What do you get if you have 8 tons of rubber, 3 tons of steel and plenty of volunteers? You get a new backstop!
The original targetry. Not pretty!
Behind the targets with the patched Linatex ballistic rubber. Messy, bits of rubber and paper everywhere.
We needed a new backstop. The old one worked fine but had some restrictions.
- Only targets placed directly in front of the apertures could be engaged
- The 100Kg armoured steel plates need to be turned every two years and only have a lifespan of about six years
- The red Linatex needs constant patching where it gets shot through
- The Linatex needs complete replacement every two years or so
- The backstop generates a lot of debris and dust
- Due to the design there was a power limit of 475 foot pounds – mid power pistol loads were about the highest power you could use.
So the club decided to build a new backstop to exceed current JSP403 range design guidelines.
Over two cold weekends in January 2025 the change begins ;
Targets and old redundant turning target system removed.
Timber facing and the remaining lead being removed.
Original backstop showing the apertures with armoured steel plates.
This has been left in place with the new backstop built in front.
Thanks to Mel (front) for allowing the 3 tons of steel to be delivered to his works, then moving the steel in batches onto the range ready for construction.
Building the steel framework. Eagle eyed readers may notice the exhaust fan is bricked up as it had to be moved just out of picture to make room.
Plenty of help on hand. Those frames are heavy!
Ready for the facing plates
Coming along nicely. Each plate weighs 60Kg and there are 35 of them.
Nice! Everyone break for pizza!
New exhaust fan in place and the railway sleeper footings are now bolted in.
Yes, that’s ice on the sleepers, it was that cold!
Weekend 1 completed on schedule with no problems.
James Derry is quite rightly sitting proud on his creation, he designed the structure and it went together like lego. Expensive, heavy, bolted together Lego.
Weekend 2 and it’s the donkey work.
Empty 16 x half ton bags of granulated rubber from the car park and shovel it onto the backstop. Everyone bring a barrow and a shovel!
Heave!
Get it raked right to the top
Only another 8 bags to go
Nearly done
Final stages – build the sleepers a little higher, than add facing rubber sheets.
The facing rubber just stops paper and debris from accumulating in the granulated rubber.
First rubber sheet going on
Almost done
All done apart from a little trimming up.
Superb effort, finished ahead of schedule thanks to our volunteers.
We would like to thank the volunteers who did the hard work ;
James Derry – designer
Mel Hopkinson – transport, construction and making sparks
Paul Moss – looking all managery and avoiding actual hard work whilst ordering pizzas
Luke Tuttiett – electrical wrangling
Jonathan Vardy – chainsaw wrangling
Barry Graham – making sparks
David Willougby – one man plate moving machine
Amric Manku – ninja reflexes
And all our volunteers doing hard labour ;
Aleksandra Rozanska
Giorgio Castronuovo
Kevin Howarth
Kevin Nobbs
Martin White
Nick Bartle
Przemyslaw Rozanski
Terry Galleymore
Ian Timlin
Joanne McPheely
Michael Sayers
Philip Smith
Kevin Rodes
Rob Devaney
Bob Paterson
Theodore Daish
Wayne Dixon
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