Underground shooting range

[JJMoody]

Had a customer ask me to do a 100yard rifle range underground recently and started thinking about how to accomplish this. What materials? Backstop? Ventilation system? Lighting, target retrieval Etc... he wants to tie in through his basement wall. Load rounds and shoot. Thinking 24-30" pipe. Looking for suggestions/ideas thoughts. Anyone done this already?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've shot in one a few times. Muzzle blast is greatly magnified and can be an issue with noise levels, dust and lighting. Ventilation was strong in the UG range I shot in. There was an obvious draft drawing from the shooter end down to the targets where a vertical tube and blower were mounted.

IIRC the shaft was made of concrete block but I don't remember taking notice of what was used to cover the tunnel. The tunnel was rectangle and accommodated two shooters at a time.

 

[Rich Coyle]

JJMoody,

Maybe Weatherby will help you. They had one in almost down town Los Angles.

 

[tbrice23]

I envision a 36" culvert pipe. A pulley and rope to transport targets.
Unsure of how to ventilate.

Oh yeah, 2 or 300 ! Just dont shoot the rope.

 

[Dosh]

A good friend of mine built custom rifles in his retirement. Went with him to deliver a new build in Colorado. The client had an underground 100 yd range. It was concrete pipe big enough to walk in. Big fan at the target end, lights had steel guards and the target area was bagged sand with some screening. Found out later the client was very wealthy and demanded we not divulge the location. Can't imagine the price of that one.

 

[JJMoody]

My initial thought was to just stick some 30" water pipe in through the foundation wall at shooting bench height, run it out 300' to a trap of some sort. He mostly shoots suppressed but it'll still be loud as all get out. I'm just thinking and typing out loud. He's not really looking to throw money around either. Although I could definitely spend it for him!! Keep em coming, I'm listening!!

 

[Kansaswoodguy]

I've been in Serria bullets 300 meter underground range before it was poured concrete

 

[JJMoody]

I'd love to be able to stretch it out further. We're limited to an absolute max of 140yds, but why 140? My thought was leave it at 100, shoot long elsewhere. I'm curious as to the designs for a simple one. Especially how to provide a safe backstop.

 

[codyadams]

Assuming he can hit the broad side of a barn....the backstop at 100 yds shouldn't have to be too large. A 1/4" thick 48"x48" piece of AR-500 steel with layers of shredded tires or sandbags, or some other inert material in front of it would be more than adequate I would think, and considering the price of the project, not too expensive either.

 

[tbrice23]

Have the ar500 plate angled down at a 45° angle to a deep pit. Maybe?

 

[WildRose]

I've shot in one a few times. Muzzle blast is greatly magnified and can be an issue with noise levels, dust and lighting. Ventilation was strong in the UG range I shot in. There was an obvious draft drawing from the shooter end down to the targets where a vertical tube and blower were mounted.

IIRC the shaft was made of concrete block but I don't remember taking notice of what was used to cover the tunnel. The tunnel was rectangle and accommodated two shooters at a time.

That's a real understatement. If you're used to shooting indoors it's not much if any different but compared to outdoors, particularly with a braked rifle it can be punishing.

 

[WildRose]

I envision a 36" culvert pipe. A pulley and rope to transport targets.
Unsure of how to ventilate.

Oh yeah, 2 or 300 ! Just dont shoot the rope.

An electric exhaust fan at the far end and a vent to pull from preferably behind the shooting station. Put it on a timer or wired to activate when the lights come on.

 

[WildRose]

My initial thought was to just stick some 30" water pipe in through the foundation wall at shooting bench height, run it out 300' to a trap of some sort. He mostly shoots suppressed but it'll still be loud as all get out. I'm just thinking and typing out loud. He's not really looking to throw money around either. Although I could definitely spend it for him!! Keep em coming, I'm listening!!

If you reduce the size of the opening such that you are poking the barrel through a six to 10" hole it will all but eliminate the problem with muzzle blast and exaggerated sound.

We used to shoot through holes just barely large enough to see through at times. Since nobody is going to shoot back it's no problem extending the barrel through the shooting hole.

 

[WildRose]

I'd love to be able to stretch it out further. We're limited to an absolute max of 140yds, but why 140? My thought was leave it at 100, shoot long elsewhere. I'm curious as to the designs for a simple one. Especially how to provide a safe backstop.

You might want to look at pouring a slab for the full run and using th APEX concrete/styrofoam block system as the styrofoam would help absorb some of the noise. It's an amazing system that is incredibly strong and durable. Rather than using the 36" culvert or water pipe it would allow a much simpler means of placing/changing targets and save a lot of problems with cables and pulleys or at least make repair much easier.
Sharply angled (downward) heavy AR plate above a sump hole with some sand in it makes a very good bullet trap similar to what you'll see at a lot of indoor pistol ranges. Standard steel though will not stand up to rifle bullets for long even when angled.