Indoor Range Safety Requirements

[Mike357]

If one was thinking about building an indoor range up to 44 mag standard, are there any written standards for the building construction and that of the lining/backstop?

[Sim G]

Our indoor range was built about 15 years ago. Our limits are 1730 fps or 475 ftlbs of muzzle energy, which ever is the greater. We have a steel plate backstop with a simtex (or whatever it's called) curtain. Thee is also a "baffle" system on the ceiling that prevents, in theory, NDs exiting the range through the ceiling. We only use cast lead bullet and ball, except for copper washed rimfire. Is that the sort of thing you're looking into to?

I'll have a word with some of the old parts and see if there is a specs sheet/requirement written somewhere. Failing that, I'm sure someone will know who you need to speak to...

[dromia]

Sounds pretty much like ours.

These range limits are less than full stoke 44 Mag can generate so a general pistol calibre rule is meaningless.

If you want to shoot full 44 Mag then the back stop would need to be near three times the 475 ft/lbs that seems standard.

[majordisorder]

I've just started hunting around for a company to quote for a new 25m range fit out. When I get some figures I'll post them up.

[Sim G]

Sounds pretty much like ours.

These range limits are less than full stoke 44 Mag can generate so a general pistol calibre rule is meaningless.

If you want to shoot full 44 Mag then the back stop would need to be near three times the 475 ft/lbs that seems standard.

I'm led to believe that our backstop is capable of stopping upto 7.62 NATO as it was formerly on a police range and rifle calibers were used regularly for testing and zeroing, however, the curtain can't take anything greater coming back through it and bullet jackets shred it....

Nothing to categorically say such, just range talk over brews.

Oh, and we can only use .177 air weapons as .22 bounce back!

[dromia]

We put moveable plastic curtains in front of the linotex for the pfittt-dingers to stop the bounce back.

Regardless of what the back stop might take, the ammunition used must be within the range certificate limits.

[hitchphil]

Its all based on the contents of JSP 403 as MoD land are the competent authority for small arms & range specification.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... ges-safety

[Gaz]

There is a NRA/NSRA range construction manual available from the NSRA shop. It's a copy-and-paste from JSP403 but some bits are less restrictive than the military manual.

[Mike357]

Thank you everybody inc IanWR for the PM.

Anybody have experience of granulated rubber bullet catchers?

[mr smith]

They use the rubbery stuff down at RM Condor.