Shooting uphill and downhill

[Sir Henry]

My property is not level. I am trying to figure out where to put different ranges. I’m thinking shooting targets at 25 yards will be against the hill. When I’m standing placing the targets on the ground will make me level with them. If I want to shoot 50 to 100 yards I’m thinking of shooting downhill. The terrain kind of dictates that but also because shooting downhill has always been more accurate than shooting uphill.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[cooperhawk]

The Legion Gun Club that I belong to has had problems over the years with stray rounds getting
away. There is a neighbor almost a mile away who has bullet holes in his office in his barn. He
gets a bit irate at times. What we have done is build berms 10 or 15 feet high and place the target
stands in front of them.

Also be aware that bullets will skip on frozen ground and also if they hit small stones in the ground.
Years ago I was president of a Sportsman Club in Virginia and I had the members build a background
that the NRA had approved using posts and tires filled with dirt. It looked good, but to our horror
9mm bullets would hit the tires and bounce back. Bad Idea! I had to close it down.

What you could do is dig into a hill side piling the dirt behind it and making a target pit.
Your neighbors would probably like that.

[cooperhawk]

Some more thougts.
We live on a lake that is two miles long and where we live about three quarters of a mile wide.
The Game Warden says it's the best duck hunting lake in the county. Anyway, we have shotgun
alarm clocks in the Fall. That's OK because we choose to live here, but what I don't like is shot
hitting our house. It's mostly spent, but still.......... and we don't know who is doing the shooting.
There is a church a half mile up the road from us and the minister lives at the head of the lake
about a half mile from our house. He loves shooting and has a range set up by his house. I hear
him blazing away all the time but it doesn't bother me because I know he's an NRA Instructor
and very safety conscious. Another neighbor lady blasts any racoon that gets in her bird feeders.
We're all fine with this because we know who it is and that they're careful.
I guess my point is that neighbors might be nervous until they know you and how careful you are.

[Headhog]

The club I shoot at their main rifle range is downhill. Not sure of how much drop there is from the firing line but it is very noticeable. The berm at the back of the range is earthen and about 15 ft. tall. Beyond the backstop is unused wooded property for at least a mile. The it opens up to some farm land and one home. The next home beyond that is again at least another mile. This is a 200 yd range.

Our 50 yd pistol range is flat with about a 10 ft. berm. Just woodlands and farm land beyond for at least 2 miles. Most of the trap/skeet ranges also face this direction.

The way I see it, if you can, an earthen berm is the way to go.

Paul

[Sir Henry]

I should be able to dig in enough to make the backstop more than a 45 degree angle. Few richochets at that angle. At least on my planned 25 and 50 yarders. At 100 I’ll need to figure something out like only shoot at bullet traps. I’m guessing 90 percent of my shooting will be at 25 and 50 with SV rimfire and pellets. If I can buy the land adjoining me it will give me more options.

[Sir Henry]

The club I shoot at their main rifle range is downhill. Not sure of how much drop there is from the firing line but it is very noticeable. The berm at the back of the range is earthen and about 15 ft. tall. Beyond the backstop is unused wooded property for at least a mile. The it opens up to some farm land and one home. The next home beyond that is again at least another mile. This is a 200 yd range.

Our 50 yd pistol range is flat with about a 10 ft. berm. Just woodlands and farm land beyond for at least 2 miles. Most of the trap/skeet ranges also face this direction.

The way I see it, if you can, an earthen berm is the way to go.

Paul

The hill makes a great berm and a couple hours with a shovel will make it even more safe. The hill is 50 feet high and quite steep at about a 30% grade. Then it levels off a bit at the bottom where the lawn is. I can only get 25 yards distance. Maybe more but I’ll need to wait for the snow to melt. Shooting to 50 yards downhill will be more of a challenge. Odd because again at 200 yards it starts back uphill enough that again the hill makes a good berm.

Right now I can’t tell where my property ends. If I can buy the land next to mine I will have more options.

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[fortyshooter]

Check out this guy's setup for 22 plinking. https://youtu.be/LTps0B2LFHQ

A mound of dirt or sand makes a good back stop. Just keep your targets low.

[Sir Henry]

Check out this guy's setup for 22 plinking. https://youtu.be/LTps0B2LFHQ

A mound of dirt or sand makes a good back stop. Just keep your targets low.

What I’m thinking of is quite similar to his targets. I will be using railroad ties. Mine would need to be built on a much bigger scale so they are several feet off the ground so I can shoot with three feet of snow on the ground.