building a backstop for a home range?

[Sirshredalot]

Hey INGO.

If all goes according to plan I will be building a new range at my new home(county area surrounded by corn fields).

Id already planned on renting a bobcat or excavator for the heavy work but I need to do the planning.

I know I will have a back stop...but how tall, wide, and deep will I need to to stop bullets up to a 500gr .458 slug or a 300gr .375 boolit?

Ill be shooting out to about 300 yards with not much close to me other than a recreational field about 3/4 mile away between corn fields and tree lines.

The land inst too flat either so I will TRY to be shooting "downward".

The range I currently shoot has backstops about ten feet high and teen feet deep...the width of the range..about 150feet.

Safety of myself and others is my number 1 concern here...then the budget...anyone know a place to get cheap or free fill dirt?
can trade mechanical/welding services, home cooking and beer for excavator usage...Ive got a gooseneck...will even haul it.

Questions:
-How high, wide, deep?
-Fill dirt ok?
-Backstop design?

Please and thank you
God bless
-Shred

 

[Sling10mm]

Hey Shred, I have a NRA range manual, and will check tomorrow to see if it has berm specifications/recommendations in it. Can't help with the dirt or excavator though.

 

[Riflemen14]

Here's an older post I did about building my backstop. Also included in my post is a link that shows how I based my build.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...e-180-delaware-co-riflemen14.html#post3342392

 

[KLB]

The answer is subjective. You need to make it big enough that there is no reasonable way you can miss hitting it while shooting.

So width will depend upon how many targets you want to have.

Height will need to be high enough to give you coverage for missing above the targets.

The depth should take care of itself to support the height you make it.

When you have all of that decided, just add some more height and width. I tend to take extra dirt and add it to mine when I can. It can never be too big after all.

 

[Iroquois]

KLB is right, make it as big as you can afford to.
We ended up digging a half acre pond to get enough sand, but we were able to sell some sand to a local trucking company in the process. My berm is about 16 feet high and 200 ft wide. I also built a 250 foot side berm between me and my jerk neighbors.
A big investment but now my wife can fish while I practice my handgun marksmanship.

 

[BoilerMakerME]

Lengthy

Ranges | National Shooting Sports Foundation

 

[Sirshredalot]

Alright ingo....
Got moved into the place and am going to start slinging dirt.

My concern is now....

My range will be 300 yards total, but I am concerned about shooting pistol rounds.

I will hang my steel about 3 or 4 feet off the ground, but with a 25 yard pistol range I'm concerned with pistol bullets dropping to the ground before they reach the backstop at 300 yards.

230gr lead moves slow and drops fast...so does 405gr lead from my 45-70...do I need to worry about ricochet with this idea? Will one backstop at 300yds be sufficient or should I have a "short range" backstop as well?

Cost is a concern right now.

Please and thank you
God bless
- Shred

 

[SEIndSAM]

Alright ingo....
Got moved into the place and am going to start slinging dirt.

My concern is now....

My range will be 300 yards total, but I am concerned about shooting pistol rounds.

I will hang my steel about 3 or 4 feet off the ground, but with a 25 yard pistol range I'm concerned with pistol bullets dropping to the ground before they reach the backstop at 300 yards.

230gr lead moves slow and drops fast...so does 405gr lead from my 45-70...do I need to worry about ricochet with this idea? Will one backstop at 300yds be sufficient or should I have a "short range" backstop as well?

Cost is a concern right now.

Please and thank you
God bless
- Shred

You do need a short range backstop. My local rifle range has a tall berm at 100 meters, but I have seen pistol rounds ricochet after hitting the ground and going into the woods behind the backstop. I have heard them going through the trees/leaves/branches. Any way you could get even just a dumptruck load of dirt in there??

 

[actaeon277]

Alright ingo....
Got moved into the place and am going to start slinging dirt.

My concern is now....

My range will be 300 yards total, but I am concerned about shooting pistol rounds.

I will hang my steel about 3 or 4 feet off the ground, but with a 25 yard pistol range I'm concerned with pistol bullets dropping to the ground before they reach the backstop at 300 yards.

230gr lead moves slow and drops fast...so does 405gr lead from my 45-70...do I need to worry about ricochet with this idea? Will one backstop at 300yds be sufficient or should I have a "short range" backstop as well?

Cost is a concern right now.

Please and thank you
God bless
- Shred

Since it's your range, why not just step forward until you are the desired range from the backstop?

 

[gabrigger]

Since it's your range, why not just step forward until you are the desired range from the backstop?

+1 to this. My home range is 165 yds. from the back porch to my backstop (two triaxles of dirt and railroad ties to form a box. I have the yardages marked in blue marker paint on the grass. You don't even notice them until you are up on them. We just set up at whatever distance we want to shoot and blast away.

 

[OutdoorDad]

Yep.
Can't think of anything more cost effective than moving your shooting bench closer to your berm.

$50 in harbor freight wheels and brackets to make a wheelbarrow type affair, and you should be good to go.

 

[dancrichy]

On where to get cheap dirt, I know a lot of times construction companies who dig out basements will haul dirt to a dump site, so you might want to check to see if you can have any of the dug out dirt.

 

[dancrichy]

And just curious. What is involved in building your own personal range either indoors or out?

 

[boostjunki]

Keep the ideas coming. I'm tagging this, as I'll likely be in the same situation as the OP soon.

 

[Gary119]

On the cheap dirt part. Most county's will offer the dirt from the "road side ditching" to people in the area for free.
Please note this will have trash and or rocks / asphalt so it might only be usable for the inner part of the backstop, with clean dirt on top / outside.