I need a berm

DrScaryGuy

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I would really like to shoot in my yard.
I could shoot at close range, downwards, into steel targets, and not miss... and be perfectly safe (which i've done a few times) - but it's making the neighbors nervous. They're not wrong... while there aren't a LOT of houses around, there are some.
I'd like to get a berm up.

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This is roughly what I'm working with. the problem is there are some trees here and there.
Maybe my best bet is to shoot from the north side (under that tree) pas the pool and over into the corner.
I'd have to clear some tall trees and build a berm back there...

Anybody have any ideas on how I could make this work and what it might cost?
I'm outside fayetteville, if that makes a difference.

If I have to cut a small path in the trees and build a small berm and walk through the mosquito woods... maybe I could probably deal with that.
 
I would really like to shoot in my yard.
I could shoot at close range, downwards, into steel targets, and not miss... and be perfectly safe (which i've done a few times) - but it's making the neighbors nervous. They're not wrong... while there aren't a LOT of houses around, there are some.
I'd like to get a berm up.

View attachment 170238
This is roughly what I'm working with. the problem is there are some trees here and there.
Maybe my best bet is to shoot from the north side (under that tree) pas the pool and over into the corner.
I'd have to clear some tall trees and build a berm back there...

Anybody have any ideas on how I could make this work and what it might cost?
I'm outside fayetteville, if that makes a difference.

If I have to cut a small path in the trees and build a small berm and walk through the mosquito woods... maybe I could probably deal with that.
A guy at Jim's told me you can get a couple of loads of dirt placed for less than $100. He said it will make a berm about 7 feet high.
This was for Scotland County, though, so I have no idea what it costs up your way. I'm looking at doing this on my cousin's land once I run it by him.
 
When I lived in Nash county, many years ago, I cut several sweet gum trees into logs about 8' long. Set 2 posts and stacked the logs against them for a berm. I did flatten the sides so they would stack better, and I would have a flat surface to place targets.
Admittedly not the best, and I had to rebuild it one the logs rotted, but it would stop a 30-06.
Better than the pile of fort one idiot was using, I found a 38 or 9mm FMJ after it broke the storm window of my daughter's second story bedroom. Bullet did not break regular window.
called police and they tracked it down to someone shooting into a small pile of dirt about a half mile away.
CF
 
Call NCDOT. Lots of times they have waste dirt they’ll give you. Also if there’s any clearing or grading near you check with those contractors. I’ve got folks in Greensboro on construction sites I inspect trying to give dirt away all the time.
 
you can get a couple of loads of dirt placed for less than $100. He said it will make a berm about 7 feet high.
Dirt around Charlotte can be anywhere from $50-$200 per load, depending upon distance form the source and quality of the dirt. A single load from a 15CY tandem will make a pile approx. 10x10x5' tall in a mound shape. And that will be loosely placed, not compacted.

The trick with building a berm that many don't realize is just how much dirt it requires to build anything remotely safe. Some will try digging down into the ground to source the dirt, but then you're left with a drainage problem at the end of the pit.

Another challenge is many counties have ordinances about shooting XXX-distance from any dwelling structure. Meck County is 500' (or maybe 900'...I can't remember). This will include your own dwelling structure. It's not a big deal until an unhappy neighbor calls in on you and you get found out. Might want to check your county (and city, if applicable) ordinances. Many of them can be found here: https://library.municode.com/
 
Call NCDOT. Lots of times they have waste dirt they’ll give you. Also if there’s any clearing or grading near you check with those contractors. I’ve got folks in Greensboro on construction sites I inspect trying to give dirt away all the time.

Made me laugh a little when I read "inspect".:D
 
I've seen pics of your setup Billy... is there any bounceback, or do bullets just fall to the base of the tires, or?
 
We use old tires here. They weigh about 600 pounds each. We stack them 5 high. If you put them back in the edge of the woods they are almost invisible. We have not found any civilian firearm that will penetrate them. And they are FREE!!!

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You might also check your county laws or policies. Some have to be so far from an occupied structure.
 
We use old tires here. They weigh about 600 pounds each. We stack them 5 high. If you put them back in the edge of the woods they are almost invisible. We have not found any civilian firearm that will penetrate them. And they are FREE!!!
Where’s the best place to get the larger tires?
 
Where’s the best place to get the larger tires?
There are large tire recyclers around, I know of a huge one in Concord. They chew them up and some sell the mulch. They will also sell larger Ag type tires to crossfit gyms for "flipping" purposes.

to the OP, I've been there done that man. I built a berm at our current house until they stacked houses around me like cordwood. I eventually just bought land and built a nice range away from my home. Easier to deal with than neighbors....
 
You'll want to go the extra mile to be safe. I think I remember someone on here using railroad ties to support a berm though I don't remember how he did it. I know a lot of guys shoot from a slightly elevated position.

Most towns have rules for how high, wide, and thick a berm has to be if you are in city limits.
 
well, i used power line poles.
~20 years ago, PEMC came around and pulled out the old creosote poles.
i asked if they could drop off 4 next to my driveway which i cut into 5-foot lengths
and stacked them to provide a "function-check" backstop. so far, so good.
 
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I've seen pics of your setup Billy... is there any bounceback, or do bullets just fall to the base of the tires, or?
0 problem thus far in. Some stick in, most are captured. Nothing bounced back Yet...
Where’s the best place to get the larger tires?
Go to any place that sells and mounts them, they have to Pay to get rid of them. They will gladly deliver for free.
My uncle built a backstop out of railroad ties and it works great
We are still using the one we did 15 years ago up at the house. Still works perfectly.
 
You can also use old rail road ties and build yourself a backstop.

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These work good And they Look good. We have a 15 year old one here still in operation. We Have shot it with stuff that will go through a double section. Not shot through a triple section turned on sides and laid 3 wide.....yet.
 
These work good And they Look good. We have a 15 year old one here still in operation. We Have shot it with stuff that will go through a double section. Not shot through a triple section turned on sides and laid 3 wide.....yet.

My brother in law and I built one on my Mother in laws property. We went 2 deep and it really soaks stuff up. We put a layer of sand between the 2 layers. Nothing we have shot into it has escaped. :D
 
Well I've got a source for free car tires, a bit smaller but I don't need Battery Oaks, just a plinking bay. Where does one even get railroad ties without dropping massive sacks of shekels anymore?
 
Well I've got a source for free car tires, a bit smaller but I don't need Battery Oaks, just a plinking bay. Where does one even get railroad ties without dropping massive sacks of shekels anymore?
That was one of my concerns too. if they're ~9x7" wide 8 feet long, you'd need at 11-14 to get 8 feet high, plus maybe 4 more on the ends to hold them upright. so that's 15-18. when I looked there were going at $15 each. so up to $225-$270 for a single layer, only 8 feet across. And I'd either have to pay for delivery or pay for a lot of beer and pizza to find a few guys with trucks willing to help transport and stack.
And as wvsig showed... you should have more. looks like even the little one (5' 1/2" tall) is going to run minimum $420.

Maybe I can find a lumber yard around selling split/imperfect/warped that they can't use for anything else...
 
They can be found around here laying by the tracks when replaced BUT they are heavy, hard to get to, and Heavy.
Tires are Free.....

I guess if I do a couple of car tires deep and interlace them so there's no gaps front to back that should stop pretty much anything I'll be shooting, right?
 
The last time I built a berm, I did something similar to what @wvsig showed in his photos, lined the back with two rows of car tires, filled them with dirt and filled the whole thing with dirt about 1/2 way full.
Absolutely nothing made it through.
 
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