[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Underground Range (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/7/2006 6:18:47 PM EDT
Monday I break ground on a new underground range for my neighbor. 25 yard target line. Range is rifle rated, but at 25 yard no need for other than pistol. I'll be posting progress pics. All you'll see above ground is a couple of vents. I thought it'd be interesting enuff for a thread.
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You're on the right track with the sewer pipe, or you can do it a little easier with planking. Got some pics on the way here in a few. |
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Got the digging done today for the range. Looks alot bigger in person that on paper. Here's a few pics.... This is the "bunker" where the firing line will be. Access it thru the polebarn to the right, and down a set of stairs. Concrete floor, drywall, lighting, heat, and ventilation.  This shot is of the shooting lane looking from the firing line to the target line. The tunnel will be just under 4x4, with a lighted target carrier you can stop at any distance.  This hole in the ground will hold a "pit and plate" style trap, 6x6, and 3/4" thick. Doesn't need to be that thick, but I have a piece laying around.  Shot from the trap to the target line. The pink poly is there to keep the frost out of the ground till I can get in there and work on it some more. Tunnel gets set first and covered back up, then the bunker, then the pit. 
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A 4' tall shooting range? You must be short. Just bury a School bus underground. No wait that might be a bad idea. |
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The whole range gets covered with dirt, no less that 1' so as to dampen the noise. If you were to shoot just into the back wall, in time it would erode, and you would also have a hole full of lead in your yard. The pit and plate is very simple in design, and rather inexpensive. Plastic culvert would work, other than if you wing one through it, you have a hole to contend with. I've used concrete tubing and 2x planking both in the past. The tubing is fast to install, but heavy to work with. Planking goes up fairly quick, is easy to work with, and if you really "drill" a piece, it can be replaced. |
you could but if you hit the tunnel tube you would go right thru it, also the water would get in to the tunnel. if you really wanted you could just fill a "bunker" at the end with a pile of dirt, you might have to rake it back in to a pile every few years. also you would not want to put in the plastic tunnel and cover it with concrete, the ribs backed with concrete could cause the bullet to come back at ya. if you get precast sewer type "bunker" it would have a steel cap that you could pull off to gain access. and with a few smaller holes for fan forced ventalation. you could probably get seconds ( not perfect, rejects ) pretty cheap but it might take a while to get it all ( piece here and there ) |
| Hmmmm, never done it myself but it seems like ventilation would be easy. Have a couple high power centrifugal inline fans or squirrel cage type blowers near your backstop, and fresh air intakes behind your firing line. The fans sucking air through the tunnel and sending it up top to the outside. That way the whole range is negative pressure, and all lead particulates are sucked away from the shooter. I'd definately over ventilate it(lead poisoning doesnt sound like fun to me), probably swapping the air out at least 5 times per minute. You could do that for about a grand I'd say. If you wanted to go real overboard have additional air filtration inside using HEPA filters. Just tossing some ideas out. |
Very correct. Sure you haven't done this before... 
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to give you an idea a 6 foot wall one hundred yards long using cinder block would cost about 1000 dollars, just for block. so double it for 2 walls ... 2000 in cinder block figure about another 1000 for concrete for the floor and another 1500 for wood and concrete roof, plywood laid on top of the walls then pored with 4 inches of concrete on top of that lighting 200 it would be a good idea to cover the first 20 to 30 feet of the walls, floor and ceiling with cheap carpet to cut down on the noise, mostly echos yes i have it planed out, it will also double as a tunnel to the garage/work shop/pool house/guest house |
I've done em in people houses before, but not a big fan of it. If you sell and the buyer doesn't like guns....? If the ventilation fails to operate correctly, you pump lead dust into your house (seen it done) Fail to armor it correctly, and you can wing a round through your house Noise...unless you spend a lot of coin, you will always here something. Mama getting out of bed to tell you to quit shooting, will close the range FAST.... This range is looking to come in around $4k. I've got a lot of the material, free labor, etc. |
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I thought about this from the basement. The grade falls away enough that at 100 yards the pipe would come out on the surface. I have a wood basement wall so the hole would be no problem. If you use 24" tile with a couple tee's with fans for exhaust. The noise in the house is a concern plus not being able to see anyone around the target while firing. It would work good because you would face the bench to the wall and the open end would be natural light. Pop a wood insulated plug in there when not in use. |
i plan on double doors for sound. the bullet trap will be one of those rubber block targets on wheels. the rubber blocks could be restacked as they wear to cut down how fast they wear out, i saw one that had taken 5000 rounds of 223 with out one bullet leaving the block. it was kind of cool to see a 100 lb block of rubber weight 125 lbs with the lead in it. i would also lock the doors at the far end when ever shooting |
I have used rubber blocks in the past, but only as a secondary means of "bullet catch'n". They're gonna cost some coin, you can't get em at HomeDepot, and you're liable to get some kickback from one round impacting another. With a big budget, you could go hog wild and have the latest and greatest range in your backyard. This project is aimed more at being professional, practical, and inexpensive.
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