Need to make a backstop

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  • turnerdye1

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    Dec 26, 2010
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    North Central IN
    Whats your budget and firearms you plan on using? What kind of distances? Most people use railroad ties, dirt/sand, and even sheets of AR500 steel if you want to spend the money. The height and width all depends on what you are wanting to do but in my opinion you can never have too much backstop.
     

    tjh88

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    Sep 4, 2013
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    Vallonia
    I got a buddy that stacked up firewood. Probably a rick or so stacked. Kind of put it at an angle so no daylight seen from the shooting line. Seems to work pretty good. I used a big piece of oak. The stump that I cut off after bringing the tree down. About 20-24" across and the slab was about 18" thick. Staple target to it and start shooting. Had a hill behind it.
     
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    6mm Shoot

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    Oct 21, 2012
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    Tires stacked and filled with sand work. I shot at a range that had them stacked up about 5' and two rows thick all filled with sand. I never saw anything go through the back stop.

    I used logs that I took down to make the range and stacked them up and covered the back of them with dirt 6' thick. It has worked fine so far. I do keep adding dirt to them. It seems that the rain washes a lot of it away. I wish it was taller. I plan to bring it up 2' this winter and add another 50' in distance.

    I use old AC boxes filled with dirt and fasten a peace of plywood to them to staple targets to. They set in front of the back stop. After they get so many holes in them that they won't hold dirt any more I replace them. If you are shooting 22 or 380 most don't go through the AC box filled with dirt. 5.56 and up will go through the box and stop in the back stop. Some of the holes from the 358 Winchester and 308 Winchester are really impressive coming out the back of the box. They make some big holes.
     

    Steve B

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    Aug 18, 2011
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    KEWANNA
    Here's what I did in order to place my backstop as close to the property line as possible and to cut down on how much dirt was needed. I got old poles for free from the local power company. I used a backhoe and dug a 3' trench. Then stood 10' sections of old telephone poles in the trench and back filled them leaning a little towards the shooter. After that I placed all of the left over short pieces in front of those. Finally I piled my dirt in front of that. The weight of the dirt causing the poles to straighten back up. Brought the side of the hill out 10' as a wing to catch splatter from the steel.
     

    jwh20

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    Feb 22, 2013
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    Hamilton County Indi
    The issue with any hard material like wood, concrete, bricks, etc. is that over time chunks get kicked out and you may end up with a gap that will allow a bullet to pass through. Where dense but loose materials like dirt, sand, gravel, and the like self-heal after impact and so you don't get the gaps forming.

    You might build a pair of walls of railroad ties, or other heavy lumber to serve as a containment for your fill material, then fill the inner space with dense dirt (not topsoil), sand, pea gravel, or similar. That would give you a well defined target surface and protection from the thing blowing or washing away.
     

    wcd

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    Dec 2, 2011
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    Off the Grid In Tennessee
    Whats your budget and firearms you plan on using? What kind of distances? Most people use railroad ties, dirt/sand, and even sheets of AR500 steel if you want to spend the money. The height and width all depends on what you are wanting to do but in my opinion you can never have too much backstop.

    Abandoned Rail way berm, Stops most any thing double wall proctecton so to speak, First berm about 8ft tall, Second Berm about 15 ft above that, works great.

    Or if you lack that maybe a friend has a bob cat or front loader just dig a small pit out?
     

    Chance

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    Sep 25, 2009
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    Berne
    FYI, NRA range design recommendations are a minimum of a 20 foot tall berm, unless you have some natural contour to you land that fills your needs. A discharge of a .45 ACP at 23 degrees above parallel to the ground can go about 1700 feet if it clears your backstop. Have fun, just make sure your range is adequate.
     

    Bearclaw

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    Dec 23, 2012
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    Anderson
    I helped build a rage at my buddies and we used stacked tire filled with dirt and dirt packed behind the tires. Most tire places have to pay to have them removed so all the ones that I talked to said to just take them. Most thought it was a good idea to use them this way. We have a "used" tire place in town that gave us 50 free just to get rid of them. The tires allow the bullets to enter but hold the dirt in place good.
     
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