Back yard shooting range

[EddieF]

We just moved, and I'm in the process of setting up a little .22 shooting range on my property. I wanted to share it and solicit some suggestions from people who may have done a similar thing on their land.

An overview of the property to show the kind of terrain. The land down by the river is a LONG way down the hill from the house. My plan is to shoot from the river toward the hill.


This is a view from the shooter toward the target area. It's a little over 25 yards and the shooter location is slightly elevated above the target area. I plan on raking the area behind the targets to get any rocks out, and maybe even stacking some of the many fallen trees and logs behind it.


I got these, a reset target (flip the bottom four up onto that bar, then hit the top target to reset) and the spinner. And also plan on a cable between the two trees to hang tin cans. Also have a real estate sign I'm going to put a piece of plywood in and staple paper targets to that. Or hang them with clips from the cable, whatever works best. Those targets on the metal targets are just over 2" in diameter! Those are going to be TINY from 25 or 30 yards away! Good thing I put a scope on my Marlin 39A, I'll need it!!


One more for perspective on how high the hill is behind the target area. Range will be bottom right of this photo, and for scale, that shelter (black rectangle bottom left) is 18' wide. So it's a big hill. No other access in the area from the upper level except for our path.


Any thoughts, either on safety or ideas on more fun stuff to shoot with a .22?

[EddieF]

I forgot to mention, we have very few neighbors in the vicinity and three of them are excited about the range and would like to share it, so that's nice.

[Benny]

Wow, nice lot you got there. And you're having trouble getting the dog out more??? Just turn 'em loose!

As for the range, the only safety suggestion is that there's ALWAYS a risk. We both know how far a .22 can go if unencumbered, so if this range is just for you, I would say the risk is your own and its unlikely you'll run into any problems. If you consider this to be a open facility to your neighbors and your more casual/lax about it, I wouldn't point anything towards my house except an air-soft gun, regardless of topography. Bullets do weird things.

[MB]

Looks like a fun pad! What's the large rectangle to the right os the house? The dog kennels?

[lightonthebay]

What a prime piece of property. The .22 rimfire range location would not concern me if I were in your position. I think the greater risk would be unexpected people walking down from your house to the target area.

[EddieF]

What a prime piece of property. The .22 rimfire range location would not concern me if I were in your position. I think the greater risk would be unexpected people walking down from your house to the target area.

Well there really wouldn't be many, if any situations like that. But I thought about that possibility, however slight. Thinking of a chain across the head of the path when I'm shooting down there, with a sign saying danger or whatever. If I'm down there fishing, I don't put it up, but if I'm shooting the chain goes across. Also thought of a bell at the top so if someone wanted to come and join me they could ring the bell and I would make the range safe.

[EddieF]

Looks like a fun pad! What's the large rectangle to the right os the house? The dog kennels?

That's a lighted, bluestone riding ring!

[lightonthebay]

What a prime piece of property. The .22 rimfire range location would not concern me if I were in your position. I think the greater risk would be unexpected people walking down from your house to the target area.

Well there really wouldn't be many, if any situations like that. But I thought about that possibility, however slight. Thinking of a chain across the head of the path when I'm shooting down there, with a sign saying danger or whatever. If I'm down there fishing, I don't put it up, but if I'm shooting the chain goes across. Also thought of a bell at the top so if someone wanted to come and join me they could ring the bell and I would make the range safe.

I like that idea.

[GSPVIZ]

Eddie, That will be a nice set up. My grandfather has 10 acres along the Delaware river and we shoot the buoys with the .22 (tink!)! We also throw beer bottles out in the water and shoot them (no one swims there). During the winter when there are not leaves on the trees and there is some room, we blast clays over the river. My Uncles have been doing it for 50 years and they love it when me and my cousins come and join them. They tell us stories about "shootin on the river". It's a fun time.

Enjoy!

[EddieF]

Eddie, That will be a nice set up. My grandfather has 10 acres along the Delaware river and we shoot the buoys with the .22 (tink!)! We also throw beer bottles out in the water and shoot them (no one swims there). During the winter when there are not leaves on the trees and there is some room, we blast clays over the river. My Uncles have been doing it for 50 years and they love it when me and my cousins come and join them. They tell us stories about "shootin on the river". It's a fun time.

Enjoy!

Oh you really touched on something exciting there, I am really thinking that I can shoot clays off the top deck toward the river in winter also. But I just can't really figure out how to find out if I am allowed to do so. I'm in VA, the river belongs to Maryland, one of the least gun friendly states in the country. So I don't know, I need to look into it more, but I know my neighbors would join me, and that's half the battle.

[Wagner]

I think the only question is how to get the jet sled launched in the river
http://www.wickcraft.com/trackSystems_gallery.asp

Then you could build a trolly to haul you and your neighbors down to the gun range

[ezzy333]

I think with todays concern with lead you will be in trouble shooting into the river. And I sure hate to hear of people breaking bottles in the water where they will wash down into someone else's back yard. I know it sounds like fun but just isn't the thing to do.

Ezzy

[EddieF]

I think with todays concern with lead you will be in trouble shooting into the river. And I sure hate to hear of people breaking bottles in the water where they will wash down into someone else's back yard. I know it sounds like fun but just isn't the thing to do.

Ezzy

I'm shooting away from the river, not into it. And never considered or mentioned shooting glass bottles either. Hanging cans or jugs (plastic) of water, but again, not littering and not shooting into or toward the river.

[ezzy333]

Eddie, That will be a nice set up. My grandfather has 10 acres along the Delaware river and we shoot the buoys with the .22 (tink!)! We also throw beer bottles out in the water and shoot them (no one swims there). During the winter when there are not leaves on the trees and there is some room, we blast clays over the river. My Uncles have been doing it for 50 years and they love it when me and my cousins come and join them. They tell us stories about "shootin on the river". It's a fun time.

Eddie

This is the post I was refering to. Just wanted to make sure everyone understood the problems with doing this.

Ezzy

[EddieF]

Eddie, That will be a nice set up. My grandfather has 10 acres along the Delaware river and we shoot the buoys with the .22 (tink!)! We also throw beer bottles out in the water and shoot them (no one swims there). During the winter when there are not leaves on the trees and there is some room, we blast clays over the river. My Uncles have been doing it for 50 years and they love it when me and my cousins come and join them. They tell us stories about "shootin on the river". It's a fun time.

Eddie

This is the post I was refering to. Just wanted to make sure everyone understood the problems with doing this.

Ezzy

Oh, sorry. It was a pretty old thread and I didn't read through it, assumed you were talking about my setup. My bad.

[Firstarrow]

That is one sweet lay out!
it would be good for the 22 range.

If it were my place, I would put in a killer archery range as well.

congrats and best of luck!

[RayGubernat]

Eddie -

Just one thought as regards safety. 22 solids can bounce around and do really weird stuff, as was mentioned previously. When I am not shooting into a really solid substantial dirt or sand type backstop with a 22, I try to always use hollow point ammo. The hollow points disintegrate rather quickly when they hit almost anything sorta solid. They cost a bit more, but not so much that the cost is prohibitive. I think that, in general, hollow point ammo is also a tad more accurate.

Sweet looking setup. You mentioned that the land is in VA but the water is MD. That sounds strange. I would expect a state boundary would be somewhere mid stream of a significant body of water like a river.

RayG

[EddieF]

Eddie -

Just one thought as regards safety. 22 solids can bounce around and do really weird stuff, as was mentioned previously. When I am not shooting into a really solid substantial dirt or sand type backstop with a 22, I try to always use hollow point ammo. The hollow points disintegrate rather quickly when they hit almost anything sorta solid. They cost a bit more, but not so much that the cost is prohibitive. I think that, in general, hollow point ammo is also a tad more accurate.

Sweet looking setup. You mentioned that the land is in VA but the water is MD. That sounds strange. I would expect a state boundary would be somewhere mid stream of a significant body of water like a river.

RayG

You would expect that, but the Potomac River belongs to Maryland entirely. I can't shoot a goose standing in my back yard in Virginia if it's flying over the river without a MD non resident hunting license, which is like $130 or something!

They do, I think, honor a Virginia fishing license as long as you're in a stretch that shares a shore with VA. (farther upstream it turns and MD is on one side and West Virginia is on the other). I get confused about the licenses but it doesn't matter because I get WV, VA and MD licenses each year anyway.