Shooting Range

One of the first things I did was setup a shooting range. Due to the lay of the land I could only fit in 300 yards with a decent backstop. I have more room but will have to elevate the firing position to clear the crest of a low rise near the firing position. This would provide almost 450 yards, but that will probably have to wait a while.

The two items that you really need for your range are permanent target holders of some kind and a good solid bench. These two items are detailed on the associated pages.

This range sees alot of use, seldom does a week go by that I don't use it. As a result my shooting has improved noticably and I think my reloading skills may be improving as well. The groups just keep shrinking and the occurence of a "flyer" seems to be becoming much less frequent.

I would like to clarify that I only use the bench for load development/testing and sighting in. All other shooting is done from improvised hunting like positions with makeshift rests. I do use a tripod frequently but I take it hunting if I think it would be appropriate and usable. Even using the makeshift rests, making a "killing" shot @300 yards is becoming quite easy as long as the wind isn't too bad.

To make the practice more fun I have started using reactive targets, jugs of water, clay pidgeons, etc., much of the time. I've been going to rig up some type of gong as soon as I can decide how to do it so it will survive a while and be safe to use. When I get it figured out I'll writeup what I did if it works well.