I am in the process of having a pond dug in my bottom pasture. Due to the nature of the land, most of the dirt has to be hauled away. So I think, why not put some of that dirt to good use & build a nice, large shooting berm.

This is a work in progress and I will update as we proceed. I have purchased quite a few AR500 steel targets from Mark at ShootingTargets7.com and we are in the process of painting them & building stands. I will state Mark has been great to work with and has a great product that is cut with waterjet cutters, that keep the steel cool which keeps the steel hard. I had a need for a couple of 10" gongs with a 3" hole in the middle and he made them for me special... at no extra charge. Doubt he would do so for a single order but did so for me.

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SHOWOFF!!!!!

Typical redneck!

Do we have a Connecticut resident jealous of someone from Mississippi? How odd.

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I think your idea of a pond and mine are completely different. That's HUGE!!

How can a transplanted Southerner living in the NE NOT be jealous????

Anything under a couple of acres IS a pond.

Hey, wait a minute! I'm jealous too!

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Why, I aughta.....

I don't see any union workers... that sure isn't here in Illinois. Ok, so they wouldn't be working, but they would be there watching someone else work.

Very nice!

Nope... just a much bigger & better redneck than me doing the work. He lives a few houses down from me and raises cattle too. When the weather is good, they work long & hard. Last few days his daughter has been running the tractor & pan.

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Yep, at least around here. This one will finish off to about an acre.

They still have a lot of dirt to take out, so the berm has more dirt coming. The area where the Gator is sitting is currently at the 3' mark & will end up at around 7'. Then they will finish off the berm, making it look all pretty & give me a front slope of 1:1.

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if you need an annoying neighbor, just let me know. i could move out there within a 2 weeks notice at work LOLOLOLOL

I do find it funny how so many folks put down Mississippi... in many cases rightfully so. However we are blessed with lots of open land, friendly folks and lawmakers that believe in states rights and generally keeping their nose out of a person's private life. They all love guns too.

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i wasnt putting down missi. i was calling myself annoying because id be shooting at your range DAILY! (and probably asking for snacks lololol)

It's good to see my equipment out there... Let me know when you want to get rid of those ugly green things and replace them with real construction equipment.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that... my bad. What I was trying to say, as best a dumb redneck can, is that so often, the general population looks down on my state. However, with all this government intrusion in our lives & hobbies, many now are seeing the good in our state too. I have lived for a bit in California, was stationed in North Dakota & have traveled extensively. I still would stay where I am. Doesn't hurt that I live on 20 acres & am surrounded by huge landowners who raise cattle... and are very friendly. Throw in gardens, orchards, berries, horses, dogs, deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc...well to me, it is paradise. Will be even more so with this shooting range on my own property & 3 suppressed 22s.

Of course you would be welcome to shoot here. IMO, shooting is much better when done with friends.

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Nothing runs like a Deere.

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Shameful! Let me know and I'll contact the local Cat dealer and enlighten your current understanding of how to properly move earth with Cat equipment...

You are so right Jim

im handing in my 2 week resignation letter monday! lolol

Keep in mind we don't eat no (Mississippi talk) sushi in Mississippi, Mr. Spicy Tuna Roll. We fry our catfish.

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lmfao well played sir lol but im one step ahead of you:

Or at least you can go mud bogging.

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Shoot like a pro!

Touche, Spicy.

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Yep, a true redneck sport that is learned at an early age around here. Good training for hunting in the deep woods where it is not unusual to have to winch yourself out of some holes.

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For those into soils, this pic might interest you. I am blessed to have bands of white clay running underground. This stuff is perfect for ponds as water will not flow thru it. There is a fair amount of this clay in this area, so much so that there are a couple of brick factories in our town that use this clay to make white bricks. The red clay is used for red bricks.. of course. The white clay that is being dug out is being used on the levee.

So as you go down, we have several layers. The first few feet are really good topsoil and sand, washed down from the surrounding hills. Then there is a few feet of red clay/soil mix, followed by this 4 foot deep band of white clay, followed by about 3 feet of sand, followed by a real deep layer of pure red clay. I grabbed a ball of that bottom clay & it looked & acted just like the clay used to make pottery. The sand layer holds water, as the water can't penetrate the lower red clay. When you dig at that sand layer, the hole immediately starts to fill with water.

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I like the information about the white clay. On our farm in Missouri we usually had some good clay over limestone down about 7-12 feet that made for really good ponds. I used to use the dam on our biggest as a backstop for my .22 Springfield 87A target practice. We have clay under my house here on a hill in the edge of Kansas also; the hardest clay I ever saw that wasn't fired! When they dug the hole for the basement the Cat broke one of the chisel-teeth on the blade (2"X2" steel!) on that clay. Since under that we have 15-feet of Bethany-Shield limestone I don't spend much for earthquake insurance! Looks like you are gonna have yourself a dang-good playground there!

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Vide - Aude - Tace

So, where does the water for the "pond" come from?

Does it just fill from drainage and runoff?

If you want to fill a big hole here in Central Texas, you pretty much have to dam up a river.

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Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

Around here, we call that a lake. What kind of speedboat are you getting?

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Back to back World War Champs.

Here in Alabama, our rainfall this summer has been measured in "cubits" rather than inches. I think Mississippi has been similar.

Filling with runoff shouldn't be an issue, at least this year.

nitewatchman

Yes, it comes from runoff. This pasture is in the bottom with hills above. Those hills stretch for miles so all the water coming off those hills, after a big rain, end up right here. This pic might show the layout better.

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Even during a dry summer, we will get the occasional thunderstorm that can put down 2-4 inches of water in an hour or two. That water rushes down the hills and hits the ditch at the bottom that feeds into the pond. A couple of days ago we had over 1 1/2 inchs in less than an hour & it filled up the deep end of the pond.

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My model is called a Lab.

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Ah, now I see. Very nice!

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Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

Or smells like a John!

Here's a little something to help with your pond management after it fills. http://www.sdafs.org/tcafs/manuals/t...anual_2005.pdf
I helped write the manual so if you need any additional advise just IM me.

A little something?

Thanks... lots of good stuff there. We are designing it to help the fish. Limbs & a few larger trees will go in as well as a gravel bed. Didn't think about putting down plastic first, but feel certain will do so now. As we transition from the deep end to shallower water, we are not doing so gradually but utilizing steps (ledges). I do need to research more on artificial cover. I do want to put concrete blocks in there as well as maybe some pipe sections.

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Right, if it isn't a Cat it's a dog!

Except for a little fine tuning, the pond & berm are complete. My dirt guy says you could shoot a tank round at that berm.

Next up will be info on the targets, as I complete them.

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Love that Mississippi mud!! Nice. Are guests, even northerners, welcome?

No idea how this happened...

Attached Images

IMG_7177.jpg (106.4 KB, 299 views)

I don't wanna know lol!

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Shoot like a pro!

Talking about the dessert? If so... me too!


Can't hardly stand Yankees, but might make an exception in your case. The way I see it, shooting is kinda like sex. You can do it all by yourself but danged if it ain't more fun when done with others.

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So we are starting on the targets. My favorite steel target that I own is the Rimfire Bullseye from Action Targets. It fits my method of shooting/training perfectly. It gives me a relatively large steel gong to give feedback when I hit center mass and a smaller, center reactive area to give feedback as to when you are dead on.

This target we are making will emulate that target and be permanently mounted in front of the berm. Actually there will be 2 of this type. To make it I am using 2 of the 3/8" AR 500 steel targets that I got from Mark at shootingtargets7.com. I am using his 10" target that he so graciously cut out a 3" circle in the middle. Then I attach one of his 6" gongs on the back. The 10" will be mounted to a steel pole & set in the ground in front of the berm.

With these targets you get instantaneous feedback. If you miss the 3" hole in the center, you still get the loud "gong" of hitting the steel. When you hit the center, you get the movement, as the smaller target swings backward. Will also get the gong & I expect a second gong as it slaps back against the larger target.

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The last photo looks like Mickey Mouse's head!!!!!

Cool target, though.

Love the pictures! I'd love something like that one day.

Hopefully after I move back to Kansas, I can find a few 'quiet' acres somewhere.

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Semper Fi

It does... doesn't it?

I know it is not fancy but it should be very functional. I only shoot paper for sighting in. From then on, I prefer reactive targets so that I get immediate feedback and can keep on shooting. Besides these two bullseye type targets, I will have numerous other steel targets from Mark... some as small as 3". Those little ones are tough, in that you don't get much feedback when you miss... besides the agony of defeat.

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So when's the BBQ to dedicate the pond and the range. I'm packing up the truck now. Easy drive from Dallas!

Hey, give me time to paint and mount the targets first.

We do have great BBQ here in the Memphis area. I go to Dallas twice a year and normally can't stand your BBQ however a couple of weeks ago we went to Lockhart Smoke House and thought it was just outstanding. I asked for them to cut my brisket to have plenty of fat. It was well smoked, very moist and had a great bark.

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Try Rudy's next time you're in town. I'm having a Q this weekend and I always put protein in the smoker from multiple breeds Sauces ranges vinegar to sweet, red to yellow, to clear!

I am coincidentally wearing my Commissary T right now!!!