Suggestions on indoor airsoft/BB range

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  • cwalker3

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 3, 2010
    1,942
    Forest Hill, Harford County
    I have a building on my property that I used to use as my shop abd would like to convert it to a range for my grandsons. The area to be used is about 30' x 30'. Walls are sheetrock up to 8' with four windows. I'm going to hang Masonite over the windows. My question is how to protect about 15' of wall at the back of the range. I don't want to destroy the sheetrock by shooting it full of .177 holes but I'm not really sure what to use as a backstop. And I would also like to incorporate some sort of way to trap all of the BB's.

    One idea I seen on the net was old carpet or canvas. I do know where I can get an old canvas drop cloth but how to hang it? If it's too close to the wall then I'll still have to deal with ricochets. Too far off the wall and you have to come up with ways to hang a pretty heavy piece of cloth 12" from the wall. And then how to funnel the BB's into buckets, troughs, etc.

    And ideas you guys can throw out there would be great. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

    Edited to throw out one I just thought of. I'm thinking of using one of those blue polyethylene tarps. I can use curtain rod hangers to suspend it off of the wall. To catch the BB's, I'm thinking I could fold up the bottom of the tarp, higher at one end and lower at the other. At the lower end I'd put a 5 gallon bucket that the BB's could drain into. What do you think? Would the BB's hit the tarp and then just fall to the bottom or would the bounce off or even go though? I'd limit the power that they could shoot at. No more than 400 fps.
     

    ken792

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 2, 2011
    4,480
    Fairfax, VA
    Use airsoft instead of metal .177 BB's. Canvas with a few inches of standoff from the wall will protect it just fine. Pull up the bottom of the cloth (so it's J shaped) so that the BB's hit the cloth, and fall down onto the part pulled up. You can hang it wherever convenient, and then put a piece of wood underneath it to space it further from the wall.
     

    cwalker3

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 3, 2010
    1,942
    Forest Hill, Harford County
    Use airsoft instead of metal .177 BB's. Canvas with a few inches of standoff from the wall will protect it just fine. Pull up the bottom of the cloth (so it's J shaped) so that the BB's hit the cloth, and fall down onto the part pulled up. You can hang it wherever convenient, and then put a piece of wood underneath it to space it further from the wall.

    Ken792, I think we're on the same page regarding how to install the canvas. I am looking for something that can be used on BB's as well as airsoft since they have both types of guns.you don't think a heavy canvas would stop a BB?

    Blacksmith101, thanks for the links.
     

    ken792

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 2, 2011
    4,480
    Fairfax, VA
    Ken792, I think we're on the same page regarding how to install the canvas. I am looking for something that can be used on BB's as well as airsoft since they have both types of guns.you don't think a heavy canvas would stop a BB?

    Blacksmith101, thanks for the links.

    If it's something like a Red Ryder, the canvas should be fine. If it's one of those pump BB guns like a Benjamin, then multiple pumps should allow a BB to punch through. You could probably use old curtains if they're heavy enough.
     

    cwalker3

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 3, 2010
    1,942
    Forest Hill, Harford County
    Well I think I have a plan. Instead of draping some type of cloth as a backdrop I'm going to use several pieces of 2' x 4' MDF board covered in 1/2' polyurethane foam. I already have the MDF and the foam is fairly cheap. The BB's will hopefully imbed themselves into the foam or hit it and fall straight down. I'm thinking of fabricating a cheap catch basin for the BB's by sitting the MDF into plastic wallpaper trays. I think this will work.
     

    Mike OTDP

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2008
    3,319
    How big of an area are you trying to protect? The carpet trick will work OK, but once the kids learn how to shoot moderately well, a straightforward pellet trap that is no larger than 1x1 ft will do nicely. Buy one commercially, put it on a shelf at a suitable height. I use a similar setup at home, except the trap is in a bookcase.
     

    DC-W

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 23, 2013
    25,290
    ️‍
    You'll have to post pictures when you're all done. Sounds like a really great project.
     

    Silverback

    I like knives
    Jan 27, 2015
    2
    Kind of in the middle
    How big of an area are you trying to protect? The carpet trick will work OK, but once the kids learn how to shoot moderately well, a straightforward pellet trap that is no larger than 1x1 ft will do nicely. Buy one commercially, put it on a shelf at a suitable height. I use a similar setup at home, except the trap is in a bookcase.

    That's what I was wondering. I built a silent pellet trap (plywood case, layer of steel and then 5-10# of ductseal) and have it set in one corner of the basement, that thing will stop anything, even my magnum pellet guns and a couple of PCP's (I've tested it outside and it stops 22LR no problem), and I haven't missed it yet, even sighting in a new scope (I start about 15' out and get it close, and in a few shots I'm dialing in the longest run I can get in the basement, >50'.

    I would worry a bit about ricochets off of the MDF. Lots of good pellet rifles (and even decent BB guns) will go through the foam like it wasn't there (at one point I found that even a >foot of foam won't do much to stop some of them), and the hard pressed surface of the MDF might be just enough to cause it to bounce, and then come back through the foam
     

    john_bud

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 23, 2009
    2,045
    I would get some used (free) carpet and hang that from the ceiling in front of the rock. With a second layer in high probability areas close to the target. Then again, 2-3 sheets of pressboard behind the carpet would be even better, but more $.

    Target box about2'x2' made from 1/2" or better plywood with an sheet of 14-16ga steel on it and then 3-4 layers of carpet. Bullets hit carpet, are stopped. When carpet wears, the steel stops them, carpet stops bounce back.


    Just off the cuff, some "refinement" may be good!
     

    tomandjerry00

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 12, 2013
    1,744
    My trap (which stops 900 fps 22) is simply a liquor box filled with rubber mulch. Works fantastic and easy to reclaim bb's when done.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    Shamr0ck

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 6, 2011
    2,505
    Frederick
    My daughter shoots competitvely and we put her target on an adjustable shelf which can accommodate kneeling or shooting off a bench.

    The box was purchased from archer air guns. Http://archerairguns.com. I bought one as I sold my tools when we moved, but with the right tools it wouldn't take long or much in materials to make a comparable solution.

    It is a simple box made from 1x lumber which is either 10 or 12" deep and has a slotted front opening to take a piece of Masonite and target. I filled the back of the box with 12 pounds of electricians putty to stop the pellets. We put two traps on the shelf so she can shoot 20 bulls eyes before needed to switch targets.

    Masonite is easy to replace when needed and the putty is easy to source and not expensive either


    ---
    Shamr0ck
     

    JoeRinMD

    Rifleman
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,014
    AA County
    The box was purchased from archer air guns. Http://archerairguns.com.

    It is a simple box made from 1x lumber which is either 10 or 12" deep and has a slotted front opening to take a piece of Masonite and target. I filled the back of the box with 12 pounds of electricians putty to stop the pellets. We put two traps on the shelf so she can shoot 20 bulls eyes before needed to switch targets.


    I made one like the link above, but used 3/4" MDF for the shell. Like Shamr0ck, I made it for 2 clipboards so 2 normal office paper targets can be hung at the same time. Filled with about 6 lbs of duct-seal, the pellets embed themselves in the soft sticky backing. It's plenty strong for a target airgun. I'm not sure how it would be if a high-powered hunting airgun were shooting into it. The only problem is that it's heavy!! In my basement, I can put it on a milk-crate or the workbench and be able to shoot at 10 meters.

    JoeR
     

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