JAK Frost Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) After chatting away with a few people, i thought i would ask the question to various, competent shooters whom may know what's right and wrong etc. I have a air riffle, and would like to use it in my friends and sisters garden. Am i correct to say that if i place some timber (decent sized) behind a target pellet collector to act as a back stop this would be fine? The gardens are approx. 25meters long, and another about 35 meters long. So if i was to just do a gently knock to the adjacent neighbours so if they see me with a gun and not to be alarmed. The gardens back onto both fields away from foot paths too. Would all the above be OK, and be causing an offence? Thanks, Edited January 17, 2013 by JAK Frost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) Your age : not sure what the age is for you to be alone using an air rifle - 17 or 18, and you don't say how old you are Do bear in mind that pellets can ricochet back from wood, it can act almost like a trampoline. If you are using a proper 'pellet catcher' to shoot with though, then you could use thick plywood, rather than timber. (builders shuttering ply, 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick). Apart from that, if you have consent to shoot, then you are fine. It's often a good idea to advise neighbours of what you are doing, yes. Edited January 17, 2013 by robbiep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAK Frost Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) Your age : not sure what the age is for you to be alone using an air rifle - 17 or 18, and you don't say how old you are Do bear in mind that pellets can ricochet back from wood, it can act almost like a trampoline. If you are using a proper 'pellet catcher' to shoot with though, then you could use thick plywood, rather than timber. (builders shuttering ply, 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick). Apart from that, if you have consent to shoot, then you are fine. It's often a good idea to advise neighbours of what you are doing, yes. I was more thinking about a lump of ply rather than MDF. Sorry, i am 28 years old. Thank you Edited January 17, 2013 by JAK Frost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) i use a piece of 40mm kitchen worktop which is encased in a 18inch wooden surround to stop any pellets bouncing out to the side ,so basically it is like shooting into a box,just be careful and ensure your pellets do not leave your boundary Edited January 17, 2013 by evo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabs Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Oh ***, yes it's fine. A decent bit of bare wood will work fine as a backstop. It won't bounce off or ricochet or kill Mrs Miggins prized cat. Just make sure your pellets don't leave your boundaries and it will be ok. Ply will work fine. It won't explode or roll over screaming for the police. Lol. If your pellet 'bounces' back off the backstop.... Holy carp, maybe shooters should stick to shooting at a max range of 2 feet into a puffy bag of fairy dust to make sure all is absolutely safe. *** wood have you been shooting into that bounces pellets back in any significant way? Don't worry Jak. Use common sense mate and all will be fine. Flippin' health and safety gone mad I tells ya.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpkiller Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 i like to use an old argos catalogue, nothings better than a load of paper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmytree Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Talk to the neighbours first, emphasise the safety aspect. If needed, agree times for you to shoot and a method for you to let them know when you're shooting. Also arrange a way for them to let you know when they are going to be in the garden. I use a flag on the wall to let my nearest neighbour know when I'm plinking, he rings me if he's coming out but to be fair he does also have a go sometimes so I have no real hassle. Your backstop should be as safe as possible, I use a 4ft x 2ft steel cabinet, lined with carpet and lead sheet, behind that is a double thickness panel fence with 36mm of waterproof ply sandwiched between. The safe area is 6ft high and 6ft wide. You are within your rights but try and keep your neighbours on your side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Oh ***, yes it's fine. A decent bit of bare wood will work fine as a backstop. It won't bounce off or ricochet or kill Mrs Miggins prized cat. Just make sure your pellets don't leave your boundaries and it will be ok. Ply will work fine. It won't explode or roll over screaming for the police. Lol. If your pellet 'bounces' back off the backstop.... Holy carp, maybe shooters should stick to shooting at a max range of 2 feet into a puffy bag of fairy dust to make sure all is absolutely safe. *** wood have you been shooting into that bounces pellets back in any significant way? Don't worry Jak. Use common sense mate and all will be fine. Flippin' health and safety gone mad I tells ya.... I've known someone break a (single glazed) window on a shed at the house next door from an air rifle ricochet - the pellet had bounced off the nice solid wooden fencepost that the target was hanging from. All of a sudden, doing a little bit of harmless target shooting can become a bit more serious. It isn't health and safety gone mad. It's treating an air rifle with the respect it deserves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 + 1 robbiep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzashadow Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I've known someone break a (single glazed) window on a shed at the house next door from an air rifle ricochet - the pellet had bounced off the nice solid wooden fencepost that the target was hanging from. All of a sudden, doing a little bit of harmless target shooting can become a bit more serious. It isn't health and safety gone mad. It's treating an air rifle with the respect it deserves. my boy was shooting a hatsan at44 at 20yards in my garden, came in and said "dad the pellets are hitting your bike"( pride and joy) i did not believe him so tried myself and hit my leg changed the wood and all ok now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 It's just good manners to let your neigbours know - you aren't asking permission though, just letting them know what the noise will be. Flags, lead-lined steel cabinets and an exclusion zone are not needed, just some common sense. I currently use an offcut of OSB bord but I lean it at 45 degrees toward me (rested on logs) so that if any pellets decide to bounce they bounce straight down into the soil and not back at me. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Best back stop is carpet or a concrete slab . Ply/mdf and timbre bounce back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 +1 for carpet backstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabs Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I've shot thousand upon thousands of pellets into wood/ply backstops and never had an apparent problem with them bouncing off?!! But then I do have a big garden surrounded by fields so maybe I've never noticed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAK Frost Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 so if i place some ply at a slight angle (towards floor for deflection), then cover it with carpet..... Should be OK?! Going to have a chat explaining to the neighbours at the weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 i wouldn,t recomend any wood as a backstop,when we were about 14 my mate had a target on his back gate in a terraced house, a slug bounced straight back and blinded him in one eye. i use stainless steel box and a concrete fence as a stop.that was back in 1964 wont ever use wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 (edited) Carpet far better if draped loosely rather than tightly stretched over a piece of ply, but yes, should be a very effective pellet stopper Edited January 18, 2013 by robbiep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pest popper Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Cardboard box with some old clothes in. Reduces noise and catches your lead so no need to clean up after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Cardboard box with some old clothes in. Reduces noise and catches your lead so no need to clean up after I used to use a metal box filled with strips of offcut carpet (very effective) but you can buy pellet catchers for under £20 http://www.drapers-airguns.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=293_301&products_id=128 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywoodsman Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Have found thick plywood the safest back stop,i did try a piece of kitchen worktop (the mdf type) only once as the pellet came back at me as fast as it went out and hit the wheelie bin i was using as a gun rest.A sub 12 ftlb airgun can still cause damage to flesh of property at 200 yds ,the length of 2 football fields so be very careful if shooting in a garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackinbox99 Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 My old house had a 60 yards long garden, so id set up targets from 20 yards out to about 45 yards. Normally id use a big piece of timber as a back stop, and make sure I was shooting down, so if i was shooting at beer cans, the pellets would go through the can and into the lawn. My neighbours were old school fen people and grew up with guns so they had no problems at all. In fact they told me I was welcome to shoot any magpies I saw in their garden. However, I had some new "townie" neighbours move in the other side from London and they seemed a bit put out when I mentioned I shot rabbits etc.. so from then on I was a bit wary of using my air rifles in my garden for fear that they might think i was trying to shoot their cats or something. Unfortunately my new house has such a small garden, its about 20metres at its longest point, so its not really suitable for garden plinking unless I stick to my air pistol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Bu Le Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 I use two concrete pavers at right angles to each other in a corner of the garden. Stops the pellets dead, if there is a richochet from one then the other stops it. Easy to pick up too, all in one small area. Never had a bounce back, when I used wood got lots of bouncers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sha Bu Le Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 I use two concrete pavers at right angles to each other in a corner of the garden. Stops the pellets dead, if there is a richochet from one then the other stops it. Easy to pick up too, all in one small area. Never had a bounce back, when I used wood got lots of bouncers. Been thinking of making an open ended oblong wooden box crammed with loft insulation for paper targets. Find the noise from a steel pellet catcher annoys a neighbour two doors down. It's louder that my HW100S as is the noise when a pellet hits the pavers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarpa Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I've seem some crazy ricochets in my time, you never know how wood fibres, a knot etc is going to be affected by a pellets energy. I have an angled slate slab that will bounce any pellets downwards into a collecting area, all set in wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAK Frost Posted January 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Right, this is what i have come up with......... i have some old paving slabs, LOADS, stacked in a corner, so im going to place the slabes at an downwards angle then build a timber surround around it. ill build and place a removable box at the bottom to collect the pellets....... Jobs a goodun!! Sound alright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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