Home Range Backstop

[Adies Gunny]

My current situation will be changing soon and I need to built a backstop. I shoot rimfire more than anything but once a month or so I run a box of .40 S&W or 357 through my carry weapons. On very rare occasions I run a few rounds through a rifle, .223, .308 and 300 WM. I doubt I shoot more than a box of rifle rounds in a year.

I was thinking that two rows of car tires filled with sandy red fill dirt would be plenty. Does anyone have experience using car tires? are two rows enough or will I get pass through? I have seen single rows of tires used on handgun only ranges.

 

[Alan]

When it comes to rimfire and handguns, 2 rows of tightly packed tires should do the trick without any issues. I've seen just a single row work perfectly fine for pistol calibers so doubling up gives you a nice safety margin. The real trick is making sure that dirt is packed in there really tight. Now here’s where things get a bit complicated. The .308 and especially the 300 Win Mag are a whole different story. Even if you’re only firing a box a year, those rounds can go through more than you might think. 2 rows could be sufficient, depending on how far back you’re shooting from and how densely you pack the dirt but I wouldn’t want to risk my neighbor’s garage on it If you have the space and tires to spare, I’d honestly recommend going 3 rows deep just for the rifle calibers. It might seem like overkill for rimfire and pistol shooting, but it’s better to be safe than sorry if a round goes astray.

Good luck with your project!

 

[Adies Gunny]

"I wouldn’t want to risk my neighbor’s garage on it " I don't either. There is about 1.5 miles of heavy woods between me and the neighbor behind me. The primary purpose of the backstop is to keep from killing from killing packs that I might want to add to the wood pile one day.