indoor shooting range? has anyone built their own?

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SkaerE

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i mean something simple, like a one lane, 25 yrd basement shooting range.

i know ventilation, sound proofing, and "bulletproofing" are the major important issues, especially in a house. not to be ignored are permitting, local regulations, etc as well im sure.

just wondering.
 
I am currently going to school for architecture and design. I don't currently have an indoor range but I have a design for one when we move back to the midwest and build our house.
 
I am visiting family in WV right now and I am away from my home computer or I would send the design.

Basically it is an underground 12' diameter corrugated metal culvert that is accessed through a door in the basement (it would be easiest to install this at the same time the basement is built). It has a backstop, ventilation, lighting, motorized target transport/hanger, and a collapsible shooting bench. In theory you can make it as long as you want, can afford or have acreage.
 
What I would start with is lining most of the wall area with cork, styrofoam (only because its free) or carpet for the purpose of sound absorption. Besides that I would imagine there are purchasable backstops and the last item would be to make sure there is only one way in and out preferably opposite the target end of the range or other ways are lockable.

I will do some experimenting and internet searching over the next couple days because i bet theres probably a simple way to build a single lane range indoors.
 
Most commercial back stops are an inclined slope that directs rounds to an open drum designed to spin the round until it looses velocity, others are just a material that can stop the round and be easily replaced when needed. If the vent end is accessible I wouldn't see why a smaller 4' or 5' culvert couldn't be used.
 
I know of a few people that have set up slanted boiler plates over a box of sand as a backstop to an indoor .22 range. It's something I'd consider myself if I ever own my own place and can set it up safely in the basement or an outbuilding.
 
I live in A semi rural area next to A 780,000 acre wildlife preserve so no legal shooting.
A frend and I have thought of using an old 48ft semi trailer for A shooting range. sound proofing and A bullit trap of some sort would be all that is needed. Not as long as I would like but good for some practice.
If A bullit actually got through the stop it would have to travel nearly to the west coast (fl.) to hit anything.
 
I have built several Venetian blind bullet traps for the National Guard.

The problem with these traps are the plates have to be at such an angle theirs no way a bullet can ricochet out of the trap coming back to the shooter.
They are a SOB to tune.

If I was building one for myself I would use a combo of two different traps. Like blinds to direct the bullets into a media (or two) that would absorb the energy.


Here is a link with several good designs
actiontarget.com/law_bt_comparisons.html
 
As an architect, I can say that styrofoam is not a good wall/ceiling choice because it gives off toxic gas when it burns. It is not allowed exposed by building codes for this reason. A better choice would be acoustic ceiling tile with a fiberglass backing to absorb sound. Do not use the mineral fiber type baceuse it reflects sound rather than absorb. The best backstop is a sloped sand berm full height and several feet thick with no chance of ricochet.
 
Our club built our own indoor range to NRA specs about 20 years ago. I can tell you from our experience you will not gain anything with various schemes to absorb the sound, such as carpet, foam, etc. Nothing works as far as lessening the sound inside the building. Just use good ear protection. As far as the building itself is concerned, it is 3/4 underground with concrete walls. There are steel baffles in the ceiling, but they are really unnecessary as the ceiling itself is five layer of 5/8 sheetrock, nothing will get through that, we tested it with .44 Magnums, .357 Magnums, etc, nothing got through the second layer. Try it sometime. Our backstop is a snail arrangement, which we have to clean out once a year. We spent heavy bucks on ventilation system, amazing how much smoke etc you get from .22 rimfires.
 
+1 for SmokyVol, and glad to see there are some additional architects on the Board. Tim, the culvert pipe is interesting, but waterproofing will be a pain. Also, why 12' dia? 3' would be fine with retractable target stands. I have also considered using RCP w/ storm water manholes ventilation and for access to the stop, but I haven't given it too much thought as I live a short drive to the NRA indoor range and can shoot up to .50 cal there so why bother.

mk
 
im thinkin a 22lr range would be fine for now, at least give some practice.

question on the ventilation. is it primarily for lead abatement or from exhaust gas from firing? both perhaps?

I'm probably going with a variation on the steel plate/water/sand trap for the bullet catcher.

again, thinking exhaust above the shooting box and exhaust above the target or is the second un-needed?
 
Winter Borne, I also want to use the tube as an archery range and would need to be able to walk through it. 10' would probably be sufficient but I think 12' would be better.
 
Hey Tim, got ya, I didn't know you wanted to do archery too. Just playing devils charette here, as I'm still trying to get this in my head. Most residential foundations use 9 foot split forms but I suppose you could get 4 foot extensions, or perhaps do it in block, but you still have all the extra depgh excavation to contend with, plus the greater potential of hitting the water table or rock at that depth. I have done a bunch of large pipe storm water management on an office building we did a few years back on a green field site w/ 4' RCP and 4" concrete structures when the idea struck me for a cool "escape tunnel" or potential 100 yard rifle range in my basement. I figured I could put a slight pitch on it to funnel water infiltrate away from the house to a sump pit, and use a motorized target pulley, but I never executed it.

We had tons of water in the walkback tunnels at Dulles airport that was corrected by an internal liner which funneled water along the edges to internal drain pipes. I would imagine the same could eb done on an external liner too.

Keep us posted if you do it.

PS what school and what year are you in?

mk
 
SkaerE, there is a much easier and cheaper way to do this. Go airgun!!

You can look around on the airgun sites and find a nice used top quality air rifle for less than a grand, or an air pistol for even less. They will shoot rings around your .22, no noise, no air polution, you can shoot anywhere you find about 35 feet for a regulation 10 meter range, ( down the hall, in the basement, in the back yard, etc) you can make a backstop out old newspapers, the ammo costs next to nothing compared to firearm ammo, just a really great way to work on your marksmanship. After you shoot a match grade air gun for a while, you might not even want to go back to firearms. :D
 
We had tons of water in the walkback tunnels at Dulles airport that was corrected by an internal liner which funneled water along the edges to internal drain pipes. I would imagine the same could eb done on an external liner too.
Click to expand...

ha! i brought a vermeer 655 track trencher into one of the main utility tunnels at Dulles a couple years ago to a customer. i remember wading through almost knee deep water.

seeing that giant tunneler and shotcrete tunnel was awesome, thats what i want for my escape tunnel... something i can get my truck through. ;)

FWIW airgun doesnt help me with getting accustomed to recoil of a defensive pistol during drills. of course, neither does a 22lr. i actually picked up some bad habits when i went 22lr only for a long time. :(
 
I would first be sure discharge of firearms is legal before buiding an indoor range. Probably not a problem in rural areas, but in many areas you might end up with a range you'd have to keep secret, even if in your basement.
 
A friend built one with his new house - 50 yards long under ground, using 8' diameter culvert buried underground. It was wrapped in waterproofing roofing material and sealed. It was also insulated, has a sand bag backstop and a steel plate angled downward into a bed of sand. There is a positive air-flow with exhaust fan at the end, lighting, a motorized target traveling device. It was shown on the drawings as a storm shelter. The bottom of the culvert has a concrete footpath poured to make it easier to get downrange if needed.

Very nice set up that will handle pistol and moderate rifles
 
My buddy has the tube-type as well. He has a 36 inch culvert pipe running 25yards to a angled boiler plate over sand at the end. He rigged a manual target system with 60 feet of wire and a pair of bicycle wheels. The far end has a manhole cover so you can get at it without crawling all the way down the tube. I don't know why but it has a natural draft like a good chimney so it vents great.
If I ever built a house, this would be a must have item (yes I have warned the wife).
 
My uncle built an underground shooting lane into his basement as he was building his house back in 1965.

The shooting lane was about 60'-65' (if I remember correctly) and ran along the front (but under) his house and attached garage. He used hi-strength, reinforced span-crete as that part of the garage floor which was over the range and heavily insulated the ceiling of the range. It was really hard to tell from the sidewalk or street that he was shooting.


I'd love to have one so I wouldn't disturb the neighbors while doing my load work-ups. It would have to be a very minimum of 50 yds but 100 yds would be sweet. My "out-the-back-door" (literally :D) range is 411 yds so any long range testing is done there.
 
Corrugated stell culvert prices :

12" is about $10/ft.
36" is about $30/ft.

It goes up at a faster rate beyond 36" due to 16 ga. is no longer strong enough. So even a 36" shooting tube of 50 yards would cost $4500 for the culvert alone. I'm guessing that is only about 1/2 of the total cost.

Trenching, water-proofing, sound dampening, target retrieving/replacing equipment, ventilation fans/piping and lighting would add several thousand at least.
 
Yes I have one. Its about 45 feet. It is 22 only and then I shoot only the silent ammo(aguilla). Just a piece of steel directed down into a sand box about 30 degrees(?) I think.
No noise from a rifle and only a hand clap from a revolver.
I have shooting matches with a ruger single six and a ithaca model 49 saddle gun. Ammo will easily shoot 1/2 inch at that distance with the rifle and an inch or so with the ruger. No sound deading needed or protection up or down as the ammo penetrates nothing. Basement wall is only wild shot catch w no damage. target area is about 18 x 18 inches and almost impossible to miss. I live in the middle of town. Small exhaust fan to clear the air.
Tim
 
Home indoor shooting range = The Leftridge Personnel Shooting Range

All,

I built an indoor shooting range at home in 1993. To insure its durability and usefullness, cops, military, gunsmiths, friends, family, and even small kids, all male and female have fired various weapons into my design.

B-Bs to 8mm projectiles have been fired into my design. All types of single action, hand guns and rifles have been fired into my design. This includes automatics fired into my design. However, no shotguns shells have been fired into my design (that's no fun).

My design has been patended.

Questions? Talk to me!

Rogerleft
12-25-09

PS: Going shooting a new holiday gift now, a Suomi 9mm.
 
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