I reached out to Monster Mulching to come out and handle the underbrush and small trees. So I decided I needed to have someone come in and take care of the underbrush so I could focus on the big trees on the property. Taking these out by hand is easy but requires time and effort, including figuring out what to do with them after they’re down. With that being said, I had to make some decisions about spending money that would save time, energy and be more efficient than my initial DIY approach.Īs you can see above, I have a lot of underbrush, including a number of trees about the diameter of a softball or smaller. It’s nice that I’ll save a little on taxes, but it’s still an out-of-pocket expense. Under Brush Decisionsįortunately for me, building a home shooting range is a legitimate business write-off, but just because it’s a business expense doesn’t mean the money doesn’t have to come from somewhere. But I’ve stopped any more tree felling until step 5 is complete. I still have quite a few trees left that need to come down to clear the full shooting lane. Even Harry’s Holsters laughed at my excitement of how well the felling of such a large tree went. One of the larger trees we felled was about a three-foot-wide, 100-foot tall pine that came down like a champ. I, once again, enlisted friends help felling, bucking, and limbing the trees on the range. I wanted a natural barrier to cut down on the sound for my neighbors and keep the range relatively private, so carving out a spot for it in the woods is ideal. I’ve never had more respect for arborists in my entire life. We also started a running tally of the cost of the range, so you’ll know what to expect if you are interested in building your own.ĭisclaimer repeat: I’m in no way an expert range builder, so take any advice and try any techniques at your own risk! Trees Welcome to our second update, or as we like to call it, “Where We Are In The Process as of The End of June.” If you’re new around here, we are working on building a backyard shooting range. We are building a new home shooting range, and we’re taking you along for the ride by documenting the process. Watch the video we put together for day one of the Building a Shooting Range Series: Some of the items will be optional, but I’m keeping track of each to note my expenses through the process. Update: I wanted to create a running cost total through every stage of the range build. To clear the area, I dragged the trees tops and leafy limbs behind the berm area so they wouldn’t be in the way of our working area. We started with the smaller trees to thin out the area to see what we were working with.įor safety and to make the job a bit easier, we decided to lay the decent size trees where the berm would eventually be. We walked over the area again and came up with a plan. I recruited a friend of mine for some free labor. I used a few fiberglass posts I had lying around to mark the area I wanted to clear. So I picked up a brand new Stihl Professional series MS261 C-M.Īfter picking up the chainsaw, I decided to walk the area again to mark it off. I’ve had a chainsaw for a few years, but it wasn’t one I’d run for several hours, let alone run hard. Trees and any natural obstacles that may interfere with your shooting lane should be cleared. The brush isn’t very thick, but the trees range in size from a few feet in diameter to a few inches. The land that I’m working with has quite a few trees and some underbrush. I took some initial measurements, and I’m going to shoot for a 50 yard by 30/40 feet range. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.Determine the size range you can safely create with the space that you have. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |