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Range backstop?


39TDS
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I would like to set up a target for rifle practice/zeroing. Rifle would be .22 and/or .22m.

I'm probably ok without any backstop but with the theoretical risk of hitting somebody within a mile or so I want to be sure.

Would a big bale of straw do the job? I mean one of those half ton bales or whatever they are.

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I would like to set up a target for rifle practice/zeroing. Rifle would be .22 and/or .22m.

I'm probably ok without any backstop but with the theoretical risk of hitting somebody within a mile or so I want to be sure.

Would a big bale of straw do the job? I mean one of those half ton bales or whatever they are.

Probably for the first few rounds but you'd be surprised how they work their way through after only a few rounds.

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Soil / earth / sand is best as it'll run back to fill the void of the bullet path

 

If your after something permanent how about 4 pallets nailed together on ends to form a square which can be filled with soil, careful placement of sod to line the sides or grass seed and some time would see the structure green up and become almost self supporting!

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Have you got any natural land contours to act as your stop ?

 

It that chance some one or thing is lurking x yards behind your target. That you carnt see.

 

Edit to sugest that you elevate your firing position to gain a slight downwards tragetory. Maybe shoot of the top of a bail ? Into a pit ?

Edited by Amazed
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Nah you don't need a backstop; just stick a couple of telephone books up behind yer target :oops::oops::oops::oops::oops:

 

Ed, haven't heard from you for a while. Hope you are OK

 

G.M.

 

Or use some Argos catalogues they are thicker than the new type 'phone books.

 

 

GM,

New PC so lost a lot of my old contacts, besides, I'm not so interesting now I'm in the 'get me home mode'

not half as active as I used to be.

I rattle nearly as loud as a pill box these days !!

Edited by EMcC
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Probably for the first few rounds but you'd be surprised how they work their way through after only a few rounds.

I did wonder about that, which is why I asked. Railway sleepers and brick walls don't last long with the .22m, was hoping a big bale might be better.

 

Soil / earth / sand is best as it'll run back to fill the void of the bullet path

 

If your after something permanent how about 4 pallets nailed together on ends to form a square which can be filled with soil, careful placement of sod to line the sides or grass seed and some time would see the structure green up and become almost self supporting!

 

 

Sand is the best material-calibres like 308 & even 12g slug wont penetrate more than a few inches.

Looks like sand it is then. Hadn't thought of that. I had thought of soil but couldn't think how to shift that much or where I would be happy to have a great big hole in my field.

Easy enough to buy a couple of ton of sand.

Thank you for the sensible replies.

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Have you got any natural land contours to act as your stop ?

 

It that chance some one or thing is lurking x yards behind your target. That you carnt see.

 

Edit to sugest that you elevate your firing position to gain a slight downwards tragetory. Maybe shoot of the top of a bail ? Into a pit ?

Yes I do have natural contours which is why I said I probably don't need a backstop. Maybe I should have included the word "additional" to avoid doubt.

I don't think there is anything or anybody likely to be lurking where I can't see but that's the problem, you just never know these days.

I have tried the downward trajectory but it does mess with your hold under/over to shoot downhill. Seems to with me anyway.

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I have tried the downward trajectory but it does mess with your hold under/over to shoot downhill. Seems to with me anyway.

Correct. If you zero down/up hill using, say, a range finder to give the straight line distance between your firing point and the target and you then shoot that same distance on the level, you'll shoot low. Reverse the procedure and you'll shoot high. When shooting up/down hill, it is the horizontal distance that should be used to assess the range hold over/under.

 

Re your sand back stop, you will dig a hole - it doesn't all run back in - and you'll need to re-profile it on a frequency basis. Also and particularly if you take the same point of aim, you'll build up a solid lead lump over time which will require 'de-leading, again on a frequency basis. Just think yourself lucky that you're not talking about a 12 lane gallery range - it's back breaking!

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I know you're now going to build a backstop so this is just another possible reason to do it. If your natural rise to the land is not steep (or even if it is steep) there is the riccochet issue. With this in mind perhaps some side earthworks (baffles?) might be worth adding. :good:

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I know you're now going to build a backstop so this is just another possible reason to do it. If your natural rise to the land is not steep (or even if it is steep) there is the riccochet issue. With this in mind perhaps some side earthworks (baffles?) might be worth adding. :good:

Good point but provided the bullet catcher is properly maintained it should not be necessary. The only other point to watch is in the winter. If you don't want to get your own back, before shooting just ensure that the catcher hasn't frozen over.

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My home range consist od a 3" thick frame of Cedar then filled with loose filled sandbags with a sloping section of round behind it. Behind the frame a have block work. You do as much as you can and test each stage ( I know the .22 lr will go clean though the cedar alone because I tested it) I can fire a deer rifle into the sandbagging and it wont get through (THOUGH I DONT USE DEER RILES ON THIS ONE)

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I have a sand/clay bank rising to about 12 ft that forms the right hand of my zeroing spot. At 90 degrees out from that I formed the back stop from a berm made from about 15 tons of topsoil from my neighbour breaking ground on some building works. On the left hand of the backstop I formed a wing coming out at 45 degrees. Added further height to the wing and berm with sand bags. The sandbags also tidy the ends of the wing berm. With the builders machine the berm only took an afternoon - they wanted rid of the soil quickly. The long forgotten joy of the filling bags took a bit longer - 5 each time I took the dogs for a spin which was my boredom threshhold. It's only a 200 yarder but very handy and other than time only cost the price of hessian.

 

I used to have a pamphlet called something like 'Field Obstacles and Defensive Warfare' full of construction information and stuff about material combinations and penetration of various calibres. One of those very useful Crown publications that assumed troops would have access to a sawmill and be in one place for months ;-) I was always fascinated by the ice concrete dragon's teeth.

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Sorry if I seem a little flippant but some of these questions have been so done-to-death that sometimes I feel a bit like -------here we go again. :rolleyes:

 

A backstop is something that is going to stop your shot.............obvious!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now that could be anything in real terms but obviously it wants to be something that isn't going to be dangerous in itself, such as a huge boulder that is going to either ricochet or bounce material straight back at you.

 

Most of us shoot so that the bullet should hit a bank, or side of a hill etc which is the best backstop you can get...

 

Unlike one lad I shot with who actually believed that his shots were safe ............because any bullets that didn't hit the target...........................were stopped by the woodland behind. :crazy::crazy::crazy:

 

 

 

I kid you not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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