Best homemade backstops....

[Grendel-Gene]

This is cool......

http://www.ak47.net/forums/t_6_2/375929_...ures_.html

[Klem]

Most cost-effective solution is a berm of soil, used the world over. hire a dozer and scrape up a decent mound. Then either grow grass on it or have it substantial enough that it won't erode too much. You can put horticultural erosion mats on it but they cost money. Private ranges do not get the hammering that public ranges do.

If space is an issue then a vertical wall of something to hold soil. I have seen wood, industrial tubs and tyres filled with sand. I recommend whatever structure you build then you must fill it with sand/soil. Sand is an amazing absorber of bullet energy. I have seen a pile of single un-filled tyres shot through and the rounds skipped up the slow gradient hill behind to land in the neighbouring farmers car-port (both an amazing coincidence and very untidy).

I have also seen layers of compressed straw building material used with a steel backing. Three layers of this commerical product absorbing enough of the energy that the steel is not overly stressed. The Stramit product was replaced from time to time.

One unusual solution is to use right-angled rubber lamels (as in lamella armour). In this case two layers of discarded conveyor belt rubber hung in overlapping vertical strips at 90 degrees to each other in an indoor range. Behind the two layers is a concrete wall where by then the rounds have run out of steam, hit the the wall and fall to the ground for future collection. Works for any angle the round impacts the wall. If you always shoot in one direction like a classic rifle range then a single layer of angled overlapping lamels would work. Obviously less relevant in your case but an interesting idea.

360degree Indoor Range with Rubber Lamella as the Backstop

[montana]

Most cost-effective solution is a berm of soil, used the world over. hire a dozer and scrape up a decent mound. Then either grow grass on it or have it substantial enough that it won't erode too much. You can put horticultural erosion mats on it but they cost money. Private ranges do not get the hammering that public ranges do.

If space is an issue then a vertical wall of something to hold soil. I have seen wood, industrial tubs and tyres filled with sand. I recommend whatever structure you build then you must fill it with sand/soil. Sand is an amazing absorber of bullet energy. I have seen a pile of single un-filled tyres shot through and the rounds skipped up the slow gradient hill behind to land in the neighbouring farmers car-port (both an amazing coincidence and very untidy).

I have also seen layers of compressed straw building material used with a steel backing. Three layers of this commerical product absorbing enough of the energy that the steel is not overly stressed. The Stramit product was replaced from time to time.

One unusual solution is to use right-angled rubber lamels (as in lamella armour). In this case two layers of discarded conveyor belt rubber hung in overlapping vertical strips at 90 degrees to each other in an indoor range. Behind the two layers is a concrete wall where by then the rounds have run out of steam, hit the the wall and fall to the ground for future collection. Works for any angle the round impacts the wall. If you always shoot in one direction like a classic rifle range then a single layer of angled overlapping lamels would work. Obviously less relevant in your case but an interesting idea.

Indoor Range with Rubber Lamella as the Backstop

One of the biggest ammo makers in Montana uses a dozer dug out berm to test all their ammo up to 50 BMG with a housing sub division right behind it. Not pretty but efficient.

[rebelsoul]

Here is another "white trash" solution. I cut the backstop out of 7/16th steel plate. Works great for my Grendel and 30-06. Give a redneck a plasma cutter and a welder is the answer.... The question was, how do you keep an idiot busy for hours ?

[JASmith]

My dad built one like that in our workshop.

It was initially held up by vise grip pliers. I made the mistake of messing with one of them. It's amazing how fast that plate dropped onto my 14 year-old foot! Fortunately i just got bruises and (I think) no broken bones.

Backstop worked great until I went on active duty. Things, of course, changed after that.

[rebelsoul]

My dad built one like that in our workshop.

It was initially held up by vise grip pliers. I made the mistake of messing with one of them. It's amazing how fast that plate dropped onto my 14 year-old foot! Fortunately i just got bruises and (I think) no broken bones.

Backstop worked great until I went on active duty. Things, of course, changed after that.

Mine is mounted on skids and has a lifting eye. I move it with a forklift or one of my cranes. My toes are safe for now.

[Bwild97]

This is cool......

http://www.ak47.net/forums/t_6_2/375929_...ures_.html

Our local range has backstops like these, but instead of putting the dirt in the middle they back filled the tie walls.

[Drifter]

[JASmith]

Why isn't wearing hearing and eye protection? After all, he does seem to be on the range (or part of it!)

[davidj]

Welcome back Gene.

[NugginFutz]

Clearly not on any range, as there are buildings in the background. Wall mounted AC next to each window.

A little photoshopping, and this can became a classic meme.

"So, you think your job sucks."

[JASmith]

Clearly not on any range, as there are buildings in the background. Wall mounted AC next to each window.
...
"So, you think your job sucks."

I like the caption! But, some folks may think buildings make fine backstops..and is certainly in line with the facial expression of the "target stand." (Resigned to one's fate...)

[explorecaves]

If it is china and located in one of their empty mega cities they have built the last few years, then it very well could be a viable range....

[Drifter]

Sorry guys. I misread the thread title as "home backstops", and thought the image was appropriate. (Well, sort of...)

Now I realize that y'all are talking homemade backstops. My bad.

[jawbone]

and it's portable, for a while.

[stokesrj]

If you want to construct some affordable, but durable structures for this, I suggest looking into SuperAdobe. You use tubular sand bags like long lego blocks, filled with sand-based cement. Very cheap, and stronger than most structures out there. They broke all the engineering test equipment for San Bernadino County for CA earthquake code.

http://calearth.org/shop/index.php

Not if filled with sand based cement which bonds the sand together, doesn't mater if the bag gets ripped, the sand is solid concrete. You use this for the structure and fill the structure with dirt for an impact area. This way the energy from the bullet is dissipated before reaching the bags you wan't 5-10 feet of dirt in front of the structure. No bullet will penetrate that, not even a 50BMG or whatever Cheyteck.

I don't want to be a naysayer on the tire ideas, but as the president of the Florida Sport Shooting Association, I get to see a lot of problems with ranges. Two problems with tires, large caliber, low velocity bullets bounce back from them, think subsonic 45ACP, and high intensity bullets can cause them to catch fire. We recently lost an entire range due to this. When tires catch fire, putting them out is a major issue, every government entity up to the state and some times Federal will step in to "Help" you.
Bob