Advice on at Home Pistol Range

M

MtnMike1

New member
Hi, new member here and relatively new to handguns. I have CC permit and have recently gotten serious about becoming a better shot and expert at handling my G27 and another soon to be decided 9mm I'm shopping for.

I live in the country on five acres in western NC so I can shoot in my yard without upsetting the neighbors. I want to set up a small place to practice where I can be assured of safety and I think I have just the place. It's bank about 20' high between my property and my neighbors; his home is about 200 yards away and not in line of this location. I can fire into this bank without concern of ricochet or an errant round getting out of control. Attached is a pic to give you a feel. I'm thinking the area left of the carport where the gravel is.

I have a few questions I hope someone can help with.

1. What material would be a good backstop for the target placement. The bank I mentioned has a retaining wall made of 6X6s but I don't want to destroy it so I was thinking of building something to sit directly on the ground above it. The wall is about 4' high with 12' to 15' bank above it. What do you think of a 3X3 wall of 6'X6's to position the target on?

2. Is practicing at home in a safe environment as effective as practicing at a range? If not, how can I make it better?

3. Are there any specific actions/steps that I should follow to learn more effectively? I know to start with the target closer and move it out as you become more accurate and that you should follow all safety rules 100% of the time even when practicing by yourself. What else ...?

Thanks all!
 

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It's nice to have a range in the back yard.
I'm jealous.
Your idea for the backstop sounds good.
Just inspect the 6x6s often for chewed up spots that could allow bullets through.
A larger backstop would allow for multiple targets, always useful for effective practice.

If you're serious about becoming a good pistolero, you really should get professional instruction to start.
Then you can practice what you will have learned.
It's nearly impossible to notice all the mistakes and figure out how to correct them on your own.
 
I have one suggestion that you didn't bring up in your original post--

I believe that if you are going to be to the left of the building where the gravel is, and shooting in to that mound, you need to build a fence that follows the left side wall of that building, all the way to the mound. The idea being that if your firing line backs up to where you can't clearly see the right side of that building, you need a fence there (a real one, not a picket fence) for the peace of mind that nobody will walk, run, or otherwise enter your line of fire.

I'm sure we'd all like to think that loud gunfire would preclude someone from entering an area where they might get shot... but it wouldn't stop an animal, especially an animal that might RUN in there because it's spooked by gunfire.

Just the very idea that something living has the ability to walk in to my line of fire with absolutely no visual warning to me is a no-go. For another "c'mon, could that actually happen?!" scenario, imagine a stupid 11-year old boy on a four-wheeler. Kids are natural idiots much of the time (I know I was! :p) and put them on a four-wheeler or dirtbike and you can almost count on them getting a little more stupid as the grin gets ever-wider.
 
Dirt is always a good backstop. If you are concerned about the retaining wall, and don't want a pile of dirt there, then a pile of sandbags in front of the wall where you will shoot is a good idea.

Thick wood will work for handgun rounds, not rifles though. Back the wood with old tire tread, and it will last longer.

As was mentioned, a fence to protect any blind approaches into the firing line is a good idea. It needs to be high enough and solid enough that climbing over/through is harder than simply walking around it.
 
I would think that the dirt would be sufficient for a backstop. When the engineer unit I was with in the army built ranges at Ft. Leonard Wood they basically sent dozers and loaders out to build berms. As long as your well is not right there you should be fine.

Are you in SW NC by any chance? I just moved and am looking for a place to shoot... :)
 
I use blocks of wood as backstops. A 40" cut of oak will last for years...even longer with a piece of tin over it to keep it dry.
 
It's nice to have a range in the back yard.
I'm jealous.
Click to expand...

A very big +1.


2. Is practicing at home in a safe environment as effective as practicing at a range?
Click to expand...

This is a very hard question to answer. I think you’d have to let me come over once or twice a week for a couple of years before I could tell for sure. :D
 
When you practice, keep the muzzle pointed below the top of the backstop. Muzzle over the backstop means a round could go onto some else's property. hard to break the habit, but possible. Have a friend or family member watch you occasionally.
 
safer than many I've seen but not there yet even with that 'hill.'

You need to research 'safe range design' on the internet before you start shooting. You have a good starting area there but it is unsafe as is. You are not ready to talk about target hanging backstops yet.

Your hill is just that: a hill. It is not a safe backstop. REsearch NRA safe range design and you will 2 points you need to change to make yours safe:

1) If you indeed want to protect your retaining wall wood and shoot ABOVE it, your hill no longer meets minimum safe height criteria of 18 foot minimum
2) Worse, a safe backstop hill needs to be a min 45 degree angle to catch those richochet bullets that will go right over one like yours.

Some folks think they can safely shoot behind their house because the backyard goes uphill 20-30 feet - over 12 mile depth! Same as no backstop at all. Yours has potential to be dug into where you want the range and make it more vertical and a REAL backstop that is safe. Forget the old retaining wall wood - take it out so you can place targets at ground level, not 4-6 feet up in the air!

The fence is great idea too. Good luck!
 
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