Pistol range design

Shark1007 · #1 09-20-2015, 05:28 PM

I've been AWOL for a while now with a few medical speed bumps. Wife and I are downsizing, selling the lake house on lake Conway in Orlando and we bought a short sale/bank repo in Sanford. The place has 2.5 acres, a guest house, separate 3 car garage and we have room to build a 30xx80 pole barn.

My neighbor that owns the 7.5 acres adjacent to me (only neighbor around) is a gun guy and he owns the low-land that would be behind the pole barn, running parallel to the property. He and I have discussed a small range and I'm thinking he may let me build it on his property (the low area) and may share expenses.

I'm thinking 100 foot range, dirt backstop with some tires with three enclosed sides and space for steel and multiple targets. One old man down the street bitched that my neighbor was shooting a while back and Seminole S.O. came out and said "he can, go back home"

Any thoughts, plans, sources? I'm having more back surgeries and a place to plink with .22's while recovering would make the time pass nicely. The guy that will build the pole barn has a bobcat and is extremely capable.

Thanks in advance.

skosh69 · #2 09-20-2015, 06:17 PM

Sorry to hear of your medical woes.

Congrats on he new house.

I would check out "Hickock45" on youtube for range layout ideas. He has a pretty cool home range.

milkmanjoe · #3 09-20-2015, 07:51 PM

You can get some pretty cool .22 plinking metal targets from BassPro. I wouldn't use tires in the backstop....bullets can ricochet off them. I use dirt, sand, wood. Hope you heal and feel better.

pitor · #4 09-21-2015, 11:10 PM

Hey shark, it's been a while sir. Hope your health is on the mend. I'm also from Orlando. Where in Sanford did you move? Congrats on the new property and yeah for gun friendly neighbors that like shooting on property :-) best wishes in your upcoming back surgery, take it really easy and rest a lot. Do not mess with your back's recovery.

Shark1007 · #5 09-23-2015, 08:59 AM

Thanks for the thoughts. I may be a bad patient who's struggling with doing the right thing. I told the doc the other day that back in the day I was the guy that would climb a tree and enter a house after an armed burglary suspect when I was po-po. Then, after being shot and retiring from that, I was a trial lawyer for 3 decades who handled the most complicated cases imaginable and loved it. It's more difficult that I ever imagined to "chill" I still think I'm a 30 year old powerlifter. After they fused my neck, I developed a pesky habit of falling backwards every time I close my eyes.

The house is off Longwood Markham road, down at the dead end of a private drive. 2.5 acres, tons of oaks etc. We bought it right before the bank auction. It has a guest house, second house, giant 3 car garage 32 deep and the prior owner had a paver business. He built the house in a flood zone and had to jack the place up 5 feet. After his bankruptcy he used the place for 6 years as a dump site. It took 20 thirty yard dumpsters to do the clean up and 100 pallets of sod. We added a wrap around porch and a "cargo lift" outside elevator.

A fishing buddy installed a bullet proof 250 pound steel bullet proof jail door at side entry of the garage, ball bearing hinges, etc. It will be the gun room to end all gun rooms I hope.

Holler if you get time, I'll give you the tour.