Ideas for creating a backstop

[Justincase]

Been researching how to make a backstop, and quite often come across using tires filled with dirt as a backstop. This seems easy enough, and relatively economical (my wife will NOT allow me to spend tons on building one), but I'm just curious about ricochets off the tires especially from .22lr. Does anyone have experience with a backstop constructed with old tires?

We're buying a house that has eight acres that I can use for shooting and want to make a shooting area in the woods that doesn't require a huge clearing or thousands of dollars, but is big enough to ensure safe shooting. Thanks for any insight.

 

[Acer-m14]

just have a dump truck bring you a few loads of sand .. make a berm .. benefit .. you can reclaim the lead later really easy to make more bullets ..

 

[GOYABEAN]

 

[kev74]

All you need is a pile of dirt. If you have a small hill in a convenient spot, that will do it.

I wouldn't want a pile of half buried tires on my land.

 

[Podmonkey]

All you need is a pile of dirt. If you have a small hill in a convenient spot, that will do it.

I wouldn't want a pile of half buried tires on my land.

Was just gonna say, a berm with dirt and sand is the best bullet stop there is. Failing that just strap a bunch of antifa to a board or something.

 

[kev74]

Failing that just strap a bunch of antifa to a board or something.

I was thinking it, but didn't want to say it.

 

[Justincase]

All you need is a pile of dirt. If you have a small hill in a convenient spot, that will do it.

I wouldn't want a pile of half buried tires on my land.

Problem is, there's no hills anywhere and it's completely wooded. There would be no way simply dump tons of soil to make a berm unless I cleared a huge swath of trees. I don't want to do that.

 

[Mk44]

Stacking old tires and fill with dirt/sand will work. But you will still have to get dirt/sand (a lot) back there to fill them in.

 

[masterswimmer]

Problem is, there's no hills anywhere and it's completely wooded. There would be no way simply dump tons of soil to make a berm unless I cleared a huge swath of trees. I don't want to do that.

If you're not looking to cut the swath of trees then what is your shooting lane supposed to be? Will you be shooting around trees?

 

[Criticalt]

I had a friend that hand dug a shooting lane and used a wheelbarrow to pile the dug dirt at the end.
Alot of work but he managed to create an 8 foot wall of dirt.

 

[Criticalt]

I also know a guy that built one with 2 trees, a bunch of logs and some dirt.
Its hard to explain but ill try.
He had 2 trees which were about 15 feet apart.
He latched logs between the trees all the way up both sides creating a 2 foot wide space between the 2 log walls. He then filled it with dirt.
Again, alot of work but its functional.
He only uses it for pistol caliber guns but its lasted about 3 years now.

 

[Justincase]

If you're not looking to cut the swath of trees then what is your shooting lane supposed to be? Will you be shooting around trees?

You're right. I'm going to have to clear some trees way in the middle of the property for the range itself, but i don't want to clear a path from the yard all the way back to where the backstop will be to allow access to heavy machinery

 

[Eddie Gunks]

A bob cat will do just fine. They do not require any major deforestation to get in to work. A few dump trick loads of material and a day with the bobcat and you should be go to go.

 

[ProgSpear]

Don't fuck around. Do it right. Clears the lane and makes the berm in about 2 hours plus cartage. Then you spend a year trying to repair the lawn.

 

[96coal449]

You can also use brush. Thicker branches laid out to form a wall 3-4 foot thick. Use some trees and/or put poles in the ground. Build your wall as high as you please. Was told long ago brush makes an excellent stop. Just have a little up keep with adding more as the brush decays. Bonus is the materials are close at hand.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Cut some trees for the lane(s). Buck up said trees. Lay the rounds out as a wall for your berm. You should be shooting into, not across, the grain of the wood. Mine is about six feet high with three layers of bucked up rounds built into the side of a hill (which increases the overall backstop height and surround to where I'm comfortable shooting anything up to my 30-06).

Oh, and if you're "paranoid" like me- site it as far from your well as possible.

 

[Justincase]

Cut some trees for the lane(s). Buck up said trees. Lay the rounds out as a wall for your berm. You should be shooting into, not across, the grain of the wood. Mine is about six feet high with three layers of bucked up rounds built into the side of a hill (which increases the overall backstop height and surround to where I'm comfortable shooting anything up to my 30-06).

Oh, and if you're "paranoid" like me- site it as far from your well as possible.

That's a great idea. Cut them into two or three foot pieces then stack them parallel to the direction of fire? I can try to find two trees to stack them between that are a good distance apart as vertical braces to support the whole thing. We may have a wiener!!

 

[BDinPutnam]

Yep, you got the idea, brother. I've had mine up about two years- yet to need to replace the front at all and I go .22 - 12 gauge slugs and .30 cal rifle. Granted my range is 50 yards so you may vary on caliber, etc. Meant to also mention mine is about six feet depth and ten feet wide.

 

[groovy mike]

Just cut a log into 3 foot sections, make a pile and shoot at the round ends of the logs. There aren't many bullets 3 feet of wood wont stop. The bullets can be recovered if you like.

 

[groovy mike]

Cut some trees for the lane(s). Buck up said trees. Lay the rounds out as a wall for your berm. You should be shooting into, not across, the grain of the wood. Mine is about six feet high with three layers of bucked up rounds built into the side of a hill (which increases the overall backstop height and surround to where I'm comfortable shooting anything up to my 30-06).

Oh, and if you're "paranoid" like me- site it as far from your well as possible.

Exactly right.

 

[SteyrAug]

The easy way is to get a bunch of 55 gallon plastic drums. Four x four in staggered rows. Fill with crushed stone. Move target across front.
When bbl is shot up move target. When all 4 in front row are shot up, get new bbls.
Stones last forever and with target in middle of drum, no richochets.
Did it 40 years ago in NY with steel drums and it's still in use. No new drums beyond 1st row.

Even easier if you can source it, is a piece of 1" face hardened steel set at a 60 degree angle. AP or super magnum rifles will beat it up but will last a long time if you move targets.

If your property borders on the ocean-------

 

[Phauxtoe]

shoot down hill into the hill rising back up!

 

[BDinPutnam]

Trees are free.

 

[Justincase]

Trees are free.

So true. I know it's going to be lots of work, but I'm getting excited thinking about being able to just go into the back yard and fire off some rounds.

 

[FLA45fan]

Liberals . . .

 

[BDinPutnam]

So true. I know it's going to be lots of work, but I'm getting excited thinking about being able to just go into the back yard and fire off some rounds.

Getting out the saw and getting it going is a lot of fun in and of itself. Sounds like you are building on a flat surface which should help- mine was a bit of a pain because it slopes away and down so getting the angles right was a pain at first.

 

[Justincase]

Getting out the saw and getting it going is a lot of fun in and of itself. Sounds like you are building on a flat surface which should help- mine was a bit of a pain because it slopes away and down so getting the angles right was a pain at first.

As far as I know, it's completely flat. Haven't been through the entire property yet.