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Safe Distance for Shooting on Private Property?

Burbs

Burbs

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I will be seeing friends this upcoming weekend who have 23 acres and we will be shooting some clays and then some 9mm and .40 pistols as well. I told them to pick up some hay bales to serve as a "backstop" but wanted to get an idea of how far the bullets could travel? Having 23 acres they are extremely secluded but just want to be safe than sorry and not have a stray cause some unwanted injury. I realize the hay bales won't stop the bullets but it will help slow it down I imagine.

Any range setup ideas from those who have private property would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris
 
Burbs said:
I will be seeing friends this upcoming weekend who have 23 acres and we will be shooting some clays and then some 9mm and .40 pistols as well. I told them to pick up some hay bales to serve as a "backstop" but wanted to get an idea of how far the bullets could travel? Having 23 acres they are extremely secluded but just want to be safe than sorry and not have a stray cause some unwanted injury. I realize the hay bales won't stop the bullets but it will help slow it down I imagine.

Any range setup ideas from those who have private property would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...

Chris,
I have a range on the farm and have a 15 high berm to shoot into. This is (in my opinion, and we all have one, some have two) a safe bet to stop the projectiles. With that said, I don't know what the lay of the land is where you are going. I can tell you I personally wouldn't hay bales for anything but arrows.
If he has a tractor, make a berm....BTW: What town is it in?
 
ra5451 said:
Chris,
I have a range on the farm and have a 15 high berm to shoot into. This is (in my opinion, and we all have one, some have two) a safe bet to stop the projectiles. With that said, I don't know what the lay of the land is where you are going. I can tell you I personally wouldn't hay bales for anything but arrows.
If he has a tractor, make a berm....BTW: What town is it in?
Click to expand...

My friends are in Vermont and they are going to call the town hall tomorrow to verify their local town laws. They just bought this property about 2 months ago and I don't believe they have a berm, but I am going to recommend that he have one built up to be safe. I believe they are quite secluded from the rest of the world where they are.
 
Hay bales are worthless for a firearm. You need a berm of some type. You can use some stacked tractor tires filled with dirt in the center. Stack them 2 deep at a minimum and, at least, 6 foot high. Like this


00000000
00000000

Fill with dirt.

If you want to be super safe add a wood backstop.
 
FreeWillie:2163256 said:
Hay bales are worthless for a firearm. You need a berm of some type. You can use some stacked tractor tires filled with dirt in the center. Stack them 2 deep at a minimum and, at least, 6 foot high. Like this


00000000
00000000

Fill with dirt.

If you want to be super safe add a wood backstop.
Click to expand...

This.

Tires and dirt. Usually you can get old tires for free from local tire shops.
 
Maximum range for a 9mm projectile is something like 2400 yards if I remember correctly. That is better than a mile. I don't think there is any energy left at that distance but I think that is about how far the bullet will travel if fired at a 45 degree angle.

Bird shot will be far less and would probably bounce off you at 500 yards. But better safe than sorry.

Best bet is a berm for the handguns or shoot from a slightly elevated position so that the trajectory is downward into the ground.

You might also consider using Google Earth or Bing maps to determine safest shooting directions
 
Kevin_NH said:
+1 for building a real berm. With the right equipment and some advance preparation of materials (backhoe,tractor tires and clean fill), building the berm could be half the fun!


I've heard it both ways. Is this advice from the NRA sourcebook?
Click to expand...

I'm of the downhill school but my nearest neighbor is 89,760 feet away.
 
Last edited:
As others have said, hay bales won't stop a bullet. You'll need to build a real berm. The NRA has a range design book. Buy it.
 
This time of year I wouldn't risk shooting at the ground unless it is at a 90 degree angle. Too much risk of a ricochet. Build a berm and do it right so that you can have years of safe use from it.
 
the berm of tires makes me a bit uncomfortable, is there a possibility

that a bullet could come back at you. The berm is and was my first

thought. everything else add some amount of risk to it.
 
23 acres in new England must contain aT least a few hills you can shoot into. A natural berm.
 
Realtor MA said:
23 acres in new England must contain aT least a few hills you can shoot into. A natural berm.
Click to expand...

Natural berms are the best. Just make sure there's plenty of dirt... rumor has it Vermont has a few rocks, both on and just below the surface.

I also dislike tires, except as filler and form for piling dirt. Dirt is what you want -- lots and lots of dirt.
 
FreeWillie said:
Hay bales are worthless for a firearm. You need a berm of some type. You can use some stacked tractor tires filled with dirt in the center. Stack them 2 deep at a minimum and, at least, 6 foot high. Like this


00000000
00000000

Fill with dirt.

If you want to be super safe add a wood backstop.
Click to expand...

I set mine up like this


OOOooo...OOOooo...OOOooo...OOOooo

;-)
 

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