[hillbilly]

Yesterday afternoon, it was sunny, and around 70 degrees in NW Arkansas.

So the wife and I ambled out to our backyard range with a Ruger Mark II (hers) a Ruger 10/22 (mine) an M-1 Carbine ("ours" but really hers) and a 20 gauge Rem 1100 (hers) and did some plinking.

We shot bowling pins with the .22s, along with golf balls.......Kim is really hell on golf balls with a .22 rifle or handgun from about 10 yards..........along with some little plastic army men (delightfully sick targets, and cheap to boot...plus they really FLY when you whack them with a .22).

We also did a couple of rounds of shotgun ammo...just at gallon jugs of water, and the same with the M-1 Carbine.

Longest shot was right at 25 yards. And after blasting a water jug with the shotgun, Kim picked up the empty shotgun hulls and added them to the target area.

Casual plinking in the backyard.

Ahh.........

The agony of the day was my discovery that the gas piston on my M-1 Carbine broke....as in fractured into two pieces. Weird. Now I'm shopping for another gas piston.

Besides that one little hiccup, the afternoon was absolutely delightful.

hillbilly

[theCZ]

Yep, I'm jealous. Well, after graduation (May), I plan on getting right on a backyard range. Maybe some 1000 yard silhouettes for kicks. Until then, I'm stuck in town putting the final touches on a B.S. in Business Admin.

[280PLUS]

You're just trying to make me jealous.

It's working...

:p

[mack69]

Dangit hillbilly....why don't ya just rub it in buddy.... Glad to see you had fun....Only wish I had a place like that of my own...but it'll never happen up here in the PR of IL....mack

[Standing Wolf]

Hey, that's nuthin'! I shoot air pistol down the hall!

[FPrice]

You guys think YOU have it good???

Here in the People's Commonwealth of Massachusetts they graciously allow me to look at my guns inside my house.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[kikilee]

I want one!!!!!

[hillbilly]

Kikilee, all you need is some property in a very rural area that's outside any city limits.

And voila! Backyard range.

hillbilly

[lwsimon]

Hillbilly, you'd better stop bragging. If you don't, I'm going to find out where you live and show up at your door - I live in Fayetteville.

[HungSquirrel]

Hillbilly, such property is hard to come by up north, and prohibitively expensive to boot.

[sm]

hillbilly,

Go ahead and rub it in. Has your wife been introduced to a 28 ga O/U ? Would like you for her to be introduced to one? :evil:

So it cost a few bucks, and you need another reloader anyway right? Look on the bright side, you won't have to bend over to pick up hulls?

I hope your 9mm brass gets inside the .40 and the .40 inside the 45 ACP brass.
:neener:

Nice today down my way in the Central portion of State. Glad you and Mrs had a good time-

Regards,

STeve

[Otherguy Overby]

Ever since the government started making guns an issue, one of my goals has been my own property I could shoot on.

It took a long time, but I finally do have a rural property where I can shoot.

Even better, I can shoot in most any direction from the house and only hit trees or trespassers.

If rural property is a goal for you, also, you better get after it soon because much of the nicer property is either sold or going up in price.

[carp killer]

If rural property is a goal for you, also, you better get after it soon because much of the nicer property is either sold or going up in price.


There is less and less of it being made every day. Get it while you can. :what:

[fecmech]

Hillbilly- I have a similar set up here in western New York about 25 miles from Buffalo. Six acres of land with a 50 yd pistol range off the back porch and a small rifle backstop at 100 yds. I will be moving down towards your neck of the woods (West Plains Mo.) this year. I bought 15 acres to build and retire on in West Plains and I already have plans in mind for the new range. I've enjoyed shooting all my life and cannot imagine living some in a place where I had to get in the car and drive to try a new load.

[hillbilly]

lwsimon, I'm about 45 minutes due south of Fayetteville, near Rudy.

As for showing up on my doorstep, good luck.

We've had friends and relatives who've been out here before get lost on the maze of dirt roads we live down.

But seriously, ought to come down and shoot some time.

http://www.possumpistol.com

hillbilly

[Otherguy Overby]

My Ozark place is a bit west (15 mi) of Viola, AR. Viola is about 40 miles SW from West Plains.

They have gun shows at West Plains, too, but I've not been to one there, yet.

BTW, there's a SAS group at Salem, AR., almost directly south of West Plains.

http://www.sfrr.homestead.com/

Small world, eh?

[lwsimon]

I'll be down as soon as humanly possible for the CCW course. I turn 21 on the 4th of next month, and as soon as I gather up the cash, I'll give you a call!

As a side note, what type of pistol is req'd to get an AR CCW? I only own a S. Blackhawk in .44mag and a Single Six in .22 atm, I'm still deciding on which carry piece I want.

[jobu07]

:cuss: you and your nice weather! As soon as the snow melts, or at least it warms up a hair, i'll be outback railin' sillouhettes too. Good for nothin' rams and pigs have it comin', ya know? ;)

[thebaldguy]

Some people have backyard ranges here in Minneapolis. We call them bad neighborhoods!

Sorry about the joke. Actually, more and more cities here are putting discharge of firearm restrictions into effect. Some people who live in the more rural outer suburbs have found that they can no longer shoot on their property, even though at one time they could. And yes, this includes using a bow and/or air rifles as well.

[stans]

Several years ago I had the opportunity to buy a 23 acre tract of land that backup up to a man made lake. The price was great and I even had permission from the sherrif to put in a private range for personal use. Dummy me turned down the opportunity to buy. :banghead:

[LynnMassGuy]

Here in the People's Commonwealth of Massachusetts they graciously allow me to look at my guns inside my house.


Between the hours of 12am and 4am, in the cellar, with the windows covered. :o

[MaterDei]

I had a good weekend myself shooting at home. No rain and highs about 80 all three days.

One of these days I'll take some pictures of my 'range'. From where I shoot I'll show the 'range', the house and the barn where I reload. They are all within 100 yards of each other. I'll start a 'Show me your private range pics' thread. :)

[hso]

Not to put a damper on the topic but, I hope that all of you with "backyard" ranges and rural property make certain that there is a bullet absorbing backstop. Considering the encroaching subdivisions and monied city refugees I had to adjust my thinking and range position to be certain that an escaping round couldn't reach one of those tract mansions a mile away.

[45Badger]

What I miss most about my home in central NY-

100 yard range
Trap "field"
deer and turky walking through the yard

It was almost worth the lousy economy, nosebleed taxes, and crappy gun laws. Maybe when I retire........

[MaterDei]

My backstop is a pine forest, no buildings/people for at least a mile in that direction. I only worry about the first 50 yards or so though because the forest is dense enough that nothing can travel in a straight line more than about 20 feet before hitting a tree trunk.

[hillbilly]

lwsimon.....

In Arkansas there is no "requirement" really to what kind of handgun you can carry, so long as it is actually a handgun.

Meaning it is designed in such a way as to be fired using only one hand and has a barrel less than 12 inches long.

So, both your handguns legally qualify, but I doubt would be very good, practical "carry" pieces.

The other requirement to consider is that to carry a semi-auto, you must qualify in the class with a semi-auto.

I have a semi-auto available for rent for an extra $5.

hillbilly

[Skunkabilly]

Homes in California don't even have much of a back yard these days....

[Nitram68]

I wish I had enough room on my land to shoot [all .20 acre of it :rolleyes: ]but only have to drive 3 miles to one of the biggest ranges in the state. :)

[Declaration Day]

I don't have a backyard range, but I have the next best thing. My 16 acres is about a 160 mile drive north of where I live.

It was very cheap, compared to land anywhere near the Metro Detroit area. I paid $33,000 for it. That will buy you about 100 square feet in the suburbs!

My range may not be as nice as the DNR ranges, but hey its mine, and nobody bothers us. My backstop is a natural hill, so all I had to do was build a 2X4 frame to hang targets on.

[Stand_Watie]

My "front yard" range. I normally shoot in the backyard, but Sunday evening the sun was in our eyes so we moved around to the front.

Note the grin on her face :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/Stand_Watie/Feb20700.jpg

[M2 Carbine]

Ever since I was a kid I wanted a house with,
a pistol range,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/50_yards.jpg

a rifle range

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/Rifle_range.jpg

and a landing strip. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/DSC00245.jpg

[bdhawk]

i have my own range. it is sweet. being able to work up a load and checkin' it out almost immediately. having friends over to shoot with you. being able to have practice drills that some ranges will not allow.

[crewchief]

Here is a pic of my backyard range. If you look to the far right side of the field you will notice two railroad ties sticking up out of the ground. Those are for mounting two clay throwers for when we feel like shotgunning. Other than that from where the pic was taken to the end of the lawn is 150yds., but we also own the corn field (an actual farmer rents the land and farms it not us) and with nothing behind us for about 5 miles I can easly set up high power targets on tall stands out to 1000yds.

[lwsimon]

Eh, I'll probably just rent one if I've not purchased by the time I get down there. Do you have two? My fiance needs to do the class as well. Also, is it the same class for FL? :) Sorry to kinda hijack, but I'd rather spend my money with you than someone I don't know.

[Declaration Day]

I already made my post in this thread, but while we're posting pictures of our private ranges,

[XD40Assassin]

I had a place like that and still do. Bad thing is its 1000+ miles away from where I live in New Mexico. Now Im stuck paying hefty range prices.