I don't go to a range, I just shoot in my backyard. But I was going to build one and could use some ideas. This would be for shotguns and rifles, I think I know what I'm going to do but I think y'all could give me some good ideas.

Hi OO,

An excellent project you are undertaking and one sure to provide years of enjoyment.

Safety is critical and you will want a significant berm to fire into with your rifles as well as ensuring no projectiles are leaving your property. Outdoor ranges should be oriented to eliminate firing into the sun. If possible, the range should be oriented to the north or slightly to the northeast. The ideal direction is between due north and 25º northeast, but again safety is the most critical factor.

Building a study bench is another important task along with a system for hanging your targets. Many people sink pipes into the ground to support their portable target frames.

You might want to check with the NRA on range design ideas.

Good Luck,

I guess nobody has a personal range?

I am a member of a group that has a range on one of the members land. There is a pistol/rifle range as well as a small sporting clay range. The rifle/pistol range has a moveable shooting bench on skids made of 2 inch pipe. It can be moved back to over 500 yds. The sporting clay range has four permanent stations and three electric throwers and two 3/4 [censored] throwers. Sorry i do not have pictures. Our range is south of Corsicana on hwy 287 near Richland/Chambers lake.

Ive got one that goes out to 1000 yds in 100 yd increments, I had to do something with the dirt from a duck pond that I had built at my ranch. The berms are approx 6 feet tall and 40 feet long.

Don't have any pictures of it now, guess I could take some though. It's at The Gonzales ranch and I'm at Crystal City now. I'll try to get some pictures when I get back next week.

my dream is to live in a ranch and be able to shoot up to 1000Y whenever I like

A good friends dad has built a mini sporting clays/trap range at his ranch for us to shoot. I will try and get pics next time I go. Currently he has 3 stations with multiple shooting locations per station. 7 throwers, 4 of which are remote control the other 3 are manual, including the rabbit thrower.....those sob's are hard to hit.

100 yard target



200 yard target and pistols with rocks marking 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards



50 yard target



100 yard bench



50 yard bench



200 yard bench





I can shoot up to 500 yards. The power pole has holes drilled into it to hold golf tees so I can shoot paintballs off of them.

@Payne--that is a nice little piece of heaven you have there

Yeah!!!

The first year I started handloading I probably put 500 rounds through my 270 playing with everything from 90 grain hollow points to 160 grain nosler partitions and everything in between. With the current situation we are in I only shot about 12 bullets this year through it. I shot one shot that hit bull, wife shot 3 shots that were about a quarter and then we shot some hogs and deer with it.

I would love to shoot a barrel out, would give me a valid excuse to build a custom.

Nice range Payne! Im a little jealous. I was gonna have a 600 yard range out my back window, but someone else bought that house and land about a month before I was ready to

I have no pictures of it, but I do have a nice 100 yard range (107 yds, to be exact). Took me a while with the tractor and auger, but I sunk some cedar posts in a 3 sided, open face square form and put treated lumber planks around the sides and back. Then dumped in dirt to about 4 feet high by 6 feet deep (front to back). Put the target frame in front of that and hang targets with my trusty stapler. On the shootin end of the range, it's under a roofed annex to my barn. The concrete slab is '2 carport' size and my tractor sits in the other bay. The shooting bench is made of treated 4x4's with a treated plywood top that's covered with a rubberized pad. I built the bench as a copy to the ones at a shooting range in Houston. And, all of this is about 20 or 25 steps from my airconditioned workshop which is normally for woodworking, but can be quickly converted to ammo making. It's great to have the setup. I can test loads real easy. The wife will gripe a bit about the noise if she's not indoors, but I rarely do any shooting unless the wife and cats are indoors. The cats DO NOT like gunfire. They aren't particularly bright, but when I pick up a rifle, they slink off and hide. I guess they've associated rifles with noise.

I shoot from just outside my garage door to 50 and 100 yd targets. My chrono is set up to use whenever I like.

Before I sold my Anderson Co property, I enjoyed shooting out to 600 yds.

IMO what makes a private range is lots of targets. A couple rimfire, pistol and centerfire dueling trees.

Other steel targets to the maximum of your range. A shed to store clay birds, targets, staple guns, paper targets, etc.

After that bbq, outhouse, etc.