Using a BX to build shooting range berm.

[manosteel00]

Hi Guys,

I'm a new tractor owner and recently purchased a BX23s.

I do a lot of competitive shooting and have been wanting my own range for years. Now that I have the land to do it, I'm starting to plan.

A local excavator just quoted me $6k to build a shooting berm that is 15' tall and about 30 yards wide with side walls. He was going to strip off the topsoil and push existing dirt/sand to the berm and then replace the topsoil.

My question is, is this a task my little BX is set up for? It would be nice to save the money but I just have a hard time imagining that tractor moving that amount of earth.

 

[BX23S-1]

I bought my BX23s to do the exact same thing, one of many projects.
Do it yourself, take your time, you`ll get there, and save yourself $6K
No tractor is to small to do that job with a FEL, size matters, gonna take time.

 

[BigBoyToys]

Is there a requirement to go 15' tall? I would thing 10-12' would be sufficient and would save a lot of work.

EDIT...looks like 15' is the recommended min.
Ranges | National Shooting Sports Foundation

 

[captronr]

Is the ground sandy, or clay, or filled with rocks? If it's tough ground, your BX will struggle. My BX2200 couldn't dig in our clay soil.

The size you described is a LOT of dirt. Yes, you could do it with a BX, but what is your time worth?
How far do you have to travel with the dirt for the pile? There is a learning curve for how to move dirt effectively, which could add to the effort if you have to travel farther than you planned. Unless you can obtain the fill dirt right next to the site, travel time will get really old, really fast.

Do you know how your excavator planned to build it? If he planned to use a bulldozer, you might check to see how much it would cost for you to rent one. If you take out his profit and labor, the bill might be half what he quoted.

Not trying to rain on your parade, and by any means, go for it if you wish. I just wanted to toss my two cents in for how long it might take. I once moved 35 tons of sand and topsoil from my driveway to the backyard (couldn't get a truck in). It started very slowly. Load the bucket, shift to hi range, drive to back, dump, and return. I ended up hiring two bulky football players with large wheelbarrows. I'd fill their wheelbarrows from the pile with the BX, then they'd go dump it in the swimming pool hole we were filling, and come back for more. Still took a long time.

Best wishes,
Ron

 

[manosteel00]

I agree 15' may be a bit tall. I'm building it close to my pole shed though and want to minimize and ricochet possibilities. I'll likely go closer to 12 and build the side walls high. I want to be able to drive on the top of if though.

The soil is mostly sand which should make it easy to move. There is a slope that I can cut into in the same field and move the dirt. The water table is very close to the lower part of the range so I don't foresee using the backhoe.

If I do this my plan would be to use the box scraper to move off the topsoil and then scoop up the sand with the FEL.

 

[bilrus61]

Could you make it 10 feet tall then put a heavy 5 foot fence on the top? That would help keep the sound level confined also. I would think a 2 inch board would stop any ricochetes as long as it wasn't the primary backstop.

 

[TripleR]

My sons built a shooting range on one of our farms using our M8540 and L5030 using accepted specs on height, slope etc. as it was to be used to teach classes and it took a loooong time and lots of diesel, no way it could have been done in a reasonable amount of time with one of our BXs.

 

[coldsteelva]

If there is no concern re: overpenetration or beyond range hits, a thinner earthen backing can be made to work if you have the ability to acquire last season round bales. Stack a couple high as wide as you need. Once they break down too much...burn them, collect the lead (if you care) and replace the bales.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Hi Guys,

I'm a new tractor owner and recently purchased a BX23s.

I do a lot of competitive shooting and have been wanting my own range for years. Now that I have the land to do it, I'm starting to plan.

A local excavator just quoted me $6k to build a shooting berm that is 15' tall and about 30 yards wide with side walls. He was going to strip off the topsoil and push existing dirt/sand to the berm and then replace the topsoil.

My question is, is this a task my little BX is set up for? It would be nice to save the money but I just have a hard time imagining that tractor moving that amount of earth.

Why on earth would you need a range 30 yards wide. I have seen public shooting ranges that were not that wide. I would think 30 feet wide (inside dimension) with wings on each side would be way more than you would need to set up 3-4 targets wide. Heck if you cant get within 4 feet of a 2 foot wide target, you need to give up rifles and pistols and stick with a shotgun.

 

[JerryK]

One of the main concerns with berm height is how close the targets are to the berm. It is an eye opening experience to see how quickly a bullet deflects and leaves the ground when impacted at a slight angle. If you keep your inadvertent ground hits near the berm it is a real plus. I built my pistol range with berms at about 11, 26, and 51 yards...for 10, 25, and 50 yard targets.

 

[Gary Fowler]

With sandy soil, you will be lucky to get the berm to settle on a 45 degree angle so your bottom berm width for 15 feet tall will be about 30 feet wide and you want to be able to drive on top so add another 8 feet in width so more like 40 feet wide by 15 tall. $6000 sounds like a bargain. I wouldn't even attempt that with my 70 HP tractor and no way would I try it with a BX. Heck I can fit a BX in the bucket of my 70 HP and it would take weeks to build that kind of structure.

 

[BX23S-1]

Agreed, BX would take awhile, but it WILL do it, as long as you take your time, and there`s not a bunch of rocks that your digging in. I built a huge shooting burm years ago with B7100 subcompact, took awhile but can be done, and i didnt spend $6K doing it. And 15ft high sounds kinda high to me. Mine was 10ft at its highest height.

 

[PJSprog]

If there is no concern re: overpenetration or beyond range hits, a thinner earthen backing can be made to work if you have the ability to acquire last season round bales. Stack a couple high as wide as you need. Once they break down too much...burn them, collect the lead (if you care) and replace the bales.

This is similar to what we are doing. You can also minimize the amount of dirt needed by erecting a railroad tie wall and building the berm up against that.

 

[redmaher]

For $6000 I would try my self or buy more equipment and resale when done.

 

[BX23S-1]

Is there a requirement to go 15' tall? I would thing 10-12' would be sufficient and would save a lot of work.

EDIT...looks like 15' is the recommended min.
Ranges | National Shooting Sports Foundation

I think those guidelines are more for public ranges where people bring in some pretty powerful rifles. I built mine at around 10ft high. But i only shoot pistols, and nobody but me shoots here at my own range. I never shoot more than 10yds with my handguns, and i`ve never had an issue. I also have a 1/2inch thick steal bullet trap plate installed down range to capture the bullets mainly because i cast my own bullets to shoot/reload.

 

[KennyV]

You could build it with a BX... But by the time you finish you will be to old to really enjoy shooting... (eye sight will start being a problem as you pass 65 years old)
Hire it done and use those young eyes to hone your shooting skills. KennyV

 

[Ford850]

With sandy soil, you will be lucky to get the berm to settle on a 45 degree angle so your bottom berm width for 15 feet tall will be about 30 feet wide and you want to be able to drive on top so add another 8 feet in width so more like 40 feet wide by 15 tall. $6000 sounds like a bargain. I wouldn't even attempt that with my 70 HP tractor and no way would I try it with a BX. Heck I can fit a BX in the bucket of my 70 HP and it would take weeks to build that kind of structure.

30 yards wide, 40' base, 10' flat drivable top, 15' tall. That would be 33,750cf of soil (not counting tapered ends). If a BX can carry 1/4 yard that would be 5,000 bucket loads.

 

[manosteel00]

I just laughed reading your comment. That is a ridiculous amount of work and I do think I will have the excavator handle it.

I may downsize the width and height of the range but I like doing things right. I also want to be able to shoot from different angles close up on steel and that's why I'm interested in a wider berm.

 

[Ford850]

I just laughed reading your comment. That is a ridiculous amount of work and I do think I will have the excavator handle it.

I may downsize the width and height of the range but I like doing things right. I also want to be able to shoot from different angles close up on steel and that's why I'm interested in a wider berm.

It all comes down to how you value your time. I love working with my tractors, but by the end of a project that large it would feel like work. I'd be more inclined to hire it done, the way you want it, and still be able to play around tweaking things with the BX after the contractor was done.

 

[TMGT]

I my neighbor had a large range built with 10-12ft height and 150ftx150ft length and about a 50ft berm on the 3rd side, it was a huge project and even with heavy equipment took some time to finish. I wouldn't even attempt it with my skid steer much less a BX.
6k sounds like a decent deal and not a big job for a dozer.
I've started valuing my time more and more these days and realizing when it's time to call in help on jobs that are too big for my equipment.