Thoughts on my new target/backstop....

[floorit76]

I've been going to do this for quite awhile, but hadn't gotten around to it. My place has become the local hangout for sighting in rifles, since there isn't a range for 50 miles either direction. The target is a piece of AR500 cut out by a friend, out on semi-permanent loan. The backstop is a piece of 5'x10'x 1" plate dad has had laying around the farm for ages. The next houses are 3-4 miles downrange, after some rolling hills and acres of timber. We can get back to 200 yards fairly easily, and possibly farther, I haven't had time to measure. I have some landscaping to do to finish things up a bit, but all in all, not bad for being basically in my front yard....

 

[Geno]

Very nice set-up! Thanks for sharing the photo.

Geno

 

[floorit76]

Thanks Geno. Btw, in case anyone was wondering, the wood strips on the sides of the silhouette are stood off 6" above the steel so you can staple cardboard in front of the steel to more easily measure groups when shooting.

 

[Geno]

Good thinking!

Geno

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm no expert but that backstop looks very small to me. I'm sure you can keep your rounds within it's boundaries but what about the others who come there? If someone shoots just a foot or two high and you have a round traveling downrange with nothing to stop it. Same for the sides, nothing to protect someone that might be a quarter mile or half mile across the field.

 

[floorit76]

I don't believe any of the guys, or rifles that will be there, will have any trouble keeping rounds inside 5 foot by 10 foot. Its not open to the public, its for myself, my son, and a couple close friends. And never without me.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

The backstop is inadequate. Your target's head is too close to the height of the backstop. A nick off the top edge can produce a round going over your backstop, no problem. That you have no houses for miles isn't a part of your backstop.

It does not matter that you will be there when your friends use the range. That will not stop problems from occurring, scopes knocked out of alignment, etc.

That the backstop is made of plate steel and is not rifle rated, it will fail. Yes, it is angled, but it will only take a few slightly missed head shots to impact the plate steel in the same basic location for it to fail.

The backstop is inadequate, especially given that you are basing its performance on things such as your perception of your friends' shooting skills, capabilities of their rifles, and your presence.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Pile a layer of sandbags on the top of the backstop roof and nothing should penetrate. The loss of velocity of a ricochet and the natural trajectory drop of the bullet will prevent the bullet from travelling a couple of miles unless you are shooting howitzer style. The only flaw in that plan is whether the space behind may be occupied by either stray humans or animals.

 

[floorit76]

The largest rifle that the backrest should ever see, is a 308. I doubt that even repeated hits at such an accute angle will penetrate 1" plate. As I said, there is work to be done, and one thing is to dig the target stand position lower to reduce the chances of anyone shooting over it. I realize that my presence does not preclude accidents from happening. But it does help to mittigate them, by. Keeping sillyness to a minimum. I don't plan on useing the head as a target just for such a reason. Cardboard centered on the "chest" area will be the normal target zone. Of course I will keep a warry eye on the plate steel, if it doesn't take the first hits well, I will change things. Such as piling more dirt under the plate. The picture, taken at dusk as we were cleaning up, is a bit decieving as to perportions and realtions.

 

[BCRider]

It's not the rifles that are in good condition or the attitudes of the shooters that are the issue. It's the new or repaired combinations that are out of tune and which could well end up putting a shot past or over the backstop. And unless you know there will be no hikers, property owners or livestock wandering around in that area downrange you can't really accept it as part of the escaped bullet plan.

I've seen folks sighting in a new rifle and scope where even with some careful bore sighting still manage to have the initial shots at up over a foot off the intended spot even at 50 yards.

I'd be looking at a far more sizeable dirt berm. I'd likely make it something like 6 to 8 feet tall and 10 feet along the top ridge. That would produce a foot print something of the order of 12 x 20 feet on the ground. A sizeable amount of dirt to move but not too big a job if you've got access to a machine or know someone.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

Since you have the steel plate and what sounds like plenty of dirt to work with, you might consider building a 10-12ft high berm of dirt, then place the plate in front of that similar to how you have it now. That give you a good backstop and a bullet trap (recycle your lead). It's easy if you have a skid-steer or properly set up tractor and the dirt necessary. Still easy enough to do if all you have is a couple shovels, it just takes longer. Get some help from the guys that'll be over at your place sighting in the rifles.

 

[Dunkelheit]

I wish i could shoot in my backyard too.

 

[IdahoSkies]

Build a higher burm. Get the front loader on your tractor and put a twelve foot tall pile of dirt that you will be shooting down into. Then give make twelve feet on each side, with a bit of a curve. You will be glad you did when a hangfire or other unplanned for event sends a round way off base. Don't plan for the intended use. Plan for what could go wrong.

Great start. Looks like a fun place to shoot, but if I was your Dad, I wouldn't let anyone shoot anything more than a .22 or a pistol with that set up AND the terrain.

 

[AABEN]

It would help if you had a large dirt mound behind it also some side wings Needs to be at less 15 ft high and 15 ft long with wings at 15 ft.. I hope that you are covered if some one get hurt there or shot down range. Good luck

 

[floorit76]

Dad is getting darn near 80, and I'm a lot closer to half of that than I'd like to admit. He quit telling me what or where to shoot many moons ago. I'm not reading a lot here that either a) I disagree with. Or b) wouldn't be cleared up with a better understanding of the properties involved, distances, specifics not apparent in the single, quickly snapped photo, and explaination of it. No "bore sighted" only rifles will be allowed. I have another better suited area for the first few rounds. The most frequent visitor will be my 223 bolt, that. I have little doubt can keep the rounds on the AR plate for a lot farther than the runout I have available here. I really should have gone into a lot more detail in my first post. It has been tough to clarify while installing an electrical service today on my phone. Please excuse the brevity, and spelling errors.