how to make a safe backstop for centerfire pistol up to 25 yards

[rimfiredude]

i dont belong to any range. recently i have thought about making my own pistol range ,i looked on the net for resources for making a homemade backstop [that was a reasonable price] and really couldnt find anything that was real useful.if you have something that you use that works really well, post a picture or describe it ,any info would be appreciated.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ssssthesnake]

old tires filled with sand works for kill houses in the corps seems it would work for a 22 range but i might be wrong

[cpmiv]

You might want to check this thread.

http://www.combatcarry.com/vbulletin...ad.php?t=12489

[SOLOLUCKY]

Personally i'd be wary of tires. if the round does not penetrate its gonna bounde back at ya and depending on your distance from the backstop that could be bad.
I use 3 rows of hay bales about 6 feet high and between rows 2 & 3 it is filled with logs and debris. was intending to use rubbe rmulch that you can buy from a bulk mulch place...make it about 12" thick between the rows of hay bales and its gonna stop a bullet fer sure.
currently i will see the occassional 9mm round get thru and kick up dirt in the field behind the stop but my 38 and 45 do not penetrate the backstop very often if at all. but i have about 1/4 mile of farm field behind my stop so i feel confident that the bullet speed has been degraded to such a degree that it isn't gonna travel too far if it does get thru.

[dr_cmg]

Personally i'd be wary of tires. if the round does not penetrate its gonna bounde back at ya and depending on your distance from the backstop that could be bad.
I use 3 rows of hay bales about 6 feet high and between rows 2 & 3 it is filled with logs and debris. was intending to use rubbe rmulch that you can buy from a bulk mulch place...make it about 12" thick between the rows of hay bales and its gonna stop a bullet fer sure.
currently i will see the occassional 9mm round get thru and kick up dirt in the field behind the stop but my 38 and 45 do not penetrate the backstop very often if at all. but i have about 1/4 mile of farm field behind my stop so i feel confident that the bullet speed has been degraded to such a degree that it isn't gonna travel too far if it does get thru.

Old railroad crossties as the final backing will stop any handgun round from penetrating the backstop. Of course being able to put the entire backstop in front of a clay bank eliminates the need for the crossties.

[hsuCowboy98]

Old railroad crossties as the final backing will stop any handgun round from penetrating the backstop. Of course being able to put the entire backstop in front of a clay bank eliminates the need for the crossties.

Railroad ties are the absolute best at making the final backing on a backstop. No handgun round will penetrate them..and the price is right (free in many places).

[MattInFla]

The NRA is happy to provide range development information.

http://nrahq.org/shootingrange/index.asp

Matt

[rimfiredude]

thanks for all the help guys!the railroad ties seem like a really good backstop.anbody got any pics of their range setup ?something homemade?

[Hivoltage]

I know a stack of treated 4X4's wont stop a 9mm or a 40 practice round. I was really surprised!!!! I spent alot of time bolting them together to hang targets on.

Luckily I live in the boonies and have a large hillside to shoot into.

[popo22]

About 10 years ago we build a "Shoothouse" for our dept.'s "Tac-Team" out of old Railroad ties.It was constructed of two layers of "cross-ties" (basically building walls with two layers, and filled the center with gravel and sand). We left approximately one "cross-tie" width between the two for filling with the gravel and sand. The walls were built approximately 8-9 ft. tall, higher in some places where needed. (making sure to put plenty of gravel inside in the event that a round happens to go between the ties. The house still works well, just need to "re-gravel & sand" the inside from time to time.