Building a gun range and berm/backstop

[Teachu2]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Neighbor is good with it. No laws against private ranges on state or twp books. LEOs showing up will politely be told to leave.

The 100 yards is through very heavy foliage AND i was interested in making an L shape to help with noise in that direction.

I've run countless classes with minimal (read: zero) strays because we use a lot of control, brief drills, etc. Military shoot houses that have holes all over: You dont know what drills they were doing, AND these guys are 18 years old going in. Ineffectual comparison.

My apologies to donaldj. The picture in my mind that was not accurate. Somehow, I had the neighbor past the backstop, but after rereading it, the neighbor is to the left or right 90 degrees, thus the L to block noise. Do I have it correctly placed, now?

 

[Teachu2]

Yeah Teachu and tractor seabee are coming across like a bit of an ***.

The way the range is oriented has almost an entire mile downrange through heavy woods before it crosses even a minor road. That would be after a tall berm, shot at from pistol distances.

Because there is a neighbor nearby doesnt mean I'm aiming his way at all.

That being said, I'm glad they're not my neighbors, either.

And I'm glad I'm not your neighbor, too. It gets COLD up there!

 

[Handloader109]

I built a short range two years ago. Used cross ties three wide with them forming a curve. Right at 8ft high. Braced in rear and front filled with dirt up to about 6 feet. Highest I could go with my fel on my subcompact. I shoot mainly pistol at 20 to 50 feet, but can back up and shoot about 200 yards if I want. Easy at 100 yrds. It slopes down pretty severely into a hollow and have a much higher hill on other side with no homes for about a half mile and none in line of site. Works well, I for one wouldn't go with just earth berm.

 

[donaldj]

Apology accepted.

Also, we have gunfire going off regularly all weekend and evening around here. Michigan has a large base of firearms enthusiasts and I am in a semi-rural area. Furthermore, there is a conservation club up the road about 3/4 mile, too.

I'm an instructor (big deal, right?) and very safety conscious. This IS being carried out to maximize safety.

 

[donaldj]

Well, it's started!



The area it's in is wavy ground, so I am slowly evening it out and using that dirt to start the berm. It's hard to see scale but the berm is about 7' tall and about 15' long. Once I get the length to about 30', I'll likely start on the other L (after putting in some drainage).

So far, I am using the box scraper to drag dirt to the berm area, then backing over it and using the FEL to pile it on. I may yet do a wall of some type behind it (then use the FEL to move the dirt back against the wall by 'up and over').

This pile was the result of only 3 hours work. The LS XR3135 is an eager little beast!

 

[FTG-05]

I have two rifle ranges on my property, one 100 yards, the other 260 yards. I make my own concrete shooting tables. See pics below.

In the near future, I plan to add a short pistol range. I've got to do some tree cutting first to make way for the dump trucks.

The 100 yard range berm is my borrow pit, so no dirt moving required (other than digging out dirt when I need it). The 260 yard range is about half way up a hill, no dirt moving required there either, but I did have to dig dirt to make a flat space for the metal targets.

The pistol range is also up against my hill and I've already got a pile of dirt there, so no real dirt moving there either.

Pics:

 

[donaldj]

NICE!!!

You make those tables? I'm going through Tennessee around Christmas time. You anywhere near I-75? Do you take orders? =)

I am so glad to have the space to be able to do this on my property.

 

[CMV]

I really like those concrete table tops too. Much better than the similar shaped plywood ones I make. In the 1st pic, the one with the angles to the rear thinner part, did you just make a mold for that out of plywood and pour concrete or did you but that piece already formed?

 

[FTG-05]

NICE!!!

You make those tables? I'm going through Tennessee around Christmas time. You anywhere near I-75? Do you take orders? =)

I am so glad to have the space to be able to do this on my property.

Yes, I made both of these tables.

The first one on my 100 yard range I call the Mark I. I made one for myself and one for a friend (he paid me in ammo). Then I (stupidly) ran my forks through the reusable form I had made, so I made the Mark II version. It's a bit larger at (roughly 45") vs. the 40" for the Mark I. The Mark II table is the one on the 260 yard range. I made one for my neighbor as well for his +55 acre farm down below me.

I still have another Mk II I need to make for my other neighbor to repay him for moving my Taj Mahal Upgrade deer blind last October.

I can make one for you, but I live near I-65 at the AL/TN border.

 

[FTG-05]

I really like those concrete table tops too. Much better than the similar shaped plywood ones I make. In the 1st pic, the one with the angles to the rear thinner part, did you just make a mold for that out of plywood and pour concrete or did you but that piece already formed?

I use a reusable form.

Here's a closeup of the Mk II I made for my neighbor:

And his friends and I temporarily installed it as a gag while he was on vacation. I thought the "Leaning Tower of Concrete Blocks" was a nice touch. That's his new house he's building in the background.

And to get to your question, here's a pic of the form and wire/rebar reinforcement just prior to final filling with concrete. The three 2x4 blocks hold the reinforcement via 4" lag bolts (that later used to build the table support). The eyelet in the center is a lifting eye that I use to move and manipulate the table after pouring and the concrete sets. I pour upside down, so you're seeing the underside of the table here.

Empty form with reinforcement. I used cabinet grade 3/4" plywood (from my local plywood shop) and regular 2x4's for the sides. The Mk I tabletop weighs just under 450 lbs. The Mk II is heavier since it's bigger but I don't have anything to weigh past 450 lbs. The green motor was salvaged from my old Central Machinery drill press. It's a 1/3 hp (yea right!) motor with an unbalanced rotor on it. I use it to vibrate the table while pouring the concrete.