Ground Rubber Backstops

Bill Wynne

Bill Wynne

Active member
I am considering outdoor rifle and pistol backstops.

Has anyone used an outdoor range that has a shredded rubber backstop?

I would really like to know what you think of this system, pro and con. What other type of backstop system do you prefer?

I know there is a wealth of information combined in this group of serious shooters.

Thanks,

Concho Bill
 
what little i know...
one of my customers has an indoor range and switched to ground rubber for thier back stop.
you can recover spent bullets..which have recyle value....at a cost...

the stuff falls forward and must be constantly put back "up"...not a big deal.
when ready to recover, the upper material is removed, the lower layer is vacuumed up..the lead and copper stays and is cleaned up last.

outdoor i would think some base layer of material would be needed to keep the dirt and rubber from mixing..or maybe not an issue.

replacement material is needed to refresh losses.

mike in co
 
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Thanks Mike, for your reply.

This system looks like one of the best. It looks like it would have very few or no ricochets and lead recovery would be fairly simple. I believe that at some point in time we will be required to have good cleanup systems for our ranges. I have never seen a range with this system. It might be too expensive to consider or it might be a value when you consider recycling the lead.

Bill
 
In my research sand came out better. One real problem with rubber is cavitation, it just doesn't flow back into the voids like sand.
 
I sometimes shoot in an indoor facility that has, in addition to two ranges reserved for law enforcement, a public pistol range, nine benches for shooting up to 50 yards, and nine more for shooting up to 100 meters. Centerfire rifle is allowed on the 100 meter range.

www.wakegov.com/sheriff/services/firingrange/Pages/About-the-center.aspx

They use the ground rubber backups for all ranges. Can't be too expensive to maintain, they're always grumbling about the cost of cardboard & wood for frames.
 
In my research I found that generally the rubber is used where the range is set up (poorly) such that you can't access the stop area with machinery. Rubber is lighter to handle. Also rubber can be used in a shorter space, shows lower head pressure and is easier to contain and depending on locale "sand" can mean different things. Around here we've dredgings that aren't too dusty and will stop a bullet without it breaking up, generally. Speaking of which, SAFETY is always a concern and it is generally understood that RUBBER when using LEAD cast bullets generates less lead dust.

BTW Pea gravel is not an acceptable substitute!!!! Pea gravel WILL yield poppers.

The NRA Range Manual is now available on disc http://www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/sourcebook.asp

al
 
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