Here are the steps that I used to build a home shooting
range:
We begin by finding an open area
with a gentle downward slope with at least 250 yards of open
space. This view is taken looking from the target
line, looking upwards at the gentle slope.
This
safety feature guarantees that any stray shots to not go
more than a few feet into the forest. |
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We started with piling up a burn,
50 feet long 15 feet wide at the base and 10 feet tall.
We ensured that we have a least a mile of forest behind
the burm. |
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| Next, we dug a safety
ditch to catch broken targets and trash. |
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Next, we planned to use
2 foot by 3 foot foam boards (available at office supply
stores) for target backups.
Hence, we mounted 6x6x12
foot vertical posts three feet apart (on center), so we
could easily use stickpins to mount the white foam board. |
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| Then, we added a shelf
to freestanding targets. |
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| We reserved 20 feet of
the burn for close-up handgun target mounts, which can be
human sized, larger than the rifle targets. |
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Here is how we attached
the foam core board using large stickpins. Easy!
Then, we easily mount the targets with four tiny
stickpins, making mounting of targets very simple. |
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Shooting PitWe needed a safe
place to sit and wire-back the shot results.
We have developed a home rifle range, and when shooting at
distances in excess of 260 yards, it neigh-on impossible to see the
bullet holes on a black target.
Instead of digging a
traditional pit into the ground, I designed this shooing pit, where
the “puller” can sit safely behind a burn with a walkie-talkie.
After each shot. the puller will to these things:
1 - Report the shot verbally
2 - Mark the current hole in red
3 - Paste over the previous shot with either a black or white
pasting circle.
Here is a design for in the woods to the side of the shooting range,
outside of the pasture:
