[himark]

I am getting ready this spring to get the dirt work done and build my home range. I have a nice open area (once tree's are removed) to have a nice home range. I have scraped about every thread on ts.com to find ideas on trap houses and went to many ranges. I really like the roll top lids but I think I am going to go with the standard concrete top (cost reasons). I am also putting lights on the range and have been looking for a good light to use? Should a guy use 2 lights or 3 or 4 straight behind post 3? Also I know what the ata rules say about sizes on traphouses and I am leaning towards the largest allowed. This just because I would like to store as many targets as possible in the house. Any reasons to not go to the maximum allowable limits?

I have been to many clubs and seen lots of different colors for the traps...what is the most popular color or the preffered?

If you have a home range please post some pics...always fun to see. tx in advance for any advice.

Here is where I have staked mine out.

 

[JACK]

I love the apartment above the barn...

 

[patrick Swartz]

Himark,

Looks like a great place for a trap field. In the mid 60s,there was a one field trap range near Hartford City,Indiana. It was owned and run by a gentleman named Blain Waite. The reason I'm telling you this is the picture of the barn reminded me of that trap range. The barn faced south and the trap field was on the east side of the barn,facing north. The club house and sign up area was in the old milking parlor.
I have two styles of trap house that I like,best. Cement block walls with a sliding roof is (IMHO) the most friendly house to build and service. If you have teen age kids jumping down into the house to load,it makes a big differance. If older guys are going to service the house,sliding the roof back and loading is easier for old guys. My all time favorite is a poured concrete house,totally covered with dirt,all sculptured and blended and covered with grass. For a one trap club,the high end,dirt covered house would be first class.
Good luck with your new trap field. Don't shoot bio's and rig something up to pull behind that big IH tractor,in the picture,so that you can keep the broken targets picked up,fairly easily. First class all the way= Big calcuttas.

Respectfully,

Patrick Swartz

 

[himark]

Thanks for the barn comments. It actually has been a restoration over the last couple years. I added the 3rd floor with a wet bar, game room and put a 1/2 bath in it. A guy should be able to stand on the deck and over see the shooting. Should be a fun place to set your gun down and look over the ole pond after shooting. I will post a couple pics..


From last summer..

The 1/2 bath we put in a old outhouse looking door...

We put a obscure glass in the outhouse door so you know when in use..

The view from the deck..where the dump truck is will be the 27 yard line, where the brush pile use to be just north of it will be the trap house. Shooting is North.

 

[1166]

What's wrong with shooting bios ?

 

[Not1/2Bad]

If i was going to build a trap field at my home, i would want one close to the design at the cardinal center. Not because its in Ohio, but they are a walk in design. After years of crawling into the houses, hauling heavy target boxs down into the trap house. The walk in design was a dream come true. Worth a look.

 

[motordoctor]

Newberg gun club in oregon has some really nice trap houses. The roof tilts up and you just walk in and bend over slightly. The roof has a counterweight on the back side and just lifts up. It has an offset hinge point and I believe the trap is set slightly lower so it is ground level. The house is not too high. motordoc

 

[Auctioneer]

I would love to have a trap field at my farm. Due to the fact that a lot of the land has been sold(not by me) I would now need a curtain to catch the shot.

 

[thunder]

Walk in house a must, our club put steps down all 8 trap houses. No more crawling in ruining cloths and even us old guys can load the traps.

 

[Beretta687EELL]

I agree, a walk in trap house is the way to go. It might also increase the number of cases that you can store in it. We have old baseball diamond lights on one of our fields. They are on two poles and there are two lights on each pole. They work very well for our weekly night shoot in the winter months. Around here, green is that favored color for the trap houses. Bill Malcolm

 

[CalvinMD]

Concerning the barn apt...when can I move in??

 

[slayer]

We built a walk-in trap house at a down state trap club a few years ago. the only mistake made was that we made it a little to big to ever shoot registered birds out of it. One block too wide as I remember. Really nice nice house to work in, though. Plenty of room for the birds for all day events.


Bill

 

[hmb]

What direction will the range face? HMB

 

[oleolliedawg]

Better put in a 30 yd. line. You're gonna need it soon!!

 

[himark]

HMB, the range faces straight North.

 

[Basfshmn]

Great job on the barn, this is very interesting. Please keep us posted of your progress. Thanks Rick

 

[pumpernck]

Any consideration to where the shot will fall? Would be nice to be able to retrieve the shot from the land after a certain amount of time.

 

[GoDawgs]

Seriously, you're drinking Keystone Light?

 

[himark]

Pumpernck, Yes I have figured the fall spot and it will be well with in my property. I even went a bit further and had the neighbor come over and help me lay it out so he is fully aware of shot and direction before building.

Godawg..
Keystone light is the only reason I can afford to still build this...

 

[hdwe]

I built a trap house and range behind my barn a few years ago, and it works fine. Remenber two things, drainage and a roof which can be raised or rolled back. If you can make it a walk-in that would be great. I used concrete blocks with a concrete floor. In our clay land the water will come in ... you may not have that problem.
What kind of automatic voice call device are you going to use? The best shooting is when its just you and the target.

Good luck with it.
hdwe