Posted: 1/7/2014 12:56:25 PM EDT
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I am down to just a few months left as a slave to Uncle Sam. Once I get out I am planning on putting a shooting range on my property. I am aware of the insurance concerns. What I can't find are actual diagrams or plans for ranges. I guess one good tall dirt berm would be good. Can anybody give me any advice.
Im pretty much starting with scratch here so any advice is welcome. And one question: If I cant find any properties with hills, is it a good idea to shoot from an elevated platform if my range is on level ground just to give me a few more degrees I can 'miss' without shooting over? |
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Helped a guy at work build one on his farm. We were seriously overthinking the entire process, so here's what we learned.
A U or V shaped berm is best, depending on how wide you want the range to be. If you're setting up one or two targets, make a V and save yourself money and time. If you're shooting at more, a U would be better. Draw it out on paper first, and then set up strings so you can see exactly where you're building. Trying to wing it means one side will be more or less built up than the other, or not symmetrical. Plain dirt or sand is the best bullet stop. You may hear people suggest putting tires, wood, or something else in the berm or back stop. Don't waste your money if you're doing it just to stop the bullets. Keep all the rocks you can out of the berm and back stop. You'll realize that you don't need a 10 foot tall berm as long as you keep the rocks out of it. I'd recommend a 7 foot berm. If you're shooting at steel targets, make sure it's angled to point down. You want ricochets to end up in the dirt, not the air. On a similar note, make sure the ground inside the berm is plain dirt, too. No rocks. He initially ran a gravel path all the way to the target, and we quickly discovered that was a bad idea. We had to dig out the gravel by hand. Ugh. Plain dirt or sand floor. Finally, if I didn't mention it before, use plain dirt or sand. This can't be stressed enough. Gravel and rocks will cause more ricochets than anything else. I made an MS paint of the range we built. 
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Quoted:
Helped a guy at work build one on his farm. We were seriously overthinking the entire process, so here's what we learned. A U or V shaped berm is best, depending on how wide you want the range to be. If you're setting up one or two targets, make a V and save yourself money and time. If you're shooting at more, a U would be better. Draw it out on paper first, and then set up strings so you can see exactly where you're building. Trying to wing it means one side will be more or less built up than the other, or not symmetrical. Plain dirt or sand is the best bullet stop. You may hear people suggest putting tires, wood, or something else in the berm or back stop. Don't waste your money if you're doing it just to stop the bullets. Keep all the rocks you can out of the berm and back stop. You'll realize that you don't need a 10 foot tall berm as long as you keep the rocks out of it. I'd recommend a 7 foot berm. If you're shooting at steel targets, make sure it's angled to point down. You want ricochets to end up in the dirt, not the air. On a similar note, make sure the ground inside the berm is plain dirt, too. No rocks. He initially ran a gravel path all the way to the target, and we quickly discovered that was a bad idea. We had to dig out the gravel by hand. Ugh. Plain dirt or sand floor. Finally, if I didn't mention it before, use plain dirt or sand. This can't be stressed enough. Gravel and rocks will cause more ricochets than anything else. I made an MS paint of the range we built. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hTdc3BJjAwk/Usx_Q-k8haI/AAAAAAAABDc/wtzTy7SBuuQ/s542/range.JPG Your MS Paint looks like a Lego samurai! 
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This is just for me. Or my friends, family and I. Def not open to the public.
And thank you for the MS paint drawing. Interesting. Mind if I ask what the gray line is? Also, seven feet seems kind of low. Has your buddy ever had issues with his berm being only that tall? |
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Quoted:
This is just for me. Or my friends, family and I. Def not open to the public. And thank you for the MS paint drawing. Interesting. Mind if I ask what the gray line is? Also, seven feet seems kind of low. Has your buddy ever had issues with his berm being only that tall? The gray line is the gravel path. The gravel was the most expensive thing he bought. Originally it ran all the way up to the targets, but we learned through experimentation that the gravel was causing ricochets, so we had to dig it out. Now the path just goes to the edge of the berm, and the rest is dirt. No issues with 7 feet. The neighbors have never complained, and there is a cow pasture 300 yards behind his range in the direction of the shots. The maximum distance of our shots is 130 yards if we sit on his back deck. |
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Contact the NRA........they may have something available for you.
And take a look at Hickok45's range on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp52zvKdxLg Then, I'll leave you with a final word............ "RICOCHET" Good luck with your retirement. Aloha, Mark |
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You should keep in mind that fact that your berms will be collecting hazmat that is tightly regulated by the EPA. That will potentially have ramifications if you ever put the property on the market.
Best practices for lead management are a moving target due to frequent rule changes and the number of state and federal agencies involved. Think "that could cause me a lot of hassle and cost a lot of money". Mentioning that, I would never tell anyone from any part of the government that I had something approaching a formal range on my property. I would also make sure to erase any foot print prior to putting it on the market. |
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Interesting. Thank you Lange.
And I am very familiar with Hickok45's range. Unfortunately he got his land WAY back when it was cheaper or probably inherited it. And Im not retiring, only been in about 4 years. Just had enough backstabbing and ass kissing to last a lifetime. |