Covered Rifle Range Firing Line

R

rafii@wi.rr.com

New member
A local gun club in SE Wisconsin has formed a committee to investigate the putting a roof (covering) over the firing line of their rifle range. We (the committee that I am part of) are looking for input from shooters, gun clubs and club members who have a similar setup. We are looking at the pro's and con's of doing such an undertaking. And whatever "hind-sight" thoughts and information on what you/club would do or want differently.

Currently the club has a large concrete slab for the firing line. But due to the unpredictable Wisconsin weather many activities can have low turn out or are canceled. Activities ARE scheduled throughout the entire year! The range is used by many shooting disciplines from bench to service rifle. So the design must keep in mind shooting prone, at a bench, or standing.

So if you have any information/thoughts/suggestions/ideas, or other avenues for information please email me. If you have pictures to share of your range setup that would be great too.

Forum Boss, sorry if this is being posted under the wrong forum heading...

Thanks,
Richard
 
Noise

Richard,

Be aware that when you cover the firing line the noise will be sort of captured and you will feel that it has been amplified. If the cleaning area is to be very near, you might want to separate the cleaning area and the firing line for the comfort of those not shooting at the time. It would be similar to the range for the PA1000 club. Someone might be able to forward some photos of their facilities. Also, I realize that cost will be an issue.

Just my thoughts...

Danny
 
this is my club, SR in Iceland, sitting outside is not an option here so we have a house built over our range with openings for each table, all tables work for both left and right handed shooters, we have 18 tables in this house, the range is 300m.

the noise level is high but ear protection is mandatory so that is not a problem.

9876251125_e5851a029f_b.jpg
 
The one thing you

rafii@wi.rr.com said:
A local gun club in SE Wisconsin has formed a committee to investigate the putting a roof (covering) over the firing line of their rifle range. We (the committee that I am part of) are looking for input from shooters, gun clubs and club members who have a similar setup. We are looking at the pro's and con's of doing such an undertaking. And whatever "hind-sight" thoughts and information on what you/club would do or want differently.

Currently the club has a large concrete slab for the firing line. But due to the unpredictable Wisconsin weather many activities can have low turn out or are canceled. Activities ARE scheduled throughout the entire year! The range is used by many shooting disciplines from bench to service rifle. So the design must keep in mind shooting prone, at a bench, or standing.

So if you have any information/thoughts/suggestions/ideas, or other avenues for information please email me. If you have pictures to share of your range setup that would be great too.

Forum Boss, sorry if this is being posted under the wrong forum heading...

Thanks,
Richard
Click to expand...

need to pay a lot of attention to is that the front edge of the roof is far enough in front of the benches. 6 foot minimum from the front of the bench. This will keep most, not all, but most of the rain off the rifles. A gutter system out front would be REAL nice, but not necessary.

As for teh sound issues others have brought up, simple fiberglass insulation stuffed up in the trusses can do the job on dampening sound. Or hanging chunks of carpeting at crazy angles all over teh inside of the roof. The idea is to stop reflected sound and sound that is bouncing around. Also so to get rid of the hard reflective surface of the metal roof. Angles be damned, stop the reflection.. If you are in snow country, you need a steep roof. In warm climes, not so steep.
 
The reason that I asked about direction of fire is that shading requirements differ depending on the direction in which the range is oriented. If you are careful to do your planning properly, you will not end up with a situation like one range that I belong to where the front to back dimension of the roof, combined with its height, result in a complete lack of shade for a good deal of the afternoon. As a general rule, fellows who are experienced with construction may forget that in most cases the plans were drawn by someone with a distinctly different skill set.

A range that I used to belong to has a firing line slab and cover that are 256' x 30'. the firing line/fornts of benches are 8' behind the front edges of the slab and roof, and the front half of the roof is cantilevered, so there are no posts close to the benches. The top of the sheeting of the single pitch roof (high side in on the downrange side) is 13.5' above the slab, which drains from its centerline to the front and back. Roof construction is like a engineered metal building with main frames 25' O.C. and C and Z prulins covered with high rib steel roofing, screwed between every rib throughout. At the end that the picture was taken from there are eight shooting positions without benches, followed by 42 benches. The ones at the far end look different because they have extensions bolted on for black powder slug guns, for an annual state match. The benches are poured in place, monolithic, steel reinforced concrete. I headed the committee that built the range, and have a lot of time in on the project, including the building of the bench forms, and building the benches...with a lot of club member help of course. On this range, the direction of fire is north. Because of my experience building this range, since then, I have taken more than an average interest in the details of range design and construction.


000_0011.jpg
 
dansig said:
this is my club, SR in Iceland, sitting outside is not an option here so we have a house built over our range with openings for each table, all tables work for both left and right handed shooters, we have 18 tables in this house, the range is 300m.

the noise level is high but ear protection is mandatory so that is not a problem.

9876251125_e5851a029f_b.jpg
Click to expand...


Couple of things I notice here :)

As a person who has an indoor shooting facility I applaud your designer, he's approached by far the largest problem, that of vibration, by isolating the benches from the floor. AWESOME! I've done this with several bench setups and the stillness of the tables is absolute.

The stools...... STACKING stools!! Weird but Wonderful solution to the variable ht problem.

The openings are much larger than mine and I'm set up so that most barrels extend outside the building. Bringing a barrel inside the building quadruples the noise. Firing a braked rifle inside the room is insanely loud.

al
 
alinwa said:
Couple of things I notice here :)

As a person who has an indoor shooting facility I applaud your designer, he's approached by far the largest problem, that of vibration, by isolating the benches from the floor. AWESOME! I've done this with several bench setups and the stillness of the tables is absolute.

The stools...... STACKING stools!! Weird but Wonderful solution to the variable ht problem.

The openings are much larger than mine and I'm set up so that most barrels extend outside the building. Bringing a barrel inside the building quadruples the noise. Firing a braked rifle inside the room is insanely loud.

al
Click to expand...

the openings should be smaller as the size can cause problems on windy days, the house is divided in to 3 parts each with 6 tables , rifles with brakes are only allowed in one section, barrels do extend outside, shooting a rifle with the barrel inside is not allowed as the noise level is way to high and powder debris can hit other shooters.
 
dansig said:
this is my club, SR in Iceland, sitting outside is not an option here so we have a house built over our range with openings for each table, all tables work for both left and right handed shooters, we have 18 tables in this house, the range is 300m.

the noise level is high but ear protection is mandatory so that is not a problem.

9876251125_e5851a029f_b.jpg
Click to expand...

Looking at the size of the opening, I see that the designer was thinking of left handed shooters as well as right handed shooters. Allowances were made for standing shooters as well. I might suggest double hung doors to reduce the open area. All in all, I really like your range cover.

Concho Bill
 
Direction of Fire

Boyd Allen said:
What is your direction of fire?
Click to expand...

The existing concrete pad and firing line runs east to west.
And direction of fire is from south to north.

Perfect for those cold Wisconsin mornings!
But this range is very much like a "bowling alley" with berms running parallel to the direction of fire with well established trees at the top.
 
Bill Wynne said:
Looking at the size of the opening, I see that the designer was thinking of left handed shooters as well as right handed shooters. Allowances were made for standing shooters as well. I might suggest double hung doors to reduce the open area. All in all, I really like your range cover.

Concho Bill
Click to expand...

Some good points..... you should have been a Builder!

LOL

As regards the standing position, I purposely designed to disallow it! You wanna' shoot from yer hindfeet on my range you MUST go outside. Still covered, but outdoors. We can line up 30 shooters standing, under cover. But no standup shooting from inside.

al
 
Roof design

Is there any significance to the two standard roof designs: Shed vs. Gable?
And specifically the gable design with a short/steeper section being on the leading edge facing the targets?

Is this better for deflecting rain?
Is this better for dealing with wind driven lift on the roof structure?
Is this better for low sun conditions?

Our range has the firing line running east to west, with the targets to the north, so the sun direction is optimal.
 
alinwa said:
Some good points..... you should have been a Builder!

LOL

As regards the standing position, I purposely designed to disallow it! You wanna' shoot from yer hindfeet on my range you MUST go outside. Still covered, but outdoors. We can line up 30 shooters standing, under cover. But no standup shooting from inside.

al
Click to expand...

I take that as a high complement, Al. And Al, it takes one to know one.

I would sure like to see your range. Why not take some photos?

Bill
 
rafii@wi.rr.com said:
Is there any significance to the two standard roof designs: Shed vs. Gable?
And specifically the gable design with a short/steeper section being on the leading edge facing the targets?

Is this better for deflecting rain?
Is this better for dealing with wind driven lift on the roof structure?
Is this better for low sun conditions?

Our range has the firing line running east to west, with the targets to the north, so the sun direction is optimal.
Click to expand...

The roof over a firing line has two purposes: 1. To keep the sun off of the shooters. 2. To keep the rain off of the shooters. The shead roof design might be slighty easier to build, depending on what materials you choose. With your range shooting north I would sloop your roof so the rain runs off on the
down hill side.

Wood would be a bit quieter than steel but it would need more upkeep.

Brace your structure well because either design is areodynamicly designed to fly.

Good luck with your project.

Bill
 
Check your pm's. I sent you the name and phone number of a fellow to contact. HE Has a range close enough to you to visit and I think he would be happy to help out. Then you can see for yourself just what it is.
Lonnie
 
If open sides then a significant pitch down to the rear seems to help bounce the noise away from the shooters too.
 
Zoning

Be careful about getting required permits. I've been astounded at the hoops we've had to jump through at our rural range every time we want to pour a slab or repair a roof. Anti-gun county officials come out of the wood work at the sound of a circular saw.
 
Being in a hurry

and not having read this thread thoroughly I will add, though it may be redundant, one area to pay attention to is metal roofs. They tend to sweat sometimes, causing a mess in the shooting area. Insulating them or hanging poly under them might go a long way toward keeping things dry. Regarding noise; I have always used both ear plugs and ear coverings when I have shot CF rifles. I don't see noise as being a detriment to anything. My hearing @ 69 is still quite good, better than most of my peers I believe. Double it up and save your hearing if it isn't too late.

Roof systems need to be chosen carefully. I learned when living in the tropics years ago that long eaves slanted properly are a wonderful thing. That lesson seems to be lost on most of the US. Long eaves and louvers are great stuff.

Pete
 
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