Underground range.
Years ago, I considered putting in an underground range here where I live..a semi built up area laughingly called the 'country'.
Every angle I looked at..culverts, pvc pipe, ect, ranged up to the 30,000 dollar area...more then I wanted to invest.
Talking to a friend today, and he suggested rather off-handedly to use barrels.
A blinding flash of light..and the resultant burst of "You dumb SNIT"..all directed at myself.
A barrel is 35 inches tall...100 of them equals 100 yards Barrels are 4 bucks apiece if you don't even try to get them in bulk..2 bucks I have seen them for.
A mig welder will weld a barrel together very nicely...The backhoe that sat in my backyard for 15 years rarely worked....jeepers.
I think that welded together, coated with tar, laid on a chat bed, with pits dug on both ends and a clothesline would make a splendid underground range..and not trouble the natives at all.
Lining up a dozen tires at the muzzle end ought to help suppress muzzle report...
Every angle I looked at..culverts, pvc pipe, ect, ranged up to the 30,000 dollar area...more then I wanted to invest.
Talking to a friend today, and he suggested rather off-handedly to use barrels.
A blinding flash of light..and the resultant burst of "You dumb SNIT"..all directed at myself.
A barrel is 35 inches tall...100 of them equals 100 yards Barrels are 4 bucks apiece if you don't even try to get them in bulk..2 bucks I have seen them for.
A mig welder will weld a barrel together very nicely...The backhoe that sat in my backyard for 15 years rarely worked....jeepers.
I think that welded together, coated with tar, laid on a chat bed, with pits dug on both ends and a clothesline would make a splendid underground range..and not trouble the natives at all.
Lining up a dozen tires at the muzzle end ought to help suppress muzzle report...
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Not to be a smart-ass....If I wanted a range on my property that bad, I'd just move.
Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you're going to have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get the permits necessary to build it0 -
That should do wonders for property values. 0 -
An underground range has a specific purpose.
No wind movement. Allows one to experiment on rifles and ammunition without the distractions of weather.
I realize..belatedly..that means nothing to most deer hunters.
"Property values". There speaks a true "the needs of the individual means nothing" mentality.
The very FACT that it is "UNDERGROUND"..means that few people will even be aware it exists.
As far as permits..I live in an area that as of yet doesn't require a permit to build a doghouse...unlike most places in this so-called 'free' country.
I really intended to solicit critisism of the MECHANICS of the idea..not the social acceptability of it. I really don't give a thin crap about what my neighbors might think of the whole idea of doing it.0 -
I did the excavation at nights and weekends, and set seven surplus truck trailers,
and covered them with two feet of dirt, and walk in from the basement.0 -
Don't forget ventilation. 0 -
How is your drainage? most barrels are pretty thin, even tarred I doubt they would stand up to much moisture (rust out) for long, now if you could get a deal on plastic barrels??....
Don0 -
olin in east alton il {Winchester} actually has a 100 yard under ground range, it's about 3 foot diameter tube as you described, and with an electric pulley for the targets, this is where they do all the ballistics and testing for qc and r&d 0 -
Sorry man, I just pictured orange road barrels 100 yards long lined up in your back yard. I get the picture now. outa sight outa mind. good digging. 0 -
How about some larger culvert pipe?
Set on a gravel bed, to act as a "dry well", and the top and sides covered with tar, and tarpaper.
Actually gravel all the way around, but a greater depth on the bottom, cover with a couple feet of soil good to go!0 -
You probably aren't aware of this....and probably should be proud you aren't.
But what you described comes very close indeed, to the testing tunnel built by the famous telescope builder Alvin Clark (mid to late 1800's), who built the largest and best refracting telescopes on earth. A lit pinhole at one end, the glass being tested at the other, no cross-currents or air moving, and the image was as steady as a rock, just what was needed in order to put the final figure on the lense.
If the neighbors complain about an underground shoooting range, sell'em on the idea of an underground telescope testing tunnel.
Sahagan0 -
...or a gravity wave receiver.... 0 -
Barnes Bullets in Utah has a 100 and 300yd under ground range. they of course had the money to built them out of CMU and then cover then
up. Found out yesterday that My nieghbor has a rimfire range in his basement.0 -
Where will the light on your target come from? 0 -
Cabelas, I think it was, use to have 100 yrd underground sight in range tunnels nade with something like 24" drainage pipe that was T'ed at the target end and a light was placed in the top of the T that shone on the target. The concept seemed good at the time. But in reality it did not work to well. The ridges on the pipe soon become jagged and you could not get a good sight picture after a few hundred rounds had ripped it to shreds. 0 -
just keep in mind that unless you get a fair amount under ground, seasonal changes and sun will still create a mirage effect. I would go 3' deep and use a concrete area with a roof to sheild from sun angle changes, with lights, and a simlar area at the target to be able to access targets as well as change them quickly.
If you go shallow,.I would want lights every 100yds to be able to see the mirage better.0 -
By digging the pit at the end, one could put a light at the target.
What part of the 'ridges' became jagged ? Along the length of the pipe..? And how does that happen ?
Plastic barrels might be an idea..one would have to experiment with joining them with some type glue.
The French drain is also a good idea..I thought about laying a 4" perforated pipe UNDER the barrels, in the bed of gravel..all sloped for a drain.
The business of burying 40 foot van bodies is fascinating.. PLENTY of space there.
The culverts were something I looked into...600 bucks for 30 feet..used. That added up to 6000 bucks just for the pipe...0 -
I've considered a setup like you're talking about,but using concrete pipe.
I was also figuring on placing one of those cheap wireless security cameras down by the target for checking groups.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Txs
I've considered a setup like you're talking about,but using concrete pipe.
I was also figuring on placing one of those cheap wireless security cameras down by the target for checking groups.
dont forget one thing...how ya gonna replace the batteries on a wireless at the end of that narrow tunnel?0 -
One merely digs a 'pit' at EACH end of that tunnel.
An exhaust fan placed at the target end will move enough air to take out gun smoke and the mirage mentioned earlier...I think.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Highball
One merely digs a 'pit' at EACH end of that tunnel.
An exhaust fan placed at the target end will move enough air to take out gun smoke and the mirage mentioned earlier...I think.That was what I had envisioned, dual pits with a decent CFM negative air flow fan.
I was also figuring both pits would need to have some sort of drainage, just in case. French drains sounded like the best route.0 -
I gotta feelin' there is gonna be some interesting dinner conversations after the Tulsa show.[;)][:D] 0 -
Gun vise, lights out...........tracers. [:0]
I like it. [:D][:D]0 -
What you gonna do when some nutty neighbor calls the EPA on you for "lead contamination" ? 0 -
This sounds like a "pipe" dream[:D] 0 -
Make it a walkway from your basement to a Flagpole....about 100 yards away, Drainage culvert below. You have to run a power line out to the floodlight, right? Just include a light and fan circuit underneath. Use 1 foot irrigation/street drainage ribbed plastic pipe, orient the holes down. Dig with a rented trencher, and pave with busted concrete from the dump if you wanna cheap walkway. I did this at a friend's place years ago. Not too much digging, and not too much expense. 0 -
Wilson Barrels in Ct. has an underground 100 yd shooting tube. 0
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