Backstop for .308 - railway ties

[Boomer]

We have a small 300 yard private range with a tire backstop. I've never heard a ricochet when I've shot at it although the possibility exists with rimfires.

 

[bcsteve]

That's what my range uses, tires filled with sand and covered with sand.

 

[Leeper]

I once worked in a sawmill in Northern Idaho. During coffee breaks we used to do some shooting with pistols in the saw filing room. Everything from 22 to 44 mag. For a target backer, we set up tamarack 12x12 blocks two deep. We shot at this for a while then one day, I fired a shot with a Ruger 41 and noticed a glint of light. I walked over and looked through the hole which had appeared and had a pretty good view of the church on the other side of the log yard. Wood backstops don't work. Happily, the church was unharmed and the pastor was unaware of our transgression. Regards, Bill.

 

[lejarretnoir]

Damn Bill! Lucky for you. It doesn't always work out that way.

That's why I like dirt. Plenty of it, recycles every time and it's dirt cheap.

 

[sunray]

"...bag with coarse sand will stop .308 bullet shot at 10m..." No it won't. A 'packed' layer of sand will stop one at 50 meters, but it'll go through a single layer at 200 meters. It's about how stable the bullet i sat a given distance. The 7.62 gives its best penetration at 600 meters. It'll go through 41" of pine boards at 200 meters.
The box built of RR ties and filled with sand is your best bet. If a dump truck can get near where you want the back stop, they'll put the pile of sand in or as close as they can. Then you're looking at a shovel and wheel barrow. Find a hill side or have a berm built.