I have a very large (tall and wide) natural hillside backstop on my property. I’d like your advice for what you would set up to help me noodle through my plans - especially what size, shape, and number of steel targets I should acquire. It’s pretty easy to haul paper down to the woods. Since this will be steel focused, it will primarily be for pistol practice, although if I do my research and can find the right steel, I’ll use it for 5.56 too occasionally.
I’m just beginning to research manufacturers, but this place seems cost effective: www.moatargets.com/
25 yards and in is easily doable. 40 yards is doable if I cross the creek, and I could probably get 100 yards if I chainsaw out some rifle shooting lanes.
What different steel targets (size, shape, quantity) should I keep out there permanently?
In what configuration would you want those steel targets? Why (meaning what drills would you focus on)?
Anything else helpful I should consider? I think it would be pretty easy to rig up some cable and pulleys and maybe have cardboard come moving down the hillside…
I’m kind of in exactly the same boat as you are, I have 100+ yards out back and I am wanting to do the same thing. I have an old swingset frame of my kids I plan on hanging targets from, maybe a larger target in the center with smaller ones on the sides I can use with both pistol and rifle. I would want other targets set out spaced apart and at several different distances to transition from. As far as spacing and drills I’m not sure about, I’ll check with a couple of my instructors for advice on that. I know I plan on buying quality steel targets that will last me. I have been looking at some of these…
I plan on leaving a silhouette and 2 10-12" circle targets on the frame and have several pistol targets that are easily moved and set up. Maybe 5 or 6 mobile targets. I wouldn’t set them in a permanant location, be able to switch it up.
If you are wanting to test accuracy at all, maybe (in addition to the steel) you could add a sturdy target stand to attach paper targets for shooting groups at set distances (maybe 25, 50, and/or 100 yds). This would be useful in working up loads, testing ammo in new guns, or finding what your particular rifle or pistol likes. You could also have some props that will stand up to the weather to use as barricades. I like the 55 gallon barrels as props.
Shooting bench is a must-have for any outdoor range, as is a storage shed. Very convenient to keep targets, tannerite, scopes etc close to the range.
My buddy and I modified that same bench, adding a rifle rack on the front, wheels on the front legs (so it can be moved around easily) and sockets to mount a bracket to hold a spotting scope. The range itself has a 15 foot berm. We have a dueling tree for pistols we made out of 1/4 inch mild steel, several poppers and flop-downs, a rack of hanging gongs of various sizes, some little steel platforms for tannerite, and several rings for holding clay pigeons for shotgun. If I was making that bench again, I’d change it by making the table top wider so that a right-handed shooter could shoot from the right side and vice versa. I might also put up a bracket on the front to hold the sky screens for my chrono.
You can see the storage shed in the background left. Also, the canopy is a really nice touch in both the drizzle and the sun.
Aside from researching the type pf targets and such make sure you look into any restrictions on minimum acreage for ranges in your AO. Id offer a variety of targets that re easily movable. You can have a few round plates and silhouettes that you can reposition quick for practice stages close in. Sameness for distance. Set up things you can practice getting hits on, but also have a place where you can stick paper and focus on fundamentals.
If your area has lots of potential and/or options, I’d suggest building it out incrementally as you might find as you use it that you’d like to change things. Might save you some cost or buttpain later.
The place I shoot at has a “tactics” range, with large wooden spools, plastic barrels, movable target stands, and other misc. cover/concealment type stuff. Everything is fairly easy to relocate and it makes for some good training.
We have a few steel plates made from 1/2 inch AR500. Shooting M193 even from inside 50 yards has barely fazed the surface - negligible pitting over at least 3 years.
AR500 is the way to go, I need something that is going to hold up to 308 also. A friend of mine has a silhouette we have shot with two SCAR 17s and 556 it is holding up great.
If you have a lo of trees in that 100 yds., try to have a lot of trees to shoot thru. Shooting thru (between) trees is a lot more fun and educational then shooting down clear lanes.
.223/.556 is much harder on steel plate than .308. I prefer 1/2 inch so that the gong doesn’t react quite as violently, but I’ve seen 3/8 inch AR500 gongs stand up pretty well. I’d sure stay away from M855. That does tend to pocket even AR500 which potentially leads to dangerous ricochets.
I agree with you here, when I practice from a tree stand with my bow I place the targets in spots to make the “tough shots” as much if not more than wide open. Also use trees as natural props to shoot around if possible.
