thread because I don't want to derail from other discussions going on in there. I'll post a link tho.

3/6/2010 7:49:55 PM

you're not gonna derail anything in there. it's there to discuss gun stuff and those guys would be interested i bet.

3/6/2010 8:00:43 PM

1) Bill has handguns.
2) I want to shoot it.

3/6/2010 8:18:15 PM

If you don't mind riding out to Goldsboro (~1.5 hrs away), I'm a member at a large outdoor range there. I know for a fact they'd be perfectly okay with you going out there and doing your testing. If you wanted to arrange a Sunday morning or something kind of off, we could head down and you'd pretty much be the only one there.

3/6/2010 9:45:11 PM

yeh, I was going to say either:
1.) WACO FETC range (set something up with them)
2.) Range 37 (used to be Range 1)
3.) Hope a TWW with land sees this and is nice.
4.) ^

.177 BB, .222 LR, .380 Auto, .40 S&W, .44 MAG, 12 ga 00 Buck LEMME SHOOT IT.

3/6/2010 10:52:54 PM

I thought I had dibs on this!!!

3/7/2010 3:32:59 PM

^I think a lot of people have dibs on it, the way my teammates are talking

I think most of what I want to test with is pistol ammo, since this type of body armor isn't designed for rifle fire. We'll definitely blow the hell out of it with some rifles and shotguns though

3/7/2010 3:36:08 PM

I can shoot it with all sorts of pistols and a couple rifles if you want.

3/7/2010 5:06:02 PM

I have a 9mm carbine, if you want to test higher velocity pistol type ammo, and I also happen to have a CZ52 pistol in 7.62X25 with some ball ammo that defeats most vests, good for testing.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot29_3.htm
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot29_4.htm

[Edited on March 7, 2010 at 6:18 PM. Reason : links]

3/7/2010 6:13:17 PM

Goldsboro aint no damn 1.5 hours away.


If it takes you more than an hour to get to Goldsboro, you are doin it wrong.

3/7/2010 6:28:21 PM

are you looking to do a lot of testing with different rounds on it, and do you already have handguns in multiple calipers?

3/7/2010 7:12:08 PM

You probably should limit handguns to common standard issue 9mm, .40 or .45.

3/7/2010 7:50:33 PM

we used to go out to the shearon harris gamelands and shoot soda cans and whatnot. just target shooting. i don't know if they let you do that anymore. that was back in 2003 or so.

*you'd still have to have a hunting permit though.

[Edited on March 7, 2010 at 8:51 PM. Reason : ]

3/7/2010 8:51:34 PM

Quote :

"I have a 9mm carbine, if you want to test higher velocity pistol type ammo, and I also happen to have a CZ52 pistol in 7.62X25 with some ball ammo that defeats most vests, good for testing."

Good idea. The 7.26mm NATO (I assume close to what you're talking about, I'm not a gun guy (yet)) is able to defeat IIIA, the most common body armor, but not III, so it might be a good comparison for our additive.

Quote :

"are you looking to do a lot of testing with different rounds on it, and do you already have handguns in multiple calipers? ... You probably should limit handguns to common standard issue 9mm, .40 or .45."

We are going to focus on 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 MAG, .357 SIG, and .44 MAG (per NIJ testing standards for armor types II through IIIA, page 46 and 55 here http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/223054.htm), but if there's extra material then we're going to just fuck it up with rifles and shit . As far as "do we have the guns" I need to check with my testers and see what we have available.

I also need to confirm who my testers are...

^Cool, thanks for the tip



[Edited on March 7, 2010 at 11:20 PM. Reason : moar]

3/7/2010 11:18:34 PM

For reference (mine and anyone interested)

http://www.interamer.net/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=5

3/7/2010 11:57:52 PM

Quote :

"Goldsboro aint no damn 1.5 hours away. If it takes you more than an hour to get to Goldsboro, you are doin it wrong."

It's actually on the other side of Goldsboro(Dudley to be exact), and I live up by Brier Creek, so yeah, it takes me about an hour and a half to get there.

Quote :

"Good idea. The 7.26mm NATO (I assume close to what you're talking about, I'm not a gun guy (yet)) is able to defeat IIIA, the most common body armor, but not III, so it might be a good comparison for our additive."

7.62x25 is a pistol round that's particularly "hot", not to be confused with 7.62 NATO, a relatively stout rifle round that's a NATO standard. The latter is a slightly lower pressure, but dimensionally identical version of the .308 Winchester. The 7.62mm just means it's a .30 caliber bullet.

If you have trouble coming up with any of the guns you need, post up. I've got a 9mm, 357 Mag, and 357 Sig. I know several here have a .40 and somebody has to have a .44 Mag. If not, what better excuse to buy one?

3/8/2010 8:31:45 AM

^thanks again!

Turns out one of my professors knows another professor who is a gun nut and a member at a range in Sanford, and may be willing to help us out. Definitely will investigate these options depending on how that turns out

3/9/2010 3:31:43 PM