Home range safety

[nswtex]

I know the whole bit on knowing your target and beyond, hence my attack of paranoia here. Allow me to explain.

My friend and I want to go out to another friends property and put in a good day of shooting. I am a little concerned that his property is primarily wooded and we would be shooting towards the treeline and it may prove diffucult to keep track of things creeping around the woods. There are no other residents on this property as well as no welcome visitors (the nearest neighbor is about 20 acres away, the property is 35 acres.) Am I just being paranoid or should we find a place to shoot where we have a better view beyond the target area. We plan on using a wall of sandbags in front of a brushpile from some recent clearing, however Texas is pretty flat in my neck of the woods and I am not sure where a flyer would end up, Oklahoma? Kansas?

All criticism is welcome and will help bolster my paranoia. Why, because I like it that way

 

[Preacherman]

Acres don't measure distance properly. Given that a centerfire rifle round can carry for more than two miles, under the right conditions, you need to find out what lies behind your backstop for at least that distance. If there are open fields where someone might be working, and you won't see them because of the woods, that's not safe.

 

[nswtex]

The woods that our planned backstop will be facing is actually quite thick, to the point that clearing it has become quite an issue. This goes on for the entire property so the odds of a round finding its way a mile or two is pretty low, although I still worry about it, which I guess is my answer, I should probably find a different setup.

 

[mack]

Know or find out what is past your friends property in the line of fire and to the sides. If you drive or were to look past the property what is in the line of fire for the next 2 miles. Are there any houses, any property that people can be on unbeknownst to you. Will the backstop you use prevent anything from getting through all the time. If the answer to any of these questions isn't satisfactory then I personally wouldn't shoot there.


I have seven acres and a 50 yard range on my property. My backstop is a 12 foot high berm that is 10 foot thick at the top and 30 foot at the bottom, with wings that taper down on each end forming an open ended rectangle 30 yards by 50 yards. There is no house in the line of fire and the nearest house off at an angle from the range is over one mile. I shoot mostly 22 and 45 pistol there. Sometimes I do some initial sight in on rifles. Have had friends shoot a little trap in the past. The land past my range is farm land so I never shoot when the farmer is in the field. Safety is important, you can't take a bullet back.

Good thinking on your part to be concerned.

 

[Numinous]

This is what Google Earth is good for

 

[nswtex]

Google Earth

Why didnt I think of that! :banghead:

Not the most recent pics but that is a fantastic start.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Having a 1-3 mile open unpopulated area behind a backstop isn't always possible or even very likely.

You just have to have a good backstop and make sure no bullets leave the range.

 

[Lupinus]

Haven't put it to actual testing yet but here has been something that has toyed in my mind-

four pieces of 4x4, one on each corner, and then wood to form three sides. Inside that put lightly packed dirt, burlap filled with dirt, or bags of sand. Reason being that you would get a similer depth the whole way up and with the wood for support you don't need as much dirt to form a berm with enough depth near the top, in other words a much smaller area with much less material. Also thought of making a "fourth" wall instead of open ended with sand bags one or two deep and behind that with the dirt. Depth I haven't worked out, would really depend on what you are shooting.....or of course you could rent a bulldozer and make quick work of it

Or just find a natural berm, on my uncles property he has an area that dips down and then back up like a small vally I guess you could say...works just fine as a berm proided there aren't any hidden boulders or anything.

 

[Sunray]

Two miles isn't far enough for any centre fire. Marginal for a .22 lr. Mind you, it's unlikely a .22 will get through the bush, but you do need to look for access points for trespassers.

 

[Leatherneck]

four pieces of 4x4, one on each corner, and then wood to form three sides. Inside that put lightly packed dirt, burlap filled with dirt, or bags of sand.

Exactly the way expeditionary airfield bumkers are made to protect aircraft from mortars and rockets. Good to go.

TC

 

[Michael Courtney]

four pieces of 4x4, one on each corner, and then wood to form three sides. Inside that put lightly packed dirt, burlap filled with dirt, or bags of sand.

Exactly the way expeditionary airfield bumkers are made to protect aircraft from mortars and rockets. Good to go.

I've always liked this idea myself, but was concerned with how long the wood sides will last. I ended up using three stacks of logs, cut like firewood, one behind the other. The height and width required depend on the discipline of the shooters using the facility.

Another thing I like to do at informal ranges is to be sure I'm shooting at at least a slightly downward angle. Even if one gets past the backstop, a bullet that has ricocheted off of the ground doesn't have nearly the range or downrange risk potential as a bullet that gets past the backstop in direct flight. If you use expanding bullets and can be sure of hitting the ground due to a downward angle, your "safety zone" behing the backstop can be as short as several hundred yards.

Michael Courtney

 

[M2 Carbine]

"Sunray
Two miles isn't far enough for any centre fire. Marginal for a .22 lr. Mind you, it's unlikely a .22 will get through the bush, but you do need to look for access points for trespassers."
------------------------------------------------------------------------

He's in Texas.
You don't trespass on someones land in Texas unless you are looking to get shot.