Personal Gun Range ???

[OEF5]

Ok so the new place that I'm moving into has some property. I want to build a range for personal use in the back. Intended use would be mostly handgun and 223 usage, probably only 50 yard shots.

This is what I'm thinking...

5 or 6 stacks of tires on fence pickets filled with dirt ( get them about 8 feet tall)
Concrete blocks filled with dirt/sand wall on three sides (right left and back)
Dirt around all of that

Any additional safety measure are welcome, or ideas. Trying to keep the cost down, I can get the dirt for free and work on other items as I go.

 

[SideArmed]

Sounds pretty solid to me. There are a few threads around here on building backstops. Basically just make a three wall structure (like a U) and fill with dirt, lots of dirt. 8' tall is good, IMO.

How wide are you thinking of making it? Will the targets be in front of the side walls, or recessed (set back behind the front line of the U) to catch any splatter from steel targets?

 

[OEF5]

Sounds pretty solid to me. There are a few threads around here on building backstops. Basically just make a three wall structure (like a U) and fill with dirt, lots of dirt. 8' tall is good, IMO.

How wide are you thinking of making it? Will the targets be in front of the side walls, or recessed (set back behind the front line of the U) to catch any splatter from steel targets?

Intend to have the targets inside the U up against the tire backstop. Not sure the width, maybe two pistol shooter bays. Whatever 5 or 6 tires wide gives me lol

 

[FERLACH]

years ago built my own gun range, lived in country and no neighbors behind me. Piled 6' high mound of dirt with backhoe, put 4'x8' 1/2" steel plate in front of that. Then put railroad ties in front of steel plate. I fired many 375hh and 458 Winch mag into this and was perfectly safe.

 

[jd4320t]

I think all you need is a good backstop of dirt. Put the rest of your money into targets and hanging systems.

 

[Nitehunter500]

I enjoy the gun range we built because of the privacy

 

[atvdave]

Sounds good, we have 2 back stops. One is a man made dirt mound, and the other is the natural landscape very large dirt mound.

 

[combat45acp]

If you have room, go wider than 5-6 tire widths. I went 16' and it is fine, but wish I went wider.

Also if you have stuff to the sides of you that you don't want hit the U shape like you said is a good idea with rifle rounds. Shoot some 5.56 tracers and you will see them arc to the sides of a berm pretty good...which might mean a high side and a low target for rifles if you have stuff 50-75 yards to the side of your berm.

 

[HICKMAN]

co-worker down here at Crane was able to haul out railroad ties and built his backstop with those.

Don't know if you could get a big trailer to haul them, but you might be able to get some.

 

[dukeboy_318]

If you have houses in the general direction of where you are shooting, I think it'd be a good idea to put an overhang on it as well to prevent ricocheting up into the air and going over your back stop, I would definitely do this is you plan on shooting steel targets.