It's been a hassle for me replacing the things I use as backstops in my backyard range. I first started out using some 1 1/4" plywood panels I found, which worked okay for a while just shooting .22. I didn't care about the material, but behind the backstop is an embankment reinforced with concrete; my biggest concern was replacing the panels when they became too flimsy to protect against ricochets, and the .22's did nothing to the concrete.
Then I started shooting .22 Magnum, which was blowing pieces out of the concrete itself, and I went to heavier backstops. Better, but then I would fire a few rounds of .223 now and then -- serious damage. The most recent backstop was made of some stubs of 8x8 that were laying around; after a few rounds, the .223 was going through those without slowing down much.
Here's my latest, in progress. Based on this article:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot7.htm
Note the statement at the end of the test:
So, I'm building a vertically-oriented sandbox. This is 4 feet square; the frame is open at the top (to dump the sand in); sides are double 2x8 pressure-treated, and the front and back are 2x10 PT. I'm making it so that the front boards (screwed in) are replaceable when they get shot out, the rest is all done with glue and screws.
I think it may weigh about half a ton with sand. I haven't bought the sand yet, and have nearly $100 in it already, but it should stop the concrete damage and prevent ricochets.
Before I put the front boards on, I'm wondering if there's anything I could put in, like rubber sheet or something, that might help keep the sand in once the boards have holes in them. Let me know what you think.
Then I started shooting .22 Magnum, which was blowing pieces out of the concrete itself, and I went to heavier backstops. Better, but then I would fire a few rounds of .223 now and then -- serious damage. The most recent backstop was made of some stubs of 8x8 that were laying around; after a few rounds, the .223 was going through those without slowing down much.
Here's my latest, in progress. Based on this article:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot7.htm
Note the statement at the end of the test:
Sand is a very good barrier. Nothing we shot penetrated more than 6 inches into the sand.
So, I'm building a vertically-oriented sandbox. This is 4 feet square; the frame is open at the top (to dump the sand in); sides are double 2x8 pressure-treated, and the front and back are 2x10 PT. I'm making it so that the front boards (screwed in) are replaceable when they get shot out, the rest is all done with glue and screws.
I think it may weigh about half a ton with sand. I haven't bought the sand yet, and have nearly $100 in it already, but it should stop the concrete damage and prevent ricochets.
Before I put the front boards on, I'm wondering if there's anything I could put in, like rubber sheet or something, that might help keep the sand in once the boards have holes in them. Let me know what you think.