Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Underground shooting range

Well, I don't know if this is the correct spot for this post, but I didn't know where else to put it.

I am building a new home and am installing a 12'x12' concrete vault underground. There will be a vault door accessing it from an interior room that I will have set up as my office.

Here is where it gets good. I am going to put in a single station, 25 yard underground shooting range. It will be made of 36" concrete pipe. I have some ideas on how to build a bullet trap of sorts, but would like to get everyone's feedback. Again, it will be underground and besides the bullet trap, good old mother earth will not allow any stray bullets.

I'm using the round concrete pipe out of pure economical reasons. I wanted to use square concrete box culverts, but they are WAY too much money.

Give me some ideas on how to set up a pulley type target system. It won't see a lot of use, so an industrial grade exhaust fan should be enough I would think...I'm not going to be too worried about the lead either. If it builds up, I will remove it. I know that there is some inherent risk to this, but I will deal with it.

I am going to build a set of doors to seal the tunnel off from the vault when not being used. I thought that I would glue some foam egg crate stuff all around the inside of the tunnel for about the fist 8 feet or so. I think that will at least help cut down some of the noise...still definately going to use inner and outer ear protection!!

What do you think? It is too late to use anything other than the 36" concrete pipe, as it had to be intragal to the concrete vault. So that part is already in place. The rest is open to ideas though.

While I'm at it, what are your ideas on a 25 yard target set up? I was going to do 50 yards, but this is not gonna be cheap even at 25! The way I looked at it was that if I couldn't do a full 100 yard range, then a 50 yard range wouldn't really be worth the $$$ over 25 yards...let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Todd

Make sure it is venter real well as in positive air flow towards the target area. that will keep you safe from inhilation of lead fumes. The next thing is lighting on the target and a way to get into the trap to sift the scrap lead occasionaly a simple pully arangment will work to remove and replace targets .

Lighting will be provided from a narrow beam spot light mounted at the "mouth" of the tunnel. Since it is only 25 yards, I figure that will be fine.

I thought that I would use a simple grain bin aeriator at the target end of the tunnel...maybe set up a fan, besides the industrial exhaust vent at the shooting position.

Todd

Might check around and see if there would be a source for old truck from 18 wheelers. Could maybe use them as you shooting ally. Bolt them together through the sidewall and cover them up with dirt. Your so close to the reality of a hundred yard range that maybe you could sell the first born to come with the other 75 yards.

Ask Saeed over on www.accuratereloading.com about lighting and bullet traps etc. I believe his shooting lab has one that is 100m or so.

Brent

Keeping the water out is going to be one of your biggest issues.
But I would like to have one myself. Good luck.

Tarheel

Tarheel,
There won't be any water issues. It is set on a pretty good hill, and will be oriented to drain if there ever was any water that found its way in. Here in Montana we don't have to worry about that too much.

Todd

Ventilation will be your biggest challenge.

Our newest police station put an underground range in, it took them a year to get the ventilation right.

I've got one o'them.

I call it a "basement".

Well, I've thought about that and here is where I am.

A) It is just me, and maybe my wife shooting...not a lot of use

B) I don't have to deal with OSHA or any other regulatory bodies.

C) I am venting both the target end and the "shooting" end.

More ideas, please.

Todd

Well without knowing the set-up, I would consider an attic fan somehow installed to suck up air and blow it out through a duct, and at the same time creating low pressure to draw in clean ambient air at the same time through a second vent. It shouldn't be too expensive to incorporate such a simple system while building, but might be a pain after the fact if then decided it is needed.

Install the attic fan at the target end and clean air intake at the shooters end. Draw the fumes away from the shooter.

Wow - I've got a major case of envy. I've often dreamed of having an underground range to avoid noise in an urban area.

Barkoff,
This is pretty much what I was thinking. I was going to use a simple bin aeriator for the target end. A bin aeriator is kind of like an attice fan, and it can be powered or not. That, coupled with the fan/exhaust set up at the shooting end should be enough ventilation.

Todd

To provide air flow for an exhaust fan at the target outside air will probably be best at the shooting end of the tunnel. The air has to come from somewhere and since you are exhausting to the outside the air should be provided from the same source...check cfm ratings on the fan you will use.
Unburned powder will accumulate in the egg crate over time and you will eventually get a flash when it eventually ignites...might get intresting then. Friend of mine had this happen once using a sound deadening box outdoors...He said it "whoofed" and was an eyeopening experience.
I've toyed with the idea of installing a camera at the target on my outdoor range...might be feasible in your case if you want to go to the trouble although your range is shorter...
Sounds like a fun project you have going...

I had not thought of that. Although in a 36" diameter pipe, that would be a lot of shooting to get much accumulation. Most definately worth noting and watching for!!

I'm not sure about a camera, but I have thought about a semi-permanant chrony.

Also, the suggestion of a fresh air intake at the shooting end makes sense...I'll have to work on that. I had just planned on venting both ends.

Thanks,
Todd

Unburned powder build up is a real issue.I remember Rick Jamison discussing it relative to a baffled tube he was shooting through to deaden sound.Perhaps you could find a large piece of lightweight tubing of some kind that would fit just inside the concrete tube for several feet that you could pull out and clean occasionally,though if you will be firing from the room several feet away from the pipe,likely just vacuuming the floor would be all you need.
The bullet trap is easy.Get a sheet of the steel they use to cover road construction when they want to allow traffic over a section they are not working on,but haven't yet finished,set it at a 45 degree angle to deflect the bullets down into a foot or so of all purpose sand.Your local road dept. can probably hook you up with the steel plate,and even someone to cut it to size.
One full size plate,cut into three or four sections,laid down one behind the other ought to withstand just about anything you care to shoot.Filling in behind them with dirt ought to deaden pretty much all the impact noise.The steel might be a bit expesive to acquire and install ,but you won't likely ever have to replace it.

I'd be careful using a vacuum to pick up powder what with static electricity and all. Seems I recall somewhere about "woofing" happening while cleaning up explosive dust with said vacuum as well.

A simple swamp cooler fan ducted should be enough to force air in and out, and with a high-medium-low switch you could have a choice of the amount of air flow. The fan could be mounted in a box on the surface at the end of the tunnel just like it is on the roof, drawing air through the tunnel from a vent placed just outside the wall to avoid drawing air from the house out the tunnel. Especially in 30 below weather.

You might want to run some conduit in the same trench as the pipe so you can have lighting at the other end. Maybe this is already in the plans, as you're talking venting both ends.

Anyway, the ranges I've used that have lighting above the targets are much easier to use than those that try to floodlight the entire area. This could be worse if you're trying to shine a light down a pipe...I think you really don't want to see the pipe, just the target.

The swamp cooler and the lighting of the target end are both good ideas. I had thought about the "shadow" effect of lighting just the shooting end...kind of like looking down a funnel. I will definately change the lighting plans.

Todd

Here are some pictures of the early stages of the range.
First, the 12'x12' poured vault. The picture is a little deceptive, although it does seem a little small now that it is actually in progress!! That is a four foot opening for the Liberty vault door. The 36" culvert will be at bench level in one corner of the vault, and extend for 25 yards.

A couple pictures of the delivery. These things each weigh 4180lbs. I never would have guessed that they were that heavy!! Anyway, 36" inside diameter, and 8' long. I know this is gonna be loud, but I'm a little worried about just HOW loud!! Definately inner and outer ear protection!





Todd