Gun ranges at home!

C.Berry

C.Berry

Bad News
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Location
Blacksburg, Va
i have some wooded land behind my house that has some good locations for target practice! The range up here is always packed, no way to do moving training and more trash than any range I’ve seen in awhile. I may be able to make a 200 yard range with permission from a neighbor for shooting over his property line.

no houses in area of targeting for miles houses to my left and right over 150+ yards away and the one to the left I wouldn’t mind if a stray round hit anyway bc their meth dealers and can eat a dick... just curious what y’all have setup I don’t have luxury of open land tho all semi heavily wooded!
Made this shoot and see target and it surprisingly worked great painted over it once tho and next shots weren’t so great, The steel getup I have rednecked together not so much it swings when hit but no “ding” we’ll with electronic muffs on I didn’t hear it anyway! All shots were 20 yards out with the new shield!
I did miss The steel from that distance and the paper but managed one hit on steel and one on rod lol my grip is gonna need major reworking with small pistol like this but this little guns accurate as hell!!
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BrianGreen said:
Need a berm behind it. No way I would shoot there.
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What why not? Why’s a berm needed in open woods? I’m not wanting to stand stationary and shoot all the time I’m going to clear ground and make paths to each shooting station! I’ve always target practiced in the woods tho, which doesn’t mean I’ve been doing it right but don’t see the problem? Real life scenarios aren’t clear open areas typically like firing ranges are setup
 
I am also in the "need dirt behind your target" camp.

You never know who is going to be out there, on the neighbors land, or the next parcel over from there. Surveyor, trespasser, hunters, etc, etc. When you pull that trigger, you own the bullet for the next 3000 yards...however far it goes before loosing steam or hitting something solid.

I have a 4-5' cut bank down by my shop. Going to build up a berm on top of it, another 5-6'.
 
Damn I figured if anything 6-7’ of tires behind each target! Def not trying to be unsafe but my whole life that I’ve had guns first one at 5 yrs old I’ve shot open woods for practice... no way I’m more back woods than some of y’all Carolina folk!?

Let me rephrase this so I’m not looking like a dumb shit... lol there is no way for a round to go stray and come even remotely close to a dwelling or anyone up in these woods dope heads trailer is down a valley 200+ yards from where I shoot at my 7oclock the only other dwelling is 175+ yards to my 4o clock from positions Ill fire at! it’s all private property with steep gulches that I was planning to use for rifle backstops!
 
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I’m gonna have some small equipment up here soon to do some work I may use the extra clay to make a berm on the NE hillside of range! Now I’m paranoid lol
 
Ride over to Indian Creek, maybe? The one on Craig Creek by Pandapas Pond is pretty busy, but the one at Indian Creek is usually deserted.

It's probably a bit of a haul for you, though.
 
shawn said:
Ride over to Indian Creek, maybe? The one on Craig Creek by Pandapas Pond is pretty busy, but the one at Indian Creek is usually deserted.

It's probably a bit of a haul for you, though.
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I’ll look into that one! The one 10mins away across from pandapas pond is ridiculous Id feel safer in a prison with a lubed ass then around some of those idiots and how they handle firearms...
 
C.Berry said:
I’ll look into that one! The one 10mins away across from pandapas pond is ridiculous Id feel safer in a prison with a lubed ass then around some of those idiots and how they handle firearms...
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It's out past Bozoo on the far side of Peterstown. It'll be on the left side of the road as you head into the campground. There's a shelter with benches.
 
Here’s my setup! With distances to dwellings! So no one thinks I’m a nuts and shooting close to homes...


V Arrow is shooting direction there is a berm hill to NE as I’m on a flat plane on hillside going down!
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VThis is a old hunting cabin owned by the gentleman I was going to speak about for long range rifles, he’s old and a cool dude I pressure wash his place and stain his decks every year since I moved here and he doesn’t shoot or hunt now so may see if I can work something out he owns a lot of land to my S/SW!
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This is dope heads land... could care less what they say or think I’m friendly with all wardens and police locally now that I’m domesticated, I could probably get them to sign papers saying I could shoot closer bc they try to play nice so no one says anything about the drug business they have going... DEA already is investigating again!
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Here’s land contour for reference!
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My property line in yellow
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Every single bullet you fire has your legal responsibility attached to it.

Not knowing your target and what lays beyond it is foolish. There's no way in hell I'd just zing rounds off into the woods and assume they won't hit anyone.

This is some basic safety. Like, Hunter Safety Course basic.

If I recollect correctly, there is something in there about not shooting sky lined critters for this very reason. It's got nothing to do with distance to homes. It's got to do with not knowing where the hell your popped off round is going if you miss your target. That's why we shoot into berms. Because it's the only way you know for a fact that no one will suddenly come up behind your target and take a round to the chest.

The simplest way you should know your wrong, is the amount of concern being stated by others and the amount of effort you are going through to prove you are being safe. A berm negates all of that.
 
Berm it. My range at my old house was bermed. It was about 10' high and built with trees, stumps, and dirt from around the house. It took about a weekend to build it with a mini ex. Better to be safe...
 
'Team Berm' as well...have an 8' dirt/gravel set up on my property. And personally I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting that close to other dwellings.
 
+ 1 on the Berm.
Its not about the houses.

What if meth head decides to stroll through your woods. Granted he shouldnt but criminal trespass doesnt authorize deadly force.
Plus it isnt just about line of site. What about bullet fragments? Hit the edge of that metal and you could have a shard go in any direction.
 
Atla said:
Every single bullet you fire has your legal responsibility attached to it.

Not knowing your target and what lays beyond it is foolish. There's no way in hell I'd just zing rounds off into the woods and assume they won't hit anyone.

This is some basic safety. Like, Hunter Safety Course basic.

If I recollect correctly, there is something in there about not shooting sky lined critters for this very reason. It's got nothing to do with distance to homes. It's got to do with not knowing where the hell your popped off round is going if you miss your target. That's why we shoot into berms. Because it's the only way you know for a fact that no one will suddenly come up behind your target and take a round to the chest.

The simplest way you should know your wrong, is the amount of concern being stated by others and the amount of effort you are going through to prove you are being safe. A berm negates all of that.
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Ok I do agree and have had hunter safety and I can see beyond my targets to the next hillside/natural berm approx 60-75 yards away, I’m not sayin that’s sufficient by any means bc of contour on land a richochet or miss still couldn’t hit someone somehow tho beyond my target up to that hill. Not trying to endanger folks from my shooting at home but looking for ideas on a range/ course setup since berms seem to be the only way to safely do it eve o private property so if I have separate single target locations setup would a 8-10’ wide by 8’ tall stack of tires full of clay suffice? Apologize for any wrong doing I assure y’all I’m not gun safety stupid or don’t care! I was indeed raised practicing in the woods on hills and valleys like I’m shooting on now!?
 
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Berm for sure, and I would make damn sure you have written consent if you are shooting in/over your property line. You can post your property and say noone should be on your land/clearly marked ETC. But if you are shooting into someone else's land and they have company over that is walking around in the woods, what then?
 
NC-V said:
Berm for sure, and I would make damn sure you have written consent if you are shooting in/over your property line. You can post your property and say noone should be on your land/clearly marked ETC. But if you are shooting into someone else's land and they have company over that is walking around in the woods, what then?
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100% positive no rounds have left my property line from that position onto anyone else’s land from pistol fire! It’s not even plausible honestly! And if I did have permission I would have the shooting path marked very brightly with markers on trees! Def gonna address a berm somehow out here where each target will be located tho!
 
I shoot into a stack of cross ties stacked about 6 or 7 high. So far it's worked good. I've shot everything from .22, 243, 300 black out, 6.5 grendel into it without a pass through yet. Probably not the best but it's a lot better than nothing.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 
I used to have a customer that we shot pistols inside his shop.
His back stop was a 12" deep box made of 3/4" plywood filled with sand.
I though BS...but we shot 357 into it from 20' and not a mark on the backside.They had metal banding straps maybe every foot to reliev strain on the screws holding it together. Other than some san to clean up it worked fantastically.
 
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