Range updates

[DsGrouse]

I've long wanted a longer setup than my 70 and 50yd backstop range for rifle use. I've got one I can set up and take down for 100 to 120 yds. Doing that is a pain and more work than I typically want to do.

So for years, I've had this idea to create a couple of lanes that meet up at the same backstop. One near my 70- and 50-yd range that reaches 200 yds, and one near my tall hunting blind that reaches out to 300 yds.

The issue is that I've a lot of bottom land, and this is VA, 6-8 inches of topsoil that lies on top of 10ft of soupy mud. It's not an easy ask for any setup to do. Whelp, it's 98% done. I've got about a day to a day and a half on each lane for clean up and straightening of the shooting lane (areas the forestry mulcher could not go.)

The 200 yd lane next to my 50 and 70 yd pistol and rimfire range.



The forestry cutter did get stuck back there, but my neighbor popped it out with a trackhoe in 15 minutes.

Next up is the 300 yd range.

The first cut into the 300yd range.

First cut from inside the blind.

First cut from 115yds inside the lane; looking back to the blind.

First cut pass looking down the remaining 285yds. You can see the large trees I'll have to fell to clean up the shooting lane. Which is a good thing, as they should give us a base to build a walkway of sorts through the soupy area.


I'll post more as I have time to work on the lanes.

[Sir Henry]

It really looks nice. You can come to my house when you’re done.

[DsGrouse]

It really looks nice. You can come to my house when you’re done.

Hah, i could barely afford this.

[BrokenolMarine]

Nice. Takes me back a bit. We left VA about six years ago, but I recognize the landscape. I also recognise the theory. I did the same thing last year, on a much smaller scale. My rifle range is 100 (ish) yards from the range house to the berm. I went off ninety degrees, twenty five yards, for the pistol range. Reactive steel so I just run down and shoot. No setup at all.

Going to be some maintenance and improvements to both this year. Adding to the berms as they settle, etc. Will be watching as you continue with your project.
I put a small deck in front of my range house in VA for the same reason you mentioned. Needed a dry shooting area regardless of the season.

[Hatchdog]

Really nice Grouse, that mulcher is doing a great job.

[DsGrouse]

I worked a bit on the lane today, but an odd thing, I've not received any email updates from any of the threads I've responded to or posted in since February 27th.

[Mags]

I worked a bit on the lane today, but an odd thing, I've not received any email updates from any of the threads I've responded to or posted in since February 27th.

You should get an email notice when someone responds by quoting you (like this post). Otherwise not unless subscribed as below.
You should also get email notices for Forums and Topic you've subscribed to in your User Control Panel.
Also, when someone sends you a private message.

[DsGrouse]

I worked a bit on the lane today, but an odd thing, I've not received any email updates from any of the threads I've responded to or posted in since February 27th.

You should get an email notice when someone responds by quoting you (like this post). Otherwise not unless subscribed as below.
You should also get email notices for Forums and Topic you've subscribed to in your User Control Panel.
Also, when someone sends you a private message.

I have it set to do this. I checked last week and today. It's not blocked or ending up in my spam/trash folder.

I'm some what at a loss as to what is going on.

Looked at each lane tonight.


I've got more work than i thought, but it is doable.

[5shot]

Looks like you're going to have a real nice set up!

[BrokenolMarine]

Here is a view of the range house in VA and the deck I added I spoke about earlier. Even after a heavy rain I could pull out the shooting bench and stool and shoot down the lane and sight in the rifles, or shoot the handguns and be high and dry.

range house deck comp.JPG (842.79 KiB) Viewed 56134 times

Got some use out of the new setup after I tested the Big Boy Carbine with the new Skinner Sights.

2.jpg (344.93 KiB) Viewed 56134 times

[BrokenolMarine]

The Oklahoma Layout...

The rifle range is about 85 to 90 yards from the Range house. I can shoot farther by going behind the range house and shooting across the hayfield.

trimmed back trees.jpg (801.01 KiB) Viewed 56632 times

Stand looking down the rifle range. Turn ninety degrees to your right and you are now looking about thirty yards downrange on the pistol range. It's new, still needs work, but I can ring steel, or set up frames for paper targets.

13 screening 2.jpg (651.74 KiB) Viewed 56632 times

I'll work on the gravel base and more on the berm this summer. It's a start.

The tractor does most of the work, but we'll be hiring out some of the work. Neither Tina or I can physically do the work of cutting the telephone poles to length with the chain saw. The doc won't allow me to do it because of my surgeries, Tina doesn't trust herself in case of kickback anymore. Getting old sucks.

[DsGrouse]

The Oklahoma Layout...

The rifle range is about 85 to 90 yards from the Range house. I can shoot farther by going behind the range house and shooting across the hayfield.


trimmed back trees.jpg


Stand looking down the rifle range. Turn ninety degrees to your right and you are now looking about thirty yards downrange on the pistol range. It's new, still needs work, but I can ring steel, or set up frames for paper targets.


13 screening 2.jpg


I'll work on the gravel base and more on the berm this summer. It's a start.

The tractor does most of the work, but we'll be hiring out some of the work. Neither Tina or I can physically do the work of cutting the telephone poles to length with the chain saw. The doc won't allow me to do it because of my surgeries, Tina doesn't trust herself in case of kickback anymore. Getting old sucks.

I love the clean look, mine isnt going to be like thatnfoe a long while.

I get it. The forestry machine did 90% of the work. But where the ground was to soft, well thats on me to clean up. I was out there for 2.5 hours yesterday morning. I slipped tension on my chainsaw blade, and it got damaged. Lucky for me, a replacement wasn't expensive.

Tractor supply had them, and a sale on a smaller 14" and 10" pole saw.

So... I'm set to work on it....

Save for the fact that it rained heavily last night. I've no interest in working in mud. I'll check, but I suspect I'll have to wait a few days to get out there.

I walked the L shape lanes last night. He kept it as straight as he could given the soft ground, but, yeah, i've gor more work than i thought. At least i have space to work now.

Oh, and still no notifications... hmmm.

[BrokenolMarine]

I lived in Central Virginia for a long time. I know hot and humid. Because my range there was set up for home practice for PPC and GSSF matches, and teaching, it was out in the open. It got Hot on the range in the summer, and you were exposed in the winter.

The Oklahoma ranges were intentionally built in tunnels of trees as shields from the triple digits summer heat and humidity and that "Wind that comes whipping down the plains."

[Mags]

...
Oh, and still no notifications... hmmm.

Looking into this further, I don't think it's anything in your settings. I did some tests that should have triggered an email to myself. Notta. Also, the forum error log shows various email errors going back to our Sept migration. Looking up the meaning of the most recent email errors, could indicate a host server configuration issue. A space I don't have access to.

I like where you are going with with your range. Are you going to put down underpayment covered with gravel for the soggy spots?

[The Happy Kaboomer]

Sir you did good..........ya can shoot 24/7 iffen ya want to.

[DsGrouse]

I went out for coffee this morning and wouldn't you know it was a free rifle with 1400 bullets and 360 pieces of brass day.



I tightened the action screws; one was at 30-ish inch-pounds, the other at barely 35-ish. I worked both up to 60inch pounds.


The pic rail was loose. I cleaned the rail, screws, and action, bedded it with Rosin. The screws I torqued down with vibra-tite. I used a 2-10x Sig scope I was given. I'll need to pick up a couple of low-profile scope rings instead of the cantilever mount.



All set up for outdoor testing. The first three shots.



The steel is set up at 144 yds. I only missed once out of about 90 shots.

[Hatchdog]

That’s a lot of work grouse but the results show you did good!

[DsGrouse]

Thanks.

The reason I shot it as much as I did was to determine if the stock was suitable... or more suitable than my 308 Ruger Ranch, or 6mm ARC Gen 2 Ruger American.

It isn't. At 144 yds i could watch the rounds walk further and further left as the barrel heated up during the 10-round strings. As the barrel warmed and the stock warmed, it was obvious that the two were touching.

It is at about the same rate of shift as my 308, and not as much as the 6mm arc.

Other than the POI shift when shooting a lot of ammo i have few issues with any of the 3 Ruger Americans. The 308 is almost exclusively a heavy subsonic hunting gun. So, for it at least, cold bore and 2nd round follow-ups are about all I need to concern myself with.

These other two, the gen 2 6mm arc and the gen 1 6
5 Grendel, well, that is a different story. I am sorely tempted to put them in a pair of chassis. What has my eye right now is an MDT Fieldstock for the Gen 1 6.5 Grendel, and an MDT XRS chassis for the Gen 2 6mm arc.

Doing this will change them over to center feed acis mags over the double stack stanag mags.

Things to think about...

[DsGrouse]

Ran 200 rounds of the 45acp 200grn lswc through my HK MK23 this afternoon. It functioned wonderfully and was quite accurate.

[DsGrouse]

Worked on the range most of the day yesterday. I had some help picking things up. I was able to cut back the bracken and riparian twiggy stuff.

I think I'll have to make at least one more pass, cutting back the twiggy area. I think overall, the right side will need another 4 feet cut back.

Today I had my two MDT chassis arrive for the Ruger American 6mm ARC and 6.5 Grendel.

I opted for the MDT field stock for the 6.5 Grendel. The field stock is a significant improvement over the stock ruger american gen 1 and 2 stocks

Stock Ruger American stock

The first three shots with the MDT field stock.

I put all the length-of-pull shims in, but it was a bit too long for me. I ended up taking one out for now.

For the 6mm arc i chose the MDT XRS chassis. I chose this one for it's adaptibily. It has an aluminum chassis that extends into the buttstock, whereas the fiels stock ends at the tang. There are also other options for weights, grips, rails, and bipods

The first three shots from the 6mm arc.


Both of these stocks require AICS mags instead of the stock ruger stanag mags.

The acis mags feed significantly better than the stanag mags.