Who’s built their own range?

[davidu]

Below are the 1000yd AR500 targets and a paper target picture taken with the OnTarget Longshot LR-3 at my 200-600 yd range.
There is a 4x8 piece of plywood painted white and a fixed to two T posts. The OnTarget camera saves a ton of time when refining handloads for vertical dispersion at medium to my max of 1000 yds.

 

[jaguar05]

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?

I use Tpost with MGM tpost hangers and AR550 targets Yes the tpost hangers are a little spendy but you don't have the issue of chains getting shot and your targets falling. The targets are very close to the kill zone size of elk and the upper torso of most men. I paint the targets orange with a one moa white circle for the different ranges. My range is in canyons which adds to the difficulty with winds pushing from different angles. My one mile target is approximately at 5 degrees uphill from the main shooting position. I have targets at 100 yards for zero at 1 degree uphill (paper), 200 yards gong at 25 degree uphill (6 inch gong), 200 meters at 30 degree uphill(6 inch gong), 400 yards at 20 degree downhill(10 inch gong), 600 yard at 10 degree uphill(18x20 gong), 1000 yard at 5 degree uphill(18x20 gong), 1400 yard at 3 degree uphill (18 x 20 gong) and 1760 yard at 10 degree uphill (18x20 gong). The targets are at different azimuths from main shooting position so you get the added difficulty of different angle winds. YES it was a pain to build as the terrain is rough so I had to hand carry the targets (48lbs each), target hangers, tposts, tpost hammer, wrenches, paint and water to each location. A Rokon 2 wheel drive motorcycle would be nice...I enlisted two of my veteran buddies to help. I have two Caldwell shooting benches we carried to two different shooting positions so we can shoot sitting or lying on ground. No I don't have wind flags at the targets as I like the motto of train as you fight, I have yet to see Elk or other real world targets run around with flags so shooters can more easily judge the wind, just a personal preference....I just finished the range and am in the process of breaking in the barrel on my 338 Lapua. We have hit cold bore shots out to the 1400 yard target with my buddies 300 WM up to 5 mph winds. I really look forward to finishing my load development and shooting 300 grain SMK in my 338 LM. IF any of the LRH members or combat vets visit the Alamogordo NM area give me a push. If it isn't hunting season I love to have yall stop by to shoot. I forgot to mention I use the MGM TPOST protector so errant shots do not cut the tpost down. The guys at MGM rock and they do offer a veteran discount. One thing I learned very quickly was even though our environment is very arid there is enough prairie grass and desert vegetation I had to take a pick ax to each target location (about 10 foot radius) and expose the dirt so shots off the target plate are a little easier to spot, especially bullets less than 220 grains or so.

 

[swampbug]

I have 100 and 200 yard targets at the house to sight in and shoot at the house. Then a 300 to 800 yard stretch down a fence line cut with hangers every 100 yards. After that I have set up individual gongs around the property that simulate real life hunting shots that range from 350 to 1,275 yards.
2x4's are the cheapest way to go but seem to require a lot of maintenance. T posts, if you can hammer them in the ground, are great or metal pipes with 90 degree couplers.

 

[Blackforesthp]

My setup is a little different than most. I use pieces of old pickup bed mats to hand my targets. The targets themselves are made out of discs off farm implements.

Currently I have 28 of them between 100 and 820 yards out my back door. I will be putting more in out past 1000 yds.

These are not as durable as AR steel by any means. I have to replace them occasionally but it is not a very big deal as I have a stash of over 150 on hand.

I have a 2+ mile backstop behind my farthest target, so ricochets onto a neighbor is not an issue.

 

[TX Badger]

My setup is a little different than most. I use pieces of old pickup bed mats to hand my targets. The targets themselves are made out of discs off farm implements.

Currently I have 28 of them between 100 and 820 yards out my back door. I will be putting more in out past 1000 yds.

These are not as durable as AR steel by any means. I have to replace them occasionally but it is not a very big deal as I have a stash of over 150 on hand.

I have a 2+ mile backstop behind my farthest target, so ricochets onto a neighbor is not an issue.

How do they do inside 500 yards? I have thought about this idea, but did not know if I would punch right through them.

 

[Revolting Peasant]

I try to keep an eye out for old kids swing set frames. Sometimes can find a porch swing frame made from old oilfield pipe. Had pretty good luck looking for old rusty frames sitting in folks yards with grass growing around the legs. They get tired of moving them to mow and will give them to you.
I move them around with the targets hanging from them using a tractor with front end loader and pallet forks.
My dream range was always a small canyon with an old rock quarry. All mine. Some of the pics on here are probably better than that lol.

 

[Timnterra]

I've got one made out of a farm disc and it's been pretty impressive actually I haven't shot it with anything bigger than a 450 bushmaster at the 100yd mark and it did well. I have it set at 300yds and it soaks up 223, 6.5 Grendel 6.5creed, and 308 without problem. Haven't shot it with a magnum yet but It has exceeded my expectations. I bought it new at TSC for $39 and it's 22" diameter which it way cheaper than any ar500 of that size

 

[Blackforesthp]

How do they do inside 500 yards? I have thought about this idea, but did not know if I would punch right through them.

It depends what you shoot them with. I can punch through them past 300 yards with magnums.

Even my 300 blackout bends them at 100. But I have alot of them and get many more almost every spring from area farmers.

 

[xsn10s]

I've got one made out of a farm disc and it's been pretty impressive actually I haven't shot it with anything bigger than a 450 bushmaster at the 100yd mark and it did well. I have it set at 300yds and it soaks up 223, 6.5 Grendel 6.5creed, and 308 without problem. Haven't shot it with a magnum yet but It has exceeded my expectations. I bought it new at TSC for $39 and it's 22" diameter which it way cheaper than any ar500 of that size

Hey Timnterra that's a great idea! I figured find a used one on a local farm but this is a cheap and easy alternative. Do you hand the disc up? If so what did you do to set it up? TIA

 

[Timnterra]

Hey Timnterra that's a great idea! I figured find a used one on a local farm but this is a cheap and easy alternative. Do you hand the disc up? If so what did you do to set it up? TIA

I welded a u bolt to the back of the disc and welded a 4" ar500 plate over the hole in the center. The u bolt has the metal plate and nuts still on it so it can slip over a single t-post and when the nuts are tightened up it holds the disc up off the ground. The cheap metal strap is too thin though and it bends when hit enough times and the disc falls. Next one I do will have a 5/8" bolt welded to the back going through the mud flap material to hang it.

 

[dgr416]

I like good back stops at each target range I shoot at .A guy shoot a 50 bmg at our public 100 yards range .He went long range hunting without knowing it .He killed 10 cows from 3/4 mile to 1.5 miles away good shooting but wrong targets .They banned 50 bmg forever at that range .At the same range state owned they had a pistol range beside the rifle range and stopped shooting at different times and I told them one day someone would get popped sure enough it happen bounced off a rock and tore a guys arm up .I want to build a long range shooting range on our power line easement and they are supose to move the lines soon .I want to put a berm at each range I am shooting at out to 590 yards . There are houses not in line and it's down hill and the houses are about 2 miles away so I want to make sure all the bullet stop in the dirt .I have seen old tires used in shooting berms also .I see people shooting in wide open spaces with houses behind targets not a good idea .

 

[ATH]

I like good back stops at each target range I shoot at .A guy shoot a 50 bmg at our public 100 yards range .He went long range hunting without knowing it .He killed 10 cows from 3/4 mile to 1.5 miles away good shooting but wrong targets .They banned 50 bmg forever at that range .At the same range state owned they had a pistol range beside the rifle range and stopped shooting at different times and I told them one day someone would get popped sure enough it happen bounced off a rock and tore a guys arm up .I want to build a long range shooting range on our power line easement and they are supose to move the lines soon .I want to put a berm at each range I am shooting at out to 590 yards . There are houses not in line and it's down hill and the houses are about 2 miles away so I want to make sure all the bullet stop in the dirt .I have seen old tires used in shooting berms also .I see people shooting in wide open spaces with houses behind targets not a good idea .

Bullets travel further than people think, always good to have a backstop. Around here it's almost a yearly occurrence that a subdivision gets shot, someone gets out in an open field shooting an AR and thinks 400 yards is far enough not to need a berm....Employee had a bullet come through the wall over her baby's crib from a neighbor shooting a 45 100 yds away toward a subdivision...I stay as far away from the subdivisions as I can and build up my berms.

 

[jimbires]

bring this one back up .

we have the range set up again . we had to find a new firing line , and fixed it up with some gravel . when the coal job backfilled they kind of goofed up our original one . from the new line we can get 600 - 2000 . we can move back from there . it doesn't look like 2 miles will happen here , I'll say more like 2800 max . here's a few pics of the new range I took this morning , while we waited for the rain to stop .

 

[hydehunter]

-Shoot steel always runs good black Friday sales if you can wait.

-use marking paint, it covers the best

-I welded up these stands. 1" outside square steel for the legs and cross bar, 1 1/4 inside square steel for part at the top. We shoot on a hay field where we can't leave them out and these set up in 20 seconds. Just spread the bottom of the legs out and the top binds up.

-rebar cut in lengths and then bent in a vise makes cheap hangers.

I also shoot on a hay field but I leave my targets out until it is time to cut . so I asked the farmer if I could mow the area to my targets and offered to pay for the hay bales he wanted cash for. he told me no cash so a couple bottles of good whiskey and wine at Christmas really does good.in fact yesterday he loaded up my targets and brought them to my property and said no problem just put them back when he is done cutting