Personal Ranges

[mike46060]

I am in the process of buying some property and thinking about my very own play land. Just wondering how others have their ranges set up.

 

[Leadeye]

Mine is really just a wide straight trail through the woods.

 

[SSGSAD]

I am in the process of buying some property and thinking about my very own play land. Just wondering how others have their ranges set up.

Stand behind the line, and shoot at the targets ..... at as many different ranges, as land, that you have ..... .....

 

[throttletony]

There's no wrong way to do it as long as it is safe (especially for the neighbors) and legal (not in city land, not across roads, etc.)

Sometimes telling neighbors less/little info is good until you have it done how you want it. IF they find out while it's being worked on, they might try to strongly suggest something (shoot other direction, etc).

Berms/hills/banks/backstops are your friends to limit stray bullets from going too far. Besides that, a lot depends on how much of a buffer you have built into your land, and what your neighbors have done on their land (if anything).
Also, from hearing others' epxeriences -- don't hurt your neighbors trees or fences, and again, share limited info with the neighbors until it's done.

 

[KLB]

This is my berm. It goes from about 5ft thick at the very top to 15-20' at the bottom.

Whatever you build, make sure it can stop whatever bullets you are going to shoot and that it is big enough to catch any misses.

 

[Sgt7330]

I built backstops at my house and my parents. The one at my house (just over 1 acre) I used railroad ties and made a square box, with one end open. I used 3 ties along the top also to help with any fliers. It was filled with soil and sand. The other area is on 5 acres and I just used a backhoe and made it wide enough to have three target stands. For these I set treated 4x4 posts in the ground with 30 inches or so space between each pair of posts. I tack the sheet of cardboard up and post my targets.

The railroad ties work great, but are kind of an eyesore. I staggered the ties and drilled each one, using cut re-bar as giant spiked nails to secure the walls. This backstop has taken up to 30-06 no problem.

 

[mike46060]

I will have a little over 20 acres to play with. There is an area that I would like to turn into a pistol range by cutting into the hillside. I'd like to have the backstop about 6' tall and about 20~30' wide. At that height I'm sure I'll need something to hold back the dirt. Any ideas where to find cheap/free railroad ties?

Also, from hearing others' epxeriences -- don't hurt your neighbors trees

I didn't think about the neighbors trees. That's a good point. There is a field along one side of the property where I intend to put a rifle range. This would probably be a good place for the extra dirt from the pistol range.

 

[mike46060]

Whatever you build, make sure it can stop whatever bullets you are going to shoot and that it is big enough to catch any misses.

What are the squares attached to? Are they strips of rubber?

 

[KLB]

What are the squares attached to? Are they strips of rubber?

Yeah. They were cut from a rubber stall mat. Not quite solid enough to allow the steel to ping, but it holds up well to getting shot.

 

[KLB]

I will have a little over 20 acres to play with. There is an area that I would like to turn into a pistol range by cutting into the hillside. I'd like to have the backstop about 6' tall and about 20~30' wide. At that height I'm sure I'll need something to hold back the dirt. Any ideas where to find cheap/free railroad ties?

I didn't think about the neighbors trees. That's a good point. There is a field along one side of the property where I intend to put a rifle range. This would probably be a good place for the extra dirt from the pistol range.

Trying to use trees for a backstop is not a good idea. Is there is plenty of room in there for bullets to go a long way before they hit something. Your bullets should never leave your property.

 

[sgreen3]

I used railroad ties and just dirt (lots of dirt) to build my range.



Here I just concreated a couple 4x4 posts and then stacked up railroad ties in front of them all the way to the top.

Then just piled dirt in front of them, the dirt is up to the bottom of about the second to the top post, this was an in progress pic.

Same thing with my second backstop, just not quite as tall.

An here is the last one, just more railroad ties and dirt/silt from the creek. This is quite a bit wider than in the pic now.

I know its kind of tough to see in this pic, but the rifle range is just a straight shot back.

Here is the front of it with the shooting benches.

I have all my backstops staggered going down so there is always a backstop in the way of a projectile. I hope to add to the first backstop this year with another section of railroad ties and dirt to the original backstop this year.

Hope this helps with some ideas, good luck on your project OP. Bottom line is just make sure whatever your shooting stays on your property and your good to go.

 

[Bfish]

Love my woods has a cool set up you could probably get some ideas from... At my place I've got lots of steel set up against a spill bank that faces a field for about 100 yards. In the back of the property You can shoot about 180 degrees with targets you set up and there is a hill to shoot clay pigeons from...

Honestly it all comes down to what your property looks like I think before we can give you too many ideas.

 

[remington870]

I have a area built with railroad ties. They are interlocked together, with sidewalls, and can hold up anything from a 7.62 and below.

 

[Leo]

Tires full of dirt do a good job at holding back soil erosion. The critical thing is being sure they are full of dirt and covered with dirt to avoid making breeding grounds for insects.

 

[mike46060]

It's just fun to see what everyone else has.

 

[lovemywoods]

I wanted to reply to this post but as I started gathering my thoughts, I realized that my post was getting very long. I pulled pictures and ideas from lots of past reviews.

I decided to post my comments in a thread of its own and link back to this one. It's picture heavy. I hope it is helpful to current range owners and those INGO members who are thinking of building a range.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...n-range-hints-tips-pic-heavy.html#post6324624