Underground Shooting Range

[zstephens13]

I was reading another post about a shooting range built on another THR member's property.
Now this is an idea that I have had for a long time:
I want to bury a cargo container (CONEX) underground. It will be the ultimate man cave. It will have a trap door with a ladder, probably a standard house door, etc. Now I was thinking, "That is alot of space..."
Maybe half of it could be turned into an underground shooting range.

Is that a safe possibility?
What would be needed to make this happen?
Concerns I would have are ventilation, ricochets, water sealing, an appropriate backstop...

What do you guys think?
Possible?
Plausible?

 

[[email protected]]

Water and ventilation are going to be your biggest problems.... I've thought about the same thing... but not with containers.... not long enough in my opinion.

 

[Double Vision]

I'm getting claustrophobic just thinking about it. But that's just me.
Good luck, it sounds like an interesting idea.

 

[CmpsdNoMore]

Here's a video of someone that did that, but for a wine sellar.
Link to YouTube

I think it would be neat to have an underground shooting area with maybe some cement culvert pipe connecting two areas. One thing to consider with any underground setup is it's going to be LOUD, LOUD, LOUD and you will need to set up a decent fan system for ventilation.

 

[Smokey in PHX]

My brother's friend has an underground range not quiete 50 yards long coming off his basement. Has a small rectangular room off his foundation four or five foot concrete culvert and ends in another small concrete room. Targets go back and forth on electric pulley system and ventilation on each end and in the middle section. Not much noise outside. Houses are at least 50 yards apart. Works well.

 

[CapnMac]

"Standard" CONEX is 8'x10'x20' It is enshrined as the measure of container capacity as TFCE (Twenty Foot Container Equivalent).

"Large" container is 8x10x40' or two TFCE, only about 13 yards long.
"Jumbo" container is longer with two 4' "overhangs" at 8x10x48' which would give you 16 yards' length.
"Super" container is 8x10x53' (which is sized to match DoT semitrailer max size, not a 4' module--go figure). That would be only 17± yards long.

A "reefer" can is another option, but you are giving up a foot (6" each side & roof) to the luan-plywood covered foam insulation.

Containers are relatively inexpensive when bought used. But, used, they can be very beat up. Which makes getting them to waterproof a bit more work. You'd need two 40 footers to get 25 yards, which would then present the issue of connecting them together, and waterproofing that connection.

While trap doors and ladders are interesting to contemplate, they can be significantly more work in actual practice. Lugging ammo boxes and weapons up and down 70º ladders gets to be hard work. And, such work "wants" more access (more space) rather than less. Consider this in reverse--how "convenient" would it be going through the equivalent of an attic access hatch?

At least a container does have a rigid roof, so, 12-18" of topsoil ought not be a problem. I'd not put one between where the service truck enters and the septic tank, though.

So, this is better than some other ad hoc solutions I've seen. Like a couple of semitrailers end to end. But, really the best one I've seen was with two single-wide modular house units. Already had access doors, electrical connections, etc. The 12' modular width also allowed for a lot of sound insulation without over-narrowing the interior space over much.

 

[Keb]

I know a man who accumulated enough 4 or 5 foot diameter concrete drain pipe to make an enclosed overground range. Never built, however.

 

[oneounceload]

1 container would not be worth the effort - try 50 yards of 8 foot storm culvert underground

 

[Treegunner]

That would be awesome to have your own underground range!!!