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4 Factors to Consider When Setting Up a Practice Shooting Area in Your Backyard

A practice spot for shooting is ideal for the backyard, as it allows for plenty of space to perfect your skills. Before turning your backyard into a gun range, however, there are several key factors to consider. Not just any space will do, as necessary precautions need to be made in order to ensure you have a safe space to shoot without repercussions.

Having the Proper Grass Bed for Traction

The proper grass bed in your yard will help provide the right amount of traction while shooting. If your yard is not up to par, you may need to buy some grass seed and get it into better shape before it can be used appropriately. You also do not want overgrown grass and weeds that could make it difficult to find your bullets, especially while in the initial stages of setting up your layout and configuring where overshots could end up. Well-maintained grass is key.

Configuring Where Overshots Might End Up

Your shots will not all make it to their intended targets. You need to be sure to configure where any overshots might end up. If there are neighbors nearby, your yard may not be an ideal choice for a shooting range. There needs to be plenty of lawn space in order to have a large enough practice area.

You can configure overshots by using practice bullets that will not cause damage. Take your shots and see where any bullets land. This allows you to find and set a perimeter to mark off during your layout setup.

Setting Up the Right Layout

The right layout plays a major role in helping to configure where overshots could land. An open field would allow bullets to zoom through the space without anything stopping them. This could result in them landing farther away than you anticipated. A backstop is usually recommended so that it can put a stop to any traveling bullets and ensure they do not go farther than where you want them to.

Compacted soil covered by earthen material is best to use to make a backstop. Steel bullet traps also exist that you could place in the area instead. You could also create a berm that essentially acts as a wall to stop bullets. Eight feet is the recommended height, although you can make it shorter if you need to.

Type of Gun Used

The type of gun you intend on using plays a small role in how you will set up your range. If you simply want to shoot off a few rounds with your new concealed carry gun, you may not need a long range of motion. These guns are primarily used for protection. If you plan on hunting with a rifle, you will want to practice shooting at longer ranges as you may need to shoot a buck from 20 yards away. No matter which gun you plan on using, you will still want to be sure there is plenty of space to do so, and practice as often as you can to get the hang of using it correctly.

Setting up a practice shooting area in your yard may sound like a great idea, but it is only so if you keep the proper considerations in mind. Set up the right layout, configure where overshots might end up, have the proper grass bed for traction, and consider the type of gun you’ll be practicing with, and you will actually have a shooting area that is worthwhile. The goal is to create a safe place where you can perfect your skills to use later on down the road.

Kevin Paulson

Kevin Paulson is the Founder and CEO of HuntingLife.com. His passion for Hunting began at the age of 5 hunting alongside of his father. Kevin has followed his dreams through outfitting, conservation work, videography and hunting trips around the world.

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One Comment

  1. Great read Kevin!

    I like how you pointed out about the overshots. Its important to shoot in the safe zone because that hobby can soon turn into prison time and there are many people who set their targets, maybe place a few hay bales around them and start firing away. Stray bullets are a dangerous thing.

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