Die Judicii wrote:I really need to build a "safe" wall for a backdrop when zeroing rifles etc.
Has anybody got any ideas regarding the success/safety of using 4 WD tires filled with earth/sand and stacked on top of each other,,,
and side by side, (as in similar pattern to a brick wall)
I'm thinking approx two meters high, and five meters wide, and at least two tire diameters deep.
Comments ???
bladeracer wrote:Dirt works well, but the mound will get blasted away, as the mound flattens you will get bounces across the top unless you keep rebuilding it or keep your targets very low to the ground which requires a much taller mound than you really need, and it's bloody painful digging all the bullets out of it afterwards.
jwai86 wrote:bladeracer wrote:Dirt works well, but the mound will get blasted away, as the mound flattens you will get bounces across the top unless you keep rebuilding it or keep your targets very low to the ground which requires a much taller mound than you really need, and it's bloody painful digging all the bullets out of it afterwards.
Does compacting the dirt make any difference at all?
Oldbloke wrote:Don't over think it.
A few logs (sure you have a few) and dirt.
You don't shoot big stuff, from memory 224 cal.
Die Judicii wrote:Thanks Blade,,
The conveyor belting does seem at this stage to have the upper hand.
I'll just have to try a bit harder and look a bit further afield.
At clearing sales up here it is not a common commodity,,,, and when it does appear the bidders are like a pack of hungry dogs.
And the end result for the successful bidder is always a pretty steep price.
It's very popular to use under gates to stop dogs digging under,,,,,,,,, and likewise is also used as hanging flaps across water ways. (especially the heavy thickness variety) so it lifts and allows the rush of water through, whilst being a barrier to dogs when its dry.
Whatever I end up with will be in situ permanently, as I have (where I zero currently) dead flat ground with clear line of site, just under a kilometer.
So I can simply back off from 50 meters right up to the maximum distance.
I priced a full sheet of 12mm plate AR 500 the other day,,, and that came it at just under $2,000
on_one_wheel wrote:I would've thought the tyres would work really well especially if you move the target once in a while to avoid chewing out a hole that the soil might drain out of.
I got real lucky when setting up a range on a mates property.
He had a 30T Excavator there to dig 2 dams.
We tracked that sucker wherever we could while it was there making new tracks and trails through previously impassable country.
While passing the range we levelled a new pad and built a huge backstop that'll outlast human civilisation.
Die Judicii wrote:Oldbloke wrote:Don't over think it.
A few logs (sure you have a few) and dirt.
You don't shoot big stuff, from memory 224 cal.
?????????
Methinks your thinking of someone else Mate.
on_one_wheel wrote:I would've thought the tyres would work really well especially if you move the target once in a while to avoid chewing out a hole that the soil might drain out of.
I got real lucky when setting up a range on a mates property.
He had a 30T Excavator there to dig 2 dams.
We tracked that sucker wherever we could while it was there making new tracks and trails through previously impassable country.
While passing the range we levelled a new pad and built a huge backstop that'll outlast human civilisation.
bladeracer wrote:
Need to load the bus with rifles and ammo and come for a visit I think
rc42 wrote:Tires can actually be dangerous in backstops as the steel belt meshes can make an effective 'trampoline' for projectiles, especially if they have already clipped the edge of a target or are tumbling. The round outer also changes the angle of any ricochet or bounce off the tires themselves.
There are some shooting ranges that have horror stories about using such things in backstops but they would be good to create the structure and shape of the backstop if later covered in soil.
straightshooter wrote:rc42 wrote:Tires can actually be dangerous in backstops as the steel belt meshes can make an effective 'trampoline' for projectiles, especially if they have already clipped the edge of a target or are tumbling. The round outer also changes the angle of any ricochet or bounce off the tires themselves.
There are some shooting ranges that have horror stories about using such things in backstops but they would be good to create the structure and shape of the backstop if later covered in soil.
My understanding is that in NSW police range inspectors will withdraw approval if tyres are in the backstop. So maybe it's not a real good idea.
Also in NSW it's my understanding that it's only considered a range if it is "open to the public" or private competitions are held there.
However there is still a good use for tyres. They can be arranged to form a tunnel at the firing point which acts as a shooting safety baffle with the added advantage of considerably attenuating noise that may be a source of irritation to nearby neighbours. Useful if you like playing with magnum calibers.
Die Judicii wrote:I guess they'd act much like the baffles in a ??? moderator.
I wonder if that would end up with copping a fine (or worse) for having an illegal piece of equipment. ?
Die Judicii wrote:straightshooter wrote:rc42 wrote:Tires can actually be dangerous in backstops as the steel belt meshes can make an effective 'trampoline' for projectiles, especially if they have already clipped the edge of a target or are tumbling. The round outer also changes the angle of any ricochet or bounce off the tires themselves.
There are some shooting ranges that have horror stories about using such things in backstops but they would be good to create the structure and shape of the backstop if later covered in soil.
My understanding is that in NSW police range inspectors will withdraw approval if tyres are in the backstop. So maybe it's not a real good idea.
Also in NSW it's my understanding that it's only considered a range if it is "open to the public" or private competitions are held there.
However there is still a good use for tyres. They can be arranged to form a tunnel at the firing point which acts as a shooting safety baffle with the added advantage of considerably attenuating noise that may be a source of irritation to nearby neighbours. Useful if you like playing with magnum calibers.
Thanks for that Mate.
I never thought about the idea of using tires as a "tunnel" like you've mentioned.
I guess they'd act much like the baffles in a ??? moderator.
I wonder if that would end up with copping a fine (or worse) for having an illegal piece of equipment. ?