Indoor Range

[Franco]

Putting the finishing touches on my indoor range. We took an 18' X 45' section adjacent to my shop and converted it to an indoor range. The back wall is 2 layers of 3/4" ply over 2"X4" studs, with 2 layers of 2" thick oak planks. The sides around the trap are single layer ply over 2"X4" studs with 1 layer of 1" oak planks.

The trap is 8'X8'X8' - 1/4" AR500 armor plate with the back half doubled to 1/2" thick.

The front facade is drilled to hold spinning, turning, targets for 22's; there's a rack at the narrow end of the trap which holds hanging/swinging targets for larger calibers. We have several versions, trying to find the right combo - 1/4" plate, 1/2" plate, 1/2" plate with 2" oak face.

So far, we have shot 22, 380, 38, 9, 45, and 416 - all successfully stopped.

The room is vented, and there is a 36" fan.

There's a 20' overhang on the building, so there's over 60' covered; we have 25, 50,and 100 yd marks on the driveway, and it's 200yds to the balcony of my trophy room.

Hoping to get the room painted out and finished for Christmas.

 

[glblanchard]

Vey nice!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sabre]

Not what I expected when I clicked the title. Hahahaha. Interesting idea. Do you have photos of what it looks like from the longer ranges?

 

[Franco]

Not what I expected when I clicked the title. Hahahaha. Interesting idea. Do you have photos of what it looks like from the longer ranges?

No - but I'll take some.

 

[Sabre]

No - but I'll take some.

Awesome, I'm really curious about the setup.

 

[skydiver386]

Yep, I was expecting the typical 30 ft BB gun range in the basement.

Very nice setup. The longer distances are a big plus.

 

[Franco]

Not what I expected when I clicked the title. Hahahaha. Interesting idea. Do you have photos of what it looks like from the longer ranges?

Here's 45'/15yds - we will paint yardage lines on the floor. The walls will be painted the same green as my trophy room, the storage shelves will be screened, I have metal storage cabinets for left side.

For now the ceiling is what you see, but the plan is to cover it with old pressed tin. There are two flood lights on the ceiling, we will add more on the sides. I have a laser pistol setup to mount on the back wall.

Here's the 100yd mark - tough to see with the morning sun; more lights will help.

We are building a set of doors. The adjacent shop is heated and airconditioned with enough capacity to add a duct to the range.

Here's a couple photos of the trap. The angles direct the rounds to the back where they drop into a bucket, accessible via a side door. The armor plates overlap at the back to give almost 1" of stoppage.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Definitely didn't expect this. I expected it to be a discussion of pros and cons of indoor ranges.

That sir, is VERY cool. Wow.

 

[BonUm16]

Very nice, Franco. I seldom find myself envious of others but I can feel a bit of jealousy creeping in.

Not to second guess you but have you considered what adding all that metal (ceiling and cabinets) is going to do to the noise level?

 

[HookMeUpII]

I didn't quite get what you did to get to 100 yds until you posted the pics. That's a clever idea with the roll up door. I'll take that every day of the week.

 

[Franco]

Very nice, Franco. I seldom find myself envious of others but I can feel a bit of jealousy creeping in.

Not to second guess you but have you considered what adding all that metal (ceiling and cabinets) is going to do to the noise level?

What?

Definitely didn't expect this. I expected it to be a discussion of pros and cons of indoor ranges.

That sir, is VERY cool. Wow.

Put me down as - "Pro"

 

[Red Leg]

Think through the tin ceiling plan. I would strongly suggest a noise abatement material instead - walls as well for that matter. Make sure you have a really powerful air cleaning/clearing construct.

 

[Franco]

Think through the tin ceiling plan. I would strongly suggest a noise abatement material instead - walls as well for that matter. Make sure you have a really powerful air cleaning/clearing construct.

Very nice, Franco. I seldom find myself envious of others but I can feel a bit of jealousy creeping in.

Not to second guess you but have you considered what adding all that metal (ceiling and cabinets) is going to do to the noise level?

In the interest of preserving what little hearing I have left, I don't doubt what you guys are saying. All the rifle shooting has been from the 50 and 100 yd marks on the driveway - standard ear plugs or muffs. But I can see where it could get really loud inside with pistols.

The guys helping me build this built the local indoor range in town; I've only shot there once, but it has a baffled ceiling as well as baffles on the walls. With multiple shooters it still can get loud.

My ceiling now is 2x8 joists with 3" closed cell foam, I can either leave it as is or try to find some acoustic tiles. I'll do some research on sound deadening materials.

I do need to add a few storage cabinets; we've discussed covering the existing cabinet on the right side with a heavy curtain. Something like that might work for the opposite side?

We did build a separate building for "she who shall remain nameless" to house all her bee equipment, honey harvesting paraphernalia, Christmas decorations, spare washer and dryer, shower, sink, etc, as well as an auxiliary shed for her wagon, garden tools, and whatever else she has accumulated over the past 27 years of our marriage - so hopefully I can get by with 1 or 2 cabinets.

There are vents all along the top of the back and side wall, and a 36" fan located at the back wall above the trap. Since there's a strong possibility of cigar smoking, we are looking at scubbers for both the range and my shop.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas.