Home Range

[Fletch]

I've got an idea for a small plinking range in the back corner of my property. I'm thinking I'd build a wall out of railroad ties (the big black suckers, not the little landscaping ties), and perhaps another wall behind it, and dump dirt/compost between the walls. The ties are 9' long, and I'd go up 5 or 6 feet with them stacked horizontally on top of one another, braced by a couple of posts sunk in the ground at the ends. I've also considered doing an inverted 'V' shape as opposed to just a flat wall, to help deflect them inward. I figure a total of about $200 for materials, maybe $300 if I do the V thing.

The distance is most likely 30 yards, with 50 being the most I'd probably be able to manage. I'm only planning to shoot .22's... this isn't going to be anything like a super duper range or IPDA setup, just a little place to get outside and practice every once in a while.

The range would be facing east, directly into a thickly wooded area. To the south side is a large horse pasture. To the north is my fenced-in dog yard. I probably wouldn't let the dogs be outside while I was shooting, even though the danger would be minimal. We live in a rural area, so I don't anticipate issues with the neighbors.

Any thoughts? Experiences?

 

[db1959]

That sounds pretty good.You could do like I did and skip the RR ties unless you want it to look tidy. I have a big dirt pile, maybe 8 feet high and 20 feet long for my backstop.

 

[Quad]

Makes me wish I live in the country outside the city limits!

 

[Jay]

The railroad ties will eventually degrade, and they'll be a pain to remove, and dispose of. In Grant County, the only stipulations are that you not pull a trigger within 100 ft of a roadway, you may not shoot across a roadway, and you must have a safe backstop. The range I put together has a 40 ft wide berm that is currently 8 ft high, but will be 12 ft high in about another month, and it will be about 8 feet front-to-back.

Just my thoughts... good luck with it....

 

[semperfi211]

This is how I did mine. Filled it in with 13tons of sand.

 

[semperfi211]

A pic during building it.

 

[Boiled Owl]

I've heard of tires stacked and staggered as a backstop. Also, you can fill the tires with dirt/sand. I think this would be a quick and easy way to construct a backstop. Might want to avoid birdshot though!

Personally, I have a pile of dirt about 8' high and 20' wide that we shoot at. My neighbor to the south has large berms at 1, 2, 3 hundred yards and one at 1/2 mile if I need long range.

Despite being Illinois, we are lucky as my neighbors (at the farm) are very pro 2A!

 

[Fletch]

The railroad ties will eventually degrade...

The question is, how eventually? Next year? Or 20 years from now? What if I were to spray them down with tar once the thing is up?

A pic during building it.

Take off the far sides and add another 5 layers, and you have about what I'm thinking of, from the back. I'd probably sink steel fenceposts (or just ties standing up) at this joint and at the ends to give it some support. Then I'd just dump dirt and crap into the open area like you've got and call it good.

 

[shibumiseeker]

How long the ties will last depends on their initial condition, the soil pH you use, and your climate. In general though, even crap ties will last a decade or more for your use, and newer good condition ties will outlast you as far as decay goes.

 

[Jay]

Shooting mostly .22 cal, degradation shouldn't be an issue. I didn't read your initial post well enough. I have a friend who has railroad ties 12 high, and two deep, for a backstop. Several friends shoot larger calibers against it with him and they shoot through the central target area in a few years. It's no big problem for him, as he has tractors, wagons, and a front loader to handle the ties.

 

[Larryjr]

I'd say you'd be in great shape with the ties and dirt but for a .22 that could be overkill. If you have the ability, just pile up a mound of dirt like some others and leave it at that. I'm no expert on dimensions and thickness but common sense to me says if you are 8 feet or higher and 4 foot thick, you'd have to be in pretty good shape for .22

Just my thots and I live in the rural part of IN and have a similar range to what I just described working real well.

 

[Fletch]

I'd say you'd be in great shape with the ties and dirt but for a .22 that could be overkill. If you have the ability, just pile up a mound of dirt like some others and leave it at that. I'm no expert on dimensions and thickness but common sense to me says if you are 8 feet or higher and 4 foot thick, you'd have to be in pretty good shape for .22

The problem with just dirt is that we're on a hillside, and while this is a relatively flat piece of ground, erosion will be a concern. One good set of storms can destroy a berm around here... my gun club is constantly having to fix them. Also, since the thick woods behind it is owned by the neighbor down the hill (his buildings are about a quarter mile away, but still...), I want him to be assured I've gone over and above what's really needed.

 

[Jay]

Fletch.... my wife is a Master Gardener, and is going to plant "Creeping Charlie" and "Clustered Bellflower" on my berm. They spread quickly, and their root structure will hold the soil, but won't grow any taller than 8 to 10 inches. Just a thought

 

[Dave00c5]

Thats sounds like my home shooting range. Seven railroad ties stacked horizontally with two ties standing upright buried in the ground with cement. I dumped 20 tons of black dirt behind them as a backstop. This whole wall of ties faces west into a vacant woods. The wall is tilted slightly downward from the top down so to alleviatte any ricochetes. Your idea of tilting in the ends would further the safety of it. I shoot mostly my 22's as i don't want to offend the neighbors with the noise. The county police are notified before i start shooting as one time i had three cars and officers here for a neighbor calling in shots being fired. They approved of it and said to call em each time to let em know so i do.

 

[85t5mcss]

The county police are notified before i start shooting as one time i had three cars and officers here for a neighbor calling in shots being fired. They approved of it and said to call em each time to let em know so i do.

Seriously?

 

[Dave00c5]

Seriously?

Oh yeah, I have em on speed dial so nobody calls in shots fired and they scurry over here in a false alarm.

 

[stacks067]

jealous. wish i had enough land to do the same.

 

[Jubba]

Oh yeah, I have em on speed dial so nobody calls in shots fired and they scurry over here in a false alarm.

The former Randolph county sheriff told me he had 3 complaints on me shooting and just told them he would talk to me. He just mentioned it to me in passing once when we were talking. He never sent anybody out to check.

 

[db1959]

Ive had the cops called on me a couple times too. First time I was done shooting when they got here. I saw them pull into the driveway then leave. The second time a trooper was already here shooting with me.