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Anyone have experience building a private home "action pistol" range on your property?  Any recommendations for berm size for a U shape bay?  How many total yards of dirt did you end up bringing in if any?

 

I would like to set one up this summer and have an idea of what to setup, but wanted to hear anything recommendations or should have done differently stories. 

 

Thanks!

 

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Depends on what's BEHIND your berm - on my property in NY, I build a "berm" that was five feet tall

because there was nothing behind it - if there had been people or property behind the berm, I would

not have felt comfortable unless I got up to at least 8 feet high.

 

I didn't bring in any dirt - just pushed some dirt up which lowered the ground and raised the berm.

 

Size and shape is entirely up to you - a lot you can do with an area that is only 15 yards long,

and doesn't have to be entirely U shaped to have a lot of fun.  You could have 2-3 different

berms to complete a U - shape without filling it in entirely.

 

Of course, the larger, the better.    :) 

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I did what Jack did. Just pushed it all from the center into a U shaped berm about 5-6' high. Nearest neighbor is a ways off and has no problem with my berm. Its about 20 yards wide by 50 yards deep. Lots of options for stage building.

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I have quite a bit of wetlands on my property, I don't think I can go down very far before getting wet.  

 

Did you guys use straight dirt?  Did you seed it or anything?

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I started with straight dirt but eventually took out some old foundations on my property so I buried a bunch of concrete under the berm. I didn't seed it but a bunch of quack grass showed up and seems to keep the dirt where I put it.

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if you want to follow the guidelines for ranges the minimum size should be a minimum of 15ft but recommended 20 ft.     that's for a range but its a good standard to follow if there is property close behind were you want the berm.   If its just a bunch of nothingness then 5-7ft should be plenty. 

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I don't have a berm, but range is 100 yards downhill to a creek, at a gradual slope, and then it slopes up for next 600 yards an additional 15ft of elevation or so, then there's an additional 1200 yards of open field before there's a little-travelled country road, and after that nothing but woods for a few miles. If a 9mm bullet makes it out there, its because I fired it at a 45 degree angle, and even then the likelihood of hitting anything is astronomically small.  The prior owner shot there for 42 years without incident, and I have tossed hundred of thousands of bullets out there without issue.  Eventually I am going to move dirt and flatten out my smaller 50ydx25yd pistol range and rock it, at which point I will put up an 8ft berm while I'm doing it.  I am not a public range and the likelihood of me tossing a wild shot way up and out is extremely small.

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My range has no berm but I shoot from an elevated level and have all of my steel set so I fire level or slightly down.  Field rises up gradually and nearest thing in the direction we shoot is over a mile away.  When the fields are down I can see where my bullets are impacting in the dirt.  

 

When we shoot rifles I can get back 600 yards and be shooting into a berm across the field against the timber line.

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Out there meaning into the dirt on the opposing side of the creek, not out into the wild blue yonder. I'll continue as I have without issue.  I trust myself to not dial in a shot with the 31000 inches (half a mile) of elevation it would take to bring a 9mm minor load out to that secluded road at a whopping terminal velocity of 200-300fps.

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3 minutes ago, aandabooks said:

My range has no berm but I shoot from an elevated level and have all of my steel set so I fire level or slightly down.  Field rises up gradually and nearest thing in the direction we shoot is over a mile away.  When the fields are down I can see where my bullets are impacting in the dirt.  

 

When we shoot rifles I can get back 600 yards and be shooting into a berm across the field against the timber line.

 Same situation here.  There is nothing out there but dirt and corn, and if there is something I can plainly see it out to a mile.  Same situation, shooting downhill 15-20 degrees, then my "backstop" is 20-25 degrees up for 600 yards, then nothing for a loooong ways out.  I have intentionally tried to skip bullets out there when it's dusty to see impacts, and they still die in the dirt way way way before the road.

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17 minutes ago, RippinSVT said:

 Same situation here.  There is nothing out there but dirt and corn, and if there is something I can plainly see it out to a mile.  Same situation, shooting downhill 15-20 degrees, then my "backstop" is 20-25 degrees up for 600 yards, then nothing for a loooong ways out.  I have intentionally tried to skip bullets out there when it's dusty to see impacts, and they still die in the dirt way way way before the road.

I do have some deer stands that I don't want to hit so we stay away from shooting in that direction.  Maybe one day I'll ad a side berm.

 

I must say that while I am a member of a club where I can go shoot anytime I want having my own place is way better.  I can leave my steel setup and just show up and shoot.

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1 hour ago, aandabooks said:

  having my own place is way better.  I can leave my steel setup and just show up and shoot.

 

You can't beat shooting on your own property :) 

 

Right now, I have to drive 37 miles to my home club range    :( 

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You could dig down creating a pit and use that dirt to extend the height.  My friend has one like this and you just drive down into it.  Its probably 10 foot below ground level and that dirt was used to raise the berm another 10 feet or so.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I miss having the space to do this.  It would be fantastic to step out back and shoot as desired.  The only thing worse than paying range fees is buying factory ammo!  I never buy factory ammo (except rimfire) but those range fees add up quickly.  

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  • 1 year later...

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