Home Range

[Aaron N]

Good afternoon gents,

The time has come for me to start looking at building a home range. Which lead me to a some questions:

-What designs have you employed?
-What material works best?(Clay, sand, dirt)
-Is there any point in putting timbers in front of the fill, or is it more of a PITA changing them out once damaged?

Im not looking to get into a legal debate, just looking for some design input!

Thanks in advance!

 

[WAB]

I just put berms up with my front end loader. I have steel at 25/100/200/300. One covered shooting station, 4 berms.

 

[JimP]

Just a good berm with no rocks on the surface.

Figure when you are going to be shooting. It isn't fun to be shooting to the west as the sun is going down or to the east as it is rising. Also figure when the wind and from what direction it is blowing.

I'm lucky in that 5 minutes away I have BLM land where I can shoot at where someone has place a nice berm up at 100 and 200 yards.

 

[Aaron N]

I just put berms up with my front end loader. I have steel at 25/100/200/300. One covered shooting station, 4 berms.

Just a good berm with no rocks on the surface.

Figure when you are going to be shooting. It isn't fun to be shooting to the west as the sun is going down or to the east as it is rising. Also figure when the wind and from what direction it is blowing.

I'm lucky in that 5 minutes away I have BLM land where I can shoot at where someone has place a nice berm up at 100 and 200 yards.

I was thinking of a berm with timber backing so I can build it up steeper, and it won’t have to be so long, and minimize sloughing.

 

[WAB]

I guess it depends what you have for equipment. I just go out and freshen them up when they need it. If I had to hire equipment in I might go in a different direction.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I just put berms up with my front end loader. I have steel at 25/100/200/300. One covered shooting station, 4 berms.

'Same thing, but instead of the steel, i ballasted 55 gal poly drums as the target holders (in front of the berms) at ea distance. Folding shooting table for now, but I plan on making a sort of cantilevered-hip roof on 2 posts, and a permanent bench (likely made out of rubber-covered concrete.) The PA Game Commission has begun using them (easy to make in wooden forms)-they're indestructable and literally Rock-Solid. Those heavy rubber mats (typ used in truck beds-sold at any farm supply store) can be cut into multiple pieces and lined up-they'll stop bullets w/o the backstop (i.e. I could hang stips inside the aforementioned drums-say 4 or affix larger ones to posts and they will stop bullets!) Like the poly drum, the dense rubber closes shut after shots. A local indoor 100 yd range uses the same material (made of recycled tires.) The 1st berm (100 yds) has been there for >40 yds-once vegetated they do not erode away.)

 

[Ray B]

I don't have a range, but I've had use of several. When in college the range was for pistols and 22lr only. It had a large sheet of steel that was probably 1/2" thick, set at about a 40 degree angle, deflecting the bullets down. The floor below the steel deflector was about a foot deep sand with dirt under it. this wouldn't work for high power but for lead bullets at 38 spl type velocities, it was great.

A friend of mine had a range that was underground consisting of a tunnel that was about 4' across. It went about 50 feet and bullets impacted into dirt. the primary purpose was to chronograph loads, so he had screens and lighting set-up and could marginally sight in rifles.

For outdoor use an orchardist friend of mine has a building with gun rest on one side of a valley, then target stands at 100, 200, 300 & 400 yards across the valley. the bullets impact into dirt.

 

[thriller]

I use the back side of a pond dam and have all my targets on sleds so I can easily mow it with a bush hog when I mow the rest of the pature. Concrete bench is at 110 yards from base of dam.

 

[Philip Glass]

I just piled up dirt behind my gongs. You don’t need the dirt if you’re a good shot
I built my range facing east with hills all around and no neighbors that direction for miles. I have gongs hung on pipe H braces cemented in the ground so my cows or Addax don’t knock them down. Not everyone has that problem!
I have gongs from 300-800, plywood targets at 100-300, pistol and .22 range. I just made it all myself and it works. I am sure others here have some great ideas as well.
Now if I just had a charging buffalo.....
Philip

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I luckily had a natural bullet stop, but if I had to build one I would timbers on three sides and leave the front open. Old railroad ties would work well.

 

[Red Leg]

I built a 6-foot railroad tie wall and then faced it and backed it with an earthen berm with my front loader. Works like a charm.

 

[deepwater]

Natural berm with additional soil from 100 yard lane. Planted with Crown vetch to reduce erosion. Various types of targets placed in front of berm.

 

[YancyW]

I have about 15 round bales set up as a berm. When they start to rot too much, I will just push them out of the way and put some fresh bales in their place.

 

[Aaron N]

I luckily had a natural bullet stop, but if I had to build one I would timbers on three sides and leave the front open. Old railroad ties would work well.

That’s what I am considering, maybe run two 2x6’s across the front to hang targets from.

I wasn’t sure if there was any practical point in building a timber wall in front of the berm.

 

[Aaron N]

I built a 6-foot railroad tie wall and then faced it and backed it with an earthen berm with my front loader. Works like a charm.

Any reason for berming behind your wall, or was that the mood you were in that day?

 

[Red Leg]

Any reason for berming behind your wall, or was that the mood you were in that day?

Simply provides further support to the railroad ties.

 

[Aaron N]

Simply provides further support to the railroad ties.

Gotcha! I was thinking of driving in posts for that.

 

[Red Leg]

Did that as well.

 

[C.W. Richter]

That one guy just went to a LV hotel ($150). Very economical!

 

[C.W. Richter]

if you can swing it, berms of tannerite seem to work absolutely best!!!