Range idea

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mljdeckard

mljdeckard

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In a part of Utah that resembles Tattooine.
I have this idea that keeps coming back, but I'm not sure if anyone else has tried it.

Utah has LOTS of empty space. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to find somewhere to shoot as you would think. I always wind up driving over an hour to find a nice deserted piece of wilderness. When I was a kid in a very small town, a guy I knew welded a piece of plate steel to a rim and hung it out in the desert at 200 yards from a known point. He taught me to shoot an AR before I went to basic, so that I could ding that thing with boring consistency.

What I would LIKE to do is find a spot way out in the desert, and hang plate targets at 200, 300, 400, etc out to at least 800, maybe 1000. Just to practice known-distance shooting. I would do it, and I wouldn't care if other people used them, but is there any way on this planet that it won't wind up a bunch of vandalized abandoned junk? Would it help if I put up a little sign that said; "Go ahead and use, but please don't abuse." or will that just wind up full of holes too?
 
I would use it and not destroy it but it would probably be destroyed by others. I also think the BLM or whatever there is in Utah would consider it litter. I don't think you're allowed to construct stuff on blm land.
 
Yeah, good luck with that. I would use it, not abuse it as well. But, I am thinking that people would tear it down, unfortunately.
PM me and we can talk about a great location south of the valley, not so far off.
 
Yeah its a nice idea but the long term it might get destroyed. When i can make myself drive down to west desert there are some really good place but when you go there is always some jerk who pulls up behind you and shoots his AR-15 over your head. (the old geneva steel property).
 
How about hanging up some very cheap stuff/junk first, without putting to much time and effort into it, and seeing how that does? Might give you some kind of indication as to how the real deal 'permanent fixture' might go.
 
I see two good options.

1) Find a private landowner, like a rancher, who would let you set up this type of arrangement on his private property. Mention that he's free to use it while you're supplying the targets and set-up. Limit use of this range to yourself and close friends, per whatever agreement you make with the landowner.

2) Find a good spot of BLM land. Measure out the distances you want to shoot along or from a nearby road or parking area. Mark those distances with something discrete, like rocks found on site (arrange as cairns or rows, whatever). Use only portable targets that you can bring and take home with you in your car. To anyone else it's not a range, at most they might notice some rocks piled up. To you it's a measured distance range that no one else can mess up without a lot of work scattering the rocks - IF they even notice them in the first place.
 
Down in southern Utah, I know a lot of landowners I could ask. I would even set it up inside the fence line, and shoot THROUGH the fence line so I wouldn't have to come on-property to use it. Like I say, I'll have to do it later anyway.
 
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