New Private Range Set to Rock!

[AZSATT]

I got a call today from the property owner who allows me to use their land and even their 4,000 sq. foot house to conduct my CCW and Handgun training courses.

The neighbor down the road with heavy equipment came and scraped the firing lane, expanding it from a single 'firing lane' with modest berm to a lane wide enough to easily accommodate 3 - 4 shooters at a time (with room between), and arced the huge berm at the end of the 25m "lane" to allow for multiple target engagement drills... I'm pretty jazzed.

My i-phone stopped downloading pics to my PC, so I'll get a hold of a real digital camera soon to get some pics up. Considering I run intentionally limited class sizes to focus on each student, this "back yard range' is going to rock!

The berm is high enough and deep enough that I should even be able to run some AR training through there - but all shooting would be the up close stuff... I'm seeing transition drills and CQB in my future!

[capo2186]

Oh man this sounds awesome!! Gotta get the pics up! Best of luck with this, keep us updated!

[AZSATT]

I'm not sure how to add pics within a reply or thread, so I'll just add some to my album...

But yeah - the new set up works exceptionally well!

I ran a one-on-one CCW"+" course this past weekend with the new digs, and had multiple target engagements running all afternoon, with plenty of more room for more placement and spread - it rocked.

Ideally, the berm could be another 3 feet higher so I could incorporate some ground-fighting, but for now and primarily CCW training - it's great.

As soon as I figure out pics in here, I'll add them in.

[AZSATT]

oh man this sounds awesome!! Gotta get the pics up! Best of luck with this, keep us updated!

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Thanks wolfhunter, for the helpful tip. These pics are about 36 hours old. It was a beautiful day for training, and I actually got sunburnt!

[wolfhunter]

Looks great. I agree a taller berm would be good.

[Boomboy007]

It was a beautiful day for training, and I actually got sunburnt!

Oh, you cheeky, cheeky bugger!

Right now it is 17F. With snow flurries. Crap.

[AZSATT]

Yeah, I hear you!

I lived in Michigan and NY for many years, and no - I don't miss it, not even a little.

I love not having to scrape ice off my windows before I go to work, and I love not dressing like the Michelin man to keep warm... unless I'm riding my motorcycle in the mornings when it's still in the mid 30's, on its way to 60's+!

A couple more training sessions through the new range and I'm loving it. I do need to configure a better, more durable target frame though. Students that like to "wing" their target and destroy my wooden frames are creating a logistic issue for me.

I'm thinking angle-iron or possibly even rebar, like a local range uses in a simple frame set up.

Any suggestions guys??? Durable target frames??

[wolfhunter]

Angle-iron or rebar will give something to create ricochets. A range here uses wood frames much wider/taller than the targets with cardboard backing, and just buys the lumber is job lots. Another range uses Rebar uprights, but uses 4" thick dense packing foam for backing.

[AZSATT]

I like the idea of heavy foam backing, but I'm still facing the same issue with .45 ACP shredding my wood frame. The thick foam may keep the structural rigidity in place for a few more strings of fire, but the wood frame would still need to be replaced. If I could score a decent quantity of thick foam I'd certainly be leaning this way, especially if it's cost-effective intially.

True, firing at metal objects downrange (or rocks) creates a richocet concern, which is why angle iron (with the point of the "V" facing the shooter would minimize chances of debris or round fragments coming back at the shooter. After talking with a welder here, he brought up the point that a hit on the angle-iron would certainly deflect and redirect the path of the bullet, but a true bounce-back would be nearly impossible.

Ideally, shooters would hit the TARGET and not my target frames, and I'd have no worries.

[wolfhunter]

There are arguments for using metal uprights. If I were to use them, I'd use rebar. It's cheaper than angle iron, and the small diameter will be a smaller "target" for your students.