Looking for a place to shoot an air rifle

Jack Aztecs · Jun 11, 2011

Any good places to shoot an air rifle near HoCo?

Recently bought my 10 yr old an air rifle, but am having trouble finding a place near Howard county to do some outdoors plinking. I thought Fort Meade might have something, but no-go... Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Anubis · Jun 11, 2011

Whats wrong with your back yard?

HardHatMan · Jun 11, 2011

Do you have a basement? Phone books are good backstops.

Markp · Jun 11, 2011

Backyard, aimed at neighbors windows... Nice reactive target.

JSW · Jun 11, 2011

What You live in Howard County and You dare to buy a child a weapon as dangerous as an Air Rifle , Sounds like you need to be re-educated in how to bring up a CHILD. :sarcasm:

just my .02 great job!!! now have the post office help you call and order(free) some of the flat rate shipping boxes. they come folded flat in a larger box, I tape or staple the target to the outside and shoot away the boxes capture the pellets without any problem. Other than that enjoy it

Jack Aztecs · Jun 11, 2011

HardHatMan said:
Do you have a basement? Phone books are good backstops.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately my basement layout does not allow for enough standoff. I was really looking for something outdoors.

HarCo2ANewb · Jun 11, 2011

My dad built a pellet trap for us when we were that age, the front was about 12" wide and about 20" tall. It sloped back at around a 45 degree angle and the inside back piece was covered in galvanized mending plates to deflect the pellets into the bottom of it that had an inch or two of sand. We would staple gun some cardboard over the opening and put up our targets. If you are interested, I can see if he still has the plans.

Markp · Jun 11, 2011

HarCo2ANewb said:
My dad built a pellet trap for us when we were that age, the front was about 12" wide and about 20" tall. It sloped back at around a 45 degree angle and the inside back piece was covered in galvanized mending plates to deflect the pellets into the bottom of it that had an inch or two of sand. We would staple gun some cardboard over the opening and put up our targets. If you are interested, I can see if he still has the plans.

Easy to build a pellet trap, and provided this thing isn't one of those 1000 fps .22 air rifles you can get away with 3/4" oak plywood sloped at a 45 degree angle, if you are really paranoid place a layer of sheet metal over it... The pellets will land harmlessly in the dirt below... you can even use a 4'x8' sheet if you want a huge backstop. Add a few 2x4's and you're done. The really paranoid will get a bunch of soil and layer it over the back of the backstop.

To be honest, I don't think that even the 1000 fps .22 air rifles will penetrate 3/4" oak ply at a 45 degree angle... I would be really surprised if that were the case.

Mark

Auckland · Jun 11, 2011

HarCo2ANewb said:
My dad built a pellet trap for us when we were that age, the front was about 12" wide and about 20" tall. It sloped back at around a 45 degree angle and the inside back piece was covered in galvanized mending plates to deflect the pellets into the bottom of it that had an inch or two of sand. We would staple gun some cardboard over the opening and put up our targets. If you are interested, I can see if he still has the plans.

They sell these at WalMart now.

damifinowfish · Jun 11, 2011

Look into the AGC
They have an indoor air rifle range.
All the Junior programs shoot inside over the winter.

Check out this web sit for information on a Juniors program

www.arlingtorpc.org

Winged Pig · Jun 12, 2011

Basement/garage/backyard air rifle/pistol shooting works great. No drive time so no cost for gas and you can be ready to shoot in less than five minutes. I built a silent trap out of some wood scraps and about seven pounds of duct seal and use a clip board with the center cut out to hold the targets. Do a search and You can find lots of info on them.

Great way to practice and have fun.

rj1974 · Jun 12, 2011

When i was a kid my father just fill a box with old sheets and we shot in the basement , in the back yard we had 2 hay bales stacked up.

cobra · Jun 12, 2011

We have enough space outside to practice. Much depends on how your neighbors feel when seeing a air rifle being shot near their house.
Sometimes a little PR work is needed to put them at ease about what your doing.
I just have a 4'x4' peice of 3/4" plywood as a backstop.
4-5 cardboard boxs bailed to the front of it. Targets stapled right to the cardboard. Or cans what not as targets set in front.

Ben · Jun 12, 2011

I've been looking for legal restrictions on air guns, here in the Nanny State, and haven't found any that would apply. Does that mean the only restrictions would be in municipal or county ordinances?

Jack Aztecs · Jun 12, 2011

damifinowfish said:
Look into the AGC
They have an indoor air rifle range.
All the Junior programs shoot inside over the winter.

Check out this web sit for information on a Juniors program

www.arlingtorpc.org

Thanks for the information - looks like joining a club is my best course of action.

Jack Aztecs · Jun 12, 2011

Ben said:
I've been looking for legal restrictions on air guns, here in the Nanny State, and haven't found any that would apply. Does that mean the only restrictions would be in municipal or county ordinances?

Yes, and the local laws can be very restrictive. In many cases air rifles are treated the same as firearms.

MikeTF · Jun 12, 2011

The Damascus Izaak Walton League has an outstanding air rifle program: a nice out of doors range and indoor pistol shooting range.

Jack Aztecs · Jun 12, 2011

Thanks for all the great advice. For now I have staked out a spot in the basement that has about 15 meters of range (through the guest bedroom, but hey it works!). Guess I'll join a club that shoots at the range in Marriottsville - looks like there are several good choices...

Mason-Dixon Baseball · Jun 15, 2011

Jack Aztecs said:
Thanks for all the great advice. For now I have staked out a spot in the basement that has about 15 meters of range (through the guest bedroom, but hey it works!). Guess I'll join a club that shoots at the range in Marriottsville - looks like there are several good choices...

15 meters is plenty! Air rifle competitions are normally at 10 meters....

Hay bales are 5 bucks each and 4 stacked in your backyard would give you a huge backdrop... I'd suggest trying to work out something in your yard-- who wants to get in a car and drive 30 minutes to shoot a bb gun??? you'll get more use if you can set it up at home, if land and neighbor proximity allow...

molonlabe · Jun 16, 2011

These are fun but small
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=217254

I own a crossman that they don't make anymore it has four knockdown targets and the center one resets it.

Here are some more.
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/show.pl?group_id=20&cmd_accessories=1

They will work well with all but the high velocity rifles >850fps.

Looking for a place to shoot an air rifle

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Member

Active Member

FBHO

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Member

Subibro

Ultimate Member

Get On My Horse

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Member

Member

Member

Ultimate Member

Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics