Informal ranges; what makes a safe backstop?

rdelliott

rdelliott

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Question for you all: what would you consider to be a safe backstop for rifle shooting (assume a maximum of .308 or .30-06)? Can you rely on simple distance, i.e. several kilometers of bush, and if so, how many, or is there no substitute for a big pile of dirt?

Assume that you have an amenable neighbour who owned a bulldozer, and have some room on a property that has two kilometers of dense bush downrange, and another kilometer of bush after that before the next road. What would you have him do in terms of backstop construction to make a single lane range that's safe?
 
I'm with shortandlong on bush.

If you've got a bulldozer though, you're good to go. Build a lane and a proper backstop where you want. If you're concerned anyone might be in the impact area, it is your responsability to do your best to know they're there and keep them safe. A few flags and or signs as required are a good idea. The range guidelines from the CFC are a good read for ideas on (informal) range construction, seriously. They're free for the asking too.


Good luck with it, post pics!
DT
 
There have been problems with ricochets from tires, particularly with some calibres in cold weather.
 
How big of a hill, and how steep?
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hmmmmmmn the spot and you put me on it haha

well I would go with a natural gully on private land if the hill is higher than your your arcs of fire
this would also help cut noise down but also be reasonable sure that someone is not going to be walking over it, or comming over with an atv.
a

as far a minimums go I would say at least 30 ft or the what you see at most formal ranges. if your going to go as far as earth moving equiment i would say take a look at range regs in your area and see if there reachable
 
There have been problems with ricochets from tires, particularly with some calibres in cold weather.
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I did not know that.

Maybe two sets of railway ties with sand in between then.
 
The backstop is going to hold your targets in one place, so the impact can be concentrated. The stopbutt can be anything that will absorb the terminal velocity of the bullets. My votes include hay bales, bare earth, logs or brush piles and sandbags. Just whatever you feel like hauling into your favourite shooting spot.

(Tires are noted in the range inspection guidelines as a cause of ricochets in cold weather. That is one reason why 'tire towns' have fallen out of favour with combat trainers.)
 
rdelliott said:
How big of a hill, and how steep?
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Basically as steep as you can make it, typically a 1:1 slope. The flatter the slope the greater chance of a ricochet upwards.

Generally recommendations for ranges are 15 feet for up to 50 yards and 18 feet if over that. However that is a huge height if you are making a hill that size with a bulldozer from relatively flat ground.

A suggestion would be up to around 10 feet so that when you are shooting at say a 5 foot height, the berm is about 10 feet thick and at an 8 foot height, the berm would be 4 feet thick. This assumes 1:1 front and back slopes. A 10 foot high berm will also take into account settlement and erosion over a couple of years, which could be on the order of a foot or 2.

If you are going with a lower berm, try to get a thickness at the top of at least 4 feet.

When you get a few hundred metres back from an 8 foot high berm, it just looks like a little bump in the ground.
 
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SandRoad said:
Basically as steep as you can make it, typically a 1:1 slope. The flatter the slope the greater chance of a ricochet upwards.

Generally recommendations for ranges are 15 feet for up to 50 yards and 18 feet if over that. However that is a huge height if you are making a hill that size with a bulldozer from relatively flat ground.

A suggestion would be up to around 10 feet so that when you are shooting at say a 5 foot height, the berm is about 10 feet thick and at an 8 foot height, the berm would be 4 feet thick. This assumes 1:1 front and back slopes. A 10 foot high berm will also take into account settlement and erosion over a couple of years, which could be on the order of a foot or 2.

If you are going with a lower berm, try to get a thickness at the top of at least 4 feet.

When you get a few hundred metres back from an 8 foot high berm, it just looks like a little bump in the ground.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!
 
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