10m home range project.

[angrybear]

That's a very impressive set up you've built Rob, nice Job.

[MrChipShoulder]

I started on the new traversing back stop (not to be confused with the Northern Ireland Backstop, mine will better than that !!)

The swinging bar at the rear is there to hold the two rear wheels. It swings so it can compensate for any unevenness in the floor rails so the whole backstop can't rock on only three wheels. It has a lump in the middle so the pulley can slip under it due to my range tube only having 200mm extra over the 10m. I need to 'eek' out every bit of length, this solution will do it.

More pics to come and it will all become clear as it gets closer to finished.

https://ibb.co/Cntx4Nj
https://ibb.co/cCc7mML
https://ibb.co/56mxcC5

[maximus]

OK Guys,

This Home Range is now totally finished.
I have added this collection of finished pics to summarise the project.
The whole build has been well documented throughout these 7 pages if you'd like to 'home in' on a certain part.

The aim (pun intended) of this thread was to show people what can be done for relatively low cost (about the cost of one good air rifle). Our range is 10m, but could just as easily be built as a 6 yard range. It really is only a small garden shed and some air conditioning ducting on posts, the rest is just 'bling'

My hope is that this thread maybe found by somebody that would want to do the same and find what I've done to be helpful to them.

My daughter and I have now spent a reasonable amount of time shooting in our new range and we can tell you, it's fantastic! Warm, well lit, convenient, cozy and most of all, FUN

https://ibb.co/gu2hOV
https://ibb.co/hRryxq
https://ibb.co/j9PwiV
https://ibb.co/mZgLAA
https://ibb.co/kDXcqA
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https://ibb.co/eGeOVA
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https://ibb.co/gzHz3V
https://ibb.co/gMyvcq
https://ibb.co/i6zqAA
https://ibb.co/i27MHq

If anybody in the future finds this thread and wold like to contact me about it, please free to PM me.

That's it, I'm done.
Have fun.

Rob.

That's a fantastic result, well done! That sheds like a tardis!

[MrChipShoulder]

Now got the under carriage rolling on it's wheels in it's rail (u channel).
It runs incredibly smooth and the compensation works exactly as it should so the wheels are in contact with the rail at all times.
I took an extra pic to show the rear frame is not just welded with the triangular gussets. The gussets are an extra to give a little more strength.

https://ibb.co/p0w3S5z
https://ibb.co/Tv4Jf9M
https://ibb.co/WkWF6Tm
https://ibb.co/T8DsqqR

The next step is to gut the range and get the rails screwed into place.
Once that is done, I can get the undercarriage in and build up the rest of it.
More pics to come.

[MrChipShoulder]

I finished welding up the target platform today.
Quick splash of red oxide primer just now and black paint tomorrow.

https://ibb.co/Ttk5Jqn

[nacnonna]

What an absolutely stunning job!

[MrChipShoulder]

Bit more work on the backstop.
Lights fitted,
Pellet catchers fitted,
Wheels fitted,
Floor panel fitted.

https://ibb.co/LQqbhmm
https://ibb.co/Sn461wG
https://ibb.co/ZSsygty

[MrChipShoulder]

Time to work on the range has been hard to come by recently for a few reasons, but I've finally managed to get the target sled in the tunnel and working well. To move the sled, all you do is press the cord release button and pull on the cord. Once the sled is in place, just release the button and it locks the cord. There will be a pointer added to the sled and markings on the tunnel wall for sled position (6yd, 7yd, 10m). The only slight hassle to move the sled now is that somebody has to pull the slack on the lighting cable as the sled is being pulled back up the tunnel. The cable is simply left coiled in the back of the tunnel or laid on the floor at the shorter ranges.

All that's left to do tomorrow (hopefully) is to make the front and rear back board panels. The rear one will be 9mm MDF and the front one will be 3mm hard board covered in white Terry Towel.

https://ibb.co/7G01ZCJ
https://ibb.co/LYbdJx1
https://ibb.co/7Wrg3fx
https://ibb.co/bP4LZmD
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https://ibb.co/3FHXRmL
https://ibb.co/WshJPkz
https://ibb.co/02Lrdxw
https://ibb.co/ZN6Tq9Y
https://ibb.co/YPZzm3L

[MrChipShoulder]

More progress today, I got the first backstop made and fitted.
It is made from 3mm hardboard covered in terry towel stuck down with spray glue.
There are five hooks made from ply that twist and hook over the metal frame.
The pellet will go straight through this thin backstop and hit the rear MDF board.
If it rebounds, it will not have enough energy to come back through the front backstop and be retained in the backstop cavity.
The terry towel gives a very good flat white background for diopter sights.
Only the rear MDF backstop to be made now.

https://ibb.co/x2KPdW9
https://ibb.co/W5h815F
https://ibb.co/sq14H0W
https://ibb.co/8N0qHx9

[MrChipShoulder]

Well thats it, finished!

Having used the range for a few months and finding out little things about it as you go, I have made some small adjustments. One is the ability to easily and quickly remove the safety rail as it can get in the way when using side leaver rifles. All I did was to weld on large wings on top to the bolts and weld up some captive nuts on the inside of the floor. The other little thing is kinda obvious now its done, and that is a switch to turn off the target lights! Although 99% of the time you are shooting in there, sometimes you're just talking or scoring cards, so the lights may was well be off. Like I say, it's the little things that make the difference.

The 9mm backstop is now cut and fitted and this will give more than adequate stopping power to any pellet that finds it's way through the front backboard. The range is strictly sub 6fp anyway, so no need to go over board!

Another picture shows my working but unfinished bell target placed on the sled base. This is why the sled has a large base, to catch the odd rebounding pellet and for putting other target types on.

One other thing I noticed when I made the original wooden movable backstop that was simply shoved in the tunnel and pushed down with a long pole, was the sagging target cord. Once the target holders are set-up at say 10m, all other distances have the targets placed too low because of the sag in the cord! So because the range now has a fully adjustable sled backstop, I will be running into this problem a lot! The issue was solved by soldering on a brass bar with a hole drilled down it's back and a small thumb screw. Now once the range distance has been set, you simply send the target frame down range with no card in it, use the spotting scope to see how low the frame is, bring it back and adjust accordingly with just the turn of the thumb screw. It's a two second job to adjust the height of the frame now.

The rolling target sled works very well indeed and I have also worked out how to send it back down the range without getting caught up on the cable, so it is now very much a one man job to set any distance in a few seconds. The only job I do still have left to do that I will not show here is screwing on a little pointer onto the sled and little coloured dots on the tube at measured distances (6yd 7yd 10m). I don't think anybody needs to see that, it's self-explanatory.

https://ibb.co/NtCBt1c
https://ibb.co/fQpR5hc
https://ibb.co/p1VMchj
https://ibb.co/M2BJG8C
https://ibb.co/jfgxtYp
https://ibb.co/yY4m3df
https://ibb.co/48VX2ZP
https://ibb.co/ZHD7xsF
https://ibb.co/Y0Dd0zL

Well that's it from me, construction finished and now 'second thought' tweaks now all finished.
Hopefully this thread will inspire somebody one day and spark a thought or two.
Or maybe not!

Anyhoo, I'm done.

See ya.
Rob.

[frankcatsdad]

Fantastic work, have you ever considered contacting NASA as a consultant

[Ooopz]

Absolutely fantastic. My hat's off to you sir

[MrSkinner]

I'm impressed by your innovative solution for the backstop. The swinging bar seems like a clever idea to ensure stability on uneven surfaces. It's all about those little tweaks, right? I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures as you progress towards completion.

[nishijin]

I'm impressed by your innovative solution for the backstop. The swinging bar seems like a clever idea to ensure stability on uneven surfaces. It's all about those little tweaks, right? I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures as you progress towards completion.

Two years after the last post on this thread, and a year after the last post by the OP?

You might be waiting a while...