Finally Finished My Backyard Shooting Range.

Now, I can shoot off my back porch


New Backstop down by our Gate.

The range to the backstop from my bench is 100 yards
I had been shooting at targets stapled to the plywood I had screwed to one of our gate posts.
One of my 44 Magnum rounds found a rock and ricocheted up toward out neighbor’s house.
That brought all shooting to a halt until I could construct a suitable backstop.


As usual, my wife accused me of gross overbuild. I wonder why?

However, when it comes to the safety of my neighbors, I tend to error on the side of caution.
My backstop is made of railroad ties with a double layer in back.
Because the ties are not a smooth cut anymore, there are some gaps between them in places.
(As seen in the picture)
Hence the double layer in back and sandbags to catch any bullets that get through.


The backstop measures eight feet wide, six feet tall, and four feet deep.

There are two four by fours set out six inches from the back wall that have a couple of two by fours screwed across to mount by cardboard target supports to.
I’m planning on suspending a six inch steel gong on the left side.


Because of the potential of another ricochet off the steel gong, I also have a layer of sand bags on the roof.


This shows a better view of the sandbags against the back wall and roof.


Side view showing the roof overhang.

My targets should stay dry in a storm.


From our driveway, it is just a short distance to the backstop to change out targets.
(Old plywood target support on post to the right.)





I built a new heavy shooting bench a couple of years ago, so I'm all set.

As luck would have it there is a shade tree next to my bench.

Now I can get back to all the shooting projects that have been piling up for the last couple of years

I hope that this may give you some ideas,

Steve

desidog said:

Um, is that a road running right behind it? It doesn't look like you live in a populated area, but around here, it's illegal to shoot 150yards from a road.

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That is a private driveway.

But, your question is a good one.
Everybody here shoots in their yard.

My closest neighbor grows a small garden about 20 yards from the private driveway.
Every fall, he sets up a blind near his house and kills one of the deer (always a legal buck) that has gotten used to raiding the garden.

My wife and I feed the local deer and have them coming up to within 20 feet of our back door.
Naturally, hunting them is out.
Even if it was legal, it would be unethical.
We are not fond of the neighbor's hunting practice, but he does not actually feed the deer, and does use the vegetables grown in the garden.

I pretty sure that our shooting is legal.

Steve

Schwing said:

Man I need to move out of suburbia! Very awesome!

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It took me until I was 68 years old to make it.

Steve

D94R said:

Looks like you have around 25-30 ties in this? This is basically exactly what I'm planning on my land. I had planned to run full ties for the roof though, and have the depth atleast a full tie. Maybe that's overkill?

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A full RR Tie roof was also in my first design.

There are two pallets of RR Ties used here as it sits.
Locally, RR Ties are only sold by the pallet, so My roof would have cost me another $250.

Caveat.
Select the backstop wall ties carefully.
Ties are warped with use and age and are not a smooth edge.
The man I hired to assemble the backstop didn't bother and I ended up with large gaps in the wall. (See second photograph.)
It was these gaps that modified the design to use sandbags behind as additional protection.

Sandbags were originally designated for the roof once the RR Tie was ruled out.

Steve

AABEN said:

Very nice job you could had cut the bench so a lefty could had also shot off it. The state of IN has the benches so both side can be used they only have one bench so only one can shoot at a time you could put one more row of cross-ties that would help stop any bullet from getting out. Thanks for the pictures

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The back wall is a double layer of RR Ties.

I just didn't want to take any chance of a miracle shoot through, so added sandbags for my own self comfort.

Steve