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What constitutes a safe back stop .


Harnser
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Its an interesting one and like most I'm happy shooting my HMR or .223 at a reasonable angle at the ground using common sense as to what is behind it to allow for ricochet's, I like lamping from the top of a 4x4 for the simple reason it increases the angle you are shooting at. Thinking about it though I actually would use my .223 in places I probably wouldn't use a .22lr simply because i've known the round to skip off uphill with a whiz when fired at a bank whereas the .223 at 3000fps tends not to be in one piece after it hits the ground

Yep, and the added height reduces the chance of the round ploughing through any undergrowth that you didn't see in the dark. Also (where appropriate) you can see further.

Cheers

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Recently on a farm shoot I decided to build a backstop (butt) purely for zeroing, first attempt was sandbags, 20 of them it looked impressive for a while but after awhile the bags got pretty chewed up and started collapsing, latest thought was old car tyres staggered on top of each other and filled with earth to form a wall maybe 3ft high by 8ft, what do you think has anyone tried this idea?

 

Rgds Rob.

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Recently on a farm shoot I decided to build a backstop (butt) purely for zeroing, first attempt was sandbags, 20 of them it looked impressive for a while but after awhile the bags got pretty chewed up and started collapsing, latest thought was old car tyres staggered on top of each other and filled with earth to form a wall maybe 3ft high by 8ft, what do you think has anyone tried this idea?

 

Rgds Rob.

 

Wouldn't shooting at rubber increased the chance of the bullet coming straight back at you?

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  • 1 year later...

sorry to everyone for bringing up a year old thread but this is something i'm interested in and partcularly kyska's view's one year on and how he now feels about backstops. i too have very very flat land with footpath's along the edge of some fields and roads passing others. i'm mainly interested in backstops needed for rabbit and fox calibres so .22lr, .17hmr and .22 centrefire as larger deer calibres aren't something i'm really even considering just yet. if i get a ricochet just how far will it travel before it runs out of steam?

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sorry to everyone for bringing up a year old thread but this is something i'm interested in and partcularly kyska's view's one year on and how he now feels about backstops. i too have very very flat land with footpath's along the edge of some fields and roads passing others. i'm mainly interested in backstops needed for rabbit and fox calibres so .22lr, .17hmr and .22 centrefire as larger deer calibres aren't something i'm really even considering just yet. if i get a ricochet just how far will it travel before it runs out of steam?

 

Nobody can answer that for sure, potentially the maximum range of the gun though very,very unlikely but it depends on the angle the riccochet diverted off towards and how much enegy was expended on initial impact, bullet deformation effecting the BC on and on. Some land is just a nightmare for rifles, perhaps thats why its always worth having a shotgun.

If its just flat land that creates the issue you need to become elivated via high seat or the likes if it simply must be a rifle but on frozen or rocky ground or even drout hardened land your still going to have some issues. Just remember once you deside a shot is safe and you take it you cannot ever call that bullet back and as an inanimate object it does not care what it collides with.

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What do you concider to be a safe back stop for a centre fire rifle in the field .

 

Harnser .

 

 

Sorry, I've not read all this, so it may have been covered, the Planet Earth is as about as good as it gets, if you have distance you will have fall, they land.

 

But in general, if you have any concerns simply don't take the shot!

 

ATB!

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Getting back to the point, I too regularly dont take a shot for the concern of a round going AWOL.

I have been told that a 40 grain V-Max will fragment on hitting the ground but the bullet is designed to 'peel back' on contact with fluid filled material to dissipate the maximum energy asap into the target, the two different suggestions do not easily sit side by side. Is there any comfort that if a round (v-max) hits the ground it will fragment??

I dont feel able to presume that and even with the target surrounded by solid ground, at normal shoulder firing height (low angle of impact with the ground) I see the risk as too great unless there is a solid bank /rising ground close behind and I can actually see there are no animals/other hazards.

 

That said if you always hit the target full face on when foxing, the round very rarely exits the body - the best safety approach is perhaps therefore never to miss.?????

Is there any definitive study which gives a clear insight?

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sorry to everyone for bringing up a year old thread but this is something i'm interested in and partcularly kyska's view's one year on and how he now feels about backstops. i too have very very flat land with footpath's along the edge of some fields and roads passing others. i'm mainly interested in backstops needed for rabbit and fox calibres so .22lr, .17hmr and .22 centrefire as larger deer calibres aren't something i'm really even considering just yet. if i get a ricochet just how far will it travel before it runs out of steam?

 

Hi,

 

Pretty much what I was told a year ago, experience means everything, I'm very relaxed about shooting now, I know my land very well, even in the dark, so its more of a directional choice of firing rather than relying on tangiable backstops.

 

I do have to say, that I no longer use .22lr, I just got so many bullets buzzing off it really narrowed my choice of where I could shoot.

 

I mainly shoot out of a 4x4, any elevation will help, and I try to station myself so I'm shooting on gradients.

 

Good luck.

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One little tip that I have used to totally understand my shooting ground is google earth,

just making a mental note of what is around that you can't always see.

 

as said above, common sence has to be 1st, I guess i'm very lucky in the fact that my permission is hilly, but it still needs some thought,, ie public footpaths, neighbouring houses/farms

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As my old thread has been resurrected I thought I might add a few pointers on ricochets . It wasn't until I went on my first night shoot on a military range that I realized how wayward ricochets can be . Shooting at night at targets out to 1500 yards that were illuminated was great fun . Most of the shooters were using tracer and I was completely surprised to see the tracers flaring off in all directions although we were all shooting on the same firing line in the same direction . Dont think that a ricochet Will only carry on in a fore ward direction ,they will fly in any direction and a lot of them came straight back to wards us on the line . But what was noticeable was that the ricochets did not seem to travel very far from the point of impact and they tumbled down very quickly after losing forward motion . The closest target that we shot at was at 500 yards and I carnt remember any of the ricochets traveling any further than about 200 yards .

 

Harnser .

Edited by Harnser
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If you are out stalking or lamping foxes then you can assume that it is the part of the day when there are less people about in the country side , meaning that you are less likely to accidently shoot some body than at any other part of the day .

Harnser .

 

Hanser, I know you're an 'old hand' so I'm not making an issue of this BUT a rifleman should NEVER assume anything! I'd say that at night you have to be even more alert to the possibility of accidents. I and my compadres have often come across people out at night, many simply 'walking the dog' but most where they shouldn't be. Only recently we spooked a tramp (yes they do still exist) whilst lamping but at least he knew what we were up to and made himself very conspicuous. Early the other morning, still dark, I was out lamping to count Fallow deer and a herd of about 15 sets of eyes appeared only to scatter when a chap walking 3 dogs across the field came into view. Again he shouldn't have been on the ground but what (apart from giving him a piece of my mind) can you do? I've come across numerous 'kids' out playing, couples out 'courting' etc some of who try and hide with no idea what you're doing until you tell 'em and scare the pants off 'em. :good:

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Highlander , I know exactly where you are coming from and agree with you whole heartedly . You must never assume that nobody is in the vicinity when shooting at night . All I am saying is that you are least likely to come across anybody at the times of the day that stalkers and fox shooters are about their business . The rule of common sense must always be applied .

 

Harnser .

Edited by Harnser
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thanks for the replies. it seems from most of the replies that experience is the key. i maybe am looking too deep into this but without any real firearms experience i would rather stay on the cautious side. i think i'll try and get some firearms experience then have a better look around my land and see what, if any suitable backstops there are.

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