For those of you guys that are thinking making the trip to casa de swingset in October for a camp and shoot, here's the range I have slapped together using nothing but $3.00 of bailing wire and ingenuity. I'm nearly done, but it's completely functional now.

I started building trails last year to put a steel plate range back in our woods, but my inlaws sold some timber and the skidders really tore it up, delaying me. Then, I had some house and kiddo things eating up my play money. Seemed I would never get it done, but boredom and financial woes are the mother of invention - so I set out to make an entire range using $0.00.

I almost got away with it. :D Other than the cost of my bailing wire and some gas for the chainsaw, it was completely free!

Here's some pics of my "wooded range".

Hard to show without a panorama pic, but this is from the cleared off shooting point, which is up on top of a sloping ridge. The targets are railroad tie plates, hung from bailing wire. The structures are cut logs, sunk into the ground and the cross pieces and supports are tree limbs. The close targets are 20 and 25 yards for pistols. The far 2 target stands on the upper left are at 150 and about 180 yards.

This is looking from to the right slightly, where another set of targets (in a yellow circle) are way out at 200 yards. Very hard to pick out of the brush, even when you know where they are. Kinda fun, like hunting.

This is a 25 and 50 yard target, and there's another 25 yard target 180 degrees from this.

Basically, perched up on the ridge, you can engage 8 different steel plates in about a 70 degree arc. All the shots go into heavy woods, on the opposing ridge. The range sets back off my property about 1/4 mile or more, so no one to bug or interfere with.

Had a buddy come out today to help me finish up the targets. All I have to do now is build a shooting platform or two, and some rifle racks (again using free materials), and finish my bridge to cross a muddy creek with the quad to maintain targets and it'll be done. Down the line somewhere I'll do a tactical "walking" course with proper silhouettes, but for now spending nothing feels pretty good.

The only downside to it is that the shooting area, which is about 12' x 35' is only big enough for 4 or 5 shooters at a time, but hopefully I'll fix that before October. 20 guys could camp out there, but shooting alot at once might be tight.

Anyway, that's what I did over summer vacation! Sure beats sitting at the range shooting into a boring berm. If you wanna try it out, price of admission is 1 six-pack of Rolling Rock and white spray paint!

I already have some buffalo steaks in the freezer, waiting.

Look forward to throwing some lead into the woods.

Ultra cool swingset.

Price of admission sounds cheap. Choice of beer? Rolling Rock? That's sick

Don't they use puma piss to make RR?

Cool. I plan on doing something very similar to that in my back yard when I start my new house this month.  I like the tie plate idea. If you were shooting at them from ground level would you have to worry about ricochettes?

Looks good! Can't wait for October Fest . Or is that Swing Fest?
You are going to make Millers for Labor Day right?

Quoted: Cool. I plan on doing something very similar to that in my back yard when I start my new house this month.  I like the tie plate idea. If you were shooting at them from ground level would you have to worry about ricochettes?

They're anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 thick over their surface. They can take pistol no problem, no dimples yet after many hundreds of hits. That's what sends spall back at you, when a round hits a crater wrong. Rifle will dent them pretty good, so my nearest one I hit with rifle is out at 50 yards. I really shouldn't even hit a 50 yarder with rifle but there's alot of woods to keep fragments down. .223 will really dent them up, .308 makes a huge crater and .300 win mag sails right through them. I would make 75 yards the minimum distance for hitting them with rifles and you're pretty safe. Never had fragments come back at me from that distance shooting any kind of steel...and if they did they wouldn't have enough energy to hurt ya I wouldn't think.

The benefit of tie plates is they're free! And, they have hanging holes already in them. Just paint one side and whala! Never ending supply too. I would recommend hanging them because it absorbs more impact and sends fragments downward.

Oh, and Glimmerman has insulted my beloved Rolling Rock, so we now have a designated plate changer for the weekend. No wonder JME picks on you so much. Insulting a man's beer!? That's not right. That's like telling him his wife is ugly. Even if it's true, it's just not done. I suppose you like those fancy pancy beers, dontcha!?!?

Quoted: Looks good! Can't wait for October Fest . Or is that Swing Fest? You are going to make Millers for Labor Day right?

Yessir, going to be there for Labor Day.

Hey Glimmer, you still planning on coming up for the swapper's day that Saturday? I got some cold Rolling Rock Fancy Beer in the fridge!

Swingset,

Looking good!

BTW, how far are you from Columbus?  I certainly wouldn't mind doing more tactical style practice.  It looks like a great place to run close rane drills and what not.

I've been meaning to make it to one of the shoots but I've been kind of busy with 7 month pregnant wife and our 3 kids with all kinds of activities.  Life can be rough when you're Mr. Mom!

Cheers,

Chris

Nice work....like the brush (we don't have that here).

I would hate to be the logger that falls those trees after you get through unleashing your SHOCK and AWE offensive.

MT

Man, that looks pretty sweet.  Now you need to start a thread with a date.  Unfortunately, I'm out of town Columbus Day weekend but the rest is wide open.

Can't really hang with the Rolling Rock anymore...seems like it has gotten worse in recent years, but not to worry...I'll have my own supply of brew!  

Oh, and BTW - I've got a three room dome tent so if anybody doesn't have a nylon shelter, there is ample room in mine.

So that's what Mike keeps talkin about....

Sweet setup man.

33's to ya...

Quoted: Quoted: Looks good! Can't wait for October Fest . Or is that Swing Fest? You are going to make Millers for Labor Day right? Yessir, going to be there for Labor Day. Hey Glimmer, you still planning on coming up for the swapper's day that Saturday? I got some cold Rolling Rock Fancy Beer in the fridge!

WOW, cold RR for me?????!!!!!

I will be there for swapper's day Saturday!

BTW, people insult my beer all the time.

Fluggin double post...

DOH!!!

Nice range.

Sweet! To bad I dont have such a nice setup.

Quoted: So that's what Mike keeps talkin about.... Sweet setup man. 33's to ya...

Need to get your butt out here! Mike's only 1 mile away from me, so we can do some blasting easy enough. Hell, if you two knife junkies get bored with bullets, there's a whole lot of downed limbs you can hack up with your Busse's.

Quoted: BTW, how far are you from Columbus?  I certainly wouldn't mind doing more tactical style practice.  It looks like a great place to run close rane drills and what not.

I'm 35 miles north east of Cowlumbus, 5 miles north of Granville.

By this winter I'm hoping to make a full tactical course. I'm going to make some log barricade/cover spots, a raised culvert to shoot thru and maybe a derelict car to shoot around. Lots of work for one little guy, but it'll rock when it's all done. I'm spending this whole week with a borrowed dozer smoothing things out so I can maintain the targets easier.

Sweet!

An october thing would be awsome. I'll bring the finest brew from the area.

Glimmerman, I'll be sure to remember that 6 pack of zima you left in my cooler from bulletfest

Quoted: Sweet! An october thing would be awsome. I'll bring the finest brew from the area. Glimmerman, I'll be sure to remember that 6 pack of zima you left in my cooler from bulletfest

You two better work out your problems. May I suggest relationship counseling for you? I know a great gal that will be happy to sit down with you two and work a good cry out of you. It might be theraputic.

Yeah, where's DC when you need her?  

Awesome range......but.....


Where do you get these so called "tie plates" (assuming they are associated with railroads) for free and in endless quantity... inquiring teenagers must know

Quoted: Yeah, where's DC when you need her?

Quoted: Awesome range......but..... Where do you get these so called "tie plates" (assuming they are associated with railroads) for free and in endless quantity... inquiring teenagers must know

I work at a place that's along side a derelict railroad line. They are piled up all over the place. Probably 200 or more. I have a friend that walks the tracks near his house and looks to the sides of the rock base on tracks, he said every 100 yards or so you can find an old tie plate.

Cool.  I will have to free up some LST (lead separation time) here pretty soon.

Things that went bang have been my love much longer than sharp pointy things.