Target Shooting "Back stop"

[Welshman]

I'd like to build a "back stop" for target shooting. My property is relatively flat - I don't have any natural berms, and of course I'm concerned about stray shots. This will be used for handgun practice, and possibly some .22 rifle shooting.
I was thinking of setting a couple of posts and covering them front and back with plywood (maybe 8' x 8'), and filling the void with...."something".
What has worked for you folks? Thanks.

 

[murphy1244]

I'd like to build a "back stop" for target shooting. My property is relatively flat - I don't have any natural berms, and of course I'm concerned about stray shots. This will be used for handgun practice, and possibly some .22 rifle shooting.
I was thinking of setting a couple of posts and covering them front and back with plywood (maybe 8' x 8'), and filling the void with...."something".
What has worked for you folks? Thanks.

Take your tractor and start building a hill.

 

[shortthrow50]

Fill dirt is always free. I don't know how it is around your area but whenever there is construction goin on and the contractor has to get rid of fill dirt, it cost them money to get rid of it. They ship however many loads you want by tri-axle for free. Just about every paving company has to clean out their yard from old excavated material. Like I said its a hundred percent free with free delivery. Check Craigslist too. Have 2 or 3 loads dropped where you want it and pile it up.

 

[bikerdib]

I found a local guy that was selling his land and he had a pile of RR ties that he never used and wanted to get rid of. I can't remember how many I bought from him but I paid him like $6 each. I set some posts and then stacked the back wall 2 deep and put wings of single stack on each side to contain lead splatter since I shoot steel plates. In other words, I have 3 walls forming a U. On the back wall, I turned one bottom tie so it wasn't as tall as the other. That way, the gaps between the two layers are off set and there is no chance of a bullet "sneaking" through. I didn't think there was much of a chance of any going through the side wall hence the single layer there. I made it about 7 feet high which gives me about 8 feet wide by 7 feet high. If I can't hit that then it's time to hang up my guns. After about a year of shooting (many, many rounds), I noticed the back wall was getting kind of torn up. To extend the life of the backstop and make for easy repair, I used a chainsaw to cut some ties in half and put a stack of those against the back wall about 5 feet high. I fugure this build will outlast me.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Here is a little more than you asked for:
http://www.hss.doe.gov/secpolicy/pfs/range_design_criteria.pdf

On the realistic side, think carefully about the trajectory of the missed shots. Imagine that you live in each of your neighbor's houses, and how you would feel about the circumstances. Then, build accordingly.

Also, lots of shooting = lots of lead. So think about the runoff and groundwater.

All of that said, we used railroad ties to build a rectangular box two feet deep, lined it with a double layer of plastic sheeting, filled it with sand, and covered it with the plastic. The plastic is to keep the rain from washing lead into the field and ponds. I suppose we will clean it out every few years to collect the lead and replace the plastic.

 

[forgeblast]

I have mine set up this way.
Pt landscape timbers as the uprights, and pallets to give you something to staple to. (i had a lot of pallets).
these are in front of a hill(a log landing that was cut out). the berm/hill is about 5' high.
Behind the pallets(to hold them in place) i placed junk logs and larger logs I could not split by hand. I filled the entire space up to the top of the pallet with logs/log pieces.
What is nice with the landscape timbers is that I can tie a string between them and hang cans for targets. or put cans on the top of the pallets to see them jump.
If I find a pic Ill post it when I get home.

 

[Welshman]

Thanks for the input. For a number of reasons, the "creating an earth berm" ideas won't readily work for me. greasemonkeyok: thanks for that link - while a bit TMI it is definately helpful.
I'll keep my eye out for for railroad ties at a reasonable price, and in the meantime try and come up with an alternative.

 

[mad_planter]

If you stick with just handgun and 22's it shouldn't be hard to devise a bullet stop. Centerfire rifles on the other hand kick the whole thing up a notch.

 

[retiredmgn]

4 stacked used tires filled with sand. If you can't hit that you need to move closer.

 

[forgeblast]

I also have tires set up, there are some good youtube videos on making tire backstops.