Who’s built their own range?

[Timnterra]

I'm planning to setup a range for load development, drop confirmation and practice near my house. I have a spot that looks down a canyon and my plan is to set up targets going down the canyon at various distances from about 300 to over 1000 yds. My hope was to use steel t-posts to hang the targets but it may be difficult because the terrain is pretty rocky. I also want to be able to do load development and don't really have any good ideas on how to set up a target for load development because there is nothing flat. There is a pretty steep drop from the shooting position which makes for the first target location being at 300yds. Anyone built their own range have some helpful tips?

 

[huntsman22]

I use T-posts to hang my gongs. I use a v-notched 2x4 as a spreader above the chains, to keep the weight of the gongs from bending them in. I set the posts 4 foot apart and use a half of a 8 foot board. It works good to know the center is 2 foot from the uprights....

my 100 to 600....

7, 8, 9, 1000, 1250, 1500 and 1760 yards.....

 

[jpfrog]

I use T-posts to hang my gongs. I use a v-notched 2x4 as a spreader above the chains, to keep the weight of the gongs from bending them in. I set the posts 4 foot apart and use a half of a 8 foot board. It works good to know the center is 2 foot from the uprights....

my 100 to 600....

7, 8, 9, 1000, 1250, 1500 and 1760 yards.....

Mind if I come spend my summer up there?

 

[Zen Archery]

From your description
I'd set up first 100 & 200 yards down hill. It will be a slight slope calculation but easy to true once you go longer ranges.

Then set up 300 and beyond.

Our place sounds similar to yours. We built 5 IPSC stands and move them at various distances down the sendero. We also have one large 24x36 steel plate on a frame.
It's a lot of work this way but gives us a lot of options to change things up.

No we don't have back stops. We are shooting from a ridge down a sendero and we're buried miles deep into our own property

 

[Hugnot]

Keep in mind ricochets are possible with bullets contacting smooth hard surfaces, like flat rocks, at an angle. Looking at a variety of scuffed up bullets on top of dirt at various rifle ranges shows this. Possibly, the maximum range for a ricochet bullet might be enough to hit a neighbor's house or vehicle at some far distance. Berms to absorb bullets would be advisable.

An advisory for range planning: A shooting range's design depends on the type of shooting to be allowed and the location of the proposed site. The design specifications should consider the safety of the people using the facility, the property surrounding it, and the area's inhabitants. They should also consider all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Private ownership has not protected ranges from litigation & complaints.

Bullets upon striking mild steel targets, blast hot steel particles from the steel surface and these hot particles may start fires should they land on flammable debris or dry vegetation under the target. AR500 steel targets will last much longer & prevent flying hot steel.

A major wild fire might destroy your and your neighbor's property.

Steel is real expensive, especially AR500 type.

 

[Timnterra]

From your description
I'd set up first 100 & 200 yards down hill. It will be a slight slope calculation but easy to true once you go longer ranges.

Then set up 300 and beyond.

Our place sounds similar to yours. We built 5 IPSC stands and move them at various distances down the sendero. We also have one large 24x36 steel plate on a frame.
It's a lot of work this way but gives us a lot of options to change things up.

No we don't have back stops. We are shooting from a ridge down a sendero and we're buried miles deep into our own property

Unfortunately for me the "down hill would probably be close to 30degrees at the 100yd target and I just don't think it would be very helpful for load development. I think I could squeeze a 100yd target on top of the same hill I'd be shooting from, just perpendicular to the direction of fire for the others. Luckily National forest lies behind the direction of fire so ricochets are not a problem.

 

[jimbires]

the way the ground is at our long range it doesn't allow anything closer than 800 . we have 800 -1600 from one shooting location . then we move back to shoot longer . we are backed up against a coal strip job . this job was starting to back fill a few weeks ago . depending on the finish slope we hope to be able to go from 100 on out . we're thinking we'll be able to get 2 miles , or close to it . for shooting close I belong to a 500 meter range . here's a few pics . the heavy target frame I made will be used for our long target .

 

[MagnumManiac]

When I owned property and built my range, max for me was 800mtrs, past that was a steep uphill rise and lots of trees.
I was able to have a pad levelled at 100, 200 & 300mtrs so that shooting from my bench was level. Each range was slightly offset so that nothing was behind each other.
My range then went 400, 500 and so on to 800, but at a slight incline with each 100mtr interval and each plate was above the one in front. This made my shots flatter, but I was only interested in groupings and not trajectories at those ranges.
If I wanted to shoot further, I had to shoot across a farm access road to my neighbours place and didn't feel completely comfortable doing so. He did offer for me to use his place, but the noise had been mentioned before, he thought I had cannons or something! Lol.

I hung my plates, which were 24"x24" with 1MoA centre dots at each distance using T braced railway irons and fencing wire.

Cheers.

 

[belldar]

I use a lot of sucker rod and drill stem to hang my targets. Sucker rod works well at bending it into a U to fit your target then hammering it into the ground. The drill stem works great for making your target then slipping it over T-post later. I have targets out past 800 that are mostly 12x12. At 850 is a 22x22 and another movable 24x24 I am making to go out as far as I want. I use mostly AR500 3/8 plate and a few odd ball targets Of different shapes like two 1/4 inch coyotes. My pistol targets and black powder targets are 1/4 inch and the larger ones are just mild plate steel. I am set up on a creek/pasture where I can shoot from my house at any distance i want with good backstops for all. Also have paper target backstops at 100/200/300.

 

[Blancoalex]

We have dedicated 100yd to confirm preliminary data, then 300 and 450 gongs. But our best targets are the biodegradable rocks at all kinds of distances. To us the rocks teach us the most. How far is it, how does typography affect the shot with wind and different angles.

 

[ATH]

My range is <100 yards out my back door. I get 300 yards from the shooting position. I started out with a ground-mounted bench, now I have a 2-story shooting tower where I can shoot prone to 300 upstairs (gets me over ground contour) and a portable bench underneath on a crushed rock surface (gets muddy here winter/spring). I have 2X4 frames holding pieces of 1.5" insulation board to which I can attach paper targets with toothpicks and last about 3 years. I have 10 steel targets on carryable frames I can put at whatever range I want. A couple sacrificial for rifle beyond 100 and the rest closer for pistol only. I built a dirt berm at 100 and another at 300 which catches bullets from both the 200 and 300 yard targets. At one point I had a couple gongs on chains but at such limited range they did not hold up.

 

[loonie]

I'm on my second range now with targets from 100 to 2000 yards. Have a bunch of these u shape stands made from pipe with just a dog leg for a brace. Lean them backwards for elevation. Use chain links from old skidder tire side rails. Very hard . Easy to stand up. On hill sides , just pound one side in to level .

 

[TX Badger]

-Shoot steel always runs good black Friday sales if you can wait.

-use marking paint, it covers the best

-I welded up these stands. 1" outside square steel for the legs and cross bar, 1 1/4 inside square steel for part at the top. We shoot on a hay field where we can't leave them out and these set up in 20 seconds. Just spread the bottom of the legs out and the top binds up.

-rebar cut in lengths and then bent in a vise makes cheap hangers.

 

[mpayne]

Normally you can pound a T-post in rocky ground if you're doing it to hang steel they don't have to be straight. How I build my range is 2 T-posts 2 peace's of pipe that fit over the post above 10" long I find a cheap bar, rod, or rebar I drill 2 holes in the 10" pipe for the bar to slide through. I then cut a few sections of 3" fire hose or old 3" straps that I have and go put it up. The reason I use about 10" of pipe is them dam cows love to scratch themselves on my targets. They normally can't get the target off with 10". The pipe I use is jus cheap light weight stuff that's easy to drill. If you live by a recycling place they can be your best friend when setting up a range. Also don't be afraid to stop by your local fire department and ask if they have any old hose that don't pass pressure test.