The new Short Range

[BrokenolMarine]

It has been my plan for a good while to add a 25 yard range to my range at the farm. From the range house steps, the range I built had about 80 yards to the berm. In the pic below, I had just trimmed away most of the overhang, and sitting in front of the steps it's a nice shot for a rifle.

trimmed back trees.jpg (801.01 KiB) Viewed 115 times

I had laid out the plan to add a 25 yard range, but turning ninety degrees to the right, it was just a matter of finding the time, and then making arrangements to purchase the RR Ties or Landscape Timbers to build the retention wall for the dirt to create THAT berm. Then, Miss Tina suggested we use the Corner Post brackets we had purchased to modify the fence lines on the main fencing, since we had gotten rid of the livestock and no longer needed to repair the fences. Hmmm, She said we could fill in the space with cattle panels and add pallets. I said that the panels only need to support the dirt until it turned to concrete. (It happens here in Oklahoma) We could use tarps, excellent idea. By the time the tarps rotted, the dirt would be fine. It was just a Handgun Range.

While I had my guy here for the other projects, I had him drill the holes with the Tractor Auger....

01 drilling the holes.jpg (567.41 KiB) Viewed 115 times

Once that was done, we could set the brackets and concrete the legs.

02 fence brackets set.jpg (584.34 KiB) Viewed 115 times

A long view of the brackets....

03 Brackets from a distance.jpg (743.77 KiB) Viewed 115 times

[BrokenolMarine]

My next step was to trim back the trees on the short range, they had been hanging down around the brackets, as well as hanging down in the sight line from the range house view down the twenty five yards.

04 trimmed back trees.jpg (583.41 KiB) Viewed 109 times

Once that was done, Miss T and I wired Cattle Panels in place to support the tarps once they went up. Once done, the first layer of tarps were zip tied into place. They only needed to be held in place until the dirt was moved. The weight of the dirt would hold them. I still used heavy duty zip ties.

05 First layer of tarps.jpg (528.21 KiB) Viewed 109 times

Next we used special tarp you can order online. It's the tarps used on Billboards. Once they come down, you can buy them fairly cheap. BIG tarps, with the ads still painted on one side. The back sides are usually black, gray, or white. This went over the tarps we put up, mainly concerned with the back of the berm, where most of the weight would be pushing. Up she goes.

06 Heavy Tarp.jpg (591.47 KiB) Viewed 109 times

[BrokenolMarine]

Now it was time to get busy. There was a pile of Dirt that my guy had moved with the Backhoe using that big 5 yard bucket. I had him set it right next to the area where the berm would be, and I wouldn't have far to move it.

07 Dirt Pile to Move.jpg (761.47 KiB) Viewed 109 times

Using our small Kabota L2501 and the Front Loader, I got busy. Gimpy can run a tractor. I actually enjoy working with the loader, and in a couple hours, I had moved that entire dirt pile then spread the last bit to smooth out the area where I had worked, hiding the ruts.

08 Dirt Moved.jpg (570.73 KiB) Viewed 109 times

The Brackets are mostly filled, I have a working berm for the pistol range. I will certainly move more dirt later, but I can shoot on this.

09 Filled.jpg (648.86 KiB) Viewed 109 times

I'll keep you posted.

[BrokenolMarine]

Note that there are 300 yards of woods behind this berm, no houses behind the woods. A low / No traffic road, then more woods.

[BigAl52]

Congrats Marine I wish I had the same type of set up.

[BrokenolMarine]

Congrats Marine I wish I had the same type of set up.

Yup, the same money will buy a condo in the big city. With neighbors to whine if your music is too loud or the grandkids make too much noise. We have to drive 30 minutes to buy milk, but ... ... it's quiet.

[Sir Henry]

That is going to be a nice range. Tell us more about the soil.

[BrokenolMarine]

The dirt came out of the same pile as that used on the main range, most of which came from the expansion and adjustment of the creek bed last year (or was it the year before.) It's a mixture of "dirt" and clay. Rains pack it down nice and tight, and when baked in the Oklahoma Sun in the summer at 100+ degrees, it will harden to almost concrete like consistency. This serves to prevent most of the wandering away you'd normally see with sand or loosely packed dirt. Although not too hard to accept the rounds fired into it. They pass right in, then the next rain smooths out the penetration and the sun cooks it over again. LOL.

[BrokenolMarine]

I still have a good bit left in the pile over by the creek crossing near the roadbed, and will add more to the new berm as time and weather allows.

[RetiredSeabee]

At first glance it looked like you had Larry the Cable Guy on that tractor.