question about backing material for a target range setup

If kind of poor for stapling targets onto.

But, yes, there are few backstop materials quite as good as lifts of compressed earth with grass over top.

The rubber & rubberized conveyor belts will "self heal" for many shots, but, eventually, they will wind up more hole than not..

 

Our local public range uses chicken wire fencing and clothes pins; inexpensive, convenient and easily replaced.

 

'Fraid that wouldn't work down here. Clothes pins wouldn't hold the paper targets to the wire.

We use a 6 foot long #9 logging chain for a wind flag and during the month of March have to hang a 50# anvil on the end after a couple of close calls when shooters had close calls with the chain.

Joking aside, that might work OK, but with the gusty winds we have most of the time here, pretty sure we'd need a stiffer backer to keep targets from being torn & blown off wire.
Regards,
hps

 

Best thing I have found for that is Coroplast. That’s the same “plastic cardboard” used lots of signs.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coropla...te-Corrugated-Plastic-Sheet-CP4896S/205351385

 

My nearest outdoor wildlife range (hour away) uses a string of clothesline strung across all the lanes at set distance. I think they are 15, 25, 50, and 100. A single strand at each distance. Everyone is supposed to attach targets to the clothesline by clothespins or binder clips. If someone hits the clothesline, all the targets on that distance line fall, and you have to change lines until it gets fixed. Nothing other than paper targets allowed. No metal, bottles, plastic, Tannertite, etc. Closest you can get to a reactive target is the wind blowing. I would take safety fence any day.

 

The Missouri Dept. of Conservation uses conveyor belt at most of their unmanned public ranges. They get replaced quite often with the amount of shooters that use the public ranges. Conveyor belts will definitely last longer on a personal range at home.

 

At the range I shoot at most often the target backers are homasote.

https://www.midtownlumber.com/what-is-homasote/

 

My home range backstop, back to front....
8x8 wall of sandbags, then,
8x8 wall of 4x4 timber, then,
8x8 frame consisting of 3/4" plywood, 10" of sand, 3/4" plywood, then, 4" of sand, then, 8x8 wall of 4x4.
About every 2 years I have to replace the front 4x4 wall, but have only had a few rounds penetrated into the 10" sand layer. Most were stopped in the 4" layer.

 

Where we qualify the Sheriffs office uses old conveyor belt material. Its about 3/4” thick and comes in 24” wide sheets. Most bullets pass clean through but a few will get stuck (.38 wadcutters, etc.)

You could hang it in front of the backstop.

The local gravel pits just give the stuff to the range, easier than paying for disposal. It may be as easy and cheap for you if there is a local rock/cement company.

The sheets take hundreds and hundreds of rounds before they get a hole worn through them and need replacing.

Stay safe.

 

They tried chicken wire first and found it quickly fell apart because it broke every time a bullet hit it. Duh. They are so cheap they tie the plastic fencing up with string as it gets shot up. We did have three 25 yard target boards on the rifle range and for some reason two of them have disappeared, stands and berms gone and just a smooth spot where they used to be. It makes initial sighting in of a rifle difficult with only one target stand for multiple shooters. No tannerite or glass is allowed and I agree with the glass but I fail to see how tannerite can cause any damage to what is basically a big rock with just enough soil to grow a little grass that is usually dormant from lack of rain. There are shot up plastic bottles and coke (generic name for any canned drink) cans, and broken clay pigeons scatted about plus paper targets blowing around. There are numerous trash barrels that are emptied regularly and some of us police our trash but many are slobs. The only thing that is picked up regularly is empty brass.

If I were not covered up by people that have discovered the joys of country living I would pull a Skeeter Skelton and build a three sided container from crossties and fill it with dirt for my own range. I should have moved about five miles farther where it is deserted.

 

thanks everyone for all the responses!!

 

I picked up a sheet today at home depot. It looks like it should work well.

 

Just go to your local appliance store and ask for the cardboard shipping containers for refigerators and washer/dryers. Strong cardboard and free. Use it on target stands (like these) with 1x2 sticks. I just keep stapling new targets over the cardboard.

 

Lol I have that exact stand it works great when I am up at the cabin with the family.

and I literally have more of that exact cardboard backing in my amazon cart right now, and just picked up more of those clips from staples today to replace the ones that got shot up last time.

 

Build something like this and you can put whatever targets you want in front of it.

 

I don’t think he is asking about a backstop or berm. I think he is asking about a backing for the target stands he/they can attach the targets to.

IE. Cardboard that you can staple or stick the targets to. He was just hoping for something that didn’t need to replaced as often as cardboard.

 

Cardboard can’t stand much in the terms of liquid before it gets mushy, why I use Coroplast if it’s staying outside.

On my little towable bullet trap, I didn’t use any backer at all. I just welded 4 nuts to the front of it that I can slide TIG welding filler rods into and hag the targets off of them.

 

Made a couple of stands today using the homasote. Hopefully use em tomorrow.

 

The target backer is large enough to move the actual target around on the board.
Keep moving where the target is placed, and perhaps the backer board will have a longer life.

 

I don't understand any of these posts. If you shoot the bullseye every time there is just one small hole that you can cover with some tape, right?

 

But what about the 100 other people that don't hit bullseyes

 

The homasote worked well. Hopefully it lasts awhile.