Range Report Safe place to shoot?

[krink85]

I will be heading home to Illinois in a few months and I am trying to get a place lined up to shoot. I want to be able to hit further than 500 yards and my father has some property that will allow me to do so. The only thing I am worried about is the only direction I can shoot is inline with a small town. The town is 2.8 miles (as per google earth) from my proposed firing point. My FP is elevated about 20 feet from where the target will be. Would a ricochet be able to reach to the town? I will only be shooting my 2 308's. I dont think it will be a problem but other advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[desertHK]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

I am not from Illinois, but if I were you, I would first check the local city ordinance to make sure that it's okay to shoot even if it is on private property. In terms of ricocheting, that's any body guess. You just never know what a bullet is capable of doing. Make sure that you have plenty and big enough back stop.

 

[wirehand]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

Being in the Corps ,you have undoubtably seen nightfire ricochets,so the concerns are appropriate.
However you can stack the odds in your favor by having a soft and absorbant backstop, elevation to target as you stated.
I don't know what max ordinate elevation is for your load, but I am sure someone will.

 

[krink85]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

I just looked at a topo map and it looks like the town is around 30 feet higher than where my target will be. Thanks for the help.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

Macineguns and precision rifles are different animals.

I wouldn't have any problem with a town located three miles from my backstop. Have a dozer push up a berm and drive on. Make sure it's good clean soil and plant some grass to hold it together.

Definitely check your zoning, county ordinances and your neighbors.

 

[krink85]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have a dozer push up a berm and drive on. Make sure it's good clean soil and plant some grass to hold it together.</div></div>

Wish I could but convincing my dad and grandpa to let me build a berm in the middle of a corn/bean field may not happen

. I will be shootign into a ditch and with my elevation I should have 3-4 feet showing on the othe rside of the ditch to catch rounds.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

Eh, tell em it will only cost them a "little" land. It doesn't need to be as wide as a USMC KD Course.

 

[PIGtooth]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

if youre going to illinois check out PASA park. pike adams shooting area or arena or something to that effect. cost is $25.00 annual fee (cheap) and they have a 600 yrd range as well as a multitude of cqb, .22, pistol, and some other distance ranges. excellent facilities as well. if you get creative you can set up a 900yrd out of one of the deer towers. just make sure its clear. the folks up there are excellent and one of the few places i enjoy being in illinios. its about 40 miles west of jacksonville. cant remember the name of the 'town'. only thing there is a post office, truckstop, and a wendy's.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

If you want to see where your projectiles are going then shoot a few tracers. Make sure the area has had some moisture recently first.

The NRA specs a minimum berm height of 20" before they will insure a club, and with 20" berms we have documented many a round leaving the berms at two of our clubs with 20 footers. Poking multiple shots from a center fire rifle into the ground with no berm in the direction of the town is just asking for trouble.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

NineHotel...

Do you know anywhere to download the NRA's range construction recommendations? I know you can buy the binder from the NRA, but I am not looking to build a commercial or LE range, just make things a little safer when shooting on unimproved terrain.

 

[badbot]

Re: Safe place to shoot?

see if you can get some old tires
first row lay them on the far side of your ditch
lay a second row in the gaps of the first row fill them all with soil.
then start another corse like a brick wall filling all with soil
when your done it will be 5 feet deep front to back very stable and it won't wash away in the first rain.
remember biggest tires on the bottom...
also if you shoot steel the burm should last for ever! LOL