setting up a range in my backyard

[sbcrockett]

Living in a small two bedroom home, I don't have any considerable distance to do any indoor shooting, maybe 9 yards. Plus, I KNOW my wife wouldn't be cool with shooting across our living room and kitchen. But I do have a decent sized backyard, so...

I have a few questions about the best way to approach this. I live just south of Seattle, which you can imagine isn't the most gun friendly place. Fortunately in the city I live in, our municipal code doesn't outright prohibit airgun shooting. It only says it's unlawful to fire any airgun at a person or anothers property. It's vague, I know, but my understanding that if a gun isn't doing anyone any harm and it's done in your backyard it should be legal. I think they leave the definition so loose so they can nail you for anything if they want, but I plan on asking a sheriff next time I see one on the street.

My biggest problem is that I live on a corner lot and the backyard is completely visible on the longest side of my property. Anyone driving by and seeing me with my carbine 1377 scoped "assault rifle" could potentially freak and call the cops. Hell, the hippies that live kiddie-corner behind me might hear the pumping and firing sounds and call the police just for that.

In any case, my neighbor directly behind me is going to build a fence this year so at least I'll have more privacy and a secondary berm to stop any stray shots. I was thinking of 3/4 inch plywood as a backdrop to some pellet traps and marking out a range from 10-25 yds. I don't really even have a good place right now to sight in my scope. 

Have any of you guys tackled this? Any ideas or suggestions are much appreciated. What are your thoughts on the legal issues or potential problems arising with curious/freaked out neighbors and how to deal with police calls?

[RC1947]

I set up a 5m range down cellar.  3/4" plywood makes a strong backing, though I would suggest layering it with  about an inch thick of duct seal, available in the electrical section of those big box stores.  It will absorb the pellets before hitting the plywood.  One thing you don't want is ricochets, and lower velocity airguns can easily ricochet off plywood.  I used a larger sized circuit-breaker box, lined the back with 3/4" plywood, and the duct seal.  At this point, there's probably as much lead as duct seal, since that's where I do the majority of my shooting. It's wonderful stuff for pellet traps. RC

[1377x]

if you are worried about sight in strays.if you can hang an old blanket/rug behind your stop.i found if it can stop a bullet it can definitely stop a pellet from bouncing around
ask your wife ,wait til she leaves set up a quick indoor range.use it to get on paper ,close to your zero and then move outside at least then you know all your pellets are going to hit the target and not stray
im lucky to have good neighbors.i went over to their house and told them i shoot nutters out of their tree from time to time,it is a nutter hiway to my roof,not good.i cut the branches that were directly over my roof,it was the funniest thing to watch the nutters running along a branch they used as a hiway now its no longer there.they would fall straight down with a loud thud,then look around like wtf happened looking back up at the branch and roof.now they fall from the higher branches onto the roof.
anywho
if you can add a ldc to your gun then the neighbors wont hear the shot unless they are specifically listening for it.the pumping is another story there is something you can do to quiet the noise a little add felt to the pumparm is one .there is a few threads here discussing that and the different options

[Xgecko]

I have a similar problem, my house is also on a corner but I'm on a hill and I have an alcove between the hill my garage and the foundation of my neighbors garage. Right now I have a Winchester spinning metal target and I am fabricating a trap for Paper targets.  I can shoot (downhill) out my kitchen window at about 15m or from the lee of the hill and my house and 5m and 10m

[Crosshairs]

Maybe you can set up a small tent this would also keep you cool from the hot sun.
              Mike

[sbcrockett]

Maybe you can set up a small tent this would also keep you cool from the hot sun.
              Mike

it's funny you mention this Mike, because I had a similar thought about shooting from inside (of behind) my backyard shed. I'm not overly concerned about stray shots, the gun shoots pretty accurately as it is. But what worries me are certain neighbors reporting occassional airgun fire! My kids also have an old little plastic Playskool house that I was planning on using as cover for possibly taking some crows, once I get my accuracy up, as well as my nerve...

Hey Ed, I hung a blanket up in the basement like you said and mocked up a homemade trap and have successfully been using my own little 5m range! I even gave the kids their first exposure to gun safety and first shots. Each of them had a grouping of one and a half inches with 3 shots! They're naturals! Best part is, I got permission from my beautiful wife! Her first airgun lesson is coming after dinner. 

[RC1947]

It's important to have a place to shoot, and it sound's like you've made it fun too.  Good deal. RC

[Fronzdan]

I'm actually looking to buy a new house with outdoor range possibilities in mind. 

I'm thinking you want to be firing towards your house or your gaRage.  Definitely don't do it in the direction of a neighbor, even with a good backstop.  I know my current neighbor would blow a gasket if anything was pointed in his direction.

[Tater]

As others have said, a duct-seal filled target is probably your best option. The pellets hit it so silently that you really only the paper getting hit. Much better for you than the loud thwack of a pellet hitting plywood if there are noisy neighbors around.
I'm in a townhouse and have to shoot from inside the family room and out the sliding glass door (pesting). Much less noise and no one can see me.

[pirouge]

I live in a downstairs apt. in a small rural town and had pretty much the same problem, what I done was take a milk crate, scrounged up a discarded road sign (steel) cut a piece out to fit inside the bottom, used old carpet to deaden the sound & prevent ricochets held it all together with plastic tie wraps, I use a card board piece for the front for paper targets, set it up  on a step ladder and walla, a cheap portable pellet trap. I set up a "bench" using 8 cinder blocks plus a 18" cement stepping stone for a top, now I have 10m of range and no ones complained, as a matter of fact, my neighbor now shoots with me.