Building a Shooting Range

How to Set Up Your Own Shooting Range

If you enjoy shooting, you probably take trips to the shooting range as often as you can. But this can get tiring, especially since you have to pay a small fee each time you go, plus you have to find time to go. You also have to deal with other people. Wouldn’t it be much easier if you had a shooting range at home where you could go out and shoot at any time? While this is not possible if you live in town, if you live out away from others, you may be able to set up your own shooting range.

The first thing you’ll need is an area that’s away from your house and any space people will be. You do not want anyone accidentally wandering into your shooting range. If possible, set it up in a recreational steel building.

Next, set up targets. The basic home shooting range is nothing more than a wooden fence with cans set up on it, but you can make something much fancier than that if you want. If you’re using a metal building structure for your shooting range, you can mount targets to the back wall and set up an area to stand behind. A simple stand with a cardboard target also works. Just weigh the bottom down with a couple of sandbags.

If you usually hunt with a tripod or by bracing your gun against something, you may need to construct a short table or other gun rest. You can use something like a picnic table if you have nothing else.

Want to make your homemade shooting range look a little more professional? You’ll find everything you need to create your own shooting range at many different sporting stores. Companies such as Shooter’s Ridge or Caldwell Supplies manufacture tables, shooting rests, target stands, and much more. All you need to do is find the proper location.

Remember that safety is the key—make certain that you know what’s going on behind the target. If there’s any chance that a person or vehicle may be located in the direction you’re shooting, consider moving your range somewhere else. You don’t want there to be any sort of accident. Never shoot towards a house, a nearby road, or any area where people may gather outdoors.