Gun range backstop

moonlight machine · Apr 2, 2020

I want to make a back stop to shoot against. My property is dead flat and I want to be able to do some shooting. If I want to shoot a 30-06 at about 100 yards how thick a back stop do I need. I plan to angle it so bullets go down, say at 45 degrees.

cmccull166 · Apr 2, 2020

The easiest route is a dirt backstop with stacked railroad ties in front.
You can staple targets to the ties...Move enough dirt you can have a pond also,which
is really helpful if you have a wet area .

Larry Dickman · Apr 2, 2020

can I suggest using all of the members who can't keep their political views to their fucking selves?

or maybe a wall built out of unopened U-line catalogs?

I think a 30-06 is going to require something pretty substantial

Maybe you could stack up some hay bails

FredC · Apr 2, 2020

I have used the flat side of a 5 x 5 foot round bale. Should have done some testing to see if anything got through but it was 1/2 mile to the next property and 5 or 6 miles to any possible residences, so I did not even bother. Will watch this thread to see if anyone has actually done testing. I would think a 3 foot thick berm of soil supported on both sides would be sufficient.

TheOldCar · Apr 2, 2020

Larry Dickman said:
or maybe a wall built out of unopened U-line catalogs

THAT was funny

cmccull166 · Apr 2, 2020

FredC said:
I have used the flat side of a 5 x 5 foot round bale. Should have done some testing to see if anything got through but it was 1/2 mile to the next property and 5 or 6 miles to any possible residences, so I did not even bother. Will watch this thread to see if anyone has actually done testing. I would think a 3 foot thick berm of soil supported on both sides would be sufficient.

I do know a 7mm from 50 yards will not go thru half of a 5 x 5 stood on end..sorry for the ot

ronf · Apr 2, 2020

I wouldn't trust a bale, the dirt back stop would be much better.

moonlight machine · Apr 2, 2020

Larry Dickman said:
can I suggest using all of the members who can't keep their political views to their fucking selves?

or maybe a wall built out of unopened U-line catalogs?

I think a 30-06 is going to require something pretty substantial

Maybe you could stack up some hay bails

You mean like YOU? With the price of hay now days and the fact that my wife has 7 G D horses all the hay gets used.

BtoVin83 · Apr 2, 2020

I know for a fact a .270 at 100 yards will penetrate 11" of multiple listing books packed tight in a box

rons · Apr 2, 2020

In high school I shot .22 match (prone, sitting, standing) in a 50ft indoor range. The backstop was a steel plate about 1/2" thick at a 45 degree angle pointing down.
The lead splattered down into a bed of sand. And I would say that it did a good job because the range got daily use and the targets were positioned in the same places every time.

Not sure what it takes for a 30-06. However I was watching a documentary on the Marine Corp officer training. They were digging fox holes and packing earth mounds
around the holes. The teacher was telling the trainees that they have to have at least 3 feet of packed earth around the top of the hole to stop a round.

john.k · Apr 2, 2020

We used to shoot all sorts of x mils into a pile of logs with dirt covering ....What you do need to be careful of is "tunneling".....shift your target around ,and check the backstop isnt getting a big hole almost thru.......I would think a 45deg angled plate of a 360 or plus grade steel 1/2" thick would stop even steel core milsurps at 100yds.....However ,in this age,be careful of splattered/vaporized lead causing you EPA type pain in the future.................more recently ,I have been using discarded carpet as a backstop.12 ft of carpet edgewise will stop any bullet,even a 50 ,I would think......Unfortunately ,the stuff will rot if its not plastic carpet,and get smelly.....But the stuff is free.,and delivered free ,too.

rons · Apr 2, 2020

john.k said:
I would think a 45deg angled plate of a 360 or plus grade steel 1/2" thick would stop even steel core milsurps at 100yds.....

Yep, I was going to mention that the 1/2 thick plate for a .22 might be over kill, but not for a high school.

swatkins · Apr 2, 2020

If you ever plan on selling the property be careful what you do.. A pile of dirt with lead bullets in it will be troublesome.

Best thing I have seen is two bundles of old railroad ties , one stacked on top of the other. Gave you a 10 foot wide, 4 foot thick and 8 foot high backstop suitable for holding targets. Place that in front of a 10' high dirt berm and you have something that will stop anything and be easy to clean up and move if needed.

blcksmth · Apr 2, 2020

I stacked railroad ties like a split rail fence arranged in a cup shape about 6 feet high. The cup shape is flat across the back with a wing on each side angled toward the firing line. Corrugated plastic sheets fastened to the front surface and 2 dump trucks of yellow sand piled up against them. I did not want dirt with rocks. At the target level the sand is 5 to 6 feet thick and 7 feet wide. 30-06 will penetrate 10 to 12 inches. .45 and .50 caliber pure lead muzzle loader bullets will penetrate elbow deep at least. When friends ask if they can come out to shoot my standard requirement is that if it is shoulder fired it is OK. If it is on wheels we will have to discuss it. Construction was in 1972 and it is still good. Woodchucks seem to like the sand and they make good targets as long as I keep the weeds under control.

My first attempt was a steel plate 5/16" thick at a 45 degree angle. At 50 yards a 30-06 will punch neat 1/2 inch holes and at 100 yards it will buldge the back side and put a pretty deep hollow in the front side.

Bob
WB8NQW

sfriedberg · Apr 2, 2020

rons said:
In high school I shot .22 match (prone, sitting, standing) in a 50ft indoor range. The backstop was a steel plate about 1/2" thick at a 45 degree angle pointing down. The lead splattered down into a bed of sand. And I would say that it did a good job because the range got daily use and the targets were positioned in the same places every time.

That sounds just like the range under my high school gym. While I qualified as expert small-bore one year, the guys on the rifle team were really good. They competed against college teams and regularly cleaned their clocks.

Big B · Apr 2, 2020

A neighbor guy found a couple of pieces of 1/2" hot rolled plate in his back yard and I welded it together to make a 4 foot square target stop. I put a couple of legs on it that swing and a hook so I can move it around with my front end loader if I ever want to. I mostly have used it for pistols and small bore rifles and not had any problem with it deforming the metal but my brother brought his 22-250 out and it went part way through. I brought it back to the shop and weld up the divot and don't let anyone shoot rifles like that at it anymore.

michiganbuck · Apr 2, 2020

Shooting down at 45* would make the gun shoot high, and sighted in there would make the gun shoot low on the level. I’m pretty sure a 30 06 will just make it through 24” of sand so to be safe I would RR tie box in about 5 feet of dirt. Shooting over the bullet stop would be a danger so a down angle seems good.,, enough so you see far ground in your target area.

100 yd out and a 45* down angle is not logical..you need be at the top of a 300 foot ladder.

sfriedberg · Apr 2, 2020

April Fools Day was yesterday, michiganbuck. He's talking about angling the backstop plate so it's halfway between vertical and horizontal and deflects the bullets downward. The shooter's line to the target is, of course, horizontal; Nobody is talking about taking shots from the Book Depository or the top of UTexas clock tower.

Big B · Apr 2, 2020

michiganbuck said:
Shooting down at 45* would make the gun shoot high, and sighted in there would make the gun shoot low on the level. I’m pretty sure a 30 06 will just make it through 24” of sand so to be safe I would RR tie box in about 5 feet of dirt. Shooting over the bullet stop would be a danger so a down angle seems good.,, enough so you see far ground in your target area.

100 yd out and a 45* down angle is not logical..you need be at the top of a 100 foot ladder.

I think you misunderstood. The 45 degree angle is the steel backstop is at a 45 degree angle. Not shooting down and that angle.

And shooting down at a target that was 100 yards away and at a 45 degree angle you would need to be hundred yards away, not 100 feet.

thermite · Apr 2, 2020

moonlight machine said:
I want to make a back stop to shoot against. My property is dead flat and I want to be able to do some shooting. If I want to shoot a 30-06 at about 100 yards how thick a back stop do I need. I plan to angle it so bullets go down, say at 45 degrees.

Your tax dollars have been paying for all this research and revision to experience good and bad for more than a hundred years - contractor built to Government specs or done by active-duty and reservist troops, hasty-plain or enduring-fancy.

The info is free. You just have to dig a lot to find the smaller sub-set of it you need for YOUR environment.

Corps of Engineers is the "landlord" and facilities manager for the Army, and also a major source of guidance for others.

Range Design Guide

https://troyacoustics.com/wp-conten...-4-page-Shooting-Range-Acoustics-Brochure.pdf

https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/DOD/UFC/FC_4_179_03F_2015.pdf

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/05/f1/Range_Design_Criteria.pdf

Plenty more. Not a new need.

I'm sure you can find sources with a closer match.

Gun range backstop

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Diamond

Stainless

Hot Rolled

Cast Iron

Diamond

Plastic

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Cast Iron

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

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