Who’s built their own range?

[Almondgrower]

I use shot marker for load development at my personal range. It is absolutely AMAZING!! Measures group size , velocity at the target and very easy to switch between guns or loads without the need to go to target to mark shots or change target !!

 

[davidu]

Large piles of dirt behind targets
I used sawed off utility poles set in a trench for these targets
I don't think you can be over cautious about ricochets
Bullet strikes can cut T posts down. I use schedule 40 pipe

 

[rifledoc]

I second shootsteel.com they have great sales throughout the year, sign up for their newsletter. I have used a 5 gallon paint bucket, 50lbs concrete and a 2x4 which the shoot steel silhouettes sit on perfectly with their attachment hardware. For the circular targets, t-posts are the way to go. I tried the 2x4 homemade saw horses and the texas sun just beat them to death pretty fast

 

[Plowboy85]

I have various distances from a true 100yd to 1300ish. I use t posts about 4' long with u bolts to attach to the post. This allows me to move the gong easily I need to because sometimes my bulls think they need to tear up everything they see. I hang my gongs by old baler belt spit in hage so it's about 4" wide. The belt connects to the gong ears with bolts that are double nutted in a manner that will allow a slight bit of downward angle to deflect bullets on impact. There is an option to weld up a Y fitting to slide posts on similar to a swing set frame if driving them into the ground is impractical. I think shooting targets 7 has them. I get my gongs from shootingtargets7.com. It has been the better price and shipping I have found, he has sales from time to time as others.

 

[xsn10s]

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.

With today's ballistics programs you could probably reverse engineer your 100 yard zero on level ground from your 30 degree target at 100 yards. Should get you fairly close until you can confirm your zero on level ground or at hunting camp.

 

[xsn10s]

I've been playing with the free version of GeoBallistics and it has a shot angle feature. I just tried it and it gave me the corrected 100 yard correction for my rifle and load.

 

[Hard rock]

I've been playing with the free version of GeoBallistics and it has a shot angle feature. I just tried it and it gave me the corrected 100 yard correction for my rifle and load.

I have a home built range with soft soil no problem for target set ups but also have a west Tx canyon country ranch and understand the rock situation my idea would be pour concrete in 5 gallon containers for the form with 4x4s or posts to frame from for your targets of choice then you can move them or square them from any angle or distance

 

[Timnterra]

I'd never heard of "shot marker" and wow that thing is amazing! Now I'm going to get in trouble, as if a range full of steel wasn't expensive enough

 

[Timnterra]

I have been using mobile target stands like saw horses but they just get torn up by bullets and bullet fragments that ricochet off the target.

 

[Timnterra]

Here's the style of targets I'm going to be using to make a more permanent range the u-bolts seem to work well holding up the electrical conduit between the t-posts. The straps are mud flaps from an 18wheeler cut into 4" strips. The top t-post is not needed and was there from a previous target that I hung with bailing wire. It lasted about 10 rounds

 

[Plowboy85]

Here's the style of targets I'm going to be using to make a more permanent range the u-bolts seem to work well holding up the electrical conduit between the t-posts. The straps are mud flaps from an 18wheeler cut into 4" strips. The top t-post is not needed and was there from a previous target that I hung with bailing wire. It lasted about 10 rounds

Very similar to my setup, now if only I can keep my dang cows from thinking it's a back rubber.

 

[PatriotHenry]

Mind if I come spend my summer up there?

2nd that!

 

[BiggameBesser]

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?

The setup I'm setting up is very similar to huntsman 22 the only thing I'm doing different is my targets are made from 3 disks welded together from a old abandoned piece of farm equipment that at one time was use to break up sod or roots after a bush was bulldozed. My targets and stands are made to take down when I'm done shooting because my setups are on private property, but that doesn't stop trespassers from shooting the tar out of my targets which take a lot of work to build my set up. Because it's in a farmers hay field I have taken lids off of plastic 5 gallon pails and spaced them out every 100 yard increments and spiked them into the ground. Then when he comes in June to make his hay he just swathes over my markers bales up his hay and then by the middle of June I have my 1,000 yard range to shoot my merry days away until the snow gets to deep which some years are almost 11 months and if I'm lucky every 4 years I either am drawn for a either sex Moose or some years both a Either Sex Elk tags which I shoot in the same hay field which boarders the North Saskatchewan River here in Saskatchewan Canada. Good luck on your range and have fun shooting

 

[DMP25-06]

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 .

Loonie ,

In photo #3 , I see that you have your forward observer there in lower left corner , to verify hits and misses .

I really envy those of you that have enough property to set up your own shooting range .
Good luck to all of you .

DMP25-06