Pistol range setup

[Seanpcola]

I'd really appreciate input from the experienced folks here.

My boss has a 40 acre farm that he doesn't do anything with. It's at least 3/4 mile from any roads or other houses. There is swamp land on two sides, another unused 60 acre farm on another side and the rest is dense woodland. However, this is really flat country.

Today I spent some time tearing down an old hangar/pole barn that was destroyed in a hurricane years ago. I am stacking up the poles in an open field about 150 yds and slightly downhill from the house. These are old creosote posts, about 10" in diameter and about 20' long. They're still tough, no rot to speak of.

There is a bit of deer hunting that takes place in the area but not in an arc of 45 degrees either side of center to this pile and anyone hunting would be at least 1/2 mile away.


Seems to me this will work well. All shooting will be aimed slightly downhill and the area behind it is swamp for 200 yds and then dense woods for a mile at least. Also, this will be used strictly for handguns.

Any downside to using these as a backstop/berm for pistol shooting? Any considerations I'm not taking into account? I can't imagine a pistol round travelling far enough to be a danger but I am NO expert.

Oh, any suggestions to make it better?

 

[oneounceload]

The only possible thing i would think about would be bullets missing the backstop and then getting into the swamp/watershed - that could cause issues

 

[bergmen]

If you are using the old poles in a stack for a backstop be very careful of the tendency of these to bounce the bullets right back at you. These would be larger caliber medium to slow velocities.

Our handgun range at our local gun club tried using railroad ties as a backstop and we were constantly threatened with bullets bouncing back at us. Even though they were at much reduced velocity, they weren't harmless.

Dan

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Even with all that space, I think I would hire somebody with a backhoe loader for a few hours and build a dirt berm.

 

[FROGO207]

+1 on the dirt berm, it will help slow and contain the bullets much more efficiently. You could use the wood to back up the dirt so less digging will be required. I would make a straight wall with short wings that angle towards you to contain a ricochet. I would make the berm at least 12 feet tall to contain any mistakes if this was mine.

 

[VERDAD Investigations]

Build the birms

Agree with the poster that says hire or rent a back hoe, escavator and do it right!

We built our ranges with the plan of a landscape architect. His fee was well worth the detailed drawings, his knowledge of the laws about disturbing the earth, water flows, etc! Take a look at our facility on our web site, there was no dirt brought in to build the 20+ foot high birms......in fl, you will have alot of sand, but the wrong dig, it sounds lke your swamp will move in to your range area. Disturbing wildlife, and water flows can get you a law enforcement/environmental headache, we have the same concerns here, and YES, they can give you that headache even on YOUR land.

http://www.verdadinvestigations.com

 

[Seanpcola]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. Didn't know if the beams themselves would suffice. We have loaders, backhoes and bulldozers so that part is free. I'll have to see about dirt though. Boss may not want any digging or moving of earth on that land. I have a buddy that hauls dirt, gravel and such so I'll get a price on having a few loads brought in. If I can work that out I'll use the logs as backfill.

Again, thanks everyone!

Sean

 

[scramasax]

Get used tires stack them in front of the poles. Then fill them with and cover them with dirt.

Cheers,

ts

 

[M2 Carbine]

Bottom line.
You are completely responsible to see that a bullet does not leave your property. It doesn't matter if the other property is swamp, trees, etc. If it does not belongs to you, you can not use it as a impact, or safety area.
Unless of course you have legal permission to do so.

Few people own enough land that a pistol bullet, fired at an upward angle, will always impact on their own land. A pistol bullet can travel a mile or two and still kill a person.

So, it is important that you have a good backstop that will safely stop your bullets and that those people that shoot there do not miss the backstop.



I have been shooting on my land since 1967.
This is the backyard range, on 8.5 acres. Since there are houses well within pistol range only myself and a few friends, good shots, shoot here.



This is my 115 yard rifle range, on 10 acres. Others shoot here but only if I know they are safe and competent shooters.







I consider these to be a minimum set up for a safe range.
And still we all must be careful.


I do not like tires, railroad ties or logs for backstops. I have tried them all and they will turn bullets back at you, unless there is several feet of dirt in front of them.



.

 

[Seanpcola]

Thanks for the input M2 Carbine. I DO realize I'm responsible for any rounds fired and that land behind is not "open country". I know the owner of that land and was planning on discussing it with him first. He's an avid shooter so I'm guessing the answer will be "yes" when I explain it's open for his use too.

I'm looking into the dirt situation tomorrow.

As for the actual backstop area it's about 50' wide by 8' high and the same deep at this time.

Would two foot deep, compacted dirt against the front (target) side be sufficient?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I would not make a berm out of gravel, at least on the surface, due to ricochets. You need to give the bullets something to dig into. The dirt over stacks of old tires sounds like a good idea, provided it doesn't make the property an "illegal dumping ground."

With a dirt berm, if, in the future, someone makes an issue of all the lead in the ground, it will at least all be in one location and relatively easy to dig up and dispose of. For that matter, you could dig it up every so often and recycle the lead or remelt it for cast bullets.

Would two foot deep, compacted dirt against the front (target) side be sufficient?

More than sufficient, I would think, for handgun bullets. Perhaps marginal for high-powered rifles.

 

[Seanpcola]

My source is for clay and top soil, no gravel involved. I had thought about occasionally cleaning up and sifting for the spent rounds. Boss is good with everything since it's his land and wants to do some pistol shooting too. We're wanting a pistol range only. Both he and I are more SD and HD focused right now so no rifles are going to be shot there. In fact neither of us own a rifle at this point. I plan on adding a couple later on but have a range membership for that. This is just a close-to-the-house range for keeping the pistol work polished.....or at least trying to get it polished.