shoot room video and pics to share

[skeetlee]

Fellas
Some of you may have seen my pics that i have been posting on BR central pertaining to my new 200 yard shoot house. Well i finally have the room at least 95% done and i took a couple videos with my phone today to share with you all. if you have seen these already i apologize. I wanted some of the accurate shooters members to have a chance to see what i have created. It took the better part of the year to complete and there is still some work to do to the berm once the corn is down this coming week, but it is darn near ready for some banging. Just a little run down of what i have done.
We added 16' to the back of the machine shop on one of our farms so i could have a place to practice my shooting. Everything worked out real well because exactly 200 yards out from the new addition is a low spot in the field that doesn't produce any crop anyway, so we thought this would be a good spot for a berm. I started building the berm this spring before the crop got planted and it is about 60% complete. I will post some pics of the project from the very start and i will hopefully end this post with a couple videos of the room i shot today. if i can figure out how to post the link. Enjoy fellas. I am very lucky to have such a place to do all this, and i will be in forever debted to my folks for letting me build this range and loading/shoot room. Lee

Pic 1
Me finishing the concrete floor for the addition

Pic 2
this is the start of the addition as you can see.

Pic 3
Just a pic of some of the progress during the building and insulating of the shoot room

Here is a pic of my benches. I set the block in mortar then formed the tops in place with some t suports to holt the forms up. i used an 8" sona tube for the rear leg. added some rebar for reinforcement. Worked out really really well.

Pic of the pour in progress

Pic of me troweling the tops.

Here is a pic of the top poured and set up. notice how the forms just drop straight down. Very easy to strip.

As you can see the rifle fits very nice on the bench.

Like i said, i know some of you guys have seen all of this already, but i am really excited about all this and i like to share my shooting life with you folks. This range is a gift to me from my folks, and i am very grateful. This winter when the snow is flying we can stay half way warm and shoot until out finger gets sore. I also look forward to entertaining some guest. I am going to try and post a link for a you tube video of the shoot house. I haven't ever shot a video before so please bare with me. I hope the link works. the video will be in two parts as i had a phone call in the middle of shooting the video and the camera stopped, so there is to parts. So here goes. Enjoy and thanks accurate shooter for such a great site!!! Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrzyhC8dCvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KRMPOwdXWQ

 

[rbertalotto]

Damn!.........I'd give a left _ _ _ to have an enclosed shooting room!

Nice...........Will any of us be able to use it............ ;D

 

[338Lapua]

Ha Ha very cool im jealous..

 

[rubbershotgun]

impressive

 

[fullersson]

That's very nice looking. Looks you all did a good job on the construction. I really like that shooting bench. I may have to borrow your idea on that one. Mostly I've seen slabs of granite for the tops and was considering trying to do that, but obviously a slab of granite poises some issues in its self. I never thought about pouring the bench. My dad does construction so I've been familiar with construction since I was about 10 so that method should be a little more feasible for me to construct. Your place looks real nice.

 

[necchi]

Ooopp's
What if you have a Lefty come visit??

 

[skeetlee]

no lefties!! LOL!! With the window like it was on that side i didnt feel it would be safe to cram a right handed shooter that far to the left against the wall. i feel like he wouldn't be able to see any un expected on comers out side the room. Vision is key to safety and i wasn't going to take any chances. I will build a bench outside for both right and left handed shooters. I dont know any left handed shooters and this range being on my folks property i wont have to many unknown visitors anyway. Lee

 

[apakesha]

I've got a shoot room where I shoot out of the second story on our corn crib that is sided, insulated and heated in the winter and air conditioned against heat of the summer. I cannot shoot in the summer because of the corn. I can shoot in the spring before the corn is too tall and after the corn is harvested in the fall. The only problem with shooting in the winter is I have to shut down the heat while shooting or else I get mirage from the rising heat when shooting out of the window. It's amazing how much mirage is generated just from the heat registers. You'll really appreciate being inside to shoot. You can shoot all winter long. Good Shooting!!! Looks great!!!!

 

[fullersson]

I know a benchrest shooter who moved from the north. He said they also had a shooting room like you all have. During the first winter they had the room up and running they all got together with coffee and all the goodies, had the heat going and just having a good time. When they finally decided to shoot they opened the window and got on the gun he said it's some of the worst mirage he had ever shot in.

 

[skeetlee]

i have already thought about the mirage issue. The power box deal on the front wall will be outlets for small fans. We will also keep the heat down, just enough to keep the chill out! Lee

 

[TheSnake]

Very nice Lee and I really like the benches. One straight run with the bush hog would make a good shooting lane when next years crop starts to come up. That's what I do in the hay field. Who said don't make a good video...

 

[40X Guy]

Lee, I am liking your set up big time, I have one in the planning stages as well. Currently considering one of the pre built 12X20 sheds made here locally and insulate it well. Will have one window at right height in the side. I already have bench made and a berm for 100 yards. After deer season last year I never shot a rifle until March this year. It is good to practice during the off season and stay warm while doing it. What are your dimensions and would/do you use a chrony?

Frank

 

[CJ6]

Great lookin shootin shed SkeetLee. Something you may want to be carefull of tho is the muzzle blast damage to the windows.

 

[Waskawood]

Does Mom and Dad need another son? They can adopt me. Very nice room Skeet. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[jhord]

NICE!! Well done. I have a bench set up in our old milk parlor, I slide open a door and then have 800 yards at my disposal. Problem right now is the same as you, corn in the way! Eventually I am going to make a permanent shooting room in the upstairs of a different barn, then the crops won't bother me.

 

[nfhjr62]

How much of a deer problem do you have with what's left of the corn on the ground down between 1 & 200 yards maybe fill the freezer real fast like a cousin i had on his farm, his wife and daughter would shoot from second floor of the barn.

 

[skeetlee]

''One straight run with the bush hog would make a good shooting lane when next years crop starts to come up.''

With the price of seed corn the way it is i dont think i will be mowing to much of it down. I think what we will do is compromise when we next plant corn and keep a lane open out to 100 yards. The field will be beans next year, and heaven forbid if the beans next year look like the beans this year there will be no issues.
I have had a lot of fellas ask me again why i didnt put a right/left handed bench in the shoot room and for good reason. When we set out to build this room we didnt give much thought to window placement other than i knew i wanted them at least 4' apart. As it played out the left/south window was put on a little to far to the south. I really dont feel it would be safe to crowd the predominate right handed shooter that far up against the wall and have his field of view to the south limited so i really had no real choice. I hate this but i definitely dont want any accidents, or even close calls. I want each shooter to be fully aware of whats going on outside at all times. Granted we wont be shooting if there is anyone out and about and i do plan on building some chain warning devises with posted signs that the range is in use, but you just never know when someone might stop by, not knowing whats going on. it happens all the time out there. Folks in these parts are friendly and even a little noisy and we have people stopping by all the time just to visit and greet themselves. I wish i had thought about this when we set the windows but I didnt. I still think i could cut a section out of the table on the south but unless the need absolutely presents itself i wont, and i really dont see it being a problem. Like i said before this is my folks home and it wont be a free for all come and go type of range. This is a private range for me and my closest friends. I will invite some new folks from time to time, if they are right handed. LOL!! I do plan on building a bench in between the two inside benches out front and that will be a right/left bench for sure. I even plan on putting an awning out front to cut the sun set as this range faces west. I am a morning person so it will be perfect for a nice calm morning shoot!! I hope you all have enjoyed this and i will be posting another video once we are up and shooting. Thanks Lee

 

[SS427]

Lee, what a great setup. Thanks for sharing!

 

[spitfire_er]

My wifes grandfather is an old gunsmith and he has a similar setup I get to shoot out of. Shop heated all winter, and 3 shooting rooms. Behind the 3 rooms is a big reloading room. behind that the main gunsmith shop. His range is 100 and 200. You will enjoy shooting from from yours. We have concrete benches too, Great choice there! Ours is also lighted so you can shoot all night long!

Here's a couple pictures of his room and down range. This is my first rifle I built myself several years back.

One more thing to add. Another family member has a shooting shack, and he uses a sheet of clear plexiglass, or Lexan to close off the open window then a 1.5" circle is cut in the center to poke the barrel out of. Works great!

 

[skeetlee]

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all for the kind words. I look forward to having a few of you fine men out for a shoot this coming fall and winter. I will post one more video when we are up and shooting, so please look for it. thanks again! lee