While shooting firearms is loud, there are building methods and concepts to consider for managing the sound and numerous materials on the market designed to aid in sound abatement.
- Building Construction.
The vast majority of range rooms are going to be a separate room built within the existing building (a room within a room idea). The wall of the range room should be either poured concrete at the appropriate thickness for pistol or rifle ratings, or cement block (CMU) with concrete or grout filling. The construction of the range walls should leave a gap between it and the outer wall of the main building. This helps break the sound waves and denies the full use of the building to be used as a conduit for sound
- Inside the Range.
On the inside of the range walls, baffles, and ceilings numerous materials can be applied to help dampen sound. Ballistic rubber panels absorb well and are used, not only to abate sound but help encapsulate errant shots. Foam sound proofing material, as used in recording studios, does a great job at helping to dampen the report of gun fire but is not very sturdy to commercial traffic and can tend to capture lead, dust and chemicals being expelled from firearms over time. For extreme sound dampening requirements, cement fiber board with wool backing (various thicknesses available) has proven to do an exceptional job and holds up to long-term use.