Can railroad ties be used as a backstop?

[INMIline]

They are very old and rotting ties. So I am hoping they won't ricochet. I will be shooting 9mm and .22lr.

 

[dom1104]

The short answer is no. Unless there were a lot of them.

Dirt is a backstop.

 

[Markedup]

I collect date nails from railroad ties.
Can't answer your question.

Thanks

Mark

 

[RichardR]

I built a small range about 25 years ago using a large stack of rail-road ties as a backstop, worked fine for handgun calibers & .22LR for awhile.

The problem was that the rail-road ties eventually "shot through" after repeated hits to the same general area.

 

[SideArmed]

I would think that using the ties to make a 3 sided structure to fill with sand would be a great option.

 

[sporter]

As long as you use a bunch of dirt in addition. They couldn't hurt.

 

[INMIline]

They will be behind dirt for the most part. I am more concerned with ricochet then shooting through. I will have a 7 foot high wall of ties behind a huge pile of dirt. I used a skid loader to dig into the ground 4 feet below. I guess I should have asked, will a 9mm bounce off of a tie in the event I have a very off day?

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Just a piece of wood? Not likely.

A buildup of lead from several strikes? Potentially. But the same is true of dirt as well.

 

[Indy574]

Here is a questions you need to think about.

1.) If this back stop was down range of your house, how would you feel about it?

 

[J10]

Not quite what you had in mind but a very effective backstop using railroad ties to hold up a ricochet / shrapnel shield / roof. (7 total)

 

[calcot7]

I know that .38 spl. 148 gr wadcutters will bounce back. You can see them coming and hear them as they pass you. I've been hit by them several times. They only hurt when they hit me in the head or hands. Try some tires. Removed from the wheel of course. You get that slingshot effect.

 

[r6vr6]

My buddy's place has a railroad tie 3 sided structure back filled with dirt. Works awesome and has taken 1000's of rounds.

you can see it in this video ( oh yeah it has taken some tannerite blasts too)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkQkutVoeAM[/ame]