Building a pistol range

[phylodog]

So today I ventured onto an acre of my property I've thus far left alone. The NE corner of my property has approx 3/4 acre which sits 15' or so below the rest of my property. It has a not too steep hillside which drops down and is bordered by an old fence and the road. I was using the bush hog and got to thinking that the hillside would make for a nice pistol backstop with little work (can't get more than about 50yds). It's fairly close to my neighbor so I wouldn't want to blast rifles down there. I figure if I use this for pistols my backstop for rifles could be considerably smaller than I was planning for a do it all backstop.

Anyone built one into the side of a hill before? Any problems, things you'd do differently?

 

[maxwelhse]

Without knowing exactly what you're looking at, it sounds like sort of a PITA to have physically divorced rifle and pistol ranges, by any distance that would help the situation with your neighbor anyhow, unless you find yourself only wanting to shoot one or the other most days. Is the rifle range going to physically be somewhere less offensive to your neighbor? Seems like lighting off big bore handguns isn't going to be much more friendly than a lot of rifles, IMHO.

The only fault I've seen in a lot of at home ranges is that plenty of them are mud pits because they built a dam (the backstop) right in front of the shooting location, usually with dirt that they didn't move any too far so they established a pond too. So, consider drainage and having somewhere decent to shoot from, especially pistol. One of my buddy's range is so bad that we generally drive the truck out there and throw a sheet of plywood down to stand on. It's nice to have a big enough place cleared off to be able to collect your casings too so you don't have to worry about taking one in a tire when you're out mowing. Again, another fault in that one specific buddy's range. Don't be my buddy.

Also... I envy the range you don't even have yet as well as the tractor you do!

 

[phylodog]

I'll shoot rifle much more frequently than pistols and I can get 100+ shooting rifles out of my barn which is 250yds from the neighbors house. I'll be able to shoot a handgun in my rifle backstop, just won't allow very many others to do it.

 

[maxwelhse]

I've offered pretty much the only decent suggestion I have, so now I'm just curious about the plan out of pure curiosity, because I'm not sure I'm getting it.

Are you saying there are over 100 rifles stored in your barn so that will be your shooting location for rifle just due to where they're stored? Then you're saying if you were to shoot handguns at that back stop, the shooters would then be too close to your neighbor's house (I assume for noise reasons?), so you've got another parcel that actually places the shooter further away from the neighbor's than the rifle backstop would be, but that parcel is closer than you'd want to risk a stray rifle round running off from?

The other way I can read this is over 100 people will be shooting rifles out of your barn and this plan isn't anything I've ever seen before. I've got to think that's not what you mean, but if it is... send pictures!

So... I'm already getting your thread off topic, but I'm now looking at this a chance for you to teach some of us something too because it sounds like there are more moving parts to this plan that I had ever considered might be an issue before. The longest range any of my buddies have is about 100 yards and that's the do-all range.

Or I'm just dumb and this is all obvious to everyone else. Even odds.

 

[phylodog]

100+ = 100 yards and then some

The rifle backstop will be considerably smaller than the hill we will shoot into with pistols. The rifle backstop also doesn't have as good an area beyond the pistol range, it basically sits on top of a hill with a road behind it. If a rifle round were to miss the backstop (extremely unlikely) it would easily pass over the top of any vehicle shorter than a double decker bus.

 

[phylodog]

Here's a visual.

The yellow square is the small, rifle bakstop. The yellow line is the bullet flight path from the barn.

The red star is the pistol backtop on the side of the hill the top of which is represented by the black line. Pistol shooting would occur from the NE corner in a SW direction into the side of the hill.

The red circle represents the neighbor's house although it isn't quite that close to the property line.

 

[maxwelhse]

That makes things a lot easier to talk about for sure!

I'm just curious why the yellow box isn't a good one-size-fits-all solution. Shooter elevation change between the barn, the land, and the hill, or...?

 

[phylodog]

It could work but if I use the hill for handguns I really only need maybe a 3' square backstop for rifle. If I want to use the rifle backstop for both it's going to have to be considerably larger and much more expensive.

 

[bwframe]

Do the horses handle the gunfire OK?

We have stopped shooting at my BIL's, due to the horses being pretty rattled by the shots.

Sounds like you are far enough and on good enough terms with the neighbors that they won't be a problem? Having property in the country where you can shoot isn't what it once was. A fair amount of folks have had trouble.

 

[maxwelhse]

It could work but if I use the hill for handguns I really only need maybe a 3' square backstop for rifle. If I want to use the rifle backstop for both it's going to have to be considerably larger and much more expensive.

I get it now. The difference in our thought processes is that I wouldn't be comfortable with a backstop that size for rifle. That's why I had such a large disconnect with your vision. The "buddy" ranges I've attended or helped to construct are downright giant by comparison. Probably at least 5 typical pistol stalls wide, above human tall, and generally at least 8 feet deep with dirt with a solid 10"+ of wood behind that. Generally the materials are all free so it was just the labor we were burning, and a lot of it, because we didn't have a backhoe!

Anyhow, I get where you're coming from now. Hopefully other guys will have more of what you were after as to suggestions rather than my quizzes about the plan.

 

[KJQ6945]

My ground is pretty flat, so I went a different direction.
I built a wall. It’s 6’ 6” tall, 24’ wide, and ranges from 16 to 20 inches thick.

 

[phylodog]

Do the horses handle the gunfire OK?

We have stopped shooting at my BIL's, due to the horses being pretty rattled by the shots.

Sounds like you are far enough and on good enough terms with the neighbors that they won't be a problem? Having property in the country where you can shoot isn't what it once was. A fair amount of folks have had trouble.

One of ours doesn't seem to mind it but I haven't shot since we brought the new horse home so time will tell.

Lots of people shoot around here so no one takes issue with it.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Go out there today and check to see how the natural drainage is - then work with the natural in order to keep it usable in wet weather. Keep as much vegetation intact as you can - and if you move dirt around, cover it with that impregnated-with-seeds matting. And then I'd probably sew wild flower seed.

And if you're worried about even more sound mitigation for your neighbor's sake, you can plant some fast growing shrubs / trees on the edges of the range. Arbor Vitie (sp?) or even spruce.

 

[phylodog]

My ground is pretty flat, so I went a different direction.
I built a wall. It’s 6’ 6” tall, 24’ wide, and ranges from 16 to 20 inches thick.

Very nice, clean setup