Neat shooting range idea - share yours

We sometimes take the corrugated target backers and place the stick end of dum-dum suckers into the slots at the top then try to shoot the sucker end off the stick. It can get real challenging depending how far out you place them. Fun time shooting with a .22 pistol or rifle. You definitely know when you hit one.
 
Backyard fun, empty farm fields behind. I've since added a wall of those timbers in front of the steel.
Evolution: hand sketch, CAD, build (retired design engineer lol). Then built a bench from a spool that was given to me from a local electric company. I move targets around (center) as needed.
 

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When I live in a rural area on NC, a neighbor had a unique range. He had an underground range! In the wall of his basement, he bored a large hole and put 8" dia. PVC fittings into the hole. On the outside of the house he dug a channel 50 feet long, about 3 feet deep and buried 8" PVC piping in the channel and connected it to the bored hole in the basement wall. At the end of the 8" piping he dug a larger hole and lined it with cement blocks on three side. This was the target house with a metal stand to hold cardboard on which targets were mounted. The backside of the target stand was dirt and this was were the bullets impacted. For safety, he put a locked steel plate cover on the target area. In the ground with the pipe, he also buried an electrical cable so he could illuminate the targets. He could shoot rain or shine with no problem from neighbors.
 
Backyard fun, empty farm fields behind..


Question: Can you be certain of nobody EVER being in those EMPTY fields?

A friend of my wife got hit by a stray bullet while riding a golf cart on a back road. Guys target shooting thought they had a safe distance in empty woods behind their targets.
 
Pizza boxes
Every Miller Lite thirty-pack comes with a free target in between the rows of 15.

Last weekend, I found some expired yogurt cups in the frig.
Impressive what 5.56 does at that 25 yds. And the chickens enjoyed cleaning up the mess.

If I'm ever attacked by a dairy product, it doesn't stand a chance.
 
I staple a 6" paper plate, 3X5 card, 3X3 Post-it, and a 1.5"X2" neon post-it to the cardboard backboard.

I position the center of the 3X5 card 14" above the center of the paper plate to represent heart and ocular. The other two Post-it are placed to the right or left of the 3X5 to represent a half facial target view and a single eye target.

My POA is the staple in each of the targets.

Way too elaborate for me, however I have been using the 3x3 and smaller post-it notes for years. I have found it is a great way to keep myself sharp by going for a smaller target. Trying to hit the small target at the same speed as an IDPA target or a paper plate makes me realize I am getting sloppy and need to not neglect the basics.
 
I had a realtor friend and got a hammer in the ground style sign base. It holds cardboard for the times our range has no wood left on the 25 yard target or you just want to shoot at a different distance.

Our club is mainly rifle shooters and I rarely see others except from August to November.

Cut 2" squares or 3" pieces of painters tape make good bullseyes. Green shows up better than blue for me.
 
Backyard fun, empty farm fields behind. I've since added a wall of those timbers in front of the steel.
Evolution: hand sketch, CAD, build (retired design engineer lol). Then built a bench from a spool that was given to me from a local electric company. I move targets around (center) as needed.

I have a electrical supply company, those big spools are a pain to dispose of. I have a couple guys who use them as benches. The goat farmers around here like to stack 'em, give the goats something to climb around on.
 
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This past Monday, four of us guys from our gun club did an upgrade to our local range. MidAmerican Energy gives away used poles to anybody who will take them. We have a small pile of them and put some to good use. Actually, all the material used was surplus (as in free to the club). The only cost was for the 8" lag screws to bolt the 4x4s to the poles.
 
I shoot at an indoor range where targets are held by overhead trolleys. Thus, I don't need refrigerator cartons as target backers. Any old 12"x12" piece of cardboard will do. I tape the cardboard securely to the paper target. It greatly reduces the tearing of the paper and leaves cleaner holes so I can get more shots into a given target. That's especially important for a shooter like me who groups so many shots into the bullseye.:rolleyes:

I also use the same Birchwood-Casey target every time. That way, I have a consistent basis for comparing accuracy across many range sessions. I have years of data from each of my guns from these targets. As an accuracy score, I calculate the percentage of my shots that hit within a 4"x4" square around the bullseye.

Below is one of my better targets (did you think I'd put up a lousy one? ;)), from my Shield 45 @ 15 yards, standing, two-hand. I was shooting American Eagle FMJ 230g. Note that the holes are much cleaner than what you'd typically get from round-nosed .45 acp with an unbacked target.

I do pretty much the same thing! Except I don't have the grid so I just count my hits on the 4" bullseye that I print myself. I also use a larger cardboard with one of the ranges big targets stapled to it with the white side showing and I mount two targets. The large white area keeps me honest. Also gives me lots of white area to see my sights better, the eyesight ain't what it used to be.

I use the same target backer for months. I print my targets on 28# Hammermill so if the backer is shot out the paper is heavy enough to still cut clean with most loads.

I take a pic of each target and add notes. These were with my S&W Model 66, 6" barrel.

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I use to use animal crackers at 5 and 10 yards for the 22's.
Kids loved it, made me feel like a big time shooter, very little clean up and the local animal life liked the crumbs.
 
Back aways for a club event I developed a novelty shoot of Oreo cookies strung on rubber bands between two vertical rods. It was for pocket pistols at 7 yards. Four Oreos were strung up and the shooter got one full load of his gun to break as many of the cookies as possible. They make a highly visible and biodegradable target. I rather imagine the skunks and possums were very happy.
 
Pizza boxes


Every Miller Lite thirty-pack
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Exactly. The smaller personal and 12" sizes just about match the typical adult head -face size. Larger, and you can cut the top to head size, and the lower part below the fold is like the thoracic cage. When the cardboard is brown, with grease stains...so much the better LOL.

Soda/drink flats. What holds a case of cans, or energy drink bottles. if you leave the sidewalls intact, you can hang them against the backstop and they provide a 3-D constrast, 'raised' off of the backstop. Again, they usually align with the size of an adult torso.
 
For grouping performance, I use the 50' .22 targets. 12 bulls on one page. I always fire 5 bulls, 10 shots per bull. Can test two loads one one target.
 
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Question: Can you be certain of nobody EVER being in those EMPTY fields?

Bullets do not go beyond the backstop. And yes I've lived here for 43 years and actually a caretaker for that property. It's currently being farmed for soybean. We don't shoot when the farmer is out working. Safety first.
 
I use the wire hooks to hang cardboard to staple targets. The 2 plates are 3/4 in. thick and convex. I only shoot the plates with pistols so they are not pitted. Larry edit. I don't know how to turn pictures.
 

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I had to show this some time! The Food Service Dept. at the Pgh Schools had a bunch of weird things they decorated with, etc. This thing is supposed to be a drum stick. Anyways I stuck it on the 25 yard target and came pretty close to dotting its eyes. Dad’s old 1950 K22. I probably should have used a better hand rest.
 

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Have So many targets that I just use them. Local gun shop sells 12 B-27s for $6.00 so very reasonable. I have run out of replacement centers for them and have to order some more. For those that were ever on a military shooting team you remember pasters. I had so many and am now down to my last 2 rolls. Pasters are basically black postage stamp sized lick and stick that cover most holes in targets. This was “ checking” a new 2 1/2 357 Mag. revolver, not happy with the green insert front sight and my sorry vision. New glasses next week.14F89D50-C26E-4C85-9F24-EBD7EE4483C4.jpg
 
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This is my latest targets from Yankee Thunder, purple pigeon hangars. Took out 3 on the first 3 shots at 163y, Ruger Precision Rimfire. Just built this one a couple of weeks ago. Very pleased with the results. I do use Strelok Pro as well.
 

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