[jmcarr]

I have read up on FL gun laws and found that the area I live i can have a "back yard" shooting range. the only neighbor I have and me were talking and we decided that it would be a good idea to build our own. at first we thought build a dirt berm well we kinda stopped that due to not having a tractor to build a tall enough berm, and neither of us want to shovel dirt into a pile. so we were thinking of using somthing like old tires plywood and sand/gravel. we want somthing that is cheap effective and will last awhile and can be moved on a short notice due to hurricanes. any ideas or pics would be nice.
the largest round we plan on shooting is 5.56. but mainly .22 9mm .40, .45, .380 and 38

 

[MonkeyCam]

What about doing something like this?

Are there any Shredded Wheat farms in your area?

 

[pshort]

Howdy,
I use round bales as pictured, but not stacked that high.. Only two high and two deep..
A .45-70 520 gr at 1250fps will rip thru one, but not two.. (End to end)
I've spaced the 3rd row between the other 2 in case a bullet slips thru the cracks..
I shoot from 25 to 100 yds with all sorts of stuff.....

Paul

 

[slimjim9]

Rent a tractor or a bobcat? Probably wouldn't take a few hours if that - if you know what you're doing? Which means I'd need it for at least a week.

 

[Big Ol Boy]

Old tractor or loader tires work well if you can find any. Stack 4-5 high then fill with dirt.

 

[mndoggie]

Old tractor or loader tires work well if you can find any. Stack 4-5 high then fill with dirt.

I've seen .22 cal bullets bounce back from just such a backstop as you describe.

 

[DTC]

this is something i sketched up for a buddy's property but we never got to doing it... looking at it again after a couple years, would probably beef it up a bit and use either 6x6 posts or 8x8 posts.

sorry the image is so light, the pencil on paper doesnt seem to scan well.

all the planking and trap door wood would be "deckmate" or similar long wood screws run into the two posts.

the idea was to create a void between the front and rear planking filled with sand, and a "trap door" type bottom that could be removed to remove the sand, recover the lead, and allow for replacement of the front and or rear planking...

the idea at the bottom was not to run the planking all the way down, but leave it about 1' above grade to allow for the sand dump when refreshing the unit.

what i dont know is what load / caliber rifle rounds could penetrate a 1.5" piece of lumber, carry through 4-8" of uncompacted sand, and then through the back planking 1.5" lumber.

we no longer have access to land where we could do this, and it would probably still be wise to back it up with an earth berm, or maybe the hay-rolls...

 

[Varminterror]

LOTS of rounds will pass through 4-5" of sand. If it were that easy, shooting ranges wouldn't build massive dirt berms, they'd build something like that. A few shots in the same spot and your sand will leak through the wood.

I'll reiterate that tires can cause bounce back. Been there, done that.

 

[Big Ol Boy]

Yep 22 will bounce back from tires so if you built a wood structure in front of the back stop to hang targets on that would help eliminate any problems. Or rent a small dozer and push up a berm for a couple hundred bucks on a weekend that would be a lot less work. And more fun.

 

[osprey]

Go to Real Guys Reviews channel on Youtube and view the video "How to Make a Bullet Trap".

The basic idea is to put a layer of sand between two sheets of plywood, and use a rubber mat (horse trailer pad) behind the front layer of plywood.
I have used something similar to his build, but with these exceptions:

1. I used 1/2" plywood on the back panel as well as the front panel.
2. I added 2 x 8 braces on the back, at the top, middle, and bottom lag bolted to the 2 x 8 side uprights.
3. I built a brace system that attaches to the back instead of using a pallet.

This is a relatively easy to build backstop, that is capable of stopping the rounds that I have used (.357 magnum, .38 special, .22 LR)

 

[PriseDeFer]

Nothing good enough for firearms is going to be moveable and nothing will work as well or be as simple as a dirt/sand berm in Florida. Dirt just swallows bullets and in a back yard range you just cannot have any bounces.

 

[MGS]

Get some sort of machinery and build a mound big enough and string enough that shots can't possibly go through it. Make sure to build a wooden base that keeps the mound in place.

 

[weaselfire]

...old tires plywood and sand/gravel...

Tires are a no-go, especially for .22. Bullets will bounce off them. Dirt is still best, and you don't have to move it for a hurricane. You can hire a bulldozer and operator in most areas of Florida pretty cheaply, if you don't need fill and can use just existing dirt, it's pretty cheap.

Railroad ties are a good option too. As is a steel plate trap. The hay bale route someone posted will work, but it degrades quickly.

Lastly, where are you? Might be a lot simpler to use a local range. Lots of rural Florida has shooters, with varying types of backstops on home ranges. While a 20' high berm is recommended, 8' will work for most people. Depends on what's behind your berm.

Keep gravel out of it. Ricochets are a real issue.

Jeff

 

[SnakeEyes]

If you have enough land, and a cooperative neighbor, then a bullet-stopper and some target stands are all you need.

Be careful to respect any possible source of ricochet, and get rid of as many of them that you can: rocks, flat metal, etc.

Target stand designs can be very portable, but a good bullet stopper is probably very static.

I plan to eventually setup a wooden "retaining wall" on at least three sides, then fill with sand. Should drain water. Very effective stopper. Allows "panning for lead", if needed or wanted. Can be topped off, as needed. Less likely to have a hidden rock the size of a softball. Definitely not portable.

 

[Mharroll]

Railroad timbers and sand