Lets see your backyard ranges!

[mike103]

On 6/16/2020 at 12:31 PM, hueyjazz said:

I plan to construct a range this year on my property.  One concern I have is the amount of lead I will be pumping into this.  I'll be building an earthen mound but that's going to be a secondary backstop.   I'm thinking of building some "U" shaped containment out of 4 x 4's that can be change out for primary backstop  and have a bullet trap made to capture most of the lead. 

I've work in/with/around the environmental field since Nixon.  My son in law is an environmental tech and has remediated several ranges. 

There isn't a commercial range with an earthen mound that isn't a hazardous waste site.  My land is rich with water and springs.  I hate to be the guy that screws it up

Switch to copper ammo. They even make copper 22’s.

[Nomad]

Went down with the weed wacker  today , I have to return with my chainsaw to clean up, the sides , and some rain for the soy beans would be nice too .

[rachunter]

Here’s a better shot of the pistol range. I cleaned it up. I’m going to plant clover around it and regular grass in front


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[airedale]

9 hours ago, mike103 said:

Switch to copper ammo. They even make copper 22’s

Copper bullets perceived advantage is that they hold together with hits on game while not contaminating meat which can be possible with Lead fragments. ( That problem has always been solved down through the years by cutting away all bloodshot meat and tossing it)

Target shooting is another matter, namely cost which can be substantial if one shoots a lot and while copper bullets can be accurate the most accurate match bullets are traditional jacketed lead, even Barnes match bullets are not the monolithic type they are traditional lead core.

Bullet and ammo cost

22 LR lead free ammo around 20 cents per and the accuracy is crap!

22 LR plinking ammo 5 to 6 cents per

Typical 38 pistol bullets cast lead 12 cents per

Typical jacketed pistol bullets 20 to 25 cents per

Barnes copper pistol bullets 60 cents per

22 centerfire bullets jacketed lead 13 to 18 cent per

22 centerfire bullets pure copper 45 tp 48 cents per

Last but not least what never seems to be mentioned is pure copper is a toxic metal in it's own right, shooting it into a bank of dirt or hillside will cause some copper contamination to the land not much different than lead.

[G-Man]

3 minutes ago, airedale said:

Copper bullets perceived advantage is that they hold together with hits on game while not contaminating meat which can be possible with Lead fragments. ( That problem has always been solved down through the years by cutting away all bloodshot meat and tossing it)

Target shooting is another matter, namely cost which can be substantial if one shoots a lot and while copper bullets can be accurate the most accurate match bullets are traditional jacketed lead, even Barnes match bullets are not the monolithic type they are traditional lead core.

Bullet and ammo cost

22 LR lead free ammo around 20 cents per and the accuracy is crap!

22 LR plinking ammo 5 to 6 cents per

Typical 38 pistol bullets cast lead 12 cents per

Typical jacketed pistol bullets 20 to 25 cents per

Barnes copper pistol bullets 60 cents per

22 centerfire bullets jacketed lead 13 to 18 cent per

22 centerfire bullets pure copper 45 tp 48 cents per

Last but not least what never seems to be mentioned is pure copper is a toxic metal in it's own right, shooting it into a bank of dirt or hillside will cause some copper contamination to the land not much different than lead.

Plus if your using pure copper bullets in the woods hunting any tree you leave a bullet in from pass thru or miss will die. Copper kills trees , a 1in piece of 1/2 in copper pipe or copper nail kills them deader than a door nail, ( works good on trees on your line you neighbor owns but refuses to trim. Pound into a root and few years tree is dead.. he/she then removes it and your good )

[airedale]

4 hours ago, G-Man said:

Plus if your using pure copper bullets in the woods hunting any tree you leave a bullet in from pass thru or miss will die. Copper kills trees , a 1in piece of 1/2 in copper pipe or copper nail kills them deader than a door nail, ( works good on trees on your line you neighbor owns but refuses to trim. Pound into a root and few years tree is dead.. he/she then removes it and your good )

As the old saying goes "Learn Something New every Day" and I just did!

Edited June 18, 2020 by airedale

[G-Man]

21 minutes ago, airedale said:

As the old saying goes "Learn Something New every Day" and I just did!

If an old man wearing flannel and Jean's with rough hand tells you anything ,listen. They been there and done that...  oldtimers knew more ways to kill things than I ever thought possible.. 

[crappyice]

I will never be as good a shot as Jed or Jethro, hitting them on the wing is way out of my league
If they sit still for a couple of seconds this Winchester model 52 B bench gun will leave a hole that is bordered by fly legs. With that period Redfield 3200 20X scope she will group a tad better than the target which I shot using Redfield Olympic target sights.
Al

Pics or it didn’t happen!!! I’m not saying you didn’t do it, I just think that would be pretty sweet to see!


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[hueyjazz]

Daughter's current boyfriend is a structural welder.  I figure I can get all the components and have him weld me up a bullet trap or I'll just buy a commercial one.   Even this I would place into secondary containment to try to capture any spatter.  I figure a horseshoe of 4x4's with a 4 x 4 roof and base.

For years I belong to a nice indoor range.  I thought they did a nice job with ventilation and such.  I was doing a job at work that required lead wipes for testing.  Adding one more didn't effect the cost so I did one from the shooting position at the range.  It was sky high and kind of an eye opener.  Pretty much soured me on shooting indoors anymore.  Lead doesn't do a body good and the small particular lead dust is among the worse. 

 

 

[dbHunterNY]

the house is only an 1.2 acres. no dedicated range but have 3D targets for bow setup often out to 60 or so yards safely. can't legally shoot a gun (pistol) without asking a handful of neighbors to allow discharge so I don't.  no worries as 12 minutes down the road is my family farm. no dedicated range there but ability to setup targets out to 750 yd. neighbor's property is a valley vs our mountain top farm so he has ability to set targets up at just over 1,000 yd. 12 minutes down the road in the other direction i have unlimited access to a club with (2) trap house ranges, indoor 50 ft pistol range, outdoor covered 40 yd pistol range with reactive targets, outdoor covered 50 yd archery range, and outdoor covered 300 yd rifle range.

[SpacemanSpiff]

1 hour ago, dbHunterNY said:

the house is only an 1.2 acres. no dedicated range but have 3D targets for bow setup often out to 60 or so yards safely. can't legally shoot a gun (pistol) without asking a handful of neighbors to allow discharge so I don't.  no worries as 12 minutes down the road is my family farm. no dedicated range there but ability to setup targets out to 750 yd. neighbor's property is a valley vs our mountain top farm so he has ability to set targets up at just over 1,000 yd. 12 minutes down the road in the other direction i have unlimited access to a club with (2) trap house ranges, indoor 50 ft pistol range, outdoor covered 40 yd pistol range with reactive targets, outdoor covered 50 yd archery range, and outdoor covered 300 yd rifle range.

Cant complain about that. Plenty of people drive an hour or more to shoot. Your one of the lucky ones!

[mike103]

If copper bullets are inaccurate than why are so many people using TSX ammo? 
 

Real question because DEP has hinted that they are going lead free on their land and my crew was planning to begin switching next year.

Thanks in advance 

[airedale]

29 minutes ago, mike103 said:

If copper bullets are inaccurate than why are so many people using TSX ammo? 

I did not say copper bullets are inaccurate, they are more than accurate enough for hunting and will shoot as well as any hunting bullets. I was referring to target shooting where traditional lead core match bullets are the most accurate of all. 

From most reports I have seen on 22 LR ammo using non lead concoctions they have been terrible accuracy wise, I always like seeing for myself, tried a box  and I will concur with those assessments.

Al

Edited June 18, 2020 by airedale

[Dinsdale]

3 hours ago, mike103 said:

If copper bullets are inaccurate than why are so many people using TSX ammo? 
 

Real question because DEP has hinted that they are going lead free on their land and my crew was planning to begin switching next year.

Thanks in advance 

Switch if you need to without worries; agree with the DEP observation.

Barnes are some of the most accurate bullets I have ever shot. I clean with Sweets and Butches' for any copper issues (have to be careful with Sweets for how long in barrel).

Shot a fair number of big game animals, most with Swift A frames, some Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, some Nosler Partition, some Woodleigh PP. And some TSX's, textbook performance on the only TSX I have recovered. I like 2 holes and bullets that are stiff construction and driven fast, Noslers driven quick were devastating on game, but leave a real mess; so I went back to A frames as I have an inventory.

I'd have no issue only using TSX type bullets and confidence in their performance.

[Marion]

Switch if you need to without worries; agree with the DEP observation.
Barnes are some of the most accurate bullets I have ever shot. I clean with Sweets and Butches' for any copper issues (have to be careful with Sweets for how long in barrel).
Shot a fair number of big game animals, most with Swift A frames, some Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, some Nosler Partition, some Woodleigh PP. And some TSX's, textbook performance on the only TSX I have recovered. I like 2 holes and bullets that are stiff construction and driven fast, Noslers driven quick were devastating on game, but leave a real mess; so I went back to A frames as I have an inventory.
I'd have no issue only using TSX type bullets and confidence in their performance.

I heart shot my antelope a few years back at 505 yards. With handloads I developed for my .300wby with 180 grain Barnes TSX. They are phenomenal! So anyone saying they aren't accurate has no idea what they are talking about. They are the cream of the crop if you ask me!

#LessOverzealousMods #WeWantANewMod

[wildcat junkie]

I have a big backyard.

There are stakes marking 25 yds, 50 yds, 100 yds and 200 yds.

 

I have a movable target stand. The cardboard is removable, ni fasteners are used to secure it.

Edited June 19, 2020 by wildcat junkie

[Steuben Jerry]

39 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

I have a big backyard

I love that shooting bench!!

[SpacemanSpiff]

Indeed, Nice bench. I like the two tier design.