Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting Need building ideas for rifle range shooting house/shelter

I am a farmer, got plent place to shoot and keep a field away from home for "others" to shoot, but want to improve my personal range at the house.

Wanting a shelter of sorts, doesn't have to be 100% weather tight, but want to be out of the sun, light rain, put a fan for when its hot, and a little storage for typical stuff: targets, muffs, etc.

Considering sound dampening for the shooter and the area, aesthetics, and the $.

My bench is 4' wide accomodates left and right, but of course can rebuild or modify. Pictures would be great, but just a little winter project before the spring get here.

I know this is an all around topic, but figured comp shooting would be the place. Thanks

shoot house i use is a 12x12 structure, windows all around for light, sliding window to shoot out of, stud wall construction, 10' ceilings so it doesn't get too oppressively hot. steel siding and roof. w/ the back door, side door, and shooting window open it is actually quite comfy in the summer. propane heater for winter fun. the heater makes it tolerable to shoot on the coldest of days, but lack of insulation will make sure you keep your coat on. bench to the shooter's rear for storage of sandbags, targets, etc. small bench to shooter's right w/ a reloading press mounted.

no fan in this house, though... south dakota comes pre-equipped w/ fans - it is windy all the time.

i am a huge fan of shoot houses...

I bought a 16x16 prefab shed. I insulated ceiliings, walls, and added 2 layers of 3/4" plywood on the floor, had electric installed.

Next, I cut two small windows on the shooting side and built two benches with 1 1/2" plywood tops.

Next, built two loading benches 10' long on each side of the building.

I installed a refrigerator, AC wall unit(rack in front of the AC vent to hold 3 rifles to aid in cooling the barrels), and have 4 plug in ceramic heaters.

Next, built a front porch to sit on and have BB-que's.

The Out House came next.

Then we installed a lean to roof over the gun ports to keep the rain out when we wanted to shoot in inclement weather.

It takes next to no time at all to work up a load with any powder/bullet combo.


Let the good times roll!

Keith,

Any pix you can share?

Nodak

Send me a PM, I'll be glad to share

A fully enclosed Adirondack style shelter might work for you. Depending on your security needs and your geographic location, you could get away with a screened front with plastic sheet "storm windows" to make it 100% weather tight.

There are lots of different variations, but www.lsuagcenter.com has a free downloadable PDF file that would give you a good idea of the basic style of the Adirondack shelter.

JEff

I like that Adirondack shelter. I am looking for range improvement too.

Take a look at this:

http://classic.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=zmw:71269.1.99999

Notice the temps for Rayville, La. and area! Only an IDIOT tries to shoot in this heat; friggin mirage appears as if you're drunk and looking through a glass of constantly moving water! Competitions here....excluding the IDIOT areas...cease this time of year (1 June) and shooting activity won't start again until cooler Fall air arrives again!! Even if you had an air conditioned shooting house....the mirage negates shooting!! Frickin heat index here last date at 1500 hrs. was 108F!!