Setting up a range and backstop on my property questions

[Doug.38PR]

I am about to set up a backstop on my property and had a few questions:

1) How high should it be? What is the prefered (not minimum) height for a backstop?

2) How long should the backstop be from left to right? I was planning on doing a horseshoe shape with about a 50 yard clearning for a good handgun and shortrange for a rifle (it's about 100 yards to the road so I don't want to be shooting at the backstop from the road )

3) How much would it cost to set up say a Hogan's Alley type deal in front of the backstop with pop up or even moving characters behind building front sets?

This is not a public gun range for business....just something for me and my friends and neighbors to come shoot at.

Thank you.
Doug

[phddan]

My pistol backstop is about 5' high and about 15' wide.
My rifle backstop (100yds) is about 7' high and about 15' wide.
Will be making them bigger here real soon, so I can put more targets up.

#3...No idea. I shoot clays and doves for moving targets. Oh yea, opening day is Saturday.

Dan

[frankie_the_yankee]

I have a 25 yd bullseye range. My backstop (a earthen berm I pushed up) is about 8 feet high and around 25 feet wide. I also use it for close range defensive shooting practice from time to time.

It sounds like you are setting up something way bigger. I'm jealous.

[phddan]

Maybe a tad bit bigger
The backstops I have now was something I quickly built to suffice. I want to get them 10' tall, and get the pistol stop wider and thicker. The rifle stop is thick enough, I drive my tractor on it to dump the dirt, just want it taller.
I'm trying to talk my neighbor with a dozer into going from one corner of the property to the diagonal corner for a long range range.

Dan

[Doug.38PR]

How thick should the backstop be? Does it need to be compacted (I guess rain will do that in time anyway)? or can you just dump piles of dirt from point a to point B, X number of ft. high and voila...you have a backstop.

[frankie_the_yankee]

How thick should the backstop be? Does it need to be compacted (I guess rain will do that in time anyway)? or can you just dump piles of dirt from point a to point B, X number of ft. high and voila...you have a backstop.

No need to compact the dirt. Mother Nature takes care of that just fine.

As for thickness, any pile of dirt has a natural "angle of repose". The thickness that results from just naturally piling or pushing dirt into a berm is plenty to stop any handgun or rifle round.

At least that has been my experience.

[mcub]

Do not forget the angle of the berm. If it’s to shallow, you have a risk the bullet might bounce up and over, such as an encounter with a rock on or near the surface. If the angle is to steep, you may have dirt being tossed at you and I'm told you will end up doing a lot of maintenance on the face. I used to have a PDF file I downloaded from the NRA about home ranges and recommendations. I'l try to find it for you

[Doug.38PR]

I'd appreciate that very much. Thank you

[mcub]

Rats, it's no longer free you now have to pay for it......Typical NRA

http://www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/sourcebook.asp

As I recall it is quite invloved , it may be over kill for you.

The CD is cheaper

[Boxerrider]

Here's a link to a PDF I found on the Minnesota DNR site I thought was pretty informative.
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/outdoor_ac ... ctices.pdf

Haven't made one for myself (yet). Waiting on the old house to sell so I can afford to buy the one we're currently renting (and a tractor).

Enjoy!